On why people stay at bad jobs


These walls are kind of funny. First you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, gets so you depend on them. That's institutionalized. They send you here for life, that's exactly what they take. The part that counts, anyways.


:-) Yeah, yeah...dramatic. Erik and I discussed why people stay here...We're a mediocre company ("Our goal is to be the clear #2..."), and our specific group is a study in "too many generals, not enough troops".

So, why do people stay, not just in tech, but in any industry or line of work?

* I joked, "Well, I'll soon have two reasons that need food, clothing, college funds, and orthodontics..." Lot of truth there, but I don't think that's the whole story.

* It is harder when you're the only breadwinner. People with dual incomes have a lot more "F You!" power than people who need to make mortgage and put food on the table.

* Speaking of mortgage...This is a house-owning area. Unlike the coasts, housing is reasonable enough for someone out-of-college to get a 30-year-fixed mortgage. Thing is...it's a 30-year-fixed mortgage. When you own a house, you've (by definition) put down roots in a place.

* The Shawshank Syndrome (see quote, above). After long enough just about anywhere, you're institutionalized. You've altered yourself around the job slightly--schedules, patterns of thinking, idioms, dress. Moving from that is, well, hard. You stop being an entrepreneur and become a civil service worker--stability and continuity are more important than anything else.

Comments

  1. Jeff Roberts9/29/2006 11:34 AM

    And unless you're in the group of 5-10 people who anyone actually listens to, you start finding fulfillment outside of work, so you're happy to settle into a routine that allows you to pay the bills and pursue those other interests. It becomes a J.O.B.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Harold Combs9/29/2006 12:07 PM

    :) very, very good point.

    ReplyDelete

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