Programming with
a dose of satire.
Soapbox
|
| ||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||
|
Soapbox |
||||||||||||
Never Go Back By Matt Stephens Back in the good old days of last year, when there was plenty of work around, it was easy to jump ship - to "flip the bird" at your surprised employer, and quickly find a better job elsewhere. Now of course, things are different. The world has moved on. There isn't nearly as much work out there (not for a half-decent salary, anyway), and options are limited.
With a shrinking job market, there is a disturbing trend amongst some "jump-ship" employees to harken back to the good ol'days at some previous company, and to start thinking about going back, rejoining the company that they once left in disgust. Usually they have discovered that the grass isn't as green as they thought in their exciting new job. They start to look back fondly on that previous engagement with rose-tinted spectacles, and to wonder if maybe they weren't a little bit hasty jumping ship so soon. "Okay, so my boss used to brush up against me every morning in the corridor, but I'm sure it was accidental..." "Sure, there were bad times, but it's all a blur. I could reel off a hundred good times though..." "I was programming in Delphi there. I left mainly because I wanted to use Java, not because of all those other reasons. But the company has moved on, and they even use Java now... perhaps if I just go back and pick up where I left off... tail between my legs - the prodigal son begging forgiveness."
Stop! Think again. If that person was to go back, he would just be doing exactly what he had been doing five years ago, just in Java instead of Delphi. Same company, same old whining customers, and in many cases the same ugly faces passing you in the corridor every day. The people may be different, but the issues and the scars remain the same. What do I mean by that? Well... it's true, the grass is always greener. Human beings are patently optimistic creatures. If we are embarking on something new, we love to see the new horizon as being a wonderful valley of opportunity, with a little gladed wood and gambolling deer and cute little bunny rabbits frisking through the undergrowth.
Shoot the fucking rabbits. Every company has its issues. Every company has its problem staff, the idiots who strive to make your every working day a miserable chore. How much they succeed is entirely in your control, of course. The point is that despite all that, every company is a unique experience unto itself. And, crucially, each company remains true to its core. They can change the language, but the spirit, the company philosophy, remains the same. Never go back - if you're keen to experience the same-old, same-old over again then all you're really doing is killing time until it's time to retire (depressing thought for the day). Wouldn't it be better to keep striving forward, to be keen to progress your skills, experience new things, and to better yourself and others?
If we look at life as a tiny bubble with limited boundaries, then our mortality is brought into stark relief. Your time on this world is limited. Don't waste it. Don't get stuck in a cushy, fur-lined rut to retirement, trudging through the same old drudgery every single working day. There's an entire world of new possibilities out there; lots of green grass, even in today's limited job market. If you have recently escaped a nightmare job, only to discover that your new job is merely nightmarish in different ways, don't be tempted to return to the old nightmare, however much it may have changed. You've been there, done that. Your finite lifespan is worth more than that. It's time to experience something new. (Cue premature mid-life crisis...) Talkback - Have Your Say: Message Index:
The Messages: But companies do change. And besides, if something´s good, why not go back and get more of it? Better than trudjing through some horrible job that you hate. Anonymous person UK Wed Nov 28 12:07:30 EST 2001 re: But companies do change But if it´s that good, why did you leave in the first place? Of course there aren´t any hard & fast rules. Say you left because one manager happened to be pi$sing you off beyond their normal remit - but then that manager also leaves. Usually there´s more to it, like a general company philosophy that rubs you up the wrong way. However, if that bad manager was really the only bad thing, and there´s really nothing else out there that will provide new, wonderful experiences for better pay, then you might as well go back. Be prepared for nicknames like "yoyo Smith" and "bungee Jones" though... Matt matt@SPAM-YAKK-bad-managers.com London, England Wed Nov 28 12:41:49 EST 2001 Never Go Back - So True You are absolutely right. I spent 2 years in a company, then left for 1 year, and went back for a further 5. The biggest mistake of my life. You should each year be doing more and different things than the previous year, taking more responsibility, learning new stuff. NEVER GO BACK - that applies to jobs as much as it does to human relationships. anon xxx@xx.com London, Uk Wed Mar 13 12:50:37 EST 2002 Very True Moving on to another company with the thought that one could go back to the old is like stealing second base while keeping one foot on first. Bill Thu Nov 07 19:48:16 GMT 2002 Second Chance About the job thing I agree that you should try new and different things. That way you are experienced in different fields. About the relationship thing I strongly disagree. If you love some-one then you should go back to them and give them a second and maybe a third chance to prove that they have changed. And a relationship is based on the fact that we may mess up but we are still intitled to prove we have changed. ronny rmartin99_99@yahoo.com tx, tom green Tue May 13 22:44:23 GMT 2003 |
||||||||||||
All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners.
Stories and articles are owned by the original author.
All the rest Copyright © 1998-2008 Matt Stephens. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.