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Burn out

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Mikebits

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Just wondering, has anyone ever felt burn out on the job of electronics? I did and thus went back to school to learn something new (Biology). Don't get me wrong, I still think trons are cool, but I felt it was time to move on and learn something new. Ya know what I mean?

I just wanted to expand my world and see what else life has to offer. Increase the spectrum of my knowledge rainbow so to speak. Find my true passion. I still don't know what I will truly enjoy but my search continues. I recall a saying "Do a job you love and you never work a day in your life". That is what I am seeking.

I thought it was electronics, but It was not quite it. Do ya know what I mean?

Or do I sound silly?
 
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I definitely know what you mean!!
I finished college after studying electronics, but this qualification didn't leave me with too much of practical knowledge. So a company took me in as their workshop technician, and I excelled in it...but the problem was after a while, I only knew that company's product. I wanted to study further but had no guidance on what to do or where to go. So eventually, I got into the sales side of the business.... and I absolutely HATE IT!!! :mad:
 
Just wondering, has anyone ever felt burn out on the job of electronics? I did and thus went back to school to learn something new (Biology). Don't get me wrong, I still think trons are cool, but I felt it was time to move on and learn something new. Ya know what I mean?

I just wanted to expand my world and see what else life has to offer. Increase the spectrum of my knowledge rainbow so to speak. Find my true passion. I still don't know what I will truly enjoy but my search continues. I recall a saying "Do a job you love and you never work a day in your life". That is what I am seeking.

I thought it was electronics, but It was not quite it. Do ya know what I mean?

Or do I sound silly?

I can understand what you are trying to convey. While I never lost my love of electronics either at work or as a hobby and I can relate to job burn out. I was able to stick it out until my recent retirement but the last 5 years on the job was hard at times. Job negitives were mostly about the 'soft' things involing people, management, needless changes, etc.

Most of the time I was able to do what I enjoyed most and that was troubleshooting and problem solving. Funny that I never enjoyed playing games or puzzles, but real life equipment and systems troubleshooting never ceased to engage me, it was something my mind was wired to enjoy and be good at.

Lefty
 
I would feel that most burn outs occur at a company/job, where you have been with the same company,
doing almost the same work for years.

IMO its important that you change your company at least every 3 to 5 years.

Sticking to the same routine, handling the same products and peers can quickly take the edge off your enthusiasm
and you can get into a 'comfortable rut'.

Remember a 'rut' can quickly become '6 feet deep'.:rolleyes:

Its vital you keep studying to keep abreast of current technology.
 
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I would feel that most burn outs occur at a company/job, where you have been with the same company,
doing almost the same work for years.

IMO its important that you change your company at least every 3 to 5 years.

Sticking to the same routine, handling the same products and peers can quickly take the edge off your enthusiasm
and you can get into a 'comfortable rut'.

Remember a 'rut' can quickly become '6 feet deep'.:rolleyes:

Its vital you keep studying to keep abreast of current technology.

Good advice Eric, I remember a guy that said you should work on a 5 year plan. After 5 years move on to a new job.
 
What are you studying in biology? All that sub-cellular stuff looks incredibly interesting.
 
What you do is of less importance as long as you do it better than anybody else. (You are number one.)

Eventually somebody will get to the same point of knowledge and experience you have.

So study carefully what happens in your environment. If necessary change the company or your job.

I was fighter pilot for 23 years of my life and learned quickly to be ahead of the enemy in thoughts, ideas and action. I can say quick reaction saved my life for more than 6,000 flying hours with just one emergency landing requiring barrier engagement due to glace ice on the runway.

During my time as pilot I always considered two legs more valuable than one. So I studied electronic warfare and electronic counter measures to be taken in case of a military confrontation.

It is generally said job satisfaction is achieved if you have done something outstanding in your job. Well, I did by returning SAMs (always fired in salvoes of two) to the sender's address using ECM. The moment they impacted on the target was almost like a New Year party, a huge firework of 18 ready-to-fire AA missiles, killing 250 soldiers of the GDR-Army (GDR=German Democratic Republic).

After some years of retirement I think all the victims were not aware of what they were doing, or at least were not instructed well enough to keep safe distance between themselves and a ready-to-fire missile.

SA-2 missiles use a 7m long booster for launch filled with kerosine. If one of the missile catches fire, they are all on fire, posted flat in the launch zone.

Now that I'm retired I am still concerned with electronics, but the way I want. Guess what kind of electronics.

Still thinking about an automatic target tracker and fire mechanism to be activated after "HALT" and an ignored "STOP".

Boncuk
 
Just wondering, has anyone ever felt burn out on the job of electronics? I did and thus went back to school to learn something new (Biology).
BIOLOGY? Isn't that where you sit around watching and waiting for: plants to grow?
tadpoles to turn into frogs?
microbes to decompose a pile of shredded bark into compost?
;)
 
That's why I'm glad electronics is just a hobby to me, can't get burnt out on something you enjoy doing, and since it's not a job I'm not forced to do it when I don't want to.
 
Most of the time I was able to do what I enjoyed most and that was troubleshooting and problem solving. Funny that I never enjoyed playing games or puzzles, but real life equipment and systems troubleshooting never ceased to engage me, it was something my mind was wired to enjoy and be good at.

Same here!
I have an averagea of about one year at a job before I get sick of it.
The work has never been the problem. Its the backstabling, lying and ego stroking of other coworkers and managment or company ownership that makes me walkout after a year or so. :(

I have had too many jobs where I was told at the hiring interview that what a knowlegeable employee makes is 3 or 4 times what they offer as starting wage. Plus being told that when I become proficient at my job I will get regular raises based on how much skill I have and money I bring into the business. :(

It takes me about 3 to 6 months to become very good and some times the best at what I am doing related to what type of job it was. Even acording to the company reviews and coworker comments. (I am very agressive about learning what is needed to get to be the best at what the job title requires.) :)
Only to then be told that there is no money coming in despite what common sense observation of the companies billing rate and work load Vs employee pay scale and company operations outlay is.
I watch the company cash flow closely. I am one who feels its in the best interest of myself and the company to know who and were money really gets wasted by and at.

Plus the constantly having to fend off and deal with idea stealers and and clueless pinheads is just what wears me out. :(

When I have found surtain people to be idea stealers I do tend to landmine my ideas or consepts just to make them look like dumbasses when they try to take credit for my work too! That does tend to make my work more enjoyable at times though! :p
Nothing beats watching a crooked boss, manager or co worker drill himself into the ground because he isnt aware of a few very critical details that are the key to weather that plan or action will be a sucess or total failure!
Then watching them try to dig their way out of it is even better! :D

Sinse I started my own official business almost 4 years ago I cannot see my self doing anything else as of yet. I do still pick up seasonal work to help out in the slow times though. Its easy money and a good break from the regular stuff! :)
 
When I worked at Dictaphone (yes, I've heard the takeoff on the company name WAY too many times!), I was told the factory workers worked in "round robin" stations, passing completed work onto the next person in the process. Every week these people shifted one position. This was specifically to keep people from going "stale" in their job, and being in close proximity meant they could all socialize throughout the day, within reason. I thought this pretty enlightneed on Dictaphone's part.

After three years with them, the district got a new head supervisor. When he toured our shop, I told him it was my dream to go to college and get a degree in electronics. He shot me down, and told me that that kind of talk would get me "released". WTF!? Three weeks later he called me AT A CUSTOMER SITE in the late afternoon and, out of the blue, told me this again. I told him it really wasn't a problem anymore, as this call convinced me to quit and I dropped the phone on a desktop and walked away from it. I finished my work, packed my bag and returned to the office, where I told my immediate supervisor that was my last day, and walked out.
I got a call at home from him later that night. He told me both he and the district super wanted to talk to me about my decision at the office next day. Sure, why not, I had to come in for my last check anyways.
Well, I had been working in a two technician office for two years when the other guy got the can, but he was so bad I picked up the slack no problem. Except I had less time in the customers' offices, and I had to bring more units back every night for my supervisor to fix the next few days. Which made him unhappy, but there's only me in the field, so lump it. And it went on like this for a year, and now this.
So I'm at this meeting. The district super tells me:
1. The number of shop's calls meant they needed one and a half techs, but the company had no funds for another guy.
2. There was no money for raises, so I wouldn't get more money.
3. I had asked for advanced classes given by Dictaphone, but the office supervisor couldn't handle the all the work by himself while I was in classes, so I couldn't be spared.
And that was it. Was I tempted to laugh and walk out after collecting my check? Ohhhh Yassss! But I told them instead that they had just described a losing position for me, with no respite in sight, so I gave them six weeks notice so they could find another guy and I could start training him into the job.
So, not only had I tired of the job, but they were chomping at the bit to get rid of me, although it hurt them too.

Some jobs are just meant to be quit after a year, unless you're a sap, and keep on chuggin'.
I learned from my brother about that time that California had free colleges and I could get my AS in Electronics for FREE, so I was outta there shortly thereafter, and in college three weeks later. After graduation, I lost my job ONLY because the company went out of business or I was offered a better position. Yes, chillun, you does want that degree!

Now I'm perfectly happy to be doing anything in electronics. I'm still a bench tech at heart. I go home every night and play with a different compiler on a multitude of development boards. I'll probably die with a probe in my hand. If I'm lucky.
kenjj
 
Gee, you resurrected an old thread. Oddly enough and a year later I still am in school but have taken a new direction. I went from biology, to nursing to paramedic training (Will be EMT certified shortly). Still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, but I do know this, I want to do something that makes me happy to go to work.
I think that is the secret to a good life. :)

Follow your passion...
 
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Mikebits, the eternal student!
After 20 years in consumer service I allmost lost it. Repairing other peoples mistakes and problems! I went into construction (large sound + communication systems) and later into design.
Service allmost killed my love for electronics. Leaving it was one of the best (maybe the only good one) moves in my life! E
 
Unfortunately I know two unemployed and unmotivated former service techs. They both refuse to re-educate or retrain themselves for a different career. The one lives on the streets, the other in a slum area; both are single and both are chronic alcoholics. Very sad.
 
Mikebits:
You are absolutely right: Do what makes you happy, as long as you do not hurt someone in the process! We all have only one life (I will not argue some people arguing that), E
 
I would feel that most burn outs occur at a company/job, where you have been with the same company,
doing almost the same work for years.

IMO its important that you change your company at least every 3 to 5 years.

Sticking to the same routine, handling the same products and peers can quickly take the edge off your enthusiasm
and you can get into a 'comfortable rut'.

Remember a 'rut' can quickly become '6 feet deep'.:rolleyes:

Its vital you keep studying to keep abreast of current technology.

While I generally agree with Eric I have to disagree with some of the above. I have been with my company for over 25 years now. We pretty much manufacture a single product, a complex single product but a single product. I actually like the work and enjoy it.

I do strongly agree that one must remain on the advances in technology curve as I doubt designing a system with 6L6 vacuum tubes would be a good idea but have no problem applying new technology to our test and acceptance methods. Finding better ways to test and acquire test data from a product that hasn't changed much in 40 years can be interesting work and enjoyable work.

On another note my company treats me very well as we have a nice pension plan plus very good 401K matching contributions. A good pension plan is something just about non existent anymore in the US.

We design and build a device called a CRDM (Control Rod Drive Mechanism) which runs the control rods in and out of the core of nuclear reactor systems. WE manufacture the entire system including building the motors. Till recently we only built for the US Navy nuclear propulsion program but we are currently working a new project. The goal is to apply the same technology used in nuclear powering US Navy ships (Aircraft Carriers and Submarines) into commercial reactor systems. **broken link removed** Testing should begin on prototype units in 2011 and we expect after 5 years of testing to market a commercial unit. I should be retired when the product is ready for prime time. :)

Many years ago I worked in RF with a focus on microwave. Hell we had a sign at the lab entrance saying "If it's below 1 GHz it's DC to us". I would be hard pressed today to recall much of my microwave theory but then too, I have no need for it. So is there a rut involved here? Yes, because today my focus is on other areas of electronics. Do I care? Not really as trons have been good to me and I like the same work I have now been doing for 25 years.

I don't care what someone does. If someone is a street sweeper let them be the best street sweeper in my community and if they enjoy their chosen profession, more power to them. All I see as important is that an individual enjoy their work as then it isn't work. Find your nitch and excel at it and be the best at it.

Just My Take
Ron
 
This is what I am working on now.

That looks pretty neat - I hope its successful for you, your company, and the company building the complete system - wow! That seems like it would be a fun project!

I don't care what someone does. If someone is a street sweeper let them be the best street sweeper in my community and if they enjoy their chosen profession, more power to them. All I see as important is that an individual enjoy their work as then it isn't work. Find your nitch and excel at it and be the best at it.

Sage advice. If more people did this instead of chasing the dollar they would find greater levels of happiness and less stress in their lives. Keeping up with the Jones is a game for chumps, IMHO.
 
I don't care what someone does. If someone is a street sweeper let them be the best street sweeper in my community and if they enjoy their chosen profession, more power to them. All I see as important is that an individual enjoy their work as then it isn't work. Find your nitch and excel at it and be the best at it.

Well said Ron,

Electronics used to be my hobby back in the 70s, I bought tons of books since there was no Internet at the time, when Commodore 128 came out in mid 80s I got interested in computers and been working in that field ever since. Last year at 49 years old I quit my 15 years of service to go back to electronics but unfortunately it is hard to find a job at 49 with no experience so i started my own company and for the past year I've been happily learning. Now I am poor and happy but when I get old I know I will be making a living out of it.

Mike
 
While I generally agree with Eric I have to disagree with some of the above. I have been with my company for over 25 years now. We pretty much manufacture a single product, a complex single product but a single product. I actually like the work and enjoy it.

I do strongly agree that one must remain on the advances in technology curve as I doubt designing a system with 6L6 vacuum tubes would be a good idea but have no problem applying new technology to our test and acceptance methods. Finding better ways to test and acquire test data from a product that hasn't changed much in 40 years can be interesting work and enjoyable work.

On another note my company treats me very well as we have a nice pension plan plus very good 401K matching contributions. A good pension plan is something just about non existent anymore in the US.

We design and build a device called a CRDM (Control Rod Drive Mechanism) which runs the control rods in and out of the core of nuclear reactor systems. WE manufacture the entire system including building the motors. Till recently we only built for the US Navy nuclear propulsion program but we are currently working a new project. The goal is to apply the same technology used in nuclear powering US Navy ships (Aircraft Carriers and Submarines) into commercial reactor systems. **broken link removed** Testing should begin on prototype units in 2011 and we expect after 5 years of testing to market a commercial unit. I should be retired when the product is ready for prime time. :)

Many years ago I worked in RF with a focus on microwave. Hell we had a sign at the lab entrance saying "If it's below 1 GHz it's DC to us". I would be hard pressed today to recall much of my microwave theory but then too, I have no need for it. So is there a rut involved here? Yes, because today my focus is on other areas of electronics. Do I care? Not really as trons have been good to me and I like the same work I have now been doing for 25 years.

I don't care what someone does. If someone is a street sweeper let them be the best street sweeper in my community and if they enjoy their chosen profession, more power to them. All I see as important is that an individual enjoy their work as then it isn't work. Find your nitch and excel at it and be the best at it.

Just My Take
Ron

All you say is true Ron. You are a person I would like to truly enjoy a beer with one day.

My feelings exactly.

To quote Ron: "Find your niche and excel at it and be the best at it."

That's exactly what I am up to right now. :D.

Cheers mate
 
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