What would it take for you to leave your current job?
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While money is a powerful motivator - I've never been paid the mythical "average" wage for my position and responsibilities at any job - it's far from the most important. An interesting challenge is always attractive, and has usually been my primary reason for changing jobs. One perk that has usually evaded my grasp has been an opportunity to develop something cradle to grave, rather than taking over a project that is already doomed and saving it. That's been my fate so many times I've lost count, and for a couple of decades I had a rep as a "fixer." Hard to escape that... Having a flexible environment where working from home is an option when there is no pressing need to be in the office would be very attractive, too, as I already seem to be doing all of my actual productive work on my own time anyway. A really big motivator would be a climate that is survivable without extreme measures, in a non-Nanny State. I had half that in CA, and I have half that in AZ, just opposite halves. Access to, and financial support for higher education would also be a plus, especially if the courses weren't required to be work related.
Will Rogers never met me.
It takes a certain type of person to be able to work at home productively and efficiently. Do they have will power and focus to work on things without distractions? DO they understand if they pop out for an hour for a beer, that's an hour of the company's time that needs to be made up, even though you'd never tell your coworkers? CAn you stay on top of issues, keep in contact, and ensure there's a constant flow of communication so that you are in touch with the latest developments and the others on the team know where you're up to? Lots of people think they can do it, but I've not seen that many who do it well.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
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Time off. As you know with my current gig I have plenty of it. So it would have to at least match it. (and no loss of remuneration either!) :)
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Yeah, but all the fast cars and friendly women tire you out, right? You and that dream job of yours... :rolleyes:
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
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I am amazed at all the hypocritical answers here about challenge, ability to drive your own project, and such : Put the right amount of money on the table, and you will get anyone.
~RaGE();
I think words like 'destiny' are a way of trying to find order where none exists. - Christian Graus Do not feed the troll ! - Common proverb
And I'm sad that you feel it's hypocritical for people to say they'd move for a chance to have an interesting, rather than lucrative position. My degree is in theoretical physics and I was under no illusions at the time that I would never make money, but that didn't matter one bit to me as long as I was working on stuff that was fascinating. Talk to artists, scientists, those in NPOs and those in healthcare. And then look at what they pay basic workers in far off mining communities and you see that money isn't actually everything. (But yes: you pay 10 million bucks a year and you will get a far higher sign-up rate than 50K a year)
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
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As in, Cuba ?
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
Sometimes a cigar is just a job benefit.
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Just ignore the heathens. The culture thing always gets me when talking about Hockey over here. There is only one sport here: Hockey, but when I was growing up in the great metropolis that is Canberra I had a mate who played ice hockey. Ice Hockey seemed such a strange adaptation of the more sensible "hockey" that we, as teenage boys, would watch in High School (I mentioned Canberra, right? Sitting on the grass watching the girls running around in hockey skirts was the epitome of a well-spent lunchtime when you're 14). On the news today was a big piece about a Field Hockey competition being played here in Tronno and it's fascinating seeing that brief pause in people's eyes when they try and picture really, really big guys on skates playing hockey on grass.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Chris Maunder wrote:
try and picture really, really big guys on skates playing hockey on grass.
When I first encountered the term 'ice hockey' I was imagining short-skirted girlies on ice. Imagine how disappointed I was!
MVVM # - I did it My Way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
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Chris Maunder wrote:
try and picture really, really big guys on skates playing hockey on grass.
When I first encountered the term 'ice hockey' I was imagining short-skirted girlies on ice. Imagine how disappointed I was!
MVVM # - I did it My Way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
Just imagine my relief and utter disappointment the first time I was served a Beaver Tail[^]
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
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It takes a certain type of person to be able to work at home productively and efficiently. Do they have will power and focus to work on things without distractions? DO they understand if they pop out for an hour for a beer, that's an hour of the company's time that needs to be made up, even though you'd never tell your coworkers? CAn you stay on top of issues, keep in contact, and ensure there's a constant flow of communication so that you are in touch with the latest developments and the others on the team know where you're up to? Lots of people think they can do it, but I've not seen that many who do it well.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
I agree, partially. It's extremely difficult to find people who have the discipline to work from home and remain productive. But the idea that an hour away is an hour owed is false; I'm a professional, and I get paid for what I know and the solutions I provide. If it takes 20 hours, or 80 hours to accomplish what needs doing in a week, it's what I do. Time clocks and hourly accounting are for fry cooks, not technical professionals. Of course, there are a lot of people with fry cook minds and ethics working as technical professionals, so it takes a bit of weeding to find the real thing. :-D As for the rest of your list, there's no reason for anyone these days to fail in such things. We are in annoyingly constant contact with far too many people, and new information is rammed down our throats without us having to go looking for it. I can recall one idiot I worked for at Northrop. I was working in an advanced division, doing black projects on the bleeding edge of technology, and he happened by my office one day. I was taking a ten minute break to read an article about some new developments in the industry, and his only comment was, "Haven't you got any work to do?" Asshat... But he was typical of the mindset at that division's management, and a reason for that part of the company being dissolved about 2 months after I decided it had no future and moved on. I think the logistical barriers to working from home have largely been overcome in the past 5 years or so, but I still don't see as much of a shift in that direction as I expected a decade ago. It just doesn't seem to be catching on as well as I thought it would. Maybe we'll have to completely run out of petrol before businesses realize that even though 80% of their workforce can no longer afford to come to the office, their productivity hasn't dropped a bit, and morale has improved! :-D
Will Rogers never met me.
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Just imagine my relief and utter disappointment the first time I was served a Beaver Tail[^]
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
I'll see your beaver and raise you a spotted dick[^]
MVVM # - I did it My Way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
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Sometimes a cigar is just a job benefit.
Ah, Monica Lewinsky ?
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
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Ah, Monica Lewinsky ?
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
My standards aren't quite that low.
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Chris Maunder wrote:
1. Money
Yes, there should be that. Those that work for free are called interns.
Chris Maunder wrote:
2. An interesting challenge to break away from current tedium, or a bigger challenge than their last
Until it becomes tedious and unchallenging in a couple of years.
Chris Maunder wrote:
3. A chance to own something, to get in at the start and build it under your direction
Until the first demonstration of it to users.
Chris Maunder wrote:
5. A chance to do build something where you actually get to directly talk to your users
Typically you shouldn't talk about punishments/disciplinary actions during the interview process.
Chris Maunder wrote:
6. A chance to fill out your resume with some serious name-dropping
So you're enticing them with the ability to leave you easier? Honestly, this is the bottom line for most people I know. I know people that have happily stayed at shit jobs because of these:
Chris Maunder wrote:
4. Office environment, perks, co-workers, location, flexibility in hours
What tech are you using, btw?
wizardzz wrote:
perks, co-workers,
Perks and co-workers. Let me read that again, you get perks and co-workers. Next you'll be telling me that another perk is co-pulation.
If there is one thing more dangerous than getting between a bear and her cubs it's getting between my wife and her chocolate.
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And I'm sad that you feel it's hypocritical for people to say they'd move for a chance to have an interesting, rather than lucrative position. My degree is in theoretical physics and I was under no illusions at the time that I would never make money, but that didn't matter one bit to me as long as I was working on stuff that was fascinating. Talk to artists, scientists, those in NPOs and those in healthcare. And then look at what they pay basic workers in far off mining communities and you see that money isn't actually everything. (But yes: you pay 10 million bucks a year and you will get a far higher sign-up rate than 50K a year)
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Chris Maunder wrote:
but that didn't matter one bit to me as long as I was working on stuff that was fascinating
This is good as long as you are single, with a family to feed, you tend to forget about your dreams and look to get money on your account at the end of the month. Extremely few people are well paid and enjoy their work. Actually, extremely few people enjoy their work. You talked about healthcare or NPOs : Give them more money to do a less interesting job, 99.9% will do the move, at least in France.
Chris Maunder wrote:
it's hypocritical for people to say they'd move for a chance to have an interesting, rather than lucrative position
I have never met anyone do that. That are things people love to say, but when the opportunity is there, how many chose "conmfort" instead of "challenge" ? That's precisely being hypocritical. I do think it is sad that the world is turning so, but it is. I know people making in a month what I make in a year, I have no doubt about whose kids (between theirs and mine) will have a better chance in life.
~RaGE();
I think words like 'destiny' are a way of trying to find order where none exists. - Christian Graus Do not feed the troll ! - Common proverb
