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People who are passionate about their jobs

4K views 28 replies 19 participants last post by  WIBrewDude 
#1 ·
So, I have a buddy leaving at the end of the week, he's been here 3 years, been underpaid by about $25k/yr and got sick of the 18 hour days,middle of the night phone calls, the lack of change, and the complaints about stuff he missed even though he's been doing at least 3 people's jobs for the price of less than 1. We are both process engineers in a manufacturing plant.

He's happy to be leaving, his last day is Friday, I personally don't give a crap about the company beyond my personal growth (and plan to jump ship as soon as my experience allows), and when they complain about things not getting done my general response is hire more people and sometimes its whatever. Maybe I am a little bit jaded, but whatever.

What I want to know, for any of you psychologists or people who really enjoy their career, why, with 3 days left is my buddy still letting small stuff irritate him immensely? Why is he still staying here 14 hours a day? If it were me I would just stop caring leave after 8 hours and at the very best inform people who will be here after I am gone in 3 days about things that need to be fixed, which of course are things that always need to be fixed and never change.

Is it a passion for the work thing? Is it a character thing? Any thoughts welcome.
 
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#2 ·
everyone is different for sure. i think it's passion...work...character and all sorts of things at the same time.

"irritation" is not something that easily goes away in any relationship (you probably know this by heart!) - whether it be a working, family, dating, organizational, or marriage relationship. "wherever you go - there you are" is a common element for attitudes. so i wouldn't expect an immediate change, that's a very "black and white" engineer view of the world!

I commend him for a strong work ethic and encourage him to not get irritated..but that's easier said than done. it's nice to try to feel completely confident that a solid and honest resolve to fulfill ones commitment has been done which doesn't need to lead to irritation - that is mostly a personal trait (though a very common one!). i've watched people work with resolve through tumultuous situations - they are amazing individuals with excellent character that will fair them well in life and career.

there are some very stressful positions and situations that people can do in stride because they're good at what they do, are good leaders, etc - good leaders can't get irritated, they have to have resolve, be forward looking, seeing a better future no matter what the current outlook is, or having clarity and vision in spite difficulties...i highly recommend seeking that as an employee. if you can add value to your company and those around you - it will eventually pay off. it might take 2 or 10 years and 3 job changes...but it will. people with that kind of resolve are rare though, (many more people think they have it than do) and you can't choose it right now because it sounds cool or one nods their head to it.

engineers are particularly prone to being irritated - a strong propensity to look for problems (much of what they were taught is called "problem solving"), not have strong leadership/personal skills which is a tough transition from a self-focused academic career to a more fluid, dynamic world with lots of people, teams, bigger picture... they can be prone to thinking they're more qualified than they are - might not say it but act as if they're skill sets in one area (math, science, programming) makes them proficient in everything else (accounting, management, leadership, team work, someone elses jobs - etc). lots of guys are armchairs quarterbacks at work too. they can be highly critical..though they call it "fairness, justice..." etc and have all sorts of very good arguments for suggesting how they are right and they could do it better.

dream jobs are out there but a solid character, resolve, and work ethic will serve one better across all spectrums/types of jobs/situations....and in the end that kind of character i think is more likely to lead you to or end up getting that dream job. but of course i've seen horrible employees even at the upper echelons of business, so there's never a hard and fast rule!

I'm no psych but I'm an engineer too! worked for 5 different engineering companies in MD.
 
#3 ·
.. why, with 3 days left is my buddy still letting small stuff irritate him immensely? Why is he still staying here 14 hours a day? If it were me I would just stop caring leave after 8 hours and at the very best inform people who will be here after I am gone in 3 days about things that need to be fixed, which of course are things that always need to be fixed and never change.

Is it a passion for the work thing? Is it a character thing? Any thoughts welcome.
Presumably you or someone else he knows would have to take over his work, no? Perhaps he is trying to tie up loose ends so you do not get even more of the royal treatment than you already are.

People can be loyal to their coworkers even if they are not loyal to their companies.
 
#4 ·
I can understand that, but the 3 of us in the department work minimum 12 hours a day, and more like 14 on average, it would be unfortunate for us to not have someone hired to replace him.

everyone is different for sure. i think it's passion...work...character and all sorts of things at the same time.

"irritation" is not something that easily goes away in any relationship (you probably know this by heart!) - whether it be a working, family, dating, organizational, or marriage relationship. "wherever you go - there you are" is a common element for attitudes. so i wouldn't expect an immediate change, that's a very "black and white" engineer view of the world!

I commend him for a strong work ethic and encourage him to not get irritated..but that's easier said than done. it's nice to try to feel completely confident that a solid and honest resolve to fulfill ones commitment has been done which doesn't need to lead to irritation - that is mostly a personal trait (though a very common one!). i've watched people work with resolve through tumultuous situations - they are amazing individuals with excellent character that will fair them well in life and career.

there are some very stressful positions and situations that people can do in stride because they're good at what they do, are good leaders, etc - good leaders can't get irritated, they have to have resolve, be forward looking, seeing a better future no matter what the current outlook is, or having clarity and vision in spite difficulties...i highly recommend seeking that as an employee. if you can add value to your company and those around you - it will eventually pay off. it might take 2 or 10 years and 3 job changes...but it will. people with that kind of resolve are rare though, (many more people think they have it than do) and you can't choose it right now because it sounds cool or one nods their head to it.

engineers are particularly prone to being irritated - a strong propensity to look for problems (much of what they were taught is called "problem solving"), not have strong leadership/personal skills which is a tough transition from a self-focused academic career to a more fluid, dynamic world with lots of people, teams, bigger picture... they can be prone to thinking they're more qualified than they are - might not say it but act as if they're skill sets in one area (math, science, programming) makes them proficient in everything else (accounting, management, leadership, team work, someone elses jobs - etc). lots of guys are armchairs quarterbacks at work too. they can be highly critical..though they call it "fairness, justice..." etc and have all sorts of very good arguments for suggesting how they are right and they could do it better.

dream jobs are out there but a solid character, resolve, and work ethic will serve one better across all spectrums/types of jobs/situations....and in the end that kind of character i think is more likely to lead you to or end up getting that dream job. but of course i've seen horrible employees even at the upper echelons of business, so there's never a hard and fast rule!

I'm no psych but I'm an engineer too! worked for 5 different engineering companies in MD.
Thanks grossgary! I try to stay as impartial and detached as possible and focus on learning and accomplishing my tasks which I find most fulfilling and I've just been amazed with how much weight he carries on his shoulders from this job. He's a good guy and I'm super happy he's found a better job for himself.

Thanks for your insight guys, he's an amazing engineer, maybe I haven't been around here long enough to see why he has carried such a big burden.
 
#5 ·
We call it commitment. People who care about what they are suppose to do are the best employees! His next company will be much more appreciative.
 
#8 ·
Besides, unless you are retiring for good, you never know what tomorrow might bring, a need for a job reference, or worse, a return to the job you left. I learned a long time ago that it wasn't wise to burn bridges, no matter how much you really want to. Things always have a way of coming back to bite you.
 
#9 ·
I personally don't give a crap about the company beyond my personal growth...
So, what's the name of that company?

...I gotta buy some puts,

Looby
 
#11 ·
In my experience very few people truly have a career doing what they enjoy, but alot of people learn to enjoy what they do. I always loved the line from Office Space that talks about doing what you enjoy for a career " that question is bullsh** to begin with. If everyone listened to her, there'd be no janitors, because no one would clean sh*t up if they had a million dollars."

It's the truth. But you have to care at least a little bit about the company you work for or you'll never have personal growth.

I have an engineering degree but work in banking, not my dream career. But I have learned to apply my analytical thinking to my job and have learned ways to enjoy what I do. I have even brought about some change in my company to enhance their systems and methodology because I look at things from a different perspective than others.

To answer you question, I think its more a passion for the work thing than anything. Some people just feel compelled to do the best job they can because it's their job. I feel the same and have switch positions because I didn't feel I was giving it 100% and wasn't doing the job justice. In the end it has served me well.
 
#12 ·
I think part of it is work ethic. In this job climate you take the good with the bad and focus on yourself. One of the most shocking things you'll discover is that pretty much everybody is underpaid. It's the nature of the beast. I wouldn't necessarily consider that a knock against your character as they're most likely paying everybody else that does your job the same amount. You have to determine if you can make more elsewhere or not.

I do enjoy my job and try not to let the poor pay scale and inconsistencies in management and lower level employee performance affect my work. After 9 years with this company they do make numerous concessions for me. The trick is finding that balance. From 8 to 5 I'm theirs but after that they don't own me. I'm not paid for that time so they have to wait until I'm back online. I know my supervisor doesn't like it but he understands my need to have a good work/life balance.
 
#13 ·
OP, I can't answer your question but I've been there too.

My last day on the job of eight years I spent 14 hours doing the crappiest, nastiest most dangerous thing we do, scrubbing and cleaning the gas oil vats in the restaurant. I was one of only a few people that knew how to do it and I trained a new guy that night. Done improperly it could damage a 20k piece of hardware.

The only good part about that night is even though I was leaving and there was a big argument just before that all anyone remembers was the final act . No one ever questioned that I would show up or that I might not do an exceptional job. Knowing it was the last thing I'd do there, it didn't actually feel like work and I had fun doing it. If I ever wanted it, I know I can walk in there anytime and I'll have a job. When things go sideways from time to time at my current job, it is a measure of comfort.
 
#16 ·
I often said the best job is one you would do for free.
 
#17 ·
Most career jobs have a small community. If word gets out that you more or less just stopped working ie caring about your work before you left your former employer word gets around and soon no one wants to hire you. He's simply trying to leave his current job with a good reputation. Smart man

It's a small world after all - you never know when something you did might come full circle and cost you.
 
#20 ·
Manufacturing engineer here, and it's concerning to hear about this. I think one thing that gets me is the long days. I to am in a situation where there is quite literally no better place for me to work, I am in the best possible situation, but I'm making $17k/yr less than my counterparts that graduated the same year I did (last year).

The most important thing to me is that on salary, we still get paid for 40 hours of work a week, doing excess of that is purely up to you. If you're working that hard, ask for a raise, don't quit. 14 hour days sounds like you need another process engineer.

Good luck!

-CW
 
#23 ·
We do need at least 4 process engineers (there were 3 now down to 2), the one guy left because he asked for a raise for 3 years and never got one, and he also got tired of being yelled at for the stuff he missed as we was doing a minimum of 2 jobs from my point of view. I love the job, management is just crappy I guess.


I cannot for the life of me imagine how people work boring jobs they hate! Life is to short for that. I love my now part time job. I run private yachts. It is a 24 hours a day 7 days a week, with a multi million dollar responsibility hanging around your neck; to say nothing about the lives of those on board. But i have been doing it for over 30 years and love it. I now just do deliveries, when I like the boat and destination. The rest of my time is split between homes in the western NC mountains and the Bahamas. Security sucks, bail out and enjoy life!
HAHA I like you...I'm thinking about it to be honest. I would like to move to Canada (where my wife is from) and start a business, but I need to figure out what I can do as a "visitor" then if I spend too much time there, an illegal immigrant.

Interesting thread...on a car forum.

I am an educator...fancy word for teacher. I teach grades 7-12 mostly technology education. I must say that I do love my job. If I didn't I wouldn't be there. That does not mean that there, at times, is stuff I have to put up with, things I don't agree with, etc.

I tend to look past that stuff and get on with the job at hand. The job is always bigger than the small stuff and puts everything in perspective.
Your job is so much more fulfilling than making bottles of stuff. You have the destiny of the next generation in your hands, I would look past the crap too if I were in a position like yours. I can say that for a fact since I taught AP Chemistry for a year, had two teachers quit and I took over, I was supposed to be a teacher's aid.

In general, I think he just made a family out of his coworkers, he really felt a bond with them and didn't want to let them down. Makes sense given all the BS he (and everyone else) put up with. I was just hoping to learn something from his work ethic, and I think I have. It's just a shame he didn't start his own business with the 18+ hour days he'd put in. I hope he does in the future.
 
#21 ·
I cannot for the life of me imagine how people work boring jobs they hate! Life is to short for that. I love my now part time job. I run private yachts. It is a 24 hours a day 7 days a week, with a multi million dollar responsibility hanging around your neck; to say nothing about the lives of those on board. But i have been doing it for over 30 years and love it. I now just do deliveries, when I like the boat and destination. The rest of my time is split between homes in the western NC mountains and the Bahamas. Security sucks, bail out and enjoy life!
 
#25 ·
I cannot for the life of me imagine how people work boring jobs they hate!
I think alot of this comes from where you live and what job market surrounds you. Where I am, I can't be too picky and wait for my perfect job. Good paying, secure jobs, with benefits and good hours are hard to come by.

Myself, I put up with a semi-boring job that I don't love so that I can afford a good quality of life for my family and have time to spend with them. Even if I started to hate this job, I'd keep at it until another good paying job came along that I didn't hate as much.

Sure, I could move to a bigger city and use my degrees better for a better salary and possibly a job I enjoy more, but then my kids wouldn't know their grandparents as well as they do now, and I'd probably have less time to spend with them and enjoy life.

From my point of view, as long as I can enjoy my home side of the work-home balance I can suffer through the work side, knowing the home side is waiting for me when I get done.

Security may suck, but suffering is much worse and makes it hard to enjoy life.
 
#22 ·
Interesting thread...on a car forum.

I am an educator...fancy word for teacher. I teach grades 7-12 mostly technology education. I must say that I do love my job. If I didn't I wouldn't be there. That does not mean that there, at times, is stuff I have to put up with, things I don't agree with, etc.

I tend to look past that stuff and get on with the job at hand. The job is always bigger than the small stuff and puts everything in perspective.
 
#26 ·
I started my working life out as an engineer. In the beginning of my career I jumped companies about once a year, exploring what kind of work I liked and what I didn't. However, I made always sure that i did not burn any bridges behind me. You never know what references you might need, or if you even want to go back to one of the past employers. After about 6 different employers, I found the job I really liked. You can be good only in a job you like. That all happened in Germany, and the job I liked was in the German subsidiary of a US company (one of the largest US companies). I must have been good enough in my job that my employer decided to transfer me to the headquarters of the company in the US, because they wanted my knowledge/talents there to be applied on a global scale. I loved the job! I must have been so good in it that my employer decided to encourage me to study on company time and company cost to go into bio-medical engineering and research. I did that, and the end result were 32 global medical patents with my name on and me working for this company for 33 years until I retired with a very nice retirement package.

What I want to get across here, you can only be good in your job if you really like what you are doing, if you like your job so much that the day seems to have to few hours for having all the fun you could have. if you hate to go to work most mornings, you will never be good in your job!
 
#27 ·
What I want to get across here, you can only be good in your job if you really like what you are doing, if you like your job so much that the day seems to have to few hours for having all the fun you could have. if you hate to go to work most mornings, you will never be good in your job!
I'll just agree to disagree here.

My day seems like it's 8-10 hrs. There are moments I enjoy during my day and I truly enjoy helping my customers, however I would not say I enjoy my job.

However I feel very confident that I am good in my job, I am a point of contact for many of my peers when they need help (and even a few people "above" me). I know that if I wanted to move to a market where my employer has more jobs available I would be able to move on up the ladder. But I like living where I live.

Unfortunately the world isn't full of jobs that everyone loves, some people are fortunate enough to have the skill, determination and be in the right place at the right time to get those jobs, but someone has to do work they don't enjoy to make the world go around.

If one has enough self discipline and self respect they can be good at anything, even if they don't enjoy it.
 
#29 ·
i am gonna have to agree with the fact that you don't have to love your job to be good at it.

I, for one, do not love my job, but I am pretty good at it. I have the respect of my peers, by bosses, and most of my subordinates. That, my wife and I being happy where we live(halfway across the country from the in-laws - YEAH!), and the security/benefits of it keep me there.

So I try to keep in perspective what I do like about it and I stay positive and most days, have a good time.

Now, the other day when a kid smuggled pills up his anal cavity into the jail, and took a bunch, causing him to spend two days in the ICU.....Yeah...didn't like the job so much...it can get depressing dealing with people like that all day. :gasp:
 
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