tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109148405669867264.post7262273809593719107..comments2023-10-31T06:23:26.747-07:00Comments on TJ and Rita's World: Shoot for Mediocrity: B A 3Rita Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15705211010768041660noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109148405669867264.post-56317878407592069142009-08-17T15:19:12.522-07:002009-08-17T15:19:12.522-07:00I remember (briefly) working in a factory where th...I remember (briefly) working in a factory where the supervisor got all the employees together for a pep talk before starting mandatory overtimes. He said "I no the holidays are coming up and you want to spend time with you families, but you got to think about the company." My internal response was "like h#$l I do!".<br /><br />I quit that job a few weeks later after my wife call to say our daughter stopped breathing twice in 2 hours and they did not want to let me go home. <br /><br />Side note: My daughter ended up being fine, but that pretty much destroyed any desire I had to ever work in a factory again.T.J. Webbnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109148405669867264.post-55508349543212003272009-08-17T13:31:37.282-07:002009-08-17T13:31:37.282-07:00I remember the day Joe and I had this discussion a...I remember the day Joe and I had this discussion about being a 3. I had just gotten my own evaluation back from my manager, and I was pissed.<br /><br />All of the previous year, I had worked hard to get a promotion. I had talked to my boss about what it would take, and she had given me a list. I'd written my performance appraisal with that list in mind, and it rocked. Even my Test Lead had told me it was great. I expected a 2, at the very least, and I got a 3.<br /><br />Being a 3 meant that I met expectations. Why? Because they expected me to sell my soul for the company. You can't ever exceed that expectation.<br /><br />So now I am in a new job, doing the same mind-numbing things I did in the last job, and my mind has been churning over this idea that there has to be something more than this empty, dead-end. This is why I asked Joe to write this article.Rita Webbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15705211010768041660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109148405669867264.post-66892418221007433762009-08-17T06:45:20.859-07:002009-08-17T06:45:20.859-07:00I think that people don't pay attention to the...I think that people don't pay attention to the obvious point here: WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR LOOKING OUT FOR YOU? The only answer I have come up with is "you yourself", and without that personal oversight, one stands a really good chance of being taken advantage of.<br /><br />Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. There are times when one should, in the pursuit of a good job, go that extra mile. Spend that extra hour. However, intent counts: this becomes more about doing something for one's own pride in one's work than it is about getting a higher evaluation.<br /><br />I've always hated evaluations. When they instituted them at a job I had ten years ago, I gleefully submitted my evaluation with all 1s (at that company, 1 meant "needs improvement") with the added comment that, "I believe that one can always improve, and if I weren't doing a good enough job I wouldn't be employed here. Thus, I find no value to this sort of evaluation." I can tell you my manager at the time was not pleased.gergisKhanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06935734793851459885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109148405669867264.post-68992955934926115142009-08-16T09:38:45.449-07:002009-08-16T09:38:45.449-07:00Bravo! I applaud your commitment to yourself. Ma...Bravo! I applaud your commitment to yourself. Many companies "talk" about work/life balance but it is really up to the individual to decide how much they want to kow tow to the corporate beast. I used to work at a chip manufacturing plant and there was an odd "machismo" about what long hours people worked- such as "I worked 14 hours yesterday" as that would be something to brag about. Fortunately, I never bought into that. I know I will never get those hours back. Kudos for the great post.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00930898087720044163noreply@blogger.com