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I agree with the bulk of the article, with one exception: "Don’t take (or keep) a job because you like the people. If you’re a decent person, you’ll find peopl

I agree with the bulk of the article, with one exception: "Don’t take (or keep) a job because you like the people. If you’re a decent person, you’ll find people you like (and who like you) at any job you take." This is patently NOT true. The people you work with, in my experience, matter far more than any other factor.

thekevinjones 14y ago
I would say there is some truth to it. I've been in the experience of having an okay job, with an amazing group of people. It made the okay job better. I then took a job about a product I cared about, and the people were great, too, making it an even better job before. I'm happy to wake up in the morning for the work I'll be doing, not the people I'll be chatting with over coffee, who don't really enjoy their job either but like me. Also to note, I still hang out with at least 5 of the people from the previous job on a weekly basis. I'd say both matter, but sometimes, great coworkers just put a mask on your otherwise shitty job. Finding a job you truly care about will surround you with people that do as well -- and, odds are, you will get along.
- silverbax88 14y ago
  Ah, but have you ever worked a great job (at least one that was interesting work on a decent product) with bad people? That's the difference.
emiller829 14y ago
There's an important piece of that quote that's missing here, which is that those people are likely to change. If you're at a position because you like the people, you're probably making a mistake. You can have a personal relationship with those people regardless of where they end up going, and if you truly do like them, you should want them to go if that's the right choice for them.
- silverbax88 14y ago
  The staff of all workplaces change over time. That doesn't disprove my point at all. I have worked at some companies where I really enjoyed the people I worked with, but then one day looked around and realized most of them were gone, and soon after, I was, as well. According to the article, if I like the job, I should just stay and new people would come in that I like. But that isn't true. The 'people I like' leaving is a harbinger that the company culture is changing.

thekevinjones 14y ago

I would say there is some truth to it. I've been in the experience of having an okay job, with an amazing group of people. It made the okay job better. I then took a job about a product I cared about, and the people were great, too, making it an even better job before. I'm happy to wake up in the morning for the work I'll be doing, not the people I'll be chatting with over coffee, who don't really enjoy their job either but like me. Also to note, I still hang out with at least 5 of the people from the previous job on a weekly basis. I'd say both matter, but sometimes, great coworkers just put a mask on your otherwise shitty job. Finding a job you truly care about will surround you with people that do as well -- and, odds are, you will get along.

silverbax88 14y ago
Ah, but have you ever worked a great job (at least one that was interesting work on a decent product) with bad people? That's the difference.

emiller829 14y ago

There's an important piece of that quote that's missing here, which is that those people are likely to change. If you're at a position because you like the people, you're probably making a mistake. You can have a personal relationship with those people regardless of where they end up going, and if you truly do like them, you should want them to go if that's the right choice for them.

silverbax88 14y ago
The staff of all workplaces change over time. That doesn't disprove my point at all. I have worked at some companies where I really enjoyed the people I worked with, but then one day looked around and realized most of them were gone, and soon after, I was, as well. According to the article, if I like the job, I should just stay and new people would come in that I like. But that isn't true. The 'people I like' leaving is a harbinger that the company culture is changing.