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Anonymous: << The hours are long - roughly, I work over 80 hours/week. And,
there is no compensatory time. So, if you work day and night for several
days straight, and then need to go home for a shower and sleep . . . well,
you must remember to be in your seat from 8 AM - 5 PM! If you would like to
see the doctor, that is sick time. >>
I worked in this same exact type of environment when I was a programmer. It
was 25 (UGH!) years ago, I was a woman in an all-male shop and was resented,
and I had to produce at least as well as the guys did, and have the same
stamina. On top of that, there was this weird policy of working until you
dropped (sometimes 36 hours at a stretch), then being back in your seat at
8:00am. I did this for 3 years, battling all kinds of illnesses brought on
by stress and overwork.
One morning a headhunter called me and talked to me about a job in technical
training that I loved from the first day. I quit the programming job in a
heart beat, no remorse, no looking back. As I look at it now, if I hadn't
been in the programming job, I might not have learned the skills and
discipline I needed to move into new parts of my life. I learned to talk to
SMEs, I learned patience, I learned to curb my frustration. It was 3 years
of absolute hell, but it was the ticket to a new way of life, to fulfilling
work, and to the knowledge which enables me to see this kind of job coming
and recommend another company to take it. :)
I also see that in the career scheme of things, I probably "had" to have
this experience in order to be "ready" to do the other things I've gotten
the chance to do. IMO, you learn what you can, contribute what's a little
more than fair, and understand that this is a way station on the way to a
new part of your life.
Sherry
Sherry Michaels
President
Michaels & Associates
11639 E. Wethersfield Rd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85259
480-614-8440 Local
877-614-8440 Toll free
480-614-2775 FAX
www.docntrain.com
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