January 8, 2009 by dave.

Why should our lives focus on advancement in a particular career?  Since I work in Higher Education this may come across as being an odd question.  It seems that so many individuals (whether they like or do not like what they are doing) are seeking to reach very high positions in their field.  Societal pressure also seems to encourage us to seek higher roles.  Individuals very young in their careers are setting long-term goals of being a ‘Director of….’ or a ‘Dean of….’ or some other high level position.

Don’t get me wrong….it’s great that some individuals seek and achieve these levels but I hope those that do are able to maintain a good balance in their lives.

I sincerely enjoy my current job; it provides a decent salary, allows me to be very autonomous, it’s flexible, and it is very family-friendly.  Society and pressure seems to push us to always seek more money or advancement to positions having a higher status and more responsibility.  I believe some of this is a status issue where an individual wants the perception that they are important (because of societal or peer pressure)…or in some situations it’s solely because they’ve never ’sat back’ and asked themselves why they want this overly stressful position.  I see a combination of this in higher education where it seems some individuals are ‘proud’ of the fact that their job requires them to do some work in the office each weekend…..or that they need to work extra hours each day to get their job done….or that they bring work home every night.   The traditional work week is 40 hours and we should work towards fitting all of our work into those 40 hours.  This isn’t to say that there won’t be times when an individual would need to work a bit extra (which is why many at this level are salaried)….it just should not be a norm.  We all need to start taking pride in the fact we work normal hours and have no stress at work.

I believe our priorities should focus on building a life where we have a strong family structure and quality time to do the things we want to do.  Career should come second to this (with the understanding that one does need a stable occupation that provides enough financial stability to support the main priorities). In my 25 years of being in the work force I have seen individuals perfectly happy with their jobs ‘move up the ladder’ and become miserable because they no longer like their jobs and are always stressed out.  I also see some who ‘move up’ and are able to balance things well and succeed.  I’ve also recently seen some individuals ‘downgrade’ to lower positions because they finally recognized that happiness and balance is more successful than status and stress.  I applaud these individuals.

A very interesting concept referred to as The Peter Principle (Dr. Laurence J Peter, Jan. 1967) supports the concept of being happy and competent in your work.  I won’t go into much detail since I feel the basic principle speaks for itself:

“In a Hierarchy Every Employee Tends to Rise to His Level of Incompetence.”

There are a number of interpretations of Peter’s concept.  One that I contemplate and fits well with my entry is a statement by Dr. Edward P. Lazear that states:

“…employees work harder than normal to get a promotion, and then relax once the promotion is attained”

 We all need to stop worrying about ‘career advancement’ and focus on mastering and enjoying our jobs….so work becomesa less important focus of our lives.  We work so we have money and stability…..to support ourselves, families, and the things we want to do.  It’s time to change the mindset….

Posted in Higher Education, Parenthood, Annoying Things | 5 Comments »

August 27, 2008 by dave.

I believe a significant percentage of individuals dislike or are unhappy with their jobs.  I run across individuals who often complain about their jobs….dread going to work….and develop negative attitudes about their work place.  When asked why they stay in their jobs they say ‘the money’.  Well….this is horrible.  We spend about 40 hours per week in our jobs so we need to enjoy it.

I honestly am very happy in my job.  Like all individuals, I have days where things are rough….or, due to the type of job I have, I get stressed out.  I used to be a lot more stressed about my job because of the impact it has on my work place.  Some of the things I oversee impact all of the faculty, staff, and students at my workplace and are used 24 hours a day.

I believe I finally was able to shed most of the stress one day when my Director once said “it’s not worth having a heart attack over”.  I am very lucky to work in such a supportive environment and his statement stuck with me and led me to develop a set of thoughts…or philosophies on my work.  If I feel stressed, worried, or annoyed I remind myself of these statements (I have them printed out on a bulletin board).

They are good statements and I hope they assist you - or at least prompt you to contemplate your own.

Posted in Health & Environment, Higher Education, Technology | 1 Comment »