Staying motivated in the corporate world? 3

[claesa]

Hi everyone!
As engineers, I believe that personal growth, getting challenged mentally & having a positive impact on society are important needs for us. But after working some years in the corporate world, these needs might be far from being fulfilled because:
1. A lot of time must be spent on draining administration & bureaucracy
2. There’s no room for learning new engineering tools and methods for problem-solving
3. Reactive management forces us to deliver fast results on the short-term, instead of creative & innovative work that is good on the long term
4. Tasks come to us in isolated pieces, and the are sent forward in the organization. This makes it difficult to see the impact on the end-result
5. Technical skills are not valued that much when it comes to climbing the career ladder
From my own experience, this can seriously affect one’s motivation & engagement in life.
My questions: Do you recognize these descriptions (or any others) in your own career? If yes, how do you cope with them to stay motivated?
Would really appreciate your views on this!

 

[miningman]

How would a lack of a pay cheque affect your motivation ?? I suggest you start focussing on your employers needs and wants rather than your desires. Otherwise you will be first in line for a lay off when local conditions become tough

 

[CWB1]

1&3 have made me seek employment elsewhere as poorly run companies tend to pay lousy and have uncertain futures.
2&4 I would say are signs of a lazy engineer.
5 sounds egotistical and simply wrong. Simply stated, engineering talent shouldn't be necessary to climb the corporate ladder and logically should be a burden to doing so.

 

[FACS]

All of it sounds like one big whine.

Only "as engineers" you believe in this growth and having an impact on society? No one else has this? You think bettering yourself is reserved for engineers?

1) Why do you want to drain administration? If you drain all of it, there will be no administration.
2) You can learn new engineering tools any time you like; if you are motivated outside of the office. If you are looking at engineering tools in the corporate world, then you probably should not have joined the corporate world.
3) Whine
4) Makes no sense
5) What CWB1 said

No, I do not experience any of what you decided to get off your chest. It sounds to me like you made the wrong career move. Perhaps look at a certification, getting another degree, take a pottery class.

Get off your self-pity and do something.