I havenât posted on this blog sinceâŚâŚ.I donât remember when :/ Iâm sure I could scroll back and find my last post, but it would probably just make me sad. Thankfully Tessa has been a champ and has not let the posting âballâ drop.
I want to talk about something that I think a lot of engineers ignore, work-life balance.Â
In college I had minimal work-life balance due to Drexelâs general intensity and my unnecessary desire to push through a BS/MS program and minor. However, I always saw this imbalance as a necessary part of college so I could be set-up to get an awesome job upon graduation, then I would have free time, right?
This idea was true within the first year of employment, mainly because I didnât know enough to be very useful. After that first year though the intensity was cranked up steadily until I was working 12 hours a day with a minimum 3-hour commute. I saw my boyfriend for less than an hour a day, during which I was a zombie who sat and ate the food he prepared, then went directly to bed. I began taking CBD supplements to help manage my stress levels and curb the panic attacks/anxiety fueled nausea.
This quality of life obviously didnât make my romantic or non-romantic relationships thrive. I couldnât pursue any of my other interests and had minimal time to unwind. Thankfully a situation presented itself where I could move back to Philadelphia and significantly cut down on my commute. Now I am back in the city that I love, close enough to friends to have impromptu hang outs, and I get to spend time in the morning/night with my boyfriend.Â
You may be sayingâŚ. you just started a new job, obviously you have more time, but how do you keep this job from taking over your life like the last one? Good question, I have thought about this a lot. This time I have the benefit of past experiences to guide me, although I know I still have a lot to learn. Below are my key lessons, hopefully they can help someone else avoid losing themselves to work. Please feel free to comment and add any of your experiences/lessons learned.
-If you donât have time sensitive work then donât stay late, even if other people are and you feel awkward/donât want to look lazy. If you have a good work ethic then your boss/peers will notice that and very few will pass judgement on someone wanting to go home at a normal time, and if they do? So, what! If your work is done well, and you work the hours you are paid for then it really shouldnât matter.
-Tell your boss when you feel overwhelmed, if you donât communicate with them then you will just keep getting more work, then you will feel obligated to stay late and get it done. Communication is key with your direct supervisor.
-Donât rush work just to get it done quickly, this opens you up to sloppy mistakes which are just embarrassing.
-If something is wrong (long commute/hours, issues with management, etc.) and you donât feel like you are getting help from your direct supervisor try talking with HR, that is their job.
-Donât be afraid to make a change if a job really isnât working out, most of the time there are other options to consider.
-Generally, just make sure the culture of the job fits with what you want out of life. Some people are fine with working longer hours if they have increased PTO/pay; however, some people want to work 8 ST hours a day and are willing to have less PTO/pay. Some companies have paid OT, which means it generally happens less often, if you are really against OT this could be a great option.