[aamefford]

I have a mechanical engineering degree and an MBA.  For my level of education and experience, I am underpaid on base salary.  I work long hours when necessary, which is all the time if the shop is doing well.  I am compensated for those long hours, which goes a long way toward evening up the pay scale, though it probably doesn't get me to the level one might desire and expect for my education and experience.
 
I don't like the job duties that much.  Why stay?
 
I am 15 minutes from home, the people are great, I'm needed and appreciated.  When I need to work to cover a 'round the clock emergency job, I do.  When I need to take care of family, or have a planned trip, somebody covers, if possible.  If someone else needs to take care of family, or has a trip planned, I cover.
 
Why do I stay?  Flexibility.  Appreciation.  Good people.  The money is good enough.  The job kind of sucks, but most do to some degree, that's why they call it work.  Mostly though, flexibility.  I can take care of what I need to take care of, when I need to take care of it.
 
EDIT - I forgot to mention that part about merit increases.  I started in 2008, right when the bottom fell out, and right before everyone figured out the free world economy was in a free-fall that turned out to last about 6+ years.  My raises have been modest at best, but there has been a raise every year.  No pay cuts, no pay freezes no layoffs, no furloughs, no worries about having a job tomorrow.  My wife on the other hand, works for the state, and underwent (2) separate fuloughs and pay reductions that had her earnings down by 15% to 20% for about 4 of those 6 years.
 
That about covers why I stay....

 

[Rudiger]

  (...) Jason and Mike are the best bosses I've ever had.  (...)

Ooooh, you do not say this because Jason is going to read? Come on, we're in a small group 

 

[Alex Martin]

  Ooooh, you do not say this because Jason is going to read? Come on, we're in a small group 

 
LOL.  Mike and Jason are completely immune to ass kissing.  Try to blow smoke up Mike Moffat's ass and see where that gets you.

 

[aamefford]

   
LOL.  Mike and Jason are completely immune to ass kissing.  Try to blow smoke up Mike Moffat's ass and see where that gets you.

Hah!  I met Mike very briefly.  long enough to suspect all it would get one, would be a sight that cannot be unseen....

 

[Rudiger]

deleted

 

[Rudiger]

   
LOL.  Mike and Jason are completely immune to ass kissing.  Try to blow smoke up Mike Moffat's ass and see where that gets you.

Ok, it seems that there are actually things to avoid !

 

[Ableza]

   
LOL.  Mike and Jason are completely immune to ass kissing.  Try to blow smoke up Mike Moffat's ass and see where that gets you.

 
Much too close to Mike Moffat's ass I'm guessing. 

 

[Jason Stoddard]

   
Much too close to Mike Moffat's ass I'm guessing. 

That's definitely part of it.
 
But yeah, I think pretty much everyone at Schiit is immune to ass-kissing. Mike and I have spent far too long in small companies, so we've learned that the people who have internalized the old-skool "imitate/flatter the boss to get ahead" business column advice are usually best avoided. It makes us very nervous, because we think you're covering up for lack of true performance. Alex instantly sees through any BS/flattery, probably thanks to his school career. And everyone else...well, I don't think the idea ever passes through their heads.

 

[tronco]

Exactly two things motivate high-performing people:  

• Money.
• Freedom.

 

 
I would add one more point:
3. Interesting/Meaningful work
 
I've seen companies loose good engineers by wasting their talent on tasks that a trained monkey could accomplish. Not every task at work is interesting of course, but if you get home day after day with the sensation of having accomplished nothing or even wasting your time, money and freedom won't hold you.
 
I like the Schiit way and congratulations on everything you've accomplished so far. I bet one day Jason will be giving management trainings to the CEOs, CFOs and C-Whatever-Os on how to run a company the Schiit way.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

   
I would add one more point:
3. Interesting/Meaningful work
 
I've seen companies loose good engineers by wasting their talent on tasks that a trained monkey could accomplish. Not every task at work is interesting of course, but if you get home day after day with the sensation of having accomplished nothing or even wasting your time, money and freedom won't hold you.
 
I like the Schiit way and congratulations on everything you've accomplished so far. I bet one day Jason will be giving management trainings to the CEOs, CFOs and C-Whatever-Os on how to run a company the Schiit way.

Yep, I missed that point...I guess the stuff we're doing at Schiit is so profoundly interesting to me that I just spaced it. Of course, someone else would find it very boring.
 
True quote from our accountant: "I don't know how you do all that boring technical stuff."
 
Mike and I sat there flabbergasted. But we're very happy to have an accountant who really loves what he's doing, even if we can't understand it (and think it's boring.)
 
Part of it comes from knowing what you're good at. You don't want me running the financial details, but I can tell you, +/-10%, how we're doing, without really looking at the numbers. You don't want me doing the admin for a trade show, but I can do some very cool graphics. If you put me (or Mike), in charge of a show, for example, we'd probably both look at each other about 10 days before we were ready to go, and ask, "Hey, did you get hotel rooms?" And then groan when neither of us did, and we have to stay at a hotel hosting a furry convention because the show hotels are booked (true story.) 
 
Luckily, we have people who do love the details--which is one reason RMAF went off without a hitch...and we actually were able to stay in the show hotel.

 

[Insidious Meme]

LOL.  Mike and Jason are completely immune to ass kissing.  Try to blow smoke up Mike Moffat's ass and see where that gets you.

I've talked with Jason and Mike in different meets and come to that conclusion as well. Good thing I don't BS much.

 

[Rudiger]

 
That's definitely part of it.
 
But yeah, I think pretty much everyone at Schiit is immune to ass-kissing. Mike and I have spent far too long in small companies, so we've learned that the people who have internalized the old-skool "imitate/flatter the boss to get ahead" business column advice are usually best avoided. It makes us very nervous, because we think you're covering up for lack of true performance. Alex instantly sees through any BS/flattery, probably thanks to his school career. And everyone else...well, I don't think the idea ever passes through their heads.

But Alex just sent me a PM... If you knew just what he really thinks about you... ouch ....

.....
.....

 

[kongmw]

Not an attempt to derail the thread but honestly if you went into a job at some school thinking you're going to be making big bucks, you went to the wrong place. I don't think the school system has ever been a job market known for paying anyone well based solely on their work performance. that and I suspect most people that do work in a school have a true passion for teaching and whatnot. In the end it comes back to the point that was brought up a few posts above: interesting/meaningful work (at least to the employee). 

 

[Alex Martin]

  Not an attempt to derail the thread but honestly if you went into a job at some school thinking you're going to be making big bucks, you went to the wrong place. I don't think the school system has ever been a job market known for paying anyone well based solely on their work performance. that and I suspect most people that do work in a school have a true passion for teaching and whatnot. In the end it comes back to the point that was brought up a few posts above: interesting/meaningful work (at least to the employee). 

I never had any illusions about teacher's salary, nor was I looking for a payday by going in to teaching.  Before she passed, my grandmother was a high school teacher and she let me know exactly what I was getting in to.  I never said anything about being dissatisfied with the money I made.  By the time I left the profession I was overpaid with amazing benefits.  What I was talking about is that in most jobs doing good work is rewarded by more work.  At Schiit we incentivize being efficient and good at your job.  I think a lot of industries would be improved if the person who goes above and beyond was paid better that the guy who just shows up to earn a paycheck.

 

[wotts]

 
I never had any illusions about teacher's salary, nor was I looking for a payday by going in to teaching.  Before she passed, my grandmother was a high school teacher and she let me know exactly what I was getting in to.  I never said anything about being dissatisfied with the money I made.  By the time I left the profession I was overpaid with amazing benefits.  What I was talking about is that in most jobs doing good work is rewarded by more work.  At Schiit we incentivize being efficient and good at your job.  I think a lot of industries would be improved if the person who goes above and beyond was paid better that the guy who just shows up to earn a paycheck.

 
 
I wish my company would do this. I had a supervisor who tried to implement a system to reward efficiency - if the team hit the build goal, you get to go home and are paid until the end of your shift. The caveat was it had to be done with quality. If the FPY (first pass yield) dropped, you stayed to rework. Unfortunately, it never got off the ground.