Special shout out to Shopping to Saving for posting this job analysis up!
Truth be told, I’ve been thinking about this for a while, in a random-rant-kinda-way. Like most people, I have my good days and my bad days at work. I think it’s really good to look back and reflect on where I am, and where I want to be – in life, in general but also to specific aspects of my life, as well.
I am approaching the 4-year mark at my workplace, so this analysis is long overdue. I complete annual evaluations at work, so it only makes sense to complete a personal evaluation of my job, as well.
As background, I have a Bachelors in Applied Science from an Engineering School and I am working towards getting my professional license (soon!) while working the field of construction. This is my first job post graduation.
I decided to give a rating out of 5 for each aspect I was rating.
- 1 = very unsatisfied
- 2 = unsatisfied
- 3 = neutral
- 4 = satisfied
- 5 = very satisfied
Let’s get started! 🙂
Salary (3/5)
I make just over $60,000 as a full-time employee.
My company has an employee 100% RRSP match (up to 2.5% of my salary for me), 80% medical, dental and vision coverage, profit sharing and 3 weeks paid vacation. We are expected to work over-time and we do not get to bank our hours. There are no paid days off between Christmas and New Years, but we are “encouraged” to use vacation days.
On average, I’d say I used to work about 50+ hours, but now, I work about 40-45 hours – and I am being paid for 37.5.
I have yet to work our my net hourly earnings, but we will save that for another post 🙂
Job Duties (4/5)
Without going into too much detail, I am involved the initial investigation or review of building problems, all the reporting including recommendation for further repairs, design, construction review and administration of the contract for construction repairs.
My job is very technical and very hands-on, and I get involved in a variety or projects, including: mold sampling and removal projects, concrete repair and construction projects, sewer pipe repairs (yuck!) – to name a few. In addition to the technical aspects of my job, I am the main client contact on most of my projects, I co-ordinate between internal and external clients, and generally run about 80% of the project.
Commute (4.5/5)
I really happy with this aspect of my job. I can drive to work (~10 minutes) or take public transportation (~30 minutes) :). It is definitely nothing to complain about!
The only that thing that would make this perfect is if I could WALK to work in about 30 minutes or so. I love walking, and sadly, I really don’t do enough of it.
Co-workers (2/5)
I must preface this low rating by saying that I think the people I work with are genuinely good people. My manager is really awesome – someone whom I really look up as a mentor, and I (selfishly) want for there to be more mentors and more interaction for junior staff to interact with mentors.
I find it frustrating to work with a lot of my co-workers, especially when people show up late (regularly), miss deadlines, asking people to “eat” their time for certain projects and a general lack of professionalism. I believe this is mostly due to a lack of professionalism and proper training for co-workers to become better mentors, leaders and co-workers in my workplace. There is potential, but I feel the lack of support system is reflected culture and the attitudes of the employees and hindering the company’s growth.
Atmosphere (4/5)
The atmosphere at my workplace is relaxed but professional. A lot our work is in the field, and so wearing jeans, is very normal even during the week. If we are to represent our company at a conference of to a client, generally, more formal attire is expected, but this is not a usual occurrence. I really like that my manager’s door is always open, and they are generally receptive to me dropping in to ask questions, or discuss anything.
I think that the atmosphere is quasi-stressful, more due to to the nature of our work, rather than the workplace, itself.
Flexibility (4/5)
Even though we are expected to work overtime at my work place, I like the flexibility of being able to work from home, sometimes. I also understand that one can choose to work part-time (30 hours); however, it is with an understanding that 30 hours usually means 35 to 40 hours a week, or work as needed to get the job done.
I have never had a vacation request rejected and we are allowed to carry-over up to 1 year of vacation,if we wish to do so.
Advancement (2/5)
There is room for advancement, but the longer I remain at my company, the more I realize just how much one has to sacrifice to be able to make it to the next level, and even more to make it to the top. The path to advancement is difficult, and it’s due to a combination of the nature of my work (firmly rooted in a male dominated field), the structure of the company pyramid, lack of mentors, and in too many cases – valuing seniority over work experience and capabilities.
Final Grade ( C+ 23.5/35)
I think it’s safe to say that there is definitely room for improvement in my job!
I will be writing more about what steps I have taken to improve this (i.e., asking for mentorship, asking for a raise) and would love to discuss and write more on this topic. I appreciate every single comment and I hope that we can all help one another in this wonderful community to find satisfaction all factions of our jobs.
Please check out these awesome analyses done by these fabulous ladies:
How does your job stack up? Is there another aspect you think is important in the analysis that hasn’t been included?
fabulously fru-girl 