Saturday
Nov202010
What do You Want Out of a Job?
Saturday, November 20, 2010 at 02:01PM
This question was brought up the other day at work. What do you want out of a job?
Truthfully, I haven't thought much about it. Most people think, "I want a job that makes good money." I think that this is something I want, but it's not the only thing. For instance, if I could make $50k a year for just picking up shit, I probably wouldn't do it. It would be pretty boring and there would be no challenge in it. Plus, it would be a hygiene nightmare.
After I mulled this question over a bit more, I realized that I know what I want more than I thought I did. I have compiled a list of things that I want out of my job:
I think my biggest fear with entering the job market originally, was the fear that this was the rest of my life. That I would be stuck at a computer for the rest of my life. That I would be stuck at a desk for the rest of my life. That I would be stuck working on something I didn't want to work on for the rest of my life, becoming a lemming by doing what I was told and ceasing to grow as a developer. That I would be working with one programming language on one platform and that wondering what else was outside of this cubicle would be considered "Dangerous Thinking."
For landing my first job out of college, I have been extremely fortunate. I work for a small company (less than 20 employees). The owner genuinely cares about the company and it's workers. He should care: It's his money investment at work. We work on many different platforms and as the market changes, we aren't afraid to move onto another platform. We are actually encouraged to take time during work hours to learn about technology. We have started a discussion group where we can volunteer to stay and discuss a new technology or an idea. Hell, we are even encouraged to work on our own projects (as long as we meet our commitment to our customers first). Not to mention the free perks of free drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and best of all: No cubicles.
Looking at the job I have now, I'd say it meets my list pretty well.
Truthfully, I haven't thought much about it. Most people think, "I want a job that makes good money." I think that this is something I want, but it's not the only thing. For instance, if I could make $50k a year for just picking up shit, I probably wouldn't do it. It would be pretty boring and there would be no challenge in it. Plus, it would be a hygiene nightmare.
After I mulled this question over a bit more, I realized that I know what I want more than I thought I did. I have compiled a list of things that I want out of my job:
- To be appreciated for my work
- To be challenged by my work
- To continue to learn while at work
- To have my work support me
I think my biggest fear with entering the job market originally, was the fear that this was the rest of my life. That I would be stuck at a computer for the rest of my life. That I would be stuck at a desk for the rest of my life. That I would be stuck working on something I didn't want to work on for the rest of my life, becoming a lemming by doing what I was told and ceasing to grow as a developer. That I would be working with one programming language on one platform and that wondering what else was outside of this cubicle would be considered "Dangerous Thinking."
For landing my first job out of college, I have been extremely fortunate. I work for a small company (less than 20 employees). The owner genuinely cares about the company and it's workers. He should care: It's his money investment at work. We work on many different platforms and as the market changes, we aren't afraid to move onto another platform. We are actually encouraged to take time during work hours to learn about technology. We have started a discussion group where we can volunteer to stay and discuss a new technology or an idea. Hell, we are even encouraged to work on our own projects (as long as we meet our commitment to our customers first). Not to mention the free perks of free drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and best of all: No cubicles.
Looking at the job I have now, I'd say it meets my list pretty well.
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