Job Security in Spite of Yourself
Something very interesting happened to me the other day. I was having a problem with management at work and started looking at my options. My company is huge so I could transfer just about anywhere in the world, so I started looking.
Once I got a few hours into this search I realized how much my life would change if I picked up and moved to ANY of these jobs. It didn't even matter to me at the time. I had to get out before things got REALLY ugly.
Then I went home, put on the TV, and forgot that I was fresh out of food. I ran out to the store to pick up a least a couple days of food before the store closed and got in about 20 minutes before the doors were locked.
I rushed around and picked up a hand basket full of food, but didn't have a hand for milk. I dropped my stuff at the register and went to the dairy aisle.
In that aisle were two employees of the store. They were bitching up a storm about the job, their boss, the hours, etc... but the amazing thing was that it was very similar conversation to the one I was in only a couple hours earlier. In fact, if you had just changed a few industry words, my conversation in my "sophisticated" job were exactly the same as the conversation being had by the two "unskilled labor" guys in the supermarket.
It was so similar that I started comparing it to problems I've had at other jobs and reasons I didn't like working other places.
At this point I had my milk but decided to be a snoop a little more and get some cheese.
These guys were complaining about the same things that make every job suck:
1. Management (Unqualified, over enthusiastic, promoted for wrong reasons, etc)
2. Responsibility for things outside of their control
3. Hours/Work load
4. Pay
Our jobs could not be more different, yet those 4 problems exist everywhere. EVERYONE feels under paid, under appreciated, over worked, responsible for too much (or too little), etc.
So if everyone has those feelings, why do they complain?
It's a simple answer. Complaints come from within. Jobs are what you make of them. Whatever you're doing isn't as hard as you think it is, you're being paid better than necessary, and things aren't as bad as they seem.
Some people validate their existance by suffering. No matter what it is, they will find a way to point out something that they have to endure that makes them a better person/employee/etc. They are not comfortable with things just being "good." They must figure out what the problems are because if there aren't any problems then this can't be for real.
I am one of those people. I find fault with just about everyone around me and with everything I'm doing to a point where I find myself questioning why I'm doing just about everything I'm doing. I have a job that pays me more than any other job I applied for when I was looking for jobs. It has serious responsibilities, but they only come up maybe once every few years. The work load is simple and fun. The people I work with are awesome. I really couldn't ask for a better situation... I take that back... you can always be paid more for doing less. That is one of the certainties of life. But, beyond the "HUUURRRRR I want to be paid more" argument, there is nothing wrong...
BUT I STILL FIND FATAL FLAWS.
After that incident at the supermarket everything came together. It was a great moment. Those two guys who were bitching in the middle of an active store were the perfect eye opener. It was a moment. It was something I hope to never forget. No matter how bad you think it is, you have to ask yourself if it's any worse than the alternatives. Look back on what you didn't like about past jobs. Think about those things and put them into broader categories. Compare them with what you are complaining about now.
If you're anything like me you've worked in a couple different industries and had some radically different jobs. I've been everything from a strong back to a financial mind to an opperational specialist and in every job I can point back to those 4 things: Boss, Unreasonable expectations/responsibilites, work load, pay.
I can tell you without hesitation that the past few days of work have been a breeze. I've had the same stupid bullshit going on that made me angry to begin with, but I've taken it with a smile on my face.
I finally know it's me who has the problem... not my jobs. If you've been divorced 10 times... you have to stop blaming the other party. If you become increasingly unhappy with every job to the point where you force yourself away... OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER... then maybe it's time you stop blaming the jobs and start with a serious overhaul of the way you look at your career.
Once I got a few hours into this search I realized how much my life would change if I picked up and moved to ANY of these jobs. It didn't even matter to me at the time. I had to get out before things got REALLY ugly.
Then I went home, put on the TV, and forgot that I was fresh out of food. I ran out to the store to pick up a least a couple days of food before the store closed and got in about 20 minutes before the doors were locked.
I rushed around and picked up a hand basket full of food, but didn't have a hand for milk. I dropped my stuff at the register and went to the dairy aisle.
In that aisle were two employees of the store. They were bitching up a storm about the job, their boss, the hours, etc... but the amazing thing was that it was very similar conversation to the one I was in only a couple hours earlier. In fact, if you had just changed a few industry words, my conversation in my "sophisticated" job were exactly the same as the conversation being had by the two "unskilled labor" guys in the supermarket.
It was so similar that I started comparing it to problems I've had at other jobs and reasons I didn't like working other places.
At this point I had my milk but decided to be a snoop a little more and get some cheese.
These guys were complaining about the same things that make every job suck:
1. Management (Unqualified, over enthusiastic, promoted for wrong reasons, etc)
2. Responsibility for things outside of their control
3. Hours/Work load
4. Pay
Our jobs could not be more different, yet those 4 problems exist everywhere. EVERYONE feels under paid, under appreciated, over worked, responsible for too much (or too little), etc.
So if everyone has those feelings, why do they complain?
It's a simple answer. Complaints come from within. Jobs are what you make of them. Whatever you're doing isn't as hard as you think it is, you're being paid better than necessary, and things aren't as bad as they seem.
Some people validate their existance by suffering. No matter what it is, they will find a way to point out something that they have to endure that makes them a better person/employee/etc. They are not comfortable with things just being "good." They must figure out what the problems are because if there aren't any problems then this can't be for real.
I am one of those people. I find fault with just about everyone around me and with everything I'm doing to a point where I find myself questioning why I'm doing just about everything I'm doing. I have a job that pays me more than any other job I applied for when I was looking for jobs. It has serious responsibilities, but they only come up maybe once every few years. The work load is simple and fun. The people I work with are awesome. I really couldn't ask for a better situation... I take that back... you can always be paid more for doing less. That is one of the certainties of life. But, beyond the "HUUURRRRR I want to be paid more" argument, there is nothing wrong...
BUT I STILL FIND FATAL FLAWS.
After that incident at the supermarket everything came together. It was a great moment. Those two guys who were bitching in the middle of an active store were the perfect eye opener. It was a moment. It was something I hope to never forget. No matter how bad you think it is, you have to ask yourself if it's any worse than the alternatives. Look back on what you didn't like about past jobs. Think about those things and put them into broader categories. Compare them with what you are complaining about now.
If you're anything like me you've worked in a couple different industries and had some radically different jobs. I've been everything from a strong back to a financial mind to an opperational specialist and in every job I can point back to those 4 things: Boss, Unreasonable expectations/responsibilites, work load, pay.
I can tell you without hesitation that the past few days of work have been a breeze. I've had the same stupid bullshit going on that made me angry to begin with, but I've taken it with a smile on my face.
I finally know it's me who has the problem... not my jobs. If you've been divorced 10 times... you have to stop blaming the other party. If you become increasingly unhappy with every job to the point where you force yourself away... OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER... then maybe it's time you stop blaming the jobs and start with a serious overhaul of the way you look at your career.
posted by NJX70 at 9:57 AM
1 comments
