Bullshit Jobs (Article)

Other discussions not related to the Permanent Portfolio

Moderator: Global Moderator

Post Reply
User avatar
blackomen
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 211
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:41 pm
Location: Dallas
Contact:

Bullshit Jobs (Article)

Post by blackomen » Fri Nov 30, 2018 11:52 pm

Is this bullshit or does this guy have a legitimate point?

https://strikemag.org/bullshit-jobs/
jacksonM
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 364
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2018 1:59 pm

Re: Bullshit Jobs (Article)

Post by jacksonM » Sat Dec 01, 2018 9:37 pm

At the end of my career I could have easily done what was expected of me on my job in 15 hours a week or less. There were actually some weeks in which I spent every minute of my required 40 hours doing absolutely nothing but surfing the web. The biggest challenge was figuring what bullshit to put on the time sheet they had us fill out so they could closely monitor how we were spending our time to make the best use of it (sarcasm intended). Seriously though, who is going to put what they actually did on their time sheet when they did nothing so they can figure out that they don't really need you?

I did worry that someone would question me about my hours but nobody ever did and that was over a period of about ten years.

I was a software engineer, BTW and a highly productive and well paid one until I reached the point where it was no longer possible to be a highly productive software engineer, at least if you are working in a large bureaucratic company. At the end of my career I was actually spending time in long meetings with co-workers coming up with estimates of how long it was going to take to come up with the estimates for the next phase of a project. I kid you not. It drove me so batshit crazy I was glad when they finally laid me off.
boglerdude
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 1313
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2016 1:40 am
Contact:

Re: Bullshit Jobs (Article)

Post by boglerdude » Sat Dec 01, 2018 11:33 pm

Free money from central banks keeps bad companies afloat. Central banks shouldnt try to mess with employment rates.

Meanwhile people go apeshit over decent projects like high speed rail
boglerdude
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 1313
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2016 1:40 am
Contact:

Re: Bullshit Jobs (Article)

Post by boglerdude » Sat Dec 01, 2018 11:42 pm

jacksonM wrote:
Sat Dec 01, 2018 9:37 pm
I reached the point where it was no longer possible to be a highly productive software engineer, at least if you are working in a large bureaucratic company.
Whats your proposed solution. Companies staying private? Low salaries with bonuses for finishing projects on time?
User avatar
blackomen
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 211
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:41 pm
Location: Dallas
Contact:

Re: Bullshit Jobs (Article)

Post by blackomen » Sun Dec 02, 2018 9:07 pm

jacksonM wrote:
Sat Dec 01, 2018 9:37 pm
At the end of my career I could have easily done what was expected of me on my job in 15 hours a week or less. There were actually some weeks in which I spent every minute of my required 40 hours doing absolutely nothing but surfing the web. The biggest challenge was figuring what bullshit to put on the time sheet they had us fill out so they could closely monitor how we were spending our time to make the best use of it (sarcasm intended). Seriously though, who is going to put what they actually did on their time sheet when they did nothing so they can figure out that they don't really need you?

I did worry that someone would question me about my hours but nobody ever did and that was over a period of about ten years.

I was a software engineer, BTW and a highly productive and well paid one until I reached the point where it was no longer possible to be a highly productive software engineer, at least if you are working in a large bureaucratic company. At the end of my career I was actually spending time in long meetings with co-workers coming up with estimates of how long it was going to take to come up with the estimates for the next phase of a project. I kid you not. It drove me so batshit crazy I was glad when they finally laid me off.
I just started working as a software engineer (actually a Data Scientist more specifically) for a big corporation a few months ago and my supervisor actually goes out of the way to pull me out of meetings he deems as "useless" since he seems to get that going to too many of these means that his work (that I'm helping him on) won't get completed quickly.
jacksonM
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 364
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2018 1:59 pm

Re: Bullshit Jobs (Article)

Post by jacksonM » Tue Dec 04, 2018 3:22 pm

boglerdude wrote:
Sat Dec 01, 2018 11:42 pm
jacksonM wrote:
Sat Dec 01, 2018 9:37 pm
I reached the point where it was no longer possible to be a highly productive software engineer, at least if you are working in a large bureaucratic company.
Whats your proposed solution. Companies staying private? Low salaries with bonuses for finishing projects on time?
Let people who actually know how to develop software do their job and stay out of the way.
boglerdude
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 1313
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2016 1:40 am
Contact:

Re: Bullshit Jobs (Article)

Post by boglerdude » Wed Dec 05, 2018 2:00 am

Sure...how would you enforce that policy over hundreds of departments tho

Anonymous surveys, so you could have gotten your opinion to the CEO?
jacksonM
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 364
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2018 1:59 pm

Re: Bullshit Jobs (Article)

Post by jacksonM » Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:18 am

boglerdude wrote:
Wed Dec 05, 2018 2:00 am
Sure...how would you enforce that policy over hundreds of departments tho

Anonymous surveys, so you could have gotten your opinion to the CEO?
They took a lot of employee satisfaction surveys on my last job. I think they finally decided we complained so much they would send our jobs to India where they don't complain and work cheaper.

As for how to implement something company wide that's above my pay grade. I'll leave that to the multimillion dollar execs. If they want my opinion now they have to pay for it, but I'm sure they still aren't interested.
Post Reply