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Unless you're desperate and have to work with malignant people, why shouldn't you care about your work? I agree that in a bad situation it's best to move elsew

Unless you're desperate and have to work with malignant people, why shouldn't you care about your work? I agree that in a bad situation it's best to move elsewhere, because people almost never change.

keefe 17y ago
Most companies are about making money and most jobs offer very little ownership. They're hiring you to get something done on THEIR project. When we get emotionally invested, I think it is typical to want to see things done our way. If it's some early stage startup where you get to help set the direction, this is different but rare. This doesn't mean you should be apathetic, of course you should care about your work. However, I think everyone should have their own goals and most jobs should just be a means to an end.
- cookiecaper 17y ago
  I agree, but it's hard not to get attached to something you dedicate a lot of time building, even when it's on a strictly for-pay basis. That's what happened here; it was bad when I left, but coming back and seeing what became of the system I spent so much time designing and looking after in the beginning was really difficult. They really did a lot of bad things to a good base. People get emotionally involved in things by nature, and it's generally for the better. I just wish I could find an employer with some amount of comprehension on these things.
  - keefe 17y ago
    I agree that it is difficult and I have been there myself. The thing is - if it's a typical work relationship, it's theirs to do with as they wish, even if you built it. That is the difficulty of doing creative work for hire. I think it is a tight rope walk, balancing sufficient investment to do a good job without becoming overly invested. It helps me to think of everything in terms of a means to an end. I still feel the same emotional attachment, but I run all my actions through a filter of whether that particular action is beneficial. Writing such an email and sending or publishing it simply cannot ever do you any good.

keefe 17y ago

Most companies are about making money and most jobs offer very little ownership. They're hiring you to get something done on THEIR project. When we get emotionally invested, I think it is typical to want to see things done our way. If it's some early stage startup where you get to help set the direction, this is different but rare. This doesn't mean you should be apathetic, of course you should care about your work. However, I think everyone should have their own goals and most jobs should just be a means to an end.

cookiecaper 17y ago
I agree, but it's hard not to get attached to something you dedicate a lot of time building, even when it's on a strictly for-pay basis. That's what happened here; it was bad when I left, but coming back and seeing what became of the system I spent so much time designing and looking after in the beginning was really difficult. They really did a lot of bad things to a good base. People get emotionally involved in things by nature, and it's generally for the better. I just wish I could find an employer with some amount of comprehension on these things.
- keefe 17y ago
  I agree that it is difficult and I have been there myself. The thing is - if it's a typical work relationship, it's theirs to do with as they wish, even if you built it. That is the difficulty of doing creative work for hire. I think it is a tight rope walk, balancing sufficient investment to do a good job without becoming overly invested. It helps me to think of everything in terms of a means to an end. I still feel the same emotional attachment, but I run all my actions through a filter of whether that particular action is beneficial. Writing such an email and sending or publishing it simply cannot ever do you any good.