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  • Author Author: bluescreen
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Do engineers work harder?

jeff bezos

 

Last week, The New York Times stirred some controversy with an article called "Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace." Authors Jodi Kantor and David Streifeld interviewed hundreds of current and former Amazon.com employees and portrayed a callous, punishing organization that tramples its workforce underfoot in pursuit of profits. The article received hundreds of comments and online responses. Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, even responded by sending his workforce a company-wide email in which he denied the NY Times claims and stated that he would not tolerate "callous" management practices.

 

The Amazon article isn't just talking about hard work, of course-- it's alleging that Amazon is guilty of all kinds of cruel treatment towards its employees, and it doesn't focus on engineers. But this got us to thinking: do engineers work harder than other people? Does the ability to solve complex technical problems mean that electronic engineers will always be called upon to work harder than those who lack such skills? Or is a person's capacity to work hard independent of his or her vocation?

 

What do you think? Cast your vote-- and be sure to click the "Submit" button so it counts!. You can also expand on your answer by adding a comment below.

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  • The saying goes: "Find a career you enjoy and you'll never have to work a day in your life".  I work very hard as an engineer but some things are so much fun that it's misleading to call it work.  Other things are drudgery and you definitely need to pay me to do it.  This includes anything involving Microsoft Windows image

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  • The saying goes: "Find a career you enjoy and you'll never have to work a day in your life".  I work very hard as an engineer but some things are so much fun that it's misleading to call it work.  Other things are drudgery and you definitely need to pay me to do it.  This includes anything involving Microsoft Windows image

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  • in reply to johnbeetem

    I completely agree with you John, I have had many roles during my working life from electronics engineer to managing director. As a software engineer I would often work 16+ hours a day, even though I was only paid for 7.5,  because I enjoyed what I was doing. The only job I didn't enjoy was technical support manager, probably because it involved too much Microsoft Windows.

    Now I am retired , life's good image

  • in reply to johnbeetem

    Microshaft is one of the worst!

    For me, being an IT Engineer for 35 years was pure drudgery!

    Of all the contract work I did-- Financial institutions top the list of a BAD working environment! image

    One in particular was: Colonial Savings in Ft. Worth, tx  image

    36 Hour days and NO financial restitution or 'That a Boy!"!