Every engineering job starts with a perspective that is forward looking. It doesn’t matter if it is your n job, but whenever you start anew with work – different environment, people, and routines – an engineer’s passion and commitment towards the new work is considerably high.
There comes a time when the engineering work curve declines dramatically. Everything at the job seems to no longer be fun or exciting so the engineer doesn’t offer the same commitment when he or she started.
That curve soon becomes a straight line – the work is meh, and you are just there to do the work you are assigned to do and without passion.
You are not allowed to mess it up; you are just there because you need to be, dragging yourself to work.
This applies to many engineers. No matter how they say they love their jobs, it will reach a point where a day at work is all about stress, stress, stress.
They think the work is not what they signed up for in the first place, but really it is just the same work since day one. The time just passed by.
In this situation, engineers can be likened to machines – susceptible to tear and wear.
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When an engineer is no longer that sharp at work, the best thing is to do is to take a break.
Engineering work routines are detrimental especially when they’ve been going on for so long. Strip yourself of work even in just one weekend, better if it’s a long one, and do some unwinding to a point that you already forgot you have files to attend to by Monday.
Plan with friends a trip to the beach; run a movie marathon with your family. Anything to get the work off out of your mind. You will be surprised how it will change your perspective coming in to work the following week.
Another option, although it will take a lot of courage, is to reach out to your boss and ask to be assigned to a different but related engineering department. That way you will somehow feel renewed; things will get a lot more interesting.
There is no option to quit your job just because it is boring. You were excited on day one – you just need to get that excitement back. It’s all in the mind.
But really, you need to get that weekend off.
