Recently I had a chance to sit down with a bunch of folks and have a good discussion about how people seemed to hide their processes, and the tasks they were working on. Apparently at the workplace, folks were working on tasks, but not really displaying what they were working on. There weren’t any charts or a WIP board, or if there was, it wasn’t really anywhere visible in their workplace.
It brought me to thinking about why people do what they do at the workplace. It made me wonder why they were hiding their process, and if they were doing it consciously or just as a habit. Was it a product of their environment, or was it simply their nature to work on things in secret?
It also made me wonder if they were really proud of the work they were doing, or if it was simply a “going through the motions” deal. I never did get a chance to ask whether or not the gentleman I was speaking to knew if they were just hiding their work out of habit or design, but it brought a question to mind if it was by design.
If you’re doing something you’re not proud of, why are you doing it?
It’s always bothered me when a person jokes about doing his job half-assed, or just collecting a paycheck. There for a marginal amount of work and then leave at 4:30 or 5PM, before the afternoon rush hour.
The inherent problem with that, especially in software, is that when that person is working on your software, there’s going to be a drastic dive in quality. If they don’t really care enough to put in that extra effort, to put quality effort into their work, then it’s going to be an inferior product. At that point, it’s just a bug infestation waiting to happen.
I’m not proud of it, but there’s been periods in my life that I’ve had this attitude. It was a job I disliked, working for people who micro-managed and didn’t give a person a chance to grow on their own. This was mostly retail sales, mind you, not the development and quality assurance jobs I’ve had.
If you take nothing else away from this post, make this the one thing. Every time you finish a project, or finish your work ask yourself one question: Am I proud enough of the job I did that I can put my name on this?
If you’re ashamed to put your name on your work, why did you do it?
This assumes that people are happy with their jobs. At school the second time around, I'm noticing most kids (like me the first time around) have no idea what they really want to do. So they say, "Hey! How bout software? I can make a living doing that, right?"
ReplyDeleteBy time they realize they hate the job, or hate the life of a cube gopher, it's too late. They're either too deep into the curriculum to change, or they're already done with it.
Finding people who love their job isn't easy. It requires an understanding of yourself that most kids don't have at the college age.
Finding people who love their job is difficult, I agree. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't take pride in your work regardless of whether or not you despise your job. It may make that task infinitely harder to take pride in it, but the fact that you can put your name on it and say, "I DID THIS." is something far more rewarding than one can imagine.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of "Rent A Kid". The guy wanted to be a baseball player, but ended up the doorman of an apartment building. So he decided to be the best damn doorman he could be if that's what he was stuck as.
ReplyDeleteThat's the idea I'm trying to promote, yes. It's difficult, but not insurmountable. One CAN hate their job, and be exceptional at it. I'm just saying you should strive to do that, rather than allow yourself to succumb to that misery.
ReplyDeleteDoes this post not contradict your first post? Maybe a little? ;)
ReplyDeleteYep. I'm aware of my own contradictions.
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