How to Decide if You Should Quit Your Good Job - The Muse

How to Decide if You Should Quit Your Good Job - The MuseHow to Decide if You Should Quit Your Good Job Why would I quit my good job?Even if were not happy, many of us stop short of leaving because of that question. If you have good benefits, decent pay, and a reasonable boss, you feel ungrateful for wanting to go (even if you dread the work itself). You know many people would kill for the positive things you just listed off.If youre torn between whether you should leave, or try to make it work, ask yourself the following questions. 1. Did I Daydream About Being Somewhere Else Today?Do you spend a good amount of your workday reading random articles or thinking about vacations you have no intention of going on? I get it- its fun to fantasize- but at a certain point, its a red flag that your job isnt engaging enough.Follow-up Question Am I Just Easily Distracted?In many situations, these sorts of distractions come down to your ability to focus, not how well your job suits you. If this is the case, youre better off making a concerted effort to improve your focus and develop productivity skills than looking for a new role. A great place to start is reading Brian Tracys famous book, Eat That Frog.On the other hand, if you typically have laser-focus and realize youve recently stopped caring, it may be time to move on.2. What Would it Take for My Job to Make Me Happy?Make a list of the things that would need to change for your job to be really fulfilling for you. Maybe your workload is massive, or maybe your kollektiv is structured in a way that causes friction. If your unhappiness is stemming from something circumstantial, talk to your boss and see if you can change things for the better.Follow-up Question Are These Changes About Me (and Not My Job)?Often times, when I ask my clients to do this exercise, they wind up with a list of things theyd need to change in themselves for their job to make them happy.What this signals to me is that they arent unhappy with the wo rk. Rather, they feel theyre holding themselves back in some way. Building new skills can be a way to boost your confidence and open your self up to new opportunities- both in current and future roles.Online courses provide tons of training and advice. Along with that, Id recommend reading books in your area of focus, as well. Once youve changed up what you have to offer, itll be easier to assess whether its you (or where you are) that isnt quite working.READY TO MAKE A CAREER MOVE LIKE YESTERDAY?Trust us, we know the feeling. Thats why we have 10,000+ jobs waiting for you.See all of them here 3. Am I Worried About Money?Fears a powerful motivator- and understandably so. Its disconcerting not to know where your next paycheck is coming from. However, if all your job does is help you pay your bills, I encourage you to see if there are other opportunities youd find more compelling (without bankrupting yourself). Follow-up Question Am I Unhappy Because Im Financially Vulnerable?Ive repe atedly noticed that when people are stressed about money, they become more risk-averse in general. Their anxiety about losing their job actually drives them to underperform. This drop in wertzuwachs makes them more anxious, and as result, they begin to hate their job.If this describes you, then the next step for you is to buckle down and get brutal about your finances. How can you right now budget a life that leaves you a financial safety net and takes the pressure off?This will help you either way, because if you secure yourself financially and youre still unhappy, youll know its time to go.The last question you should ask yourself is Am I afraid of what people will say? This is a fundamental fear that holds people back. Many of us are terrified of what people will say when we quit a good job- especially if its for something less profitable or uncertain. They might think youre ungrateful, insane, over-confident- who knows, maybe all of the aboveForget them. Would it be really be wo rth staying in a job you dont like- each and every day- just to have other people be impressed with you? Those people could think you were a hero, but youd still be unhappy. Make this choice about you and your personal happiness, and youll come to the right decision.Photo of person thinking courtesy of Yuri_Arcurs/Getty Images.

ASME Automotive Design Article Jeff Teague Automotive Designer

ASME Automotive Design Article Jeff Teague Automotive Designer ASME Automotive Design Article Jeff Teague Automotive Designer Jeff Teague, an automotive designer and the son of the renowned industrial designer Richard A. Teague, has been around car designs his whole life. That can be attributed to his father, who became a higher-up in styling for Packard and Chrysler in the 1950s. Now, having designed for Volkswagen, Mitsubishi, and many others himself, Teague doesnt long for the vehicles of his fathers days. In many ways, he cant even recognize them.Major changes happen every 10 to 12 years, Teague says. Now were looking at environmental cars and trying to match electric cars with designs that make sense. Everyday cars that can go 100 miles a gallon.Dont overlook it, it might be just eight years away.Jeff Teague.But is Teague overlooking what cars used to mean in comparison to today? Maybe youd be glad it wasnt your fathers Oldsmobile, but would you feel the same way about most of t he other makes? After all, American graffito helped revive the classic car shows for a reasonbecause people instantly remembered how individual so many vehicles were. Its hard to imagine the same kind of nostalgia for some of todays cars.Teague will admit some had their merit. I was just speaking at the Packard International Club and I was pretty impressed by the old Packard Caribbeans, he says. I dont think today we could reproduce those cars. The complexity of all the materials could you imagine gluing these cars together with a 5,000-pound body, the wheelbase, the width of a big, fat sedan?Jeff Teagues sketch of the AMX 3.Advances in Design SoftwareWeve looked to the past but what does the future hold? Well, you can build a house how you want it, why not a car?It takes half the time it once did to get a car off the ground, Teague says. So whats speeding up this process? Its definitely the software, says Teague, who primarily uses Alias. I am now learning Solidworks and also Rhino ceros. They are great programs that make design and engineering that much faster.According to Teague, the entertainment of designing cars could really become a reality for a fast concept sketch to CAD. It takes me about a week to 10 days to get good surface data. The other advantage is for reverse engineering, he says.Teague is really impressed by the complexity of the Old Packard Carribean. Peoples personal taste will be so much more important. Look at the Smart Car, the different panels you can get. Interiors will be designed like your living roomhow you want it. Even three-wheel design is becoming big because you dont need to worry about the DOT Department of Transportation specs.Teague is particularly impressed by the buckypaper super-lightweight builds using nanotechnology. Its different materialwide as paper but 500 times stronger than steel, he says. Imagine what kind of power you can get with thatAs long as theyre in the early stages, electric cars and the batteries still ha ve to be seen as a problem due to weight, a problem about which Teague remains optimistic. But its just a matter of time, he says. Green vehicles will be 100% green and will run on plastic. But when continues to be the question, he laughs.Eric Butterman is an independent writer.The entertainment of designing cars could really become a reality for a fast concept sketch to CAD.Jeff Teague, automotive designer

Reasons Why Project Management Is a Good Job

Reasons Why Project Management Is a Good JobReasons Why Project Management Is a Good JobWeve all had days when it seems like the best thing to do is to go home and write a letter of resignation. Your sponsor isnt supportive, youve been given extra work, you know you are going to be overspent. The lure of those job websites is so strong. Project management is a difficult job at times, and when things are not going so well, you wouldnt be the first project manager to think about giving it all up. But hang on just a moment. There are plenty of amazing career benefits of working in project management. Here is a list of reasons why you should stay in the field for a little bit longer. You Get to Change the Business You are working on projects that will change the organization you work in. From the smallest process improvement to the biggest product launch, you are working on top flight, cutting edge stuff that has a huge impact on your companys performance. Thats pretty good, isnt it? Youll Constantly Develop Each new project brings with it a new set of stakeholders and a new team. Youll be learning as you go, however many projects you have done before and however many lessons youve learned already along the way. Plus there is the opportunity to develop skills that you cant always build easily in other ways. For example, it pays to know how to deal with difficult stakeholders because whether you work in projects or not, you will come across people like that in business There are training courses for all sorts of soft skills as well as thousands of project management books, so you will be able to develop yourself in whichever angle feels fruchtwein appropriate. Theres Clear Career Progression You can start out as a project coordinator and quickly move into junior project management roles. From there, hop up to managing projects of your own and then over time expand your skills to take on larger and larger projects. You dont need many years of experience b efore you are making the jump to managing programs and from there portfolios. You could choose to move sideways into one of the many varied related roles like Project Office Manager, or specialize in a particular area and become an expert in scheduling or resource allocation. If you want to manage large strategic projects, then you can give time and aptitude. If youd prefer to stay managing a mixture of small projects, then thats fine too. There is scope within project management to make any of those career choices a success. You Can Get Qualified Project management is only about building your soft skills and gaining experience. You can get qualified in it too. From CAPM to PMP, PRINCE2 to MBAs, there are qualifications available at all levels and to suit all finances. The great thing about certification is that it is often a route to earning more money. If you thought you had to leave project management to earn a bit more, then you are most likely mistaken. A qualification coul d be just the boost you needed. Every Day Is Different This is the thing we like best about project management. Every day is different, and the job is so varied. Youd be hard pushed in my opinion to find something that gives you as much exposure to different business areas and allows you to work with so many different process and stakeholders.