Job Satisfaction 1

[BJCooperIT]

Could you share with us what gives you the most satisfaction in your job?

One of the most satisfying aspects of my job as a developer is when I watch the user successfully use my application with ease. These rare glimpses elevate my sense of having contributed something important. It is especially gratifying when they say they love the application but ask if I could make a modification that I wish I had thought of. If they are using it well enough to request sensible improvements, then I know that I have done a good job.

select * from Life where Brain is not null

Consultant/Custom Forms & PL/SQL - Oracle 8.1.7 - Windows 2000
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[cderow]

I feel that working with and solving end-user's issues is very satifying. Usually, this is the most hated task in the IT field, but I am very appreciated where I work and held with pretty high regard, which makes all the difference. I also love setting up networks and implementing new technology, which has been on hold here lately, due to the poor economy (work for a non-profit). However, once we are in the clear and get some new projects rolling, I will be a happy camper.

 

[KornGeek]

$$$$$
My paycheck.

Seriously, the thing that gives me the most satisfaction is knowing that the software I created is being used out there. It's a cool feeling to know that I made something that impacts the life of somebody I don't know (hopefully making it easier).

 

[palbano]

I have been lucky enough to have worked on several products that have had long life spans with zero runtime failures and defects. That has to be on the top of the feel good list. After that, realistically, probably the money.

Also very important are the people I work with, I just can’t stay somewhere if there are too many people I can’t stand, and I am fairly tolerant. Things like lying and being mean really bother me. If there are too many people like that in a shop I just won’t stay no matter what.

-pete

 

[Granvillew]

My boss saying "Well done", especially as my current General Manager usually makes the comment in front of the companies other Heads of Department.

Either that or gifts in the form of chocolates!

 

[greyted]

Having been a Trainer for many years I still get the same satisfaction, buzz and pleasure when people successfully complete their course as I did with the first person that I taught. It is a thrill to see people happy with their achievements and working as they have been taught.
BJCooperIT,
I guess that is pretty well the same as you feel, you surely can't buy feelings like that. When you see these people progress in their careers it gives one great satisfaction to know that you have helped them a little.

Ted

 

[algernonsidney]

My satisfaction comes from the simple fact that for the first time in five years, I have people who want me to be successful. The pay isn't what I would like it to be, but the intangibles are the best.

Today, thanks to my employers, I got to meet important IT executives, with companies like American Electric Power. I appreciate what I have been exposed to.

Chris

 

[BJCooperIT]

Chris,
It is nice to see that you are deriving satisfaction from your current job since often you give the impression that you are very unhappy with IT as a career. We all need a reason to get up and go to our jobs and without our personally satisfying element we would remain in bed!

select * from Life where Brain is not null

Consultant/Custom Forms & PL/SQL - Oracle 8.1.7 - Windows 2000
[sup]When posting code, please use TGML for readability. Thanks![sup]

 

[DonQuichote]

BJCooperIT,

I think there is a thin line between satisfaction and dissatisfaction in IT.

For me, I need to be creative. If my company sells something impossible and I have no means to put things right, or if I must type in the same thing every day without thinking, I hate my job.

(By the way, that was how I got into IT in the first place. I was a technical draftsman before and was too lazy to do the same thing too often. So I wrote little routines to do that for me, and that sort of got out of hand...)

If I have the possibility to do my own design and programming, and give feedback on the requirements, I'm a happy programmer.

Due to the "little islands" in our company, you sometimes hear me grunt, and sometimes see me smile...

Best regards

 

[sha76]

Two main things:

I'm finally in a job where not only is there plenty of room for development, but it's actually supported by training I don't have to fight for.

The best thing about this job though is definitely my users. They've never had anyone before who they can approach with the little niggley problems & I think they were a little shocked when I started asking for feedback on anything I was producing for them! The end result is much better communication & as a result I can make their life easier. I'm frequentley thanked & it's so good to see people develop as they gain more confidence in the products they're using.

Thanks BJCooperIT for prompting me to write this, I feel happier than 5 minutes ago - the therapy's working!

Sharon

 

[CajunCenturion]

To me, the most satisfying aspect of the job is to know that you are respected by the company, and thought of as a corporate asset.

You know you've reached that level when the managers outside of IT start asking for your opinions about issues not related to IT.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[flapeyre]

My job satisfaction comes from knowing that management trusts my opinions. I've been at my present employer for almost 7 years (a lifetime in the IT world!), and so my views are respected. I'm not averse to looking at an application and saying, "Why are we doing it this way? I can make it run faster and more efficiently, and I can can eliminate the run-time errors, too." And my supervisor will respond by setting up a task for me to fix it.

Spending some time in fora such as these, and reading the pertinent trade journals, helps to give you an edge.


"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth with your eyes turned skyward, for here you have been, and there you will always long to return."

--Leonardo da Vinci

 

[Kjonnnn]

Freedom. Other than the time clook i punch, my day is pretty much planned by me. And a boss that does not watch over my shoulder.

 

[AIXSPadmin]

"...my supervisor will respond by setting up a task for me..."

OMG, the nightmares have returned.

NEVER again do I want to work for a company that requires a time sheet and has tasks! The Fortune company did that and for 3.5 years I cringed. Take me back to the company that had 400 total employees and even though things had to get done, there was no task list to fill in.

I agree - FREEDOM!

 

[AIXSPadmin]

Of course, on the flip side of such a large Fortune 500 company with tasks on a time sheet is that a large majority of employees engage in - creative writing on the time sheet.

 

[flapeyre]

AIXSPadmin:

NEVER again do I want to work for a company that requires a time sheet and has tasks! The Fortune company did that and for 3.5 years I cringed. Take me back to the company that had 400 total employees and even though things had to get done, there was no task list to fill in.



The reason we have tasks is because we use a change management system (Softlanding Systems' Turnover for the IBM AS/400), mainly to maintain the integrity of the program object. Everything has to pass through the QC level before it is promoted to production (unless it's an emergency change). While that might seem like an unneccesary layer of bureaucracy to you, QC has caught many errors made by the programmers which could have resulted in major catastrophes with our data. Besides, we always know what the current source code is (nobody has authority to delete or modify tthe production or QC level source code; Turnover and the security officer alone have authority to those libraries).

Yes, I do fill out timesheets as well. But nobody has ever hassled me or anyone else about how much (or how little) time I have spent on a particular project.

Of course, on the flip side of such a large Fortune 500 company with tasks on a time sheet is that a large majority of employees engage in - creative writing on the time sheet.

Or worse, they play fast and loose with applications. You have to have some semblance of control over things. 'Tis an imperfect world we live in...


"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth with your eyes turned skyward, for here you have been, and there you will always long to return."

--Leonardo da Vinci

 

[Provogeek]

Satisfaction comes from building a new network, fixing a broken network, or revamping a poorly built network and only hearing from the client a year later when they want something new or want to upgrade.

When a network runs flawlessly, you know you did something right.

There are the cases when I get a call about some goofy issue on a Windows machine, but 90% of the time I get to hand those off to the desktop team.

There ain't nutin wrong with my network damn it.

It was also very touching when many of my clients sent gifts for my son when he was born last year.

Brent Schmidt CNE,Network +
Senior Network Engineer
Keep IT Simple

http://www.kiscc.com

 

[Chopstik]

After having read through the many posts regarding pet peeves in another forum, there was nothing I could add that had not already been stated. Job satisfaction, however, is that very rare of things that most of the people I have worked with will never attain - for whatever reasons.

I have, however, been fortunate enough to find job satisfaction in most of the jobs I have held. My personal philosophy - if it ain't fun, it ain't worth doin'! (My southern accent comes out like that sometimes - LOL)

The things that give me satisfaction at my job are:

- Knowing that I have been able to, through my own work, make someone else's job easier to manage.
- Working with a management team that understands their employees have a life outside of the office - and ENCOURAGE them pursue those hobbies/activities (or, conversely, give them time when it is needed for emergencies).
- Not being the only person on staff who is able/willing to answer questions from end users, particularly if the group I am working for is a support group (and really, aren't we all support for users in one way or another?) This could also be stated as working with a team that is both professional and competent.
- Knowing that if I make a mistake (yes, I have been known to do that once or twice - or 627,079 times ;-)), I will simply be told to fix it without having to suffer through additional abuse.

Do I have bad days? Certainly. But overall, I enjoy what I do and will stay where I am until it is no longer any fun. You only live once (well, in my case, twice), so have fun. (Good post, BJ Cooper!)

Everything is absolute. Everything else is relative.

 

[BJCooperIT]

Why thank ya Chopstik!. (I sometimes have an accent too!)

This item is a double-edged sword but I also get great satisfaction when my co-workers look to me as mentor. At my last contract we had several developers from India who were working on their first contract in the US. They would come to me for help with language issues after meetings so that I could clarify what they did not understand. Later when they needed help to do a task they came to me. Soon on their heels came the client's developers and even their newbie DBAs. They recognized that they would get help not be put down and expressed their gratitude. It is nice to be the king...even if the reign is short!

The down-side to being a mentor is, of course, more demands on your time, but I think it is worth it.

select * from Life where Brain is not null

Consultant/Custom Forms & PL/SQL - Oracle 8.1.7 - Windows 2000
[sup]When posting code, please use TGML for readability. Thanks![sup]

 

[ThomasJSmart]

seeing the stuff i design and make in full satisfactory use by those i made it for be it client or the masses :-D


I learned a bit yesterday, today i learned a lot, imagine what i'll learn tomorrow!