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 | 3 Comments »

July 9, 2008 by dave.

I am reliving my childhood through my own kids.  One of the enjoyable things I remember as a kid was building tree houses and forts.  My wife and I try to keep our kids active and engaged in activities without watching TV so we spend a lot of time outside.  This summer I started building them a tree house.  They try to help but since they are still kind of young they tend to act more as ’supervisors’.  The tree house is triangular shaped (because I had 3 good trees to attach the structure to), it will have 3 windows, a door, and access will be via a ramp.  At this point I have all the walls, floor, and ramp in place.  The roof is going to be tricky due to the triangular shape but I have some ideas.  All of the wood was scrap that I had or got from my father-in-law.  I even have shingles for the roof.  At this point it appears the only costs associated with the tree house will hinges for the door and Plexiglas or screening for the windows.  Check out the current picture below.  Note the ramp is not done yet:

Posted in Household Stuff, Fun!, Parenthood | 1 Comment »

May 12, 2008 by dave.

I already raved about the Kettler Trikes in an earlier Blog but this weekend we found an accessory to one of the bikes in my shed.

It is a component that basically changes one of the bikes into a tandem. I recall seeing this a while back and had asked that relatives give it to one of my kids for Christmas. Well when we got it and tried it out we discovered that it is really not for use until the kids can actually steer them self - because the bike ends up being too unruly to maneuver.

I had shared this frustration with Kettler because they didn’t have any notation regarding this on the product or on sites that sold it. After I complained they ended up sending me a new rear wheel assembly where the wheels are able to swivel from (left-to-right).  That was better but it was still awkward since we were still in the stage where we used the pushbar and we controlled where the bikes went. I never got around to pushing the issue further with Kettler and the accessory ended up in the shed.

Well….now that my kids are older and can peddle and steer I put the tandem accessory on my son’s bike and it is actually kinda cool. One child can drive and the other can ride. It’s built well but again….they need to be old enough to control the bike them self and have the strength to transport the extra weight. I left my daughter’s bike alone so now they have a tandem they can use and a regular bike. You can see how it works by checking out this Flash movie from the manufacturer.

Posted in Fun!, Parenthood | 1 Comment »

April 24, 2008 by dave.

We have been extremely happy with the Kettler Trikes that our children have. They are a bit pricey (about $160 each) but they excel at quality and function. Kettler offers a number of different versions and also makes other products. The trikes we have offer features not found on other generic tricycles:

• Removable (and adjustable) handle so an adult can push the child
• The steering can be locked for younger children (who can be pushed by a parent)
• The rear wheels can be locked in a straight position for younger children
• The seat is adjustable
• Optional accessories include a basket, bell, footrest (for younger children), and a seatbelt!

Our kids love the bikes and when we go out in public pushing them other people are ALWAYS looking at the bikes and asking about them. This happens so much that it has almost become annoying. It was our intent to eventually sell the bikes when they grow out of them but these may just become things that get handed down in the family.

Great bikes!

Posted in Parenthood | 2 Comments »