When did you start to feel like you were good at your job?

[iamthelazerviking]

My issue is finding what I'm truly good at/passionate about to have a long-lasting, well-paying career in. I've done well for myself in a niche role over the years, but those have just been mostly "jobs". Somewhat of a career I guess but multiple layoffs start to mess with your head. Not complaining too much, I'm getting by well without TOO much struggle, but always wanting more. I'm in my late 30's and still like wtf should I be doing, and where even is the time to learn something new?

[JohnB]

Usually, when I start feeling good about my job and work ethic; reality comes in shortly thereafter and slaps me back to reality. There is so much to learn and keep at with continuous improvement. I am a lifetime learner with many jobs.

[Nish]

Tomorrow.

I was wrong. I still suck at this game.

[Impactfour]

I had a moment last week. One of my deckhands went overboard into some 30*f water. I got him back in the boat and warmed up in record time.

Similarly when our boat started taking on water a few years ago with a young and inexperienced crew under me I was able to keep everyone chill and get us to the docks without sinking.

[Jonnydread]

When I had two engineers argue about who got to bring me on site for the day.

[Ecapnation]

When i had to tell a multinational company worth billions engineering department lead that their welding data was completely wrong and had to video conference in explaining how to properly notate weld symbols.

[flyweightnate]

Please tell me they weren't all upside down

[Ecapnation]

Flipped actually. We welded per print and rejected a bunch of parts I called them out on their annotations. We won the day..

[flyweightnate]

Every freakin time

[Magoo]

Well dang, guys. I was laid off March 3, so I guess joke's on me!

But you know what? I'm still genuinely proud of what I can do.

[JohnB]

I think that is what a bunch of the old heads are saying. Sorry to hear that man. Think of what you learned the exp you gained and apply it forward. Best of luck on the hunt ahead!

[PBGunny]

One of my previous Quality jobs, I got assigned to an issue that was happening to some HMMWV units on the production line. The inhouse engineering couldn't figure out what was going on, and my boss told me to deep dive into it and get it fixed. I spent about 2 weeks getting parts measured, going thru drawings and spending some time out with the production force.
I then did a complete tolerance stack-up and prepared a report on my findings showing that there was a binding issue that was created when the parts were at their max dimensions.
By making this one hole on a part into a slot, it could be adjusted out and always assure the condition would never come back.
I presented my report to my boss (QC Director) and the head of Engineering for the plant.
After I got done, both of them had their mouths hanging open trying to figure out what I had just done.
The head of Engineering then turned to my boss and they started a conversation about me and my skills.
Head of Engineering wanted me transferred over to his dept and my boos was saying no, he belongs to me.
Head of Engineering said that there was nobody in the corporation that could do what I just did and that included a whole research facility of about 300 people.
The Engineering boss ended up getting cancer and passed away a year later.
My boss wouldn't let me transfer out of Quality and when they had to make cuts, I got let go.
I think if I could have gotten out of Quality at that time, I would still be working there.

[flyweightnate]

Tolerance stack is such an art / dark science.

A few years back we were designing up/ cloning vacuum pumps. I sort of "eyeballed" tolerances through all the castings, alignment pins, etc. and the machine shop threw a fit. So they spent $150k on a tolerance stack software, and another engineer spent a couple months getting trained.

Turns out, my initial tolerances were pretty freaking dead on. The machine shop shut up and found a better way to fixture so they could hit the parts without twisting them, and hold the tolerances to print. The pumps worked. That felt good.

And our CMM programmer was the one guy who had engineering's back through it all. Best quality guy I ever met.

[COB]

When I retired and no one showed up at my house to kill me for my past work. Of course, now I feel underappreciated that I didn't even get an anonymous death threat in the mail from HR. I may have to go back to work to rectify this.

[acrewofone]

I've actually been in the Office Equipment repair business for 50 years, working for 4 different companies (Toshiba, Savin, Xerox, and now Konica Minolta).

I install, repair and program high end MFPs (Multi Functional Printers), mosly Copiers and Large Printers.

I know I'm doing a good job when customers only want me to work on thier equipment, and are willing to wait for my availability.

[JohnB]

Talk about job security with those things!

[Jsc5150]

When I was flipping a million dollar grow room every four weeks for $20 an hour

[Trbo323]

When I could start teaching others some things about driving big rigs.

Then with a job change that required endorsements, I now hold hazmat, tanker and doubles/triples endorsements. I can drive anything on the road except a bus which I don't ever want to drive.

Sent from my motorola edge 2024 using Tapatalk

[86r]

I knew i was good at my job when i started receiving death threats.