Already a member?
Welcome to Brazen Careerist!
Emily Ma is using Brazen Careerist to share ideas. Join now to become a member and start networking with Emily Ma and other professionals just like you. Learn more.
Brazen careerist
Where ambitious young professionals connect and grow
Email
Print
Do employees dream of contracting?
You spend the first six months at a job learning your place, testing your limits and generally meeting what is expected from you. After that, the work-expectation set point has been established, and you have nothing to anticipate besides advancement, quitting or getting fired in a blazing row. There is no challenge, and you go to work not watching the clock, but looking for ways to pass the time.
Months pass, and really, what did you accomplish? You made some other people richer, ate a few nice meals, maybe crossed off a personal goal due to success or failure. Here’s some thoughts on making your work life more interesting.
Meditate - You’re not really thinking anyway are you? Might as well pay attention to your breaths.
Mentor - Find someone who wants to know about the stuff you do, teach them.
Volunteer - Go out into the inter-departmental wastelands, looking for projects to complete.
Socialize - If caught, call it networking.
Research - Learn new things, find a better job.
Write - Share the things you’ve learned with the world.
Take your breaks - I tell people I’m going for a smoke break, and I don’t smoke…
Date - Office romances are the polar opposite of persistent mediocrity. Elevator trysts and naughty emails which pop on-screen during meetings add spice, surprise and the unexpected to your routine. However, should things go awry, persistent mediocrity will be preferable to exchanging angry glares first thing in the morning.
There you go, a few simple tricks to keep you from slamming your head into the desk with pencils in your nose.
For those curious as to why this post was titled such, I learned more about my field from one month doing part-time freelance work then I did in six months of full-time employed work. On the flip side, I learned more about drama and interpersonal bull**** working at the office since nobody ever yelled at me when I was working at home.
For more timely, relevant, and engaging articles,
subscribe to Brazen Careerist.
- How To Find a Writing Partner Who Can Help You Achieve Your Goals and Make More Money
- A New Kind of Business Mover and Shaker
- Why You Might Be Better Off Without a Job After College
- Continuing Education: Extending Learning Beyond Your Campus Years
- The Anti-Stalker’s Guide for Converting Online Contact into Real World Collaboration
Comments
06.25.08
Its quite interesting you should write this b/c the reason why I finally started to embark on the blog journey is b/c most of my day at work encompasses nothing. I get my tasks done by 11am and there is rarely things to do. It may change later but for now I'm relishing the downtime as time to find out more about myslef and do school work. Great read!
06.25.08
Awesome, I completely concur with your reasoning for writing. There just isn't enough work to do during the day, and all the rest of the time, I'm waiting for someone to get back to me.
Thanks for the feedback.
06.25.08
whole heartily agree with you sean, and tiffany. office life is slooow! networking, researching and reading gets me through the days. like tiffany, i started my blog because i have time during the day!
love the idea about smoke breaks!!!
id love to have an office romance, but unfortunately im in IT so not many females floating around!
06.25.08
Thanks for the feedback Harry,
You don't HAVE to date someone in your department, what would you talk about? Work? ;) Try asking out a marketing hottie. Perspective from outside the computer-world is a wonderful thing.
06.26.08
Showing up for work dressed in your combat fatigues with your automatic weapon and ammo is guaranteed to make work more exciting. However, explaining that to the judge could be a different matter.
Got Something To Say?
Got Something To Say?
Not a Member? Brazen Careerist is a career management tool for next-generation professionals. Set up a free account today to comment on this post and start sharing your ideas. Learn more.
Login to view your networks!
 |
 |
 |
|
|
