Self-control, the long view, and jobs

[aliothsan]

http://www.spring.org.uk/2008/09/how-to-improve-your-self-control.phpRead more... )

Comments

[nuclearpolymer]

I have heard that to be an outstanding employee, it's better to play to your strengths than to spend too much effort trying to round out your weaknesses. (Assuming your weaknesses are things like "not very organized" rather than "addicted to drugs") So I think you should seek jobs that are the best fit for who you are now, and your current strengths. Generally, jobs have opportunities to branch out later, but I think it's best to have the main part of the job be something you're likely to do easily. That way, when you're feeling confident and energetic, you can take on extra challenging stuff, but when you're struggling to do the minimum, you can do it with a lower amount of stress.

[gnibbles]

At least at Google, even a test engineer (our positions that are most comparable to QA) needs to have the ability to take the long view, to not only understand how a product works, but why it is working this way, in order to better test it. This in turn leads to needing to understand not only how testing is done, but also why, the strengths and weaknesses, and where we can improve our methodology. Not sure what kind of QA you are looking for / at, but if you want a challenge, we've definitely got it.