Archive for "School"
Avoiding Job Burnout
Posted on January 31, 2007 by Ching under Life, School.
Steve talked about job burnout at length in MIS class today. I can’t remember how he tied it into our current topic but he managed to bring it up. I think it was because we were talking about corporate structure and being a group of MBA students pretty much everyone’s goal is to reach the top of the hierarchy. He made the observation that what happens too often is that people end up burning out before getting there. I suspect that’s probably true.
Anyway, all throughout his ten minute tirade about avoiding burnout and not worrying about things that will eventually take care of themselves (which reminds me of something that Brian might say; along these lines, Brian has preached to me that I shouldn’t worry about things beyond my control many, many times) I felt like he was talking directly to me. How did he know that I was experiencing huge amounts of job stress? I know I’m pretty transparent but was it really that obvious? Of course, the world doesn’t revolve around me. I know it only seemed this way because work has been stressing me out a lot lately. Regardless of what the case may be, it got me thinking.
What is burnout exactly? Burnout is what happens when run yourself ragged at work. It’s when you have so much work to do and not enough time to recover. Some of the symptoms include but are not limited to taking your work home with you, taking your frustrations out on your partner, waking up in the middle of the night from work nightmare—which I’ve actually done. I had a dream that I didn’t get my time tickets done because I was stuck in an all-day training class that I could not get out of.. Weird, huh? Although, I’ve exhibited mild versions of some of the symptoms of burnout I refuse to think I am. Maybe I’m in denial but for the sake of this blog entry let’s agree that I’m not experiencing job burnout (not yet, anyway). So think of this post as some sort of preventative measure.
You can find out more about burnout here. It’s pretty informative. It gives helpful information about how to differentiate stress from burnout. Even though burnout and stress sometimes go hand-in-hand they’re not necessarily the same thing. Anyway, some of their ways of dealing with job burnout, like looking for a new job or requesting a transfer, may not be feasible for most people.
Mindtools has a special section on burnout. They have a burnout self-test as well as articles on how to avoid and recover from burnout. You can also check out these burnout busters from friedsocialworker.com.
One of the things commonly suggested to combat burnout is do something that you enjoy—get a fun hobby. Brian actually suggested that I start working out again. He said that I was a lot less stressed when I used to workout because I had an outlet for my stress and frustrations. I currently don’t have one so he thinks that I am bottling everything up inside me which is truly unhealthy.
Working out again might not be such a bad idea. I’ve actually been asked if I’m expecting twice now. That only tells me one thing. I have gained so much weight that I’m beginning to look pregnant. By resuming my gym membership I might just kill two birds. We haven’t decided to renew our membership yet. I’ll keep you posted.
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There is a God
Posted on December 17, 2006 by Ching under Flickr, School.
The unofficial grades for fall term have been posted. Somehow I made it through with three A’s and only one B despite all the obstacles I’ve had to overcome this semester. Like, not realizing that I wasn’t supposed to take four courses in one semester while working a fulltime job. I’ve dropped it down to three classes next semester so I don’t have a nervous breakdown and don’t kill Brian. I wanted to finish my MBA in three semesters and received a rude awakening. That may be possible if you don’t work at all and you just focus on your studies. However, it’s not realistic for someone like me who actually has to work to pay the bills. You live and learn.
Anyway, it was such a relief to receive a B in Operations Management (DS 850). That class is so horrible. It was the first business class that I thought I might fail in. It was the only class I had this semester that required so much effort. It was so challenging, in fact, that it almost discouraged Ray from pursuing his MBA. In all my other classes the learning came very naturally with minimal effort on my part. Minimal effort is all I can afford to exert right now for school because work is requiring a lot out of me as well; which is really difficult for me because I don’t like turning in mediocre homework and projects but this semester the quality of my school work is just not at the level I would like it to be. To all the potential employers who might be reading this, I just want you to know that I am very much capable of superior A-plus work. I just spread myself too thin this time is all. I learned my lesson, though. (more…)
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Present Woes and Future Plans
Posted on December 10, 2006 by Ching under Life, School.
It’s hard to believe that it has been a month since my last blog entry. They say that time flies when you’re having fun. Well, I can assure you, the last few weeks have been anything but. The end of the semester usually brings with it many challenges and frustrations. This semester has been no different. To be sure it has been one of the most challenging I have ever experienced in my entire academic career.
It was a crazy idea to take four courses this semester. It is challenging enough to take four courses without being employed fulltime but I had this crazy notion that I would complete my MBA in three semesters while continuing to work fulltime. After having performed below expectations this semester and submitting mediocre (in some occasions sub-standard) work to my professors, I realized that this goal is not attainable. I really hate turning in crappy work, but sometimes because of time and resource constraints you just have to settle for what you are able to reasonably accomplish. Then again, we are our worst critics so maybe they won’t see the work as “crappy” necessarily. Maybe. If I’m lucky. Seriously, though, by my estimation I should come out with a B overall so it’s not like I’m flunking out. I just made a bad decision (driven by my desire to finish early) and now I’m paying for it. Anyway, I should still be able to finish my MBA come spring 2008.
The plan is to take three courses this spring, two in the summer, two in the fall and then one last course the following spring. Then I should be finished. At least for the time being. I’ve often thought about pursuing a doctorate later on as a retirement plan of sorts. I figured I would be really bored if I stayed home after retirement. Teaching seems like a fun thing to do to pass the time. When the time comes, hopefully, I will have had many interesting experiences to share with students. Besides, in this day and age we have to be creative because (let’s get real folks) when the time comes for our generation to retire there won’t be any social security. I’m not even counting on it. To this end, I’ve been more aggressive with my 401k contributions.
When I first began it I was actually content with contributing 6% of my income, which is all the company will match. As I get older and closer to retirement I’ve decided that it really doesn’t matter if the company won’t match the rest of my contributions. The more that I save the more that I will reap later. My current rate of contribution is 10% and I’ve elected to increase my contributions by 2% each year. This is something that I’ve picked up from Jan. I wasn’t aware of the One Step option until Jan told me about it. I’ve learned so much from her.
It’s so strange to be so future-oriented. I used to not be so. When Brian and I first met, I was completely directionless, hedonistic, lived only for today, motivationless, and driven solely by the need for instant gratification. It’s remarkable how life can change and mold us to the people we are..
Anyway, I just wanted to check in because I hadn’t posted anything in a while. I will try to blog more after finals. Check back next week.
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Distance Learning Assignment
Posted on November 8, 2006 by Ching under Reviews, School.
Brian thought I should share this with everyone. It’s not that great but it is about one of our most favorite TV shows. I wrote it to satisfy my distance learning assignment in Dr. Graham’s Organizational Behavior (MGMT 862) class. Anyway, since Brian wrote a long blog entry I figured I might as well post this one. After all, I’m not one to be outdone. 😉
Show Information
Episode Title: Fannysmackin’
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Episode Number 145, Season 7
Aired October 12, 2006 at 8:00 PM
[ Sidenote: This is the episode with Kevin Federline aka Mr. Britney Spears. It is his first TV gig. Not that he is of any importance but I thought I would share that bit of trivia. ]
Character Analysis: Leadership Style
The character I have selected for this analysis is Gil Grissom. Grissom is the night-shift supervisor of the Clark County, Nevada CSI team. The team works closely with detectives and the county coroner to investigate crimes in the Las Vegas area.
Based on this episode and other episodes of the show, Grissom’s leadership style would fall under delegating—a style that is both low in relationship or supportive behavior and low in directive behavior. This suits Grissom’s personality quite well because he is dispassionate and anti-social. He provides minimal supervision to his team members and allows them to work independently. Fortunately for Grissom, his team consists of high-performing crime scene investigators who have the necessary skills, willingness and confidence to perform their jobs so the delegating leadership style works effectively. This style of leadership would not be effective or be appropriate for a low-performing group that does not possess a high level of follower readiness. Readiness is a follower’s ability to set high but attainable task-related goals and willingness to accept responsibility for reaching them. Follower readiness is an important consideration when selecting the best leadership approach to use. (more…)
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It’s Official
Posted on June 14, 2006 by Ching under School.
It’s official! I’ve been accepted to Wichita State’s MBA program. I’m so happy!
Mom never doubted that I would get in, but after a week of waiting I was beginning to wonder. Anyway, I’m thrilled to be in grad school. I can’t wait to start. Go me!
P.S. Brian told me that we could do whatever I wanted tonight to celebrate my acceptance to grad school. So you know what I said? “Let’s go play poker!” LOL.
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