Vague Career Ramblings

I have had a mechanical engineering degree since 2012, and have been employed at various places as a design or manufacturing engineer or somewhere in between since then- I've always felt pretty dissatisfied with these jobs and chalked it up to various things; maybe I hate my boss, or my coworkers, or what we actually produce, or a million other things that add up to me just not enjoying my job but trying to do it well so I can continue making money.  I had more or less made myself comfortable with that and accepted it.  Then, I started working from home in March due to the pandemic, and slowly but surely despite everything else going on in 2020 I felt my mental health and general ability to enjoy my life improving- it turns out I can actually be a lot better mentally while working an engineering job than I thought, and that translates to me being happier and healthier in other parts of my life too.

A few weeks ago my employer declared that "Covid is over" and I was to be brought back to the office full time, with no room for negotiation- this past week has been my first week back.  I think I just hate being in an office, because I am rapidly moving back to the same old angry dissatisfied state that I used to spend most of my waking hours in.  I don't know what to do about that, honestly, because I still like a lot of things about my employment situation and it pays enough that I could be quite comfortable if I wasn't trying to support a stage rally habit.  I could do my entire job from home just fine, even the hands on parts since they're automotive based and I have a shop, but it's simply not up for discussion.

I'm not really sure why I wrote this but I felt like I needed to, so there you have it.

Life is too short to be unhappy, believe me....... unhappiness will find you no matter what. Might as well set yourself up for as much success as possible.

I'd try to find something else that made you happier

Yeah, desks are rough. Do you have a standing desk at work. That might help. A gym?

I'm struggling with my boss at the moment because of a similar thing (politicts aren't going his way, masks are okay around your neck, despite company policies, parties and weddings two thousand miles away are a great idea).

I have very little helpful to add. Exercise. I know you're no sedentary fella, but maybe the movement will help.

Be well, and hang in there.

I think it's the cubicle farm that gets me, at least partially- I was fine with "I trade this much time for that much money" sitting in my own environment at home but stick me in a particleboard box next to a bunch of other drones and it rapidly stops feeling worth it.

I do have a standing desk, no gym though.  I try to get outside as much as possible during the day, go around the building instead of through it, etc.

I've been working from home since March as well and went back to the office this week.  I feel your sentiments.  I think i'm actually more productive with work responsibilities while working from home and, at the same time, I get a lot more personal things accomplished.  It is a lot more fulfilling to be able to hop back and forth between "work" and personal items as my mood dictates.  Sitting here at this computer for 8 hours sucks balls. 

Working from home has been spectacular for my health. With the baby, it took until about a month ago for me to get it figured out, but now I'm working out every day - whether that is a walk with a weight vest, a 6 mile skate, or weight lifting, it is really easy to sneak out for 15-60 minutes a day to get some in. I'm down 10 pounds in the last month (unsustainable, but I'm working with a dietitian). 

I think going back to the office more than 2 days a week would be a deal breaker for me at this point. I'd look for a new job. Telecommute is the norm, at least for now. 

My dad was a fire protection engineer and was let go 20 years into his career.  He became a freelance engineer working from home and made an excellent salary the next 30 years.  

His deal was doing the work the staff engineers bitched about.  Remodeling work and a lot of old nursing homes.  He also picked up prints on a Friday and drew up the drawings for Monday morning and he charged well for the service.  Think this is an Avenue? 

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

Could a doctors note help your ability to continue to work from home? 

Due to hiipa, that note doesn't really have to be too detailed other than the doctors opinion that you are "at risk" due to your medical history.  I would imply in the note that you have a physical risk but the reality is I would try to get the doctor to agree to the note from a mental health perspective (which deteriorates your physical health.) 

In reply to John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) :

We have been told to take short or long term medical leave if we are unable to come in, which is a pretty big pay cut.  I actually am on an immunosuppressant so it's not hard to justify that I shouldn't be there.

"Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays." I love the movie Office Space. The first time I saw it I knew I could never work in a cubicle farm. The few times that I've briefly been to one made me uncomfortable. Sorry I'm of no real help. Hang in there.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

In reply to John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) :

We have been told to take short or long term medical leave if we are unable to come in, which is a pretty big pay cut.  I actually am on an immunosuppressant so it's not hard to justify that I shouldn't be there.

We looked into this because my girlfriend is on two immunosuppresant drugs for her RA......she was still at her previous job when all this stuff started. 

You'll need to research your specific state laws, but essentially, she shared the relevant information with her boss at the time and he started letting her work from home full-time until she left. Because like you, she could easily do all of her job remotely.

I'll bet that if you claim you had exposure to someone with Covid that would keep you out of the office for 2 weeks...at a time.  

bummer, and lame. 

It simply sounds like it's time to move on to another position that fits what you're looking for.  You can game the system with your current management for a bit, but it'll make you persona non grata eventually and it'll be no fun working there even from home.  Plenty of companies are still working full remote or have decided that they can actually save a ton of money not paying for office space.  Companies have also expanded their hiring footprint because there's less need for employees to be co-located.

Just sayin'

Punch unhappiness in the dick.  I don't have a solution, but ever since I did, my life has gotten exponentially better. 

Datsun310Guy said:

My dad was a fire protection engineer and was let go 20 years into his career.  He became a freelance engineer working from home and made an excellent salary the next 30 years.  

... 

Think this is an Avenue? 

That sort of thing is definitely intriguing, I just don't know if it's possible to get a freelance operation going without 20 years worth of contacts to start with.

The shop is already zoned commercial, I'm always coming up with ideas for what to do with it to take my employment into my own hands but nothing ever seems like a good enough idea to gamble on it.

What makes you miserable at your desk?

The feeling of being watched all the time? Irritating coworkers? Distractions? Not being at home in general?

Not necessarily all of the above, but close for me. I was kinda looking for another job before working from home because I'm not interested in my job and feel like I'm wasting my time, but the pay is good and the boss is cool and has been really accommodating for everyone.

In reply to j_tso :

I like having my own space, having our pets around, being able to exercise throughout the day, and having a mute button in any communication that I have with coworkers.

Oh, and fresh air and actual sunlight instead of gross air full of other people's farts and no windows in sight.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

In reply to j_tso :

I like having my own space, having our pets around, being able to exercise throughout the day, and having a mute button in any communication that I have with coworkers.

Oh, and fresh air and actual sunlight instead of gross air full of other people's farts and no windows in sight.

This is basically me.  I was a lot happier with my own engineering job when we were not expected to be in the office for a couple of months since mid-March.  Since then the test activities I'm supposed to be involved with (about half of the job by workload but if you ask some folks it should be 100% of my job which isn't possible) have ramped back up to where I'm in the office about half the week.  The more I'm there the less I like it.

I would love to be able to, in normal times, work from home about 80% of the time and go into the office one day a week for on-site meetings, see things in person, and be seen.  It's something I want to work on for the next few years as a career goal.  I have rough ideas as to how I could go about it and need a few more things to fall into place. 

I was going to mention a Doctor's note as well. Also, is it company policy or your supervisor's interpretation of company policy that is inflexible? Some managers like to add or subtract a lot of stuff from official policy. 

Have you considered moving into the architectural/engineering side of things? The office life is just different. The A/E firms deal with clients that want to build cool and unique buildings and A/E firm usually try to showcase their own office as such.

I have a lot of flexibility in my day to day work life. 

I design heating, and cooling systems. Plumbing systems and I spec a fire protection requirement. 

I also do work with steam boilers at campuses. 

One project might be an new office building. The next might be doing piping design at a remodeled paper manufacturing facility.

I dont get out of the office a ton, since a lot of our project are hundreds miles away, but I also have some good relationships with some local companies/municipalities. 

When I left college in 2004, I thought I wanted to be at a manufacturer, but know realize how much opportunities the A/E company life can afford me.

Every little town/area can have a need for an professional engineer.  

In reply to 90BuickCentury :

It's from the head of HR unfortunately, otherwise there would be more wiggle room.  My direct supervisor is a good person but has no power to change this for me.

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

Simple fact; Your boss is using outdated management techniques. Wells Fargo found that work from home was 43% more productive and cost them 23% less.  Considering the massive investment Wells Fargo has in office Real Estate that is a real statement of the new Normal that will be coming.  
  Start your discussion with your boss with those numbers and you should have his attention in a positive way.  
     Explain that certain format must be followed but it's only a computer program and some training away. 
Explain that work from home can be measured easier ( by a computer program) and faster than hands on management. Allowing time for Managers to become more effective. 
 

Sounds like it might be a time to look around to see what else is out there job wise plain and simple..

This is something I have been through and also something I have seen many times. My career advice to people has always been to follow your passion, and make sure that you are running towards something, not just running away. Life is too short to spend it on something you hate, but you need to know where you want to be, not just what you don`t want.

An ME degree is fantastic and opens lots of doors, you just need to find the right one. What do you really love doing? What do you do for fun in your free time and how can you incorporate that into something that might pay the rent?

There are positions for MEs that are solitary or as team members, that are analytical or hands on, on the road or behind a desk, and everything from machine design, metallurgy, stress analysis, testing, software, calibration, field service, crash reconstruction, CAD, FEA, CFD, and literally hundreds of other specialties. And thousands of types of products to work on in thousands of companies in all areas of the world.

The hard part is learning what YOU like, want, and need. This is critical. If you do not know what you like and dislike it is very hard to recognize a good thing when you do find it. Spend some time thinking about this and discussing this with people you trust.

Besides the actual work you should also look for the right environment. This can mean the climate, but also the company culture, and the coworkers. There are autocratic companies and laid back companies, easy bosses and demanding bosses, and there are coworkers good and bad.

Also realize that nothing is perfect and that nothing lasts forever. The perfect job does not exist, and even if it did, you will change and need something different tomorrow. Keep looking. Keep trying new things. Keep moving towards your passion, whatever it is currently.

Sorry, did not mean to lecture, but this is important: find and follow your passion. You will never regret it.