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I had to change the thread title because I had promised I wouldn't post on that other thread anymore.
I think Richard is right; to some extent, people can make their own luck. But it's not that simple. You have to be in a situation where you have options. Luck in this case consists of being able to do things that allow you to take advantage of openings, some of which may not be visible at the time.
I have encountered some of the negative things you mention. As some people have noted, I've had kind of a history of working at the wrong places. Part of that was the fact that I was not good at managing money. For too many years, I had no reserves to get me through a financial dry spell, so whenever I lost one job I had no choice but to take whatever came first. I had to say yes to any job offer because I couldn't pay rent until I found a new job that was "right" for me. It's kind of hard to make luck when you have no options.
I have been extraordinarily lucky the last couple of years. I managed to go from a short term contract job to a regular job with a large and, up until very recently, stable company. I can't believe I got a job as a real employee in tech writing in this age. Maybe my guardian angel finally sobered up.
OK, that's my whining for the day. I feel better now. Thanks for reading. :-)
> I don't get it.
>
> I've worked in high-tech since 1981 (most of it as a techwriter), and aside
> from a very few bad-ish apples whom I could count on my fingers (and have a
> few fingers left over), my experience has been almost uniformly of really
> great, hard-working, helpful people who enjoy their jobs, genuinely want to
> see you (me) succeed, and every one of them honorable and conscientious.
> Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of young over-achievers, crusty old hands,
> managers both new and well-steeped, directors and veeps.
>
> There's the occasional end-of-project push that requires a weekend or a bunch
> of long days, but for the most part, any stress I experience is self-
> generated. I have standards, y'know... :-)
>
> In that time, I've worked for two giant multi-nationals and a couple of
> smaller companies. My current gig started last century with a 40-person start-
> up that has since been purchased by three successively bigger companies. Given
> that I'm in Canada, and the companies that bought us were American, I had some
> worry that the culture and management would become cut-throat, abrasive, and
> short-sighted. Not so. Reasonable, level-headed, straight shooters abound.
>
> Have I been inordinately lucky for 30-some years, or have some of y'all just
> tripped into a cesspool as you stepped out of college, and never again found
> the shore?
If it's luck, I've had it too (although the Hemingway quote comes to mind: "You make your own luck"). The people I've worked with or for have almost all been decent, honorable, and well-intentioned. Some have been less competent than others -- and than I'd have liked. :-) But only very, very rarely have I encountered meanness, dishonesty, or bad intentions.
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-903-6372
------
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