Job Satisfaction-with Survey

[Beerthoven]

I voted not my ideal job, but its ok.

I have a good job. Its secure, I have a lot of freedom, its intellectually challenging, and my bosses are very cool. It also pays quite well.

Its not ideal, though, because I spend almost all my time sitting in an office working on a computer. My work products are written reports to clients and published papers. I often feel like I don't do anything tangible and sometimes I can go days without having a conversation with another person.

I am constantly annoyed by the incompetence of people who work for the government...no offense to anyone on this board.

Many of the people I work with are consumed by their careers. Their entire sense of self-worth is defined by success at work. They are one-dimensional people with no life outside work, and it simultaneously pisses me off and makes me sad.

My hobbies are very important to me. Making beer, home improvement DIY, family and friends, reading and movies. I am not defined by my work and I can easily see myself doing something else.

 

[Cheesefood]

Sometimes I love my job, sometimes I dislike it. It's not easy working in my office. My job sometimes gets lonely. I dislike having to look at numbers that represent dying people. I love hearing the uplifting stories about people we help, I hate looking at numbers that represent populations of people with cancer.

 

[DUCCCC]

It's with the IT dept. of a Community College, so there's absolutely zero prestige, or gratitude for the work. It's a state job, so the benefits are decent, but not awesome. Pay is below prevailing rates, so that's a bummer, but job security is great. I'm at a PC about 99% of the time, so I can frequent any and all of the forums I enjoy pretty much anytime during the day. My boss is actually a great guy, and I work with some really cool people, so that's cool too.

I guess I'd rather be in a different field all together. The whole "working on computers for a living" thing is getting old, and I really think I should have gone into, OK don't laugh, plumbing. These stinkin' computers are changing daily, and it's all a person can do to try to keep up with patches, and AV, and spyware and all the other crap, let alone trying to keep up with the latest OS versions and licenses. Plumbing, on the other hand, might have changes in some codes, and materials, but the physics of water are unchanging. Even in a depressed real estate market a plumber has plenty of work to keep busy with. After hours calls for plumbers charge about the same as most lawyers. Finally, imagine the brew sculpture I could build if I was a professionally trained plumber! Sure I'd occasionally have to deal with other people's sh!7, but I got 2 kids, so I'm getting used to that anyways.

Yup, I should have been a plumber.

 

[Germey]

I voted not my ideal job, but its ok.

Many of the people I work with are consumed by their careers. Their entire sense of self-worth is defined by success at work. They are one-dimensional people with no life outside work, and it simultaneously pisses me off and makes me sad.

.

On the one hand, you gotta let people be themselves, but what kills me is that this behavior is becoming what the business world expects. Even if everyone really was working more and getting more done, I think it is self destructive for the society.
The reality I see is lots of people LOOKING really busy with cell phone calls anywhere and e-mail responses at midnight and never saying "no" to a new project. My observation, backed by several academic studies I've read, is that we're not really getting more done, just killing ourselves and robbing our children of the interaction they need.
but, I don't suppose responding to a homebrew board is very productive either. I better get back to work.

 

[Beerthoven]

...I should have been a plumber.

Its a good thing to be.

All four of my uncles are plumbers (no kidding). They are all quite successful. They are all alcoholics too, but that is another story.

My neighbor is a plumber. He only works on new construction.

If I had stayed in Michigan and been a plumber I would be an alcoholic now too. Guarantee it.

 

[Beerthoven]

On the one hand, you gotta let people be themselves, but what kills me is that this behavior is becoming what the business world expects. Even if everyone really was working more and getting more done, I think it is self destructive for the society.
The reality I see is lots of people LOOKING really busy with cell phone calls anywhere and e-mail responses at midnight and never saying "no" to a new project. My observation, backed by several academic studies I've read, is that we're not really getting more done, just killing ourselves and robbing our children of the interaction they need.
but, I don't suppose responding to a homebrew board is very productive either. I better get back to work.

I hear you. People are who they are.

It pisses me off, though, because I constantly have defend my decision to have an outside life. Doing so sometimes has negative consequences, like added stress and fewer opportunities to do interesting stuff.

Sometimes I wonder why I can't be that dedicated to my work. Then I go home to my wonderful sons and wife (and delicious homebrewed beer!) and forget all about it.

 

[bradsul]

...Yup, I should have been a plumber.

My brother is a plumber (just finishing his apprenticeship up) and he absolutely loves it. He works strictly new construction and commercial construction so he doesn't have to deal with the aforementioned personal effluent, he says that's the key, get into new contruction, not service work.

 

[PseudoChef]

I voted I love it, but it's mostly because of my personal situation. I basically get paid to get a Ph.D., which is hopefully going to be good for my future. Granted, it's not a lot of money, and I do have to work/study a lot, but it's stuff I enjoy. I also have a very flexible boss compared to other professors, and as long as I get my work done, he doesn't care how often I'm here, so I can set my own hours as I please.

I also have a sugar-momma making the real money, so we live comfortably.

 

[DUCCCC]

My brother is a plumber (just finishing his apprenticeship up) and he absolutely loves it. He works strictly new construction and commercial construction so he doesn't have to deal with the aforementioned personal effluent, he says that's the key, get into new contruction, not service work.

Heck, I'd do the crap part of the job too, pun intended, since it's the times when people are surrounded by sewage that they're both most grateful you're there, and they'll pay the biggest bucks happily!

 

[bradsul]

Heck, I'd do the crap part of the job too, pun intended, since it's the times when people are surrounded by sewage that they're both most grateful you're there, and they'll pay the biggest bucks happily!

That's why I was seriously considering leaving IT as well. In this industry it's just expected that you'll work long hours and have no life. I just don't want to do that anymore.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I really, really like my job 99% of the time. I'm the IT manager at a small/medium (100mm/yr) company. I'm the network geek who got picked to also have to do all the paperwork. I still get to spend most of my time working on things that I like though.

Just 30 minutes ago I ordered a $25k server that I'm going to install VMWare Enterprise on and consolidate 6 servers to, and come next month I'll be putting an all Cisco IPT solution in. Good stuff if you're a geek like me.

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

Love it

I work for a wine maker at their main office as a Customer Service Specialist and general office bitch. We are a small, new company (though a spinoff of a much older winery) and there are only 4 of us in the office so I end up being everyone's assistant. The team is great and extremly laid back and relaxed. The pay could be better but to me the package as a whole is more important than money. I did the money thing and was miserable.

And we have a foosball table, a 120 bottle wine chiller 30ft from my desk, bar, great view of downtown Portland from the roof.

 

[kornkob]

Internal Quality Assurance at raven software (part of Activision Blizzard).

Breakroom with Free soda, foosball, Guitar hero. Monthly free pizza day. Flexible working schedule (really flex-- like-- be here between 11 and 4 but otherwise just get your 8 hours in). Parital days off don't count agaisnt vacation. Dress code: no speedos and you gotta wear enough to not get arrested. Game at lunch and after hours on company gear if you want but you gotta keep a copy of the game disc on site. really cheap games by Activsion, access to Nintendo's company discount and cheap prices via PCMall discount. Solid insurance coverage for 2 costs about $15 a month.

 

[DUCCCC]

Blah, blah blah...

Thanks for making my existence here on earth that much more crappy, You officially suck.

 

[Ryan_PA]

Just 30 minutes ago I ordered a $25k server that I'm going to install VMWare Enterprise on and consolidate 6 servers to, and come next month I'll be putting an all Cisco IPT solution in. Good stuff if you're a geek like me.

I have managed over 20 server virtulizations on VMware this year alone. That is some impressive stuff. I am currently working on a project where there are 6 slices on the host, 4 relate to a single production application, 3 on red hat one on windows. It is mind boggling what you can do now. Also, when you need to do a hardware refresh, the snapshot software on the market makes it annoyingly easy. Geek on ohiobrewtus.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

I voted love my job, but I've got to qualify that.

I love my career. I'm a Communications Officer in the USAF. My last assignment was teaching computer science at the USAF Academy - GREAT JOB!!!

Which leads me to my current assignment - grad student at TX A&M. I'm not saying it's bad. I'm not paying for school, we're close to home, and I make as much as most of my professors, but I wouldn't say I love it. It's a means to an end, which is returning to teach again.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I have managed over 20 server virtulizations on VMware this year alone. That is some impressive stuff. I am currently working on a project where there are 6 slices on the host, 4 relate to a single production application, 3 on red hat one on windows. It is mind boggling what you can do now. Also, when you need to do a hardware refresh, the snapshot software on the market makes it annoyingly easy. Geek on ohiobrewtus.

Sweet. I'm really looking forward to digging into this project. If it goes well I'll likely be doing the same across my server farm.

It's good to be a geek sometimes.

 

[blacklab]

I said 'Pays the bills'. I work in finance for a big semiconductor manufacturer. It's basically doing computer stuff all day, but it pays pretty well. Basically I organize and manage some of the activites of all of the overseas people who do the real work. This means lots of earlly/late conference calls.

The company tends to hire and attract a certain type of personality(type A), which I am not, so it gets sort of overwhelming at times. I hold my own, but get sort of tired of the go getters and desk pounders.

But, it gives me flexibility in my schedule so I can spend time with the kids and wife. (and do a little brewing)

 

[Kevin Dean]

"Free Software Systems Administrator"

I run the servers, both raw metal and virtual, for a small company in the Dulles Corridor that desigs and markets web pages for other small businesses.

I've never been one to like money. I like having money, but I hate the things associated with money, like bills, credit, debt and what I see all-too-often - people who feel enslaved to the dollar. The fact that I make less than average for someone in my comparable position doesn't matter much to me.

My entire job is done remotely (with the exception of rolling out a new server or whatever) so I can work from home as often as I want though I prefer making the commute in to work (it reminds them to print my paycheck, so I think). I have no schedule, I can come in at 5 am or 5 pm and stay for 12 hours or have lunch and go home (though I've only done that once).

I don't have a "boss" in the traditional sense, ther eare 5 people in the office and each has skills that are unique to our positions and each of us are the "expert" in that matter. The closest thing I need to "approval" to do something is to have the accountant actually enter the credit card number to have the computer stuff shipped out.

I'm valuable to my company and there aren't any asses working here, though I'm nto exactly "friends" with the people here, I can happily spend a night at a party with them and enjoy myself.

I have managed over 20 server virtulizations on VMware this year alone.

Not fond of VMWare as a non-free application but I love virtualization. There's soemthign that gives you this warm and fuzzy feeling to hold a "rack of servers" in one machine.

Virtualization is also a godsend when dealing with comprimised servers, something that becomes more likely when you have to support those so-called "legacy applications".

Snapshoting is nice, but I thought VMWare's product offerings hinged on guest management, does snapshot utilities not exist in part of their base offering?

 

[cubbies]

Not ideal, but OK

I also work in IT, but I am still in support. Technically my position is PC Administrator, but I am just a glorified help desk. My company is somewhat small with about 200 users on site. I don't run a normal help desk in the sense that I do the phone support and dispatch level 2 support if needed. I am level 1,2,3....etc. We have me (the PC Administrator) my boss who is the network administrator and a couple of software guys. Anything that is related to support and/or fixing/setting up computers I handle. Sometimes this can become quite cumbersome because even though 200 users isn't huge, it can be a lot for one person on some days.

However, that is not my gripe with my work. My gripe is that it is not a challenge anymore for me. I can pretty much fix any PC related problem, and most of the stuff I deal with is very rudimentary anyway. It is rare that I actually have to sit down and figure something out, and that was the allure of this field when I first got into it about 5 years ago. I am the type of person that likes to figure stuff out. On top of that, the money is below average. Far from terrible, I do plenty well enough, but the fact that I know there are people in the same position, that do less work, make more money, it bothers me...I know it shouldn't but it does.

Other than that though, my work is great. We are very laid back, if I don't have work to do, they don't really care what I do. The people I work with are totally cool, the benefits are good enough, I get a lot of vacation days etc. Also, just this week there has been talk going around that they might start getting me involved with the network administrators projects so that I can start moving my way up.

So, it doesn't just pay the bills, but I also would not say I love it. The way I have always looked at it is if I had 10 million dollars, I would stay at a job I loved. I would leave this job in a heartbeat if I had that kind of money.

 

[Cauldron7]

Love the job, besides the underpaid part.

 

[Cauldron7]

I have managed over 20 server virtulizations on VMware this year alone. That is some impressive stuff. I am currently working on a project where there are 6 slices on the host, 4 relate to a single production application, 3 on red hat one on windows. It is mind boggling what you can do now. Also, when you need to do a hardware refresh, the snapshot software on the market makes it annoyingly easy. Geek on ohiobrewtus.

Ryan_PA, I am local to you and in the same line of work, we should get togeather sometime and talk shop over a few brews. We may be able to help each other out.

 

[Brewsmith]

I've got a couple jobs. My main job is just that, a job. It pays the bills. I don't love it, but it isnot too bad on the schedule. I'm going to school right now working on my teaching credential, so as soon as I can line up a teaching job, this one's gone. I also work part-time at my church doing music. I love it, but its not as easy as you'd think and not as flexable. On top of that I teach music lessons. I love doing lessons and wish I had more time to do them. The money for them is good and doing them is a blast.

 

[kappclark]

The day job I have pays the bills, but I could be making more...(doesn't everyone say that!) .. the real challenge is keeping what you have !

On the other hand, I have a 30 min drive to work, with 3 stop signs and 1 yield sign. Superior to the Holland Tunnel IMO .
When DSL comes out our way (I have a whopping 28.8 dialup connection), I can justify working from home.

 

[e lo]

I'm in grad school right now -it's never ending and pays almost nothing. I do like the research though and it's a necessary step to get the job that I do really want.

Yup. I picked Hate It, but then I'm in pre-thesis-defense-why-can't-I-get-this-damn-paper-published-80-hrs/week-if-I'm-lucky mode right now. I honestly can't wait to defend and go back for the last two years of med school, and if M3 year looks good, it can only be because you've been down so long, it looks like up.

/end rant

 

[MTpilot]

I put love it, but with three jobs, it was a hard decision.

I'm a flight instructor at the college I got my degree from. Flying is great, but after 2.5 years on the teaching side, I"m ready to get into a bigger plane. So this goes into not ideal.

Then I wait tables at a brew pub. I enjoy this one mainly because of the people I work with and the cash flow. Also not ideal.

But then theres the mon, wed, fri days when I'm the assistant brewer at said brew pub. Absolutely love it.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Internal Quality Assurance at raven software (part of Activision Blizzard).

My brother-in-law has a very similar job at Zipper - the guys that did the development for SoCom 3. His office is much like yours - freakin' amazing.

I made him watch Grandma's Boy...I thought it was hilarious, anyway...

 

[The Drizzle]

Captain at a regional airline. Love the flying, hate the BS, hate the company.

 

[Chriso]

I guess I'd rather be in a different field all together. The whole "working on computers for a living" thing is getting old, and I really think I should have gone into, OK don't laugh, plumbing. These stinkin' computers are changing daily, and it's all a person can do to try to keep up with patches, and AV, and spyware and all the other crap, let alone trying to keep up with the latest OS versions and licenses.

THANK YOU. Someone else understands.

I do I.T. for a graduate college (dental in nature) that is part of the Medical Center, which is part of the University here in NE. It's a state job, so it's pretty secure... but we're drastically underpaid for what we do. It's especially hard-hitting for me because I currently fill about 3 different positions - I manage help-desk, accounts requests, new user training, project coordination, ordering/purchasing, billing, records management, warranty repairs, part orders - and then I also am involved in basic web authoring, and in multimedia broadcast. So, I'm going about 5 different ways here.

So all in all, I should be a "Departmental Coordinator" or "Project Coordinator" or something like that. But instead I am, on paper, a "Computer Maintenance Technician". I'm worth about twice what I make.

To make matters worse, the college has some deeply-rooted attitude issues with most of its faculty and administration, so we get almost zero respect, we have unreasonable demands, expectations, and timelines assigned to us with no channel of feedback to the people placing those assignments. Additionally, we have very little respect for each other within our department - but that's a whole 'nother story for a whole 'nother post. Preferably in another sub-forum.

I'm ready to quit. I have been ready to quit for about 6 months. I want a job with normal expectations, I'm tired of being Superman that has to save the day whenever all of my co-workers screw things up.

So, uh, job opportunities, please email/PM me.

 

[Chriso]

Blah blah i'm so cool.

Hey. If your company ever needs a really talented general-fixing-**** guy, PM me. I want to move to Madison so badly, I'd consider getting rid of the "boys" to do it. And working for Blizzard is fun.