Why I dream of quitting IT
you think being the Cop/Janitor/Sewer Worker of the tech revolution is some kind of glamor job?
Don’t get me wrong. I love IT. I love building systems and infrastructures that make the job easier, or better, or both. I get excited by the idea of being involved in innovation. But I’m sick of my job. Why?
Well, reading John C Welch’s post (quoted above) gives you a clue.
Truth is, I yearn for creativity. Creativity is dangerous in an established workplace, and may not pay your mortgage if you’re starting something new.
Most people, I hope, would agree with me when I say I’m a reasonable people person: I can say some abrasive and abrupt truths from time to time, but they’re always honest, and I hope my charisma and attitude go far enough to compensate with my face to face relations. But the truth is, I’m sick of having to compromise for other people. Selfish? Perhaps.
The biggest one, though, is time. This is probably my most unreasonable problems with my job, but it’s also the one that causes me the most resentment. My morning timekeeping is terrible, I know, but being late, even regularly, by twenty minutes isn’t the end of the world. On the other hand, twelve hours of unrecognised overtime over a weekend to get something done in time wasn’t enough to justify a single day of working from home, despite that day being more productive than usual. I can’t choose my days off, or do the shopping in the day and do some work at night. It’s just not feasible. But that’s what I want.
I don’t want to be a movie star of the tech revolution, but cops, janitors and sewer workers never figured in my dreams of adult employment, either. Where is the gap for bohemian artist of the tech revolution? Or the reclusive author of the tech revolution?
I know it’s unreasonable, but our wants and desires tend to be so. I feel that there’s something I should be, but I don’t know what it is. I’m pretty sure it’s not this, though.