Author Topic: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?  (Read 16524 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline lgbeno

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 349
  • Country: 00
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #25 on: September 24, 2015, 12:26:15 am »
I would say that earlier in your career you should start to identify your own worth and make sure that your employer knows.  Only you can advocate for yourself.

Most of the time, working so much is self imposed, think about office space, when he stopped caring, that was when he was promoted.  Sad but eerily true.

Working for a small company or startup may be more fulfilling but I wouldn't expect the work load to decrease....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Offline fivefish

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 440
  • Country: us
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #26 on: September 24, 2015, 12:34:13 am »
Quote
Plus you have multiple bosses,

+1000. This is so TRUE!!!! Every client is a boss if you're running your own business.
 

Offline eecookTopic starter

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 118
  • Country: ar
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #27 on: September 24, 2015, 03:11:27 am »
Start your own business!
You will still work 10 hours a day, depending on how much workload you have.
But you will make much more money and enjoyment of life.
I'm actually considering either starting my own thing, or moving to san francisco an try to get a job at a starup.

You do realise that working for a startup is one of the longest hours high pressure jobs there is? And usually paid in stock options.

I do realize Dave, but my brain is a clusterfuck right now. I'm trying to sort out my priorities these days. What's appealing to me about a start up is that I could potentially work in something I feel passionate about, something I could very well be doing as a hobby. And, I suspect I wouldn't have to deal with much corporate bullshit if it's just a bunch of nerdy guys working as equals trying to get something to work and get it into the market, right?
« Last Edit: September 24, 2015, 03:19:03 am by eecook »
Nullius in verba
 

Online coppice

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 8605
  • Country: gb
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #28 on: September 24, 2015, 03:45:28 am »
Another job choice that many like is to get a job at a really big company (usually they won't let you work more than 40hrs week), and in a role that has a lot of travel.
They pay for you to see the world, and you can take your partner with you.
I do a fair amount of global business travel. I can talk about many of the world's major airports and hotels from first hand experience.  :)
 

Online coppice

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 8605
  • Country: gb
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #29 on: September 24, 2015, 03:47:46 am »
Start your own business!
You will still work 10 hours a day, depending on how much workload you have.
But you will make much more money and enjoyment of life.
I'm actually considering either starting my own thing, or moving to san francisco an try to get a job at a starup.
You do realise that working for a startup is one of the longest hours high pressure jobs there is? And usually paid in stock options.
I think you mean you get lured into taking stock options instead of a better salary, and will almost always find those stock options worthless, even if there is an eventual successful IPO.
 

Offline lgbeno

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 349
  • Country: 00
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #30 on: September 24, 2015, 03:53:31 am »
Just try this, in your current job, force yourself to leave early (well on time) and control your own life.  It is a test to see if your management really even notices.  The worst that they can do is tell you to start working more at which point you just say sorry this isn't for me and then it is onward and upward.

Self confidence is the number 1 asset in your career advancement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Offline EEVblog

  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 37661
  • Country: au
    • EEVblog
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #31 on: September 24, 2015, 04:02:35 am »
Just try this, in your current job, force yourself to leave early (well on time) and control your own life.  It is a test to see if your management really even notices.  The worst that they can do is tell you to start working more at which point you just say sorry this isn't for me and then it is onward and upward.
Self confidence is the number 1 asset in your career advancement.

+1
It was well known at every company I worked at not to piss Dave off, he couldn't be threatened with being fired or a bad performance review, he had "screw you" money and wasn't afraid to use it.
 

Offline lgbeno

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 349
  • Country: 00
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #32 on: September 24, 2015, 04:07:09 am »
Even if you don't have a lot of money built up, I gather you are young, mobile, have a degree in EE and live on the west coast already.  My perception (I don't live in CA) is that you walk out of one door and 2 hours later can find something else.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Online coppice

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 8605
  • Country: gb
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #33 on: September 24, 2015, 04:08:49 am »
Just try this, in your current job, force yourself to leave early (well on time) and control your own life.  It is a test to see if your management really even notices.  The worst that they can do is tell you to start working more at which point you just say sorry this isn't for me and then it is onward and upward.
Self confidence is the number 1 asset in your career advancement.

+1
It was well known at every company I worked at not to piss Dave off, he couldn't be threatened with being fired or a bad performance review, he had "screw you" money and wasn't afraid to use it.
I used to work with someone who is the son of a rich family. He was bright, but never did a whole lot of work. He wasn't even there half the time. When management were questioned about him they'd simply say he didn't need the money and would walk out if they complained. I never heard one question whether that really mattered. People are strange.  :)
 

Offline eecookTopic starter

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 118
  • Country: ar
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #34 on: September 24, 2015, 04:20:16 am »
Even if you don't have a lot of money built up, I gather you are young, mobile, have a degree in EE and live on the west coast already.  My perception (I don't live in CA) is that you walk out of one door and 2 hours later can find something else.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ha! I live in south america, EE design jobs are not abundant and in fact are extremely rare and poorly paid. I am fully conscious that I will have to move somewhere else. It makes it more challenging, but I'm up to it.
Nullius in verba
 

Offline lgbeno

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 349
  • Country: 00
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #35 on: September 24, 2015, 04:24:02 am »
Ahh, sorry I misread between the lines.  I still think that you don't have much to loose.  Then again I understand that American culture is different than abroad.  I for sure encourage spreading your wings and chasing opportunity!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Offline bitseeker

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 9057
  • Country: us
  • Lots of engineer-tweakable parts inside!
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #36 on: September 24, 2015, 06:02:35 am »
Ahh, sorry I misread between the lines.

Maybe not a misread. Perhaps you read where eecook would fit.

Things that make you go...hmmmm.
TEA is the way. | TEA Time channel
 

Offline Galenbo

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 1469
  • Country: be
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #37 on: September 24, 2015, 08:24:50 am »
I'm actually considering either starting my own thing, or moving to san francisco an try to get a job at a starup.

You do realise that working for a startup is one of the longest hours high pressure jobs there is? And usually paid in stock options.
Internet is full of: 10 reasons to never work (again) for a startup
If you try and take a cat apart to see how it works, the first thing you have on your hands is a nonworking cat.
 

Offline Galenbo

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 1469
  • Country: be
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #38 on: September 24, 2015, 08:29:20 am »
Another job choice that many like is to get a job at a really big company (usually they won't let you work more than 40hrs week), and in a role that has a lot of travel.
They pay for you to see the world, and you can take your partner with you.
I do a fair amount of global business travel. I can talk about many of the world's major airports and hotels from first hand experience.  :)

Nice to see much of the world, inbetween airports, from the window of a plane.
Good to be able to compare cultural differences between car-rent companies :-)

The times I travelled for a company, I cost (like every other guy in that position) 5 times my regular price.
That made it a work-drink1beer-sleep schedule.
« Last Edit: September 24, 2015, 08:33:45 am by Galenbo »
If you try and take a cat apart to see how it works, the first thing you have on your hands is a nonworking cat.
 

Offline KJDS

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 2442
  • Country: gb
    • my website holding page
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #39 on: September 24, 2015, 09:52:22 am »
I've done my share of business travelling. The worst one was flying from the UK to California on a Friday, spending Saturday in a meeting room and flying home on the Sunday. 22 hours in the air, plus another six hours on the road and another four hours in the airport isn't anywhere near as much fun as the jetset lifestyle that so many would love.

Offline DenzilPenberthy

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 408
  • Country: gb
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #40 on: September 24, 2015, 10:36:03 am »
I've done my share of business travelling.... isn't anywhere near as much fun as the jetset lifestyle that so many would love.

Yep.  :-+  My travel highlights from a previous job include Southampton to Thurso for a <1hr meeting, >3 weeks commissioning a machine in a salad packing factory in Wigan, getting a desperate service call out just as I was leaving work on Fri afternoon and spending the weekend working 12hr nighshifts in a filthy and dangerous factory in Suffolk. I managed to dodge the overseas service visits, usually to China or India, but the tech who always went on those would usually become violently ill then have to work on a furnace in high 30's humid heat. I always got the impression though that it was preferable to going home to his wife..

Fun fun fun! :)

I've been catching up on Amp Hour episodes this week and there was one where Dave was encouraging 'young players' to get a job with lots of travel. I have to say I'm pretty happy to do very little travelling now :)
 

Offline GNU_Ninja

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 200
  • Country: gb
  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #41 on: September 24, 2015, 10:43:23 am »
I have to say I'm pretty happy to do very little travelling now :)

Yup. Travelling gets old really really quickly IMO :-+
 

Offline EEVblog

  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 37661
  • Country: au
    • EEVblog
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #42 on: September 24, 2015, 10:46:15 am »
That made it a work-drink1beer-sleep schedule.

You were doing it wrong.
My first work trip was to England, I finished at the usual 5pm and it didn't get dark until 10:30pm. You can drive across England and back in that time.
a) Always get your own rental car
b) Always take a few days extra. Secretary's can re-arrange your flights without even informing management  ;)
 

Online coppice

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 8605
  • Country: gb
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #43 on: September 24, 2015, 10:59:29 am »
I've done my share of business travelling. The worst one was flying from the UK to California on a Friday, spending Saturday in a meeting room and flying home on the Sunday. 22 hours in the air, plus another six hours on the road and another four hours in the airport isn't anywhere near as much fun as the jetset lifestyle that so many would love.
You had meetings on Saturday and flew home Sunday? So, you had a night in a hotel, and that's your worst trip? Luxury.

This could easily turn into a rerun of a Monty Python sketch, but I know I'll loose. There will be someone here who has had one of those fun trips to South America that included a lot of kidnappers and gun fire. :-)
 

Offline Throy

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 53
  • Country: de
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #44 on: September 24, 2015, 11:42:47 am »
My worst trip was flying to England from Germany.  Having to get up at 3am to get to the airport by 5am and then flying back on the same day only to get home at 1am and then having to be in the office at 7am.  Worst part was my boss was with me and he didn't show up in the office until 10am.  Double standards...
 

Offline lgbeno

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 349
  • Country: 00
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #45 on: September 24, 2015, 11:50:49 am »

My worst trip was flying to England from Germany.  Having to get up at 3am to get to the airport by 5am and then flying back on the same day only to get home at 1am and then having to be in the office at 7am.  Worst part was my boss was with me and he didn't show up in the office until 10am.  Double standards...

But did you really need to be in the office at 7am?  What would really happen if you didn't.?

I think that if you just said, look I had a long day yesterday and needed some extra rest and had to take care of some things at home that I wasn't able to yesterday.  I doubt it would land you in trouble.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Offline Codemonkey

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 235
  • Country: gb
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #46 on: September 24, 2015, 12:16:30 pm »
You were doing it wrong.

^This!

In my previous job I went from the UK to Canada for a 2 day conference, worked nights in a shopping mall in Germany, worked on various construction sites in Singapore and always had a great time!

In my current job I've been to China 4 times (each time I flew to Beijing then visited a factory about 1 mile away from that new large crater in Tianjin). I got to visit the Great wall and most of the Olympic sites, plus always stayed in flashy 5 star hotels, again had a great time and met some really nice people and ate some "interesting" things!

Also been to Taiwan 4 times, again always put up in flash 5 star hotels (Taiwan does great 5 star hotels!) and had a great time. I don't mind the travelling bit, and I don't rush to be in the office the very next morning if I've just spent 24 hours on flights and in airports. I go back when I feel I have recovered. We have folks that do rush to be at their desk at 7am the next day, no one thanks them for it.

I recently had to visit a site in France and this time took my wife along. I had to pay for her travel & food etc, but whilst I had a week of work, she got a week of sightseeing in Normandy. I also extended the trip so we both got a weekend of leisure whilst there and then travelled back on a work day :-)
 

Offline hammy

  • Supporter
  • ****
  • Posts: 465
  • Country: 00
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #47 on: September 24, 2015, 12:21:42 pm »
[...] to get home at 1am and then having to be in the office at 7am.

You know about the Law in germany about 11 hours rest period?

Quote
Arbeitszeitgesetz:
§ 5 Ruhezeit
(1) Die Arbeitnehmer müssen nach Beendigung der täglichen Arbeitszeit eine ununterbrochene Ruhezeit von mindestens elf Stunden haben.

If something happen during that time (in the car on the way to work, or on work the hot solder iron poke your eye out) it is your fault and not the insurance of your company has to pay! In this case your own insurance has to pay. And they don't want, because your behaviour was "grob fahrlässig".

Please take care in such a situation. If something happens you get no money and no insurance.

Cheers
hammy
« Last Edit: September 24, 2015, 06:21:19 pm by hammy »
 

Offline Throy

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 53
  • Country: de
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #48 on: September 24, 2015, 12:47:59 pm »
At that time I didn't know about the law.  I had only been working in Germany for a little over a year. :-[
 

Offline IanB

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 11790
  • Country: us
Re: Working as professional EE and having well rounded life?
« Reply #49 on: September 24, 2015, 04:37:36 pm »
My worst trip was flying to England from Germany.  Having to get up at 3am to get to the airport by 5am and then flying back on the same day only to get home at 1am and then having to be in the office at 7am.  Worst part was my boss was with me and he didn't show up in the office until 10am.  Double standards...

Heh. I did the same thing once flying to Germany from England for a day of meetings. When I arrived back at Heathrow that night I practically forgot what day it was...  :(
 


Share me

Digg  Facebook  SlashDot  Delicious  Technorati  Twitter  Google  Yahoo
Smf