The bane of my existence

[BigMoneyJim]

I enjoyed the atmosphere and non-selling work in my two startup employers. They just didn't pay well and relied on stock options and dreams of cashing them in for a few $million. I've been with my current company on and off for 15 years, and it has been transitioning into a mature company the past few years from an established but growing/expanding company before that. I enjoyed myself more when it was growing and expanding. Keeping a mature company going is apparently monotonous work.

I'll try to keep an eye out for growing companies in my next job hunt.

[ESRBob]

Quote:

Yes, I have a potential opportunity at a start-up that I may well accept if we can come to terms. *Time for me to try something new.

Brewer, that's right, I remember the other thread now. Good luck with your negotiations -- sounds like you're ready for this sort of thing. Hope you guys can come to terms

[bruce1]

Quote:

Good thread, brewer! *My occupation is inherrently interesting but after doing much the same thing for 25 years it is really beginning to wear on me. The compensation is quite good, the people enjoyable, and the company environment outstanding...despite all this, I am SO ready for a change. Unfortunately, I need to save up few more years worth of acorns. Gotta do it.

I am in a similiar situation but am 30 years in and am almost ready. This time next year I should be retired. If I get cold feet I have set a be gone or else date of Sept 2006.

Bruce

[H-hogluvr]

I'm with you on this one. I have been bored in the work world most of my life. I was a legal secretary for 13 years, and that was just terrible. Then I started pursuing my bachelor's degree, and got a job as a reporter at a newspaper. I found that much more interesting, but was downsized following 9/11. It took me 8 months to find my present job, in public relations/marketing at a college. I have been here 2.5 years now, and it's been pretty dull from Day One.

I like the people I work with. The pay is very good. The benefits are excellent. But I'm not learning much in the way of new skills and I don't see much room for promotion. So I face the idea of sitting here for the next 25 years until retirement. I may be like Bob_Smith's daughter, too bright for most of the jobs I've been in. There isn't much room for creativity in this position, I'm afraid. I'm always hoping/looking for something better but in 2.5 years, it has not happened.

Hello H-Hogluver! Since I assume you don't raise pigs,
you must be a biker, right? Panhead will be interested
next time he checks in here

JG

[H-hogluvr]

Quote:

Hello H-Hogluver! *Since I assume you don't raise pigs, you must be a biker, right? *Panhead will be interested next time he checks in here * JG

Actually, I am neither a pig farmer nor a biker. (although I wish I had a pet pig).

I love hedgehogs! I used to have four of them (a pair at a time) but about a year ago, the last one crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I miss them terribly. Now we are down to a turtle and a chinchilla. DH and I have always had multiple pets!

Thanks for enlightening me. I was seein' Harley's
there

I used to have chinchillas for lunch at my fav. Mexican place in Dallas, with some guacamole and sour cream.
Yummy!

JG

[Martha]

Beats cat.

[MJ]

Roast Rat anyone?

MJ :-/

[SDY888]

Chicken's Feet?
Monkey Brains?
Snake Blood? (seasonal)

All available at various local eateries!!!

[MJ]

My dear mother used to add chicken feet in the weekly chicken soup. I remember enjoying them but that was over forty years ago in a galaxy far far away.

Now monkey brains is a delicacy i'll have to discuss at another time.

MJ

FYI........there is a huge surplus of monkey brains in Washington, DC.

JG

[MJ]

Quote:

FYI........there is a huge surplus of monkey brains in Washington, DC.

Yeh JG, all those red state monkey brainiacs leaving all their doodoo for future gens to clean-up.

MJ

I saw a place the other day with a sign adverstising rabbits and coons- not sure if they were live or fileted!

[polloloco]

If you saw the sign in TN, AL, MS or LA they are live on foot.

[unclemick]

The state has hired a chef to promote cooked Nutria - LA swamp has 'more than enough' as they say in the 9th ward.

Quote:

A really persistent problem for me in my career thus far (coming up on 10 years) is boredom. *The corporate world seems to be happy leaving people in little boxes for years at a time, essentially doing the same thing. *At least for me, this gets old really quick. *I have been bored at my current gig for at least a year. *

I am just past the 10th year mark in my engineering career. Boredom is huge, although sometimes I don't know whether it is really boredom. I think it is a combination of that with an absolute disgust of the corporate BS, inefficiency, colleagues, lack of control over what I want and the drugdery of daily mandatory cubicle presence. My third anniversary with my current employer is coming up. This is the first time I stayed somewhere this long. I have done so many different things before. I did just about all of it from working in the mines down under to drilling for oil in the arctic and all sorts of stuff in between. Now I am in the high tech R&D.

And you know what? It is all the same at the end. It may be a challenge for a few weeks or a few months and then it becomes another job or daily chore (the monkey phase). The boss is also a big negative for me. I have also decided that I do not need another challenge at work since that usually translates into more hours. I am diligently sticking to my 40 hours a week which is not appreciated in my type of business (no dedication). I am actually completely out of it - no interest in it no more. The job is a nice cash cow and that is it. Every morning I have to remember what I did yesterday and what I am supposed to do that day. I am trying to turn the knob in my brain when I walk in in the morning and not let me think about what the heck I am actually doing there. That makes it a bit more bearable. I found that interesting in Terhorst's book that he could not explain to a kid what he actually really did during the day except for blabber on the phone and push some paper.

A job is a job, if I get satisfaction out of it: great! If not, too bad as long as I am still out of my cube on time. I thought about going back to school for another degree but there is nothing that I get really wild about. It would also mean losing pay for years, being entry level again and getting stuck in just another job. I am trying to hang on to my job as long as I can to pay the bills and stash it away for FIRE. The house is paid for, my investments are growing... just a matter of time.

I got bored a few times, mostly early on. It was 3 years
and out, 3 years and out, 3 years and out. By then I was the BIG DOG. From there until the end I mostly ran the ship. I may have toughed it out longer (workin'
for a boss) except I had a taste of being in charge.
That pretty much spoiled me for anything else. I'm a
natural entreprenuer, just took some time to see it.

JG

[Otis]

Quote:

The one big upside to my career is no boredom. There is always something new to do and new to learn. The downside is the stress of it all. Brewer, maybe the oportunity for working with the start up is just what you need. It likely won't be boring.

Right now I'm in the same boat as Martha. I've alternated between extreme boredom (waiting for project funding to arrive) and being the center of the madness (team lead) on several programs. Right now I think I prefer boredom to long hours and gray hair. Granted, I'm being compensated (mostly) for my pain, and those additional funds are going to be what makes an ER possible. So while the job is less than optimal right now, I know it's an investment (both mentally and financially) for some future point where I get to leave the desk behind and go frolic in the sun.

[Martha]

Otis, now that I am out of managment I am hoping the boredom level increases.

I am surprised at the number of people here who cite boredom and bad management as reasons they dislike(d) their work.

Martha