Ask HN: What to do about a boring job ?
I am working on a side project (about an hour a day) but still need to spend the whole day at the job.
Any advice on how to deal with it during the day ? Anybody been in that situation before ?
EDIT 1: The workload isn't much and even though I try to read up on the news and stay current, I still have to be at the workplace for 8 hours to keep up appearances.
EDIT 2: I am a software engineer. I cannot switch because of personal reasons (which will probably change next year allowing me to explore a little more). The other reason is I am not learning anything new. It's all stuff I have worked on before (at a much larger scale in a startup): the management team here thinks they are doing something that'll change the world but it's more because of their inexperience than anything else.
I do have my side-project which provides an outlet but it doesn't discount the fact that I spend 9 hours a day at something that doesn't get me anywhere.
EDIT 3: I did some HN searching and I find myself in a similar situation as :
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1246200
I worked for an awesome team a couple of years ago on a great product. I was just out of school and it was a huge project which I thoroughly enjoyed, being the major player. Now I am working in a more crony-based organization where the things we are doing are way behind what I worked on before.
I was expecting progress, instead I find my judgement being overruled by less experienced people who haven't shipped any products. Anyhow, thanks for all the advice. I guess it's all about making lemonade out of lemons.
39 comments
[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 142 ms ] threadNo matter how good things are, you can always work to make things better.
One important point though is to be careful about the meaning of better you use. The obvious route is through seeking more money, more prestige, more etc. But another way may be focusing on your spiritual life. Another may be working to help others through volunteer or otherwork and finding fulfillment that way. And of course, there is nothing saying you can't pursue multiple goals and multiple ways of improving your life at the same time.
Why in the world would one want to do that? It's not like you are going to get paid more or get more free time for going the extra mile.
His alternative: Do what his job description says, surf the internet, watch the paint dry... sounds like a real recipe for motivation, excitement, and success.
2. You may open up more opportunities down the road. Going beyond what is required may get you noticed by coworkers that may prove to be in important positions to help you many years down the road.
3. You almost certainly will learn that way. By going outside what what is required you will put yourself in new positions and face challenges you wouldn't otherwise. This can be one of the best ways to learn.
If nothing else, it can help you be less bored then just doing the minimum required for a boring job.
2. It is a great way to establish good relationships that will help build your personal network for the future.
3. It may lead to unexpected good things happening with your current employer.
Seriously though, stop making excuses for why you cannot switch jobs and start doing what makes you happy.
What's good about it?
What's good about it?
(I had to ask multiple times because we all know that the first couple of answers would be, "Nothing".)
Every job, no matter how boring, is loaded with "stuff" that you can use to contribute to your long term progress.
It may be access to a user who's an expert in their field and would love to share their expertise.
It may be a project that needs to be done, but no one else has time. And you can learn a lot of unexpected stuff from doing it.
It may be lots of interesting data on their hard drive that you can learn a lot from just by transversing and/or organizing.
Hell, it might even be proximity to a quiet coffee shop where no one would miss you.
It could be anything.
So if you're stuck, then it's your job to turn lemons into lemonade. (Practice turning lemons into lemonade is an invaluable skill on it's own; just ask any entrepreneur.)
Now close your browser and make a list of 10 things you can try to get some value out of this job while you're there. Then open your browser back up and let us know what they are.
That's one reason I've seen people stick out jobs for a few more months.
If so, I'd suggest going to one of the several events aimed at startups in London (e.g. the Techcrunch Europe events). There are always lots of companies looking to hire people when I go and everyone seems to struggle to find good people.
Even if you have a 8-5 day job, work the 8pm-2am night shift and stop complaining. Take @edw519's advice and make a list of 10 things you can do to create value and start doing them. Even if you have to be somewhere for 8+ hours that sucks use that time to your advantage.
There is no excuse for not making it happen, use that free time you do have to make meaning and create value.
Seriously, this works as long as your job situation is only temporary. If you force yourself to use the new things you're learning you can also draw your projects out a little bit more so that you're not spending all day browsing HN (or whatever else you read) and you look busier (which is what's really important to PHBs).
Basically if you genuinely can't leave, just try and make it interesting for yourself and make a habit of stepping outside your comfort zone - otherwise your brain will rot.
The other issue is your actual project. If you have scope, overspec it. Only you will know, but that should give you back some pride in your work. If you are taking shortcuts, don't. If you are not commenting and documenting properly, do. If you can make the code faster, speed it up. If you can deliver knobs and whistles, go for it.
Didn't think so. So you CAN SWITCH, it's just that you've become attached to your present circumstances and are not prepared to break free. So stop killing yourself, quit and do whatever it is that you can contribute greatest value by.
After a lengthy period of me asking about what my duties were and if anything was written down and what various policies were, a senior coworker simply said "Read. Buy some books and read." I spend about one hour of the day on getting real work done, another hour or two on moving things through the idiocracy, and the rest of the day is spent on Pylons documentation. :D
If this doesn't apply to you, well, I'm sure somebody reading will find it helpful. If you're a "software engineer" and writing the same code every day, stop! Don't do that. It's bad engineering. Write better abstractions. You'll learn something.
http://blog.trailmeme.com/2010/04/four-hour-workweek-or-exec...
" “retire at work,” develop an under-the-radar personal brand, and achieve covert lifestyle design."
1) Switching requires moving to an entirely new town where you have no friends and no family. I'd double check that this is actually true and start working on building up a social network in a different metropolitan area if this were the case.
2) Immigration reasons.
Anything else? Options are never a certain "win" (think about lack of an exit, reverse splits, stock taking a dive). Worried about what your resume will look like? Worry less about your resume, worry more about yourself. Worried about loss of income? Don't just quit the job, search passively. "Counted on" to ship a product? Announce your departure in advance (more than the usual two weeks), hand your responsibilities over to others. Starting bonuses you will have to pay back? Money isn't worth not having something to wake up for in the morning.
So, honestly, switch. However, before you make the switch, very carefully think what is that you will be looking for in your next position and how to verify that it provides that.
People claim that you should "work to live" not "live to work". I call bullshit. Your work consumes plurality of your day and majority of your own waking hours. When I feel underused, micro-managed or otherwise unhappy at work, it means I am not looking forward to waking up in the morning. Personal projects are important (and I try to have several even when I am absorbed in interesting work), but they happen at the end of the day when you've already given up your best hours.
...but it's more because of their inexperience than anything else.
Is that really true? Do you know more about the business than they do? Can you manage a team better? Do you bring up challenges to them, or just scoff and think they're stupid. Hacking is not just manipulating code. Could you start your own company and out do the current company?
I was expecting progress, instead I find my judgement being overruled by less experienced people
Why are you being overruled? Is it emotions based? Title's based ("I'm SENIOR engineer..")? Where's the logic, analysis, and/or data to prove otherwise? Why can't you sell your idea to others?
I guess it's all about making lemonade out of lemons.
I understand your grievances all too well, but yes; sweet, sweet lemonade.
Final thing is that I think it's better to communicate how you feel about your situation to your supervisor-type. If the they don't feel like they need to make a change, and you don't want to be there, easy solution.
Get fired/laid off.
Live off unemployment.
Work on your project.
???.
Profit.
I know these system exists, but if you have time it is good experience. Also, ideally, you should work on things that you can take with you when you leave. However, this is usually not possible. I have had friends who built open source projects at home. They then convinced their boss to use it and contribute to the project. If you keep your mind open, I am sure you can think of some creative ideas.