Category Archives: Work

What I need vs. what I want

I need a car, but I want leather seats. I need a home, but I want a nice house. I need clothes, but I want stylish clothes, including the latest activity appropriate shoes. I need a job, but I want something interesting, fun, where I learn and that pays well.

Many of us like to say that we NEED certain things (I include myself here), but we really don’t need them, but WANT them. There is a very distinct difference between NEED and WANT. In our western society, we live in a consumerist society, not capitalist. In a true capitalist society (Capitalism), the profits from any venture would be plowed right back in to the business in order to further expand or improve the business. That being said, our consumerist society values those who have been successful from the capitalist point of view and has the income to afford expensive houses, cars, toys, etc. This view of success is often challenged by people who say “success is not measured in money, but friends and family”. While I agree this is ideal, it is far from the truth. If YOU had the choice of winning the lottery (Super7 in Canada is $20 million this Friday!) or knowing 10 friends would call you and have a party this weekend, which would you chose? For one, I know that if I win the lottery, I will have LOTS of options for parties and will suddenly have LOTS of people wanting to be my friend. I would certainly be more mindful of who I let in to my inner circle, but in our present society, I would not have to choose. With more money, I have more options. It doesn’t make me a better person, but certainly opens up doors of choice.

Lately, I have been questioning the NEEDS vs. WANTS and have being coming to some enlightening (in my mind anyway) conclusions. I don’t need a lot of furniture. What I have is fine. I do need to paint my walls, the white is getting to me. I don’t need every new gadget, but will still buy more than the average person because I love technology. However, I am not fooling myself. I know that I don’t need some of the stuff I have. I realize it and can be honest to myself that I am trading off against other things, like some extra travel or opportunities to take some extra time off from work. I am fine with this as long as I can still control my options. I am lucky enough to have a choice, but I work damn hard in order to maintain it. I work more than 40 hours a week. I still take at least one university class a semester. I reserve time for my daughter and give her the attention she deserves. I read instead of watching TV. There are choices to make and each one of us is responsible for our own fate. There is luck involved, but you create your own opportunities.

In the end, I NEED very little, but aspire to a lot. This means I WANT a lot.  However, I want to continue to be conscious of the difference and put some thought in to my decisions, no matter how small they may seem at first and as the question “do I NEED this?”. The answer is often no and thinking about it can make all the difference.

Stay interested and interesting!

John

Long haul

It has been a while again. Sorry for that! I have just been busy with my daughter’s activities, school and work. Also, I had a road trip to Chicago and New York! It was great fun.

At work, I have to admit that I am now challenged quite a bit and enjoy my job a lot more. I am overwhelmed at points, but actually get great support.

At home, I really need to start painting my walls. White just doesn’t cut it anymore. Now the debate about colour vs. earth tones comes up. What to do? I’m not a decorator, I’m a geek! 😛

At school, it is all about psychology of work, which is really interesting, but I am having trouble getting motivated to write my term paper. Good thing I have a team to back me up and push me along. I like school, but some subjects pique my interest more than others…

That is about it for now. Busy! Busy! Busy!

Stay interested and interesting!!

John

High paying startup job?

Sometimes, I would like to leave the confines of the bureaucracy of a large company and join a small startup.  The opportunity of building something from the ground up is very alluring.  So is the simplicity of thinking about ideas and putting them in to practice quickly without a tonne of red tape to wade through.  The amount of work required to get anything approved and done is very onerous in a big company.  Any small change to one person affects hundreds, and possibly thousands more, making it quite the job to make tweaks, let alone big changes.

The other frustration I am having in a big company right now is to find the right person who has the data I need.   In a small company, if I don’t have the information and don’t know who has it, it is very easy to find out and I can almost assume that it just doesn’t exist.  In a big company, I assume just the opposite.  It probably exists, but I have the find the right person amongst thousands of employees spread across many geographical areas.  I seem to remember some forum where I could ask, but can’t find the link!  ARGH!!  Frustrating!

I wonder if I could find a job that pays about the same, but with a much smaller enterprise…  Hmmmm…  Then again, I would not have all the learning opportunities I do now, which is simply amazing.  Also, I work from home most of the time, which is worth a lot more than just the cost of parking, coffee and lunch…

Stay interested and interesting!

John

Another one bites the dust!

I am living a range of emotions now that I have learned another colleague is leaving the company.

I am sad at losing a great person to touch base with on different issues.  Someone who keeps me in touch with another side of the business and who I enjoy catching up with.  Maybe I should have done it more…

I am glad that she has other opportunities, or so I assume.  She has not confirmed anything!  But, she has a few days left, so I can only deduct that she is leaving of her own accord.

I am jealous of change others go through while I am tired and frustrated lately.  There is too much work and we have not yet figured out how to handle it properly.

I am hopeful that she will have another adventure and will keep in touch to share her experience.

I am regretful that I have not been social enough with some people, she being one of them.

It gives me great joy and hope that I have these emotions.  It tells me that I am building relationships that I can count on over time.  It keeps me aware of the impact some people have on me that I may take for granted.  It is only when they leave do we realize their value.  I know I need to be a better person and make the time to make things right all around.  I just hope that those I count among my friends understand and take the time to lend a hand as they usually do.

Thank you very much dear colleague for all the great days we had together.  Your smile lifted my spirits and you were always great with me.  Keep in touch.  I hope our paths cross again some day in business and know that they will cross again in life.

Stay interested and interesting!

John

Long term planning

I need a plan.  Not just a plan to get me through the day or the weekend, though that would be good.  I need something to get me motivated about the next five years.  I am really at a loss as to what direction to take and need to put together a vision for myself.

I want to do what is best for my family and that will keep me passionate about my work.  I fear that my current situation will not sustain me over the long term.  I would like to pretend I am going to write, consult and be the best family man ever, but I have some work to do…

Any suggestions would be great.

Stay interested and interesting!

PS: Go on iTunes and subscribe to Leo Laporte’s The Tech Guy podcast.  It will keep you up to date on technology!

John

Change is coming!

And I am not talking about Obama, though that is pretty damn impressive.  I keep thinking about ideas for consulting and have not yet landed on anything concrete, but the more I ponder my future, the more I see myself being a person of confidence who can help more than just those who will listen in a large corporation with new leadership.  I find myself often expressing my opinion, but not necessarily making headway.  I want people to pay me to start a change for them, push them along the right path and provide sage advice as they take their first steps.  Then, I want to back off and do it all over again somewhere else.

This should not be too hard, but I just have not figured out where to start.  I guess I could start talking to some people who do it today and get a feel for what is required.  I am not sure what the overall qualifications look like, but figure I can learn anything, so I should be OK.  Also, I have a friend who makes chocolate, so I can bribe my way with delicious treats!  😉

I am also torn with the opportunities I see for me at my current job, but am having trouble with the culture change.  It is not the change itself, but the direction it is taking.  I have not bought in to it yet and I don’t think that is a good thing…

I guess I will tough it out a while longer, do some research and reserve a decision for AFTER the bonus payout.

Stay interested and interesting!

John

Experience or education? Both!

When I was younger,  I used to hang my hat on the fact that I could learn anything and if I really pushed myself in the books, then I would be better than the next guy who did not.  This worked for a while and would probably still play in to the perception of me as an individual.  However, through a lot of introspection, I have also learned that experience is an amazing asset.

For me, education is paramount.  There is no substitute for learning every day and I hope that my thirst for knowledge will never wane.  I love to learn.  Learning also means that you have to keep an open mind.  You have to be concious that your knowledge of a subject is limited and you do not know everything.  Socrates used to go around proving this.  You need to start every day with the idea that you can learn from every experience and make it a concious decision to do it.

Next, experience is complementary to education.  Education is worthless if you do not use what you have learned in some way.  You make know the atomic weight of oxygen, but what good is it if you never use it for something.  See, I know that it is 16g and I am USING it here as an example of knowledge.  See how that works?  😉   Some of you will think that I found it on Wikipedia before posting here, but I actually learned it as a junior in high school chemistry and have a weirdly accurate memory for numbers.

All that being said, take heart that what you do not know, you can learn.  And education coupled with experience will give you the best base to start with and with which you can make the best decisions at work and in life.  Be open to new edutation and experience, it will get you farther than you ever though imaginable and probably down a different, more interesting path than you would have ever anticipated.

Stay interested and interesting!

John

Build your brand! Learn!

With all the economic uncertainty and the snowy weather in Ottawa, it is time to build your brand, stay inside and learn all you can.  There is still a looming human resource shortage on the horizon.  The baby boomers are still going to retire.  Some have lost parts of their pensions, but my prediction is that they will retire from their full time job, take the pension and find some part time work that they truly enjoy, but are not slaves to the system.

You are in control of your own destiny and there has never been a better time to build your knowledge and market yourself.  Smart employers are locking their best employees in through incentives that are more important than money.  Think pride, belonging, adventure, influence and, of course, learning opportunities!

Keep in touch with the labour market.  You have to know what the opportunities are out there for you and don’t be afraid to apply for jobs you think you would like.  Yes!  Even if you already have a job.  That may seem selfish, but you have to remember that your current employer will probably replace you and if they don’t, then maybe you made the move at the right time.

It is your career.  It is your life.  Take control.

Stay interested and interesting!

John

Big company mentality getting to me…

I think the big company politics and irrational behavior (irrational when viewed on the macro level anyway…) that has been going on of late. Perhaps I am not getting all the information and need to talk to more people. However, our leadership should be good enough at communications (not bloody likely!) to talk about some of these issues. I would love to hear the explanation on a few of these decisions (Really!! No sarcasm. I want to understand).

If you know of anything interesting available or different paths to follow, drop me a line. I would love to hear about it. I am not going to drop my current job for just anything though. I still love the people I work with and think there are big opportunities, but am open.

Thanks for listening.

Stay interested and interesting!

John

Data is important

You should know that DATA IS IMPORTANT.  When you put together a business case, you need to know what you are measuring, have the historical data to produce a baseline and have a measurable objective.  To do all this, you need data.  You need to know what the performance has been and be able to match that with a dollar figure somehow.  Not the other way around.  Saying that you have to save $$$ and then say that means you need your metric to be x will not get you to your goal.

Building a business case with faulty numbers will get you in to a very bad place.  A place where expectations are all wrong and there is no chance for success.  It will either be way too easy and people will question if you put a target that you knew was easy, then they will change the target for you.  Or, you set unachievable targets and you get raked over the coals when you do not deliver.  Either way, you are in shit.  The best way to avoid this is to confirm your numbers with trusted sources and quote the experts.

That was my little rant for this morning…  I will now go back to fixing the numbers on a business case someone else built…

Stay interested and interesting!

John