I spent a good part of my morning thinking about satisfaction. We had a particularly trying morning at the school, problems with websites and computers and switches etc. etc. I was pretty frustrated by the time of my usual morning walk, so as I walked my thoughts naturally gravitated to frustration and satisfaction.
It occurred to me that I walk in and solve problems almost immediately all the time; that gives me some satisfaction. And then there are problems that come up that never really get resolved; that makes me frustrated. It's funny, but the easily obtained satisfactions don't seem to balance out the frustrations.
Now, it's true, when I solve a frustrating problem after long periods of effort, THAT satisfaction is more is more gratifying than those quick and immediate resolutions. But though there's been quite a few of those, even the remembrance of those little victories doesn't weigh up enough to offset those ongoing frustrations.
I realize it's all a matter of perspective, and if I really give myself some credit the victories and the losses all really do kind of even out; still, I suppose it's part of my nature to disinclined to accept defeat easily.
Nothing wrong with that in my eyes.
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I remember working on the Watts Bar nuclear power plant in the 1980's. A plant like that takes a decade or more to build and during that time everything gets revised, thrown out the window, and redesigned, at least 10 times. As I sat at my desk doing calculations for the reactor protection system I knew nothing I was doing would ever get implemented. Before the construction crew ever made it to my system things would change, the NRC would modify the regulations, and the whole system would be redesigned. I was right, and it was.
ReplyDeleteKnowing your work is a waste of time is a big de-motivator. I could have read the paper for all the good it did me. Your morale really takes a hit. Imagine working for years and nothing ever comes of it? Not just a single problem but everything you do.
Engineers deal with it all the time. We often have big projects that last for years and we never see anything we've done ever get installed. It's either redesigned or we've moved on to other projects. You never get a sense of satisfaction from your work.
We overcome it by being professional. We aren't paid to be satisfied. We're paid so the client can get his job done. We do our technical voodoo so work can progress, and when we're finished we move on, although the project may not actually be completed for years. It's not as satisfying as doing something that gets you immediate feedback but it's how engineering works so you accept it.
I know it's not a direct compare to your issues but I thought it might help to know others grapple with it too.
Thanks, Duke. Actually, there are several good comparisons between engineering work, and supporting institutional computer networks; I've already seen a problem resolution that worked effectively get undone because of system changes. The fix was conditional to the status of the system, and when the status was changed, the problem recurred. A new fix had to be sought. For me, I guess that equates to job security!
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know a lot of us deal with these same issues; it's all a matter of our perspective, whether we can be happy in our frustrations.