Life in an Office

[Mousse]

In practice, in a shared space, I would sometimes work late (when everyone else had left for the evening), in order to do stuff that required focus and concentration without distraction.

Oh testify!🤩

I can only get real work done after everyonek leaves for the day. Fortunately, I've got an understanding boss who let me come in 4 hours later than the regular crew and stay late. The biggest benefit--besides peace and quiet--is I avoid rush hour commute.🥳

I cannot handle a loud work environment. "I could set fire to the building..."

 

[BotchQue]

This afternoon I watched a "documentary" (it was only 10 minutes long, I could've watched his story for 10 hours) about a well-to-do kid who got a college degree, went to Vietnam, PTSD, gave up a "cubicle" job to build wood furniture. He made a statement that will stick with me the rest of my life:
"There are two types of jobs, those where you shower before work, and those where you shower after work. Its difficult to live financially comfortable without the former, but life's true meaning only comes with the latter".
Damn. That hit me hard, and is spot-on.
I've had my foot in "each shower", multiple times thru my life. I've worked labor on farms, janitorial, cabinetry, munitions and ICBM maintenance, cubicle farms as an engineer, "open plan" where I was the supervisor, up to Director of Engineering for ICBM Maintenance, with a conference table inside my large, doored office. As mentioned by so many above, office work can be fulfilling but at its worst its constant meetings, emails, and building PowerPointLess slides to brief to the "big boys", who are only there to catch you making a mistake so they can belittle you in front of everyone (this is their own Fulfillment).
Blue-collar Work can be repetitious, it can be very hot or cold, or standing on cement for 10 hours, but at the end of the day you could look at a set of cabinets, or a harvested field, or a Minuteman Missile that is now back on Alert, and know that you made a difference. I was able to make a difference, sometimes, as a White-collar Worker, but most of what I'd done is in the bottom drawer of various filing cabinets throughout the US, having done almost nothing good for anyone.

If I could start over, on my high school graduation day, what would I do differently knowing what I know now?
Hell if I know.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

This afternoon I watched a "documentary" (it was only 10 minutes long, I could've watched his story for 10 hours) about a well-to-do kid who got a college degree, went to Vietnam, PTSD, gave up a "cubicle" job to build wood furniture. He made a statement that will stick with me the rest of my life:
"There are two types of jobs, those where you shower before work, and those where you shower after work. Its difficult to live financially comfortable without the former, but life's true meaning only comes with the latter".
Damn. That hit me hard, and is spot-on.
I've had my foot in "each shower", multiple times thru my life. I've worked labor on farms, janitorial, cabinetry, munitions and ICBM maintenance, cubicle farms as an engineer, "open plan" where I was the supervisor, up to Director of Engineering for ICBM Maintenance, with a conference table inside my large, doored office. As mentioned by so many above, office work can be fulfilling but at its worst its constant meetings, emails, and building PowerPointLess slides to brief to the "big boys", who are only there to catch you making a mistake so they can belittle you in front of everyone (this is their own Fulfillment).
Blue-collar Work can be repetitious, it can be very hot or cold, or standing on cement for 10 hours, but at the end of the day you could look at a set of cabinets, or a harvested field, or a Minuteman Missile that is now back on Alert, and know that you made a difference. I was able to make a difference, sometimes, as a White-collar Worker, but most of what I'd done is in the bottom drawer of various filing cabinets throughout the US, having done almost nothing good for anyone.

If I could start over, on my high school graduation day, what would I do differently knowing what I know now?
Hell if I know.

Very interesting post, and I enjoyed reading it.

In an earlier life, I loved teaching - and that was very much a shower before work job; indeed, if I had a 9 a.m. class, without a bracing (and, piping hot) shower and some serious espresso, - for I am not a morning person by temperament - I'm not sure that I would have been able to have been - or presented - the best possible version of myself in that classroom that I could have been.

However, I take your distinction between "shower before work" and "shower after work"; there are days when I have done both.

 

[Crowbot]

Very interesting post, and I enjoyed reading it.

In an earlier life, I loved teaching - and that was very much a shower before work job; indeed, if I had a 9 a.m. class, without a bracing shower and some serious espresso, - for I am not a morning person by temperament - I'm not sure that I would have been able to be the best version of myself in that classroom that I could have been.

However, I take your distinction between "shower before work" and "shower after work"; there are days when I have done both.

Working in a hospital, I always showered before and after work. And I wore scrubs so I didn't have to worry about bringing anything home.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Working in a hospital, I always showered before and after work. And I wore scrubs so I didn't have to worry about bringing anything home.

Did you shower at work? I know when I worked in a hospital many did to keep costs down at home.

When I worked in engineering even in an office I would shower after work. These days I shower before.

I’ve been off this week and I’m already dreading my two days in the office next week. Trying to decide which two to go in.

 

[Crowbot]

Did you shower at work? I know when I worked in a hospital many did to keep costs down at home.

When I worked in engineering even in an office I would shower after work. These days I shower before.

I’ve been off this week and I’m already dreading my two days in the office next week. Trying to decide which two to go in.

No, before I left home. (better facilities) But after hurricane Sandy my apartment's boiler went out and for a few weeks I had to use the shower in our break room. I'm glad it was there.

 

[Apple fanboy]

No, before I left home. (better facilities) But after hurricane Sandy my apartment's boiler went out and for a few weeks I had to use the shower in our break room. I'm glad it was there.

We had no hot water for a few days last month, as I cut through the gas line (don't ask!).

The cold showers were very brief!

 

[Crowbot]

We had no hot water for a few days last month, as I cut through the gas line (don't ask!).

The cold showers were very brief!

Ouch. Glad there was no boom.

I heated water in the microwave and splashed myself clean.

 

[ejb190]

"There are two types of jobs, those where you shower before work, and those where you shower after work. Its difficult to live financially comfortable without the former, but life's true meaning only comes with the latter".
Damn. That hit me hard, and is spot-on.

Sorry, I just came back to this post. As a farm kid who now works for a government agency and has a woodworking hobby, I totally get it. There's a satisfaction in seeing progress at the end of the day - a job that's done! (And stays done - not a pile of paperwork that self-regenerates every evening)

That's one of the other things about working solo at home. Everything in my office was put here by me. No one throws things on my desk. No one swipes my stapler (which happens to be a red Swingline 747!). My favorite pen is safe right next to my keyboard. Even when I had an office with a door, I didn't have that kind of security.

 

[Crowbot]

Sorry, I just came back to this post. As a farm kid who now works for a government agency and has a woodworking hobby, I totally get it. There's a satisfaction in seeing progress at the end of the day - a job that's done! (And stays done - not a pile of paperwork that self-regenerates every evening)

That's one of the other things about working solo at home. Everything in my office was put here by me. No one throws things on my desk. No one swipes my stapler (which happens to be a red Swingline 747!). My favorite pen is safe right next to my keyboard. Even when I had an office with a door, I didn't have that kind of security.

Having my own shop was nice. My problem was the other techs borrowing my tools. They tended to use the crappy little tool kit they were issued but I liked to have my own. Mine were better quality and many were specialized to a particular task.