13 replies to this topic

[GMO]

I am seriously confused here. I've been a food professional for some years (Chemistry background before that) and I've come to the realisation over the past few weeks that I don't enjoy Technical Management. It's a frightening realisation. I particularly don't like the 'groundhog day' feeling of having the same problems in whatever food factory you visit (to varying degrees).

Hmm. I would love a job where I could use my brain (not just by capacity for endurance and working long hours.) Does anyone have any ideas?

[MRios]

Hi GMO!
Scary realization, huh? Especially after a bunch of years doing the same thing?
Just so you know you´re not alone, I must confess I have fantasies of setting up my own chocolate shop, making the chocolate from local organic cacao beans, a process I haven´t the slightest idea about.
Have you thought about going into scientific research, or even research and development? How about setting up your own food related business, not as a consultant, mind you, but what about becoming one of those "deconstructionist" chefs (I´m not sure if that´s what they´re called). You know, one of those guys who makes clear tomato soup by centrifuging tomato juice, or simultaneously hot and cold drinks.
Good luck redirecting your career!

[AS NUR]

HOw about journalist.. GMO.. I think you can use your knowledge to analize some problems and give the people enlightment...

[Simon]

I am seriously confused here. I've been a food professional for some years (Chemistry background before that) and I've come to the realisation over the past few weeks that I don't enjoy Technical Management. It's a frightening realisation. I particularly don't like the 'groundhog day' feeling of having the same problems in whatever food factory you visit (to varying degrees).

Hmm. I would love a job where I could use my brain (not just by capacity for endurance and working long hours.) Does anyone have any ideas?

Hi GMO it's good to hear from you again, even though you do sound a bit fed up. In my experience if you cannot influence and drive change that you believe in and you find yourself in a rut, it's time to get out. It's no fault of your own, we are ever changing and what was ok previously can easily become unbearable. It's never too late to make a change. I left school with no qualifications and went straight into working a dead end job. I left to study full time at 24 and then got myself a degree - and look at me now. I'd actually like to be an author. Of what I do not know. BTW I agree with AS NUR you are a good writer and maybe a career in that direction would suit. The only barrier to our dreams is usually the need for a steady job that pays cash.

Chin up.

Simon

[Marco]

Hi GMO,

I thought I was alone with that king of feeling. Although I like my job I get that feeling every now and then mainly due to the consideration for "Our role" from surrounding people.

Don't have really much to say to help as I need sometimes help myself but as it has been said before what about NPD or R&D.
A process role on the side of project management in improving or designing new more efficient processes, Commercial Technical Support, Coaching on process improvements and techniques.

When you say "the feeling of having the same problems in whatever food factory you visit" do you by any chance refer to people?


Regards,

Marco

[Penard]

hi,

Hey, stop giving some strange ideas otherwise there won't have quality managers anymore in this discussion forum! ;-)

Emmanuel

[a_andhika]

Dear GMO,

The question is, do you bored for the job, or the field? If you feel bored with the same situation, I suggest you can apply as a quality manager on different kind of industry, just for a comparison perhaps? TQM is applicable in wide industry, the problems might be similar, but the approach IMO should be different. Whaddaya think?


Regards,


Arya

PS: The writer sounds a great idea. But if you feel enough with foodstuff, maybe you can try to be a novelist. Who knows, a new J.K. Rowling is groomed from this forum..

[4W?]

Dear GMO,

Have you read "Who moved my cheese?"? Maybe you did...
Either way maybe would be worth reading it again.

I wouldn't be of any help trying to guess what would be a good job for you but this very small story might be.
It is all about changes and being ready for them...

Hope it helped,

Vera x

[Charles.C]

Dear GMO,

Seems to me yr plea is, initially at least, for some kind of “job satisfaction” and who amongst us hasn’t encountered this wish at one, more, or all the time (ie quality managers).? Unfortunately, as Simon says, the requirement for money often supercedes any nobler aspirations.

Purely from personal experience, the thrill in doing research such that at some point you are able to publish knowledge (however narrow the subject) that has never been seen in print before is a fairly unique sensation. Financially, it is often totally unrewarding of course.

One suggestion, to slightly paraphrase a well known idiom, those who don't know what to do, >>>> t.... I think you would be quite good at it.

@vera, love yr avatar !

Rgds / Charles.C

[GMO]

Dear GMO,

Have you read "Who moved my cheese?"? Maybe you did...
Either way maybe would be worth reading it again.

I wouldn't be of any help trying to guess what would be a good job for you but this very small story might be.
It is all about changes and being ready for them...

Hope it helped,

Vera x

Lol! I work in cheese! Seriously I read it about 4 years ago and it made me change companies but unfortunately in retrospect not for the better. I think that book is better at identifying when a company isn't doing very well rather than what you're suited to.

I am in a fairly privaleged position that I don't aspire to much financially; stuff doesn't motivate me and I'm not a person for the latest gadgets / clothes etc so I could afford to take a significant pay cut.

I think you've all made some very valid points. Thank you.

I suppose what I like about this job is:

Auditing
Improving results (seeing that trend graph turn from below target to well above)
Seeing the lightbulb *ping* when you get through to someone

What I hate is:

Lack of genuine buy in from production management whatever strategies I use
The annoying things which should be easy (*delete as appropriate; laundry, cleaning, ordering, chasing audit CARs which could be resolved in minutes...)
Not using my brain for 90% of the time

What makes me bad for this job is:

I'm excessively perfectionist
I can't ignore the detail
Money doesn’t motivate me, having a balance between work and home does.

[4W?]

Lol! I work in cheese! Seriously I read it about 4 years ago and it made me change companies but unfortunately in retrospect not for the better. I think that book is better at identifying when a company isn't doing very well rather than what you're suited to.

Lol! So you already got to the cheese!

I guess that harder than knowing what job one would enjoy better is maybe, breaking up with whatever keeps one attached to the present one...


Hope you feeling better today (even if is just 'cos is friday!)

Vera

[Laila]

Dear GMO,

Nobody is 100% satisfied with his job. There are still sometimes you will feel bored and fed up and you feel that you want to leave your job as soon as possible.

In my opinion, start part time job and go for higher education study in a field you like.
This is what I do. So, when I feel fed up in the morning sometimes, I find what cheer me up in the afternoon.

I hope this advice would help.

Laila

[GMO]

I'm still here and still hating it. Seriously, what is there for an ex food bod who actually enjoys auditing?

[Madam A. D-tor]

Hi GMO,

Well, I think you already find the answer to your problem .

What I like about being an auditor:
- seeing a lot of different companies/ learning a lot of that;
- Freedom: operating on my own, without a manager in the neighbourhood;
- helping companies with continual improvement;
- not have anything to do with the people (read management) in a company that are not willing to change/help/understand/etc for more then one day. I do not have to pull or push or talk over en over to get things done in my company.

What will you find in the auditor-job:

Auditing
Improving results (seeing that trend graph turn from below target to well above)
Seeing the lightbulb *ping* when you get through to someone

* for the improving results you have to do with a one time a year review. You will not be the force behind the improvements.

Why are you perfect to be an auditor?:

I'm excessively perfectionist
I can't ignore the detail

Why shouldn't you be an auditor?:
- after a few years, you will find that you are also not using your brains in this job. It is doing the same trick every time. But what job does not have a repeating thing?
- most auditors go back to a job within a (food) company, because they miss the commitment/involvement with a company.
- a lot of travel-time.
- there is not always a balance between work and home (depends on de CB)

Maybe this information will lead you to your destiny.

Another idea: trainer. Then again, it is doing the same trick each time, but you will be

Seeing the lightbulb *ping* when you get through to someone