Would you leave the Quality Assurance profession given the option?

[Bill Pflanz]

I voted happy but also have the problem that I have been "in quality" in a variety of ways. Over the years I was a full time quality manager, other times mainly in quality but with additional responsibilities, other times as a quality professional doing more of the technical work, and other times mainly doing other work with a little quality.

Looking back at the knowledge and experience gained, I have resigned myself to the fact that I have been forever contaminated by the quality bug. At this point, it doesn't make any difference what job I am in, I will support the quality concepts and use the quality tools whenever possible.

It is too bad that society sometimes equate liking your job and doing it well with how much money you make. I will admit that there is no such thing as so much money that a company could throw at me that I would not accept it but I also don't want to run my life around money either.

Bill Pflanz

 

[qualitymanager]

IT in Trinidad & Tobago....

 

[Wes Bucey]

Good point, so I will respond "I am deliriously happy in quality! "

Some may be surprised that I voted "skid marks."

I freely admit the following:
As I became more and more knowledgeable about Quality Systems, Regulations of Government Agencies, Standards, etc., I realized "I get it."

I don't have those prickly feelings of hairs standing up because I fear some great "unknown." I have the patience and the curiosity to ferret out root cause. I'm basically lazy, so that means I embrace FMEA and mistake proofing with a passion because it's so much easier to do it right the first time.

You readers probably guess that nobody intimidates me and I am very good at persuading folks to follow my lead because I always answer the question for others who ask, whether out loud or implied, "What's in it for me?"

Given all that, I would much rather

• act in a play,
• tell funny or sad stories,
• write a novel,
• live on a sailboat in Hawaii
• work as a forest ranger or naturalist
• shoot pool
• play poker
• do magic tricks
• swim with dolphins
• fish for sunfish with my grandchildren
• canoe down the river that runs behind my house
• watch egrets and Great Blue Herons angle for frogs and fish in the wetland on the other side of the river.

Quality is just a small part our lives, why wouldn't we leave it in a heartbeat if anything else grabbed our interest?

 

[Brian Hunt]

The poetry in the soul of a Quality Manager... Well put Wes

Unfortunately most people think that we're even more boring than accountants

 

[db]

Okay, now that the thread is re-energized, I need to change my vote. I am anticipating getting out of quality, getting out of manufacturing, and getting out of paychecks starting in January. Going back to the simple life. Ahhhh...

 

[Rob Nix]

At the time of my posting the poll showed 16 votes (25%) for each category. Something's fishy about that.

I also liked Wes's summary.

I consider my job in quality to be a means to an end. That is it. It feeds and houses my family and me (I like you people, but I'd rather be with my family than you - no offense ). That being said, as long as I'm here, and since I've acquired a fair amount of experience and knowledge in the "Quality" field over the years, I might as well do the best I can and get the greatest amount of joy (and entertainment) out of it.

One thing nice about this field, even if we started a career in something else, the tools of quality give us a marked advantage.

 

[Wes Bucey]

At the time of my posting the poll showed 16 votes (25%) for each category. Something's fishy about that.

I also liked Wes's summary.

I consider my job in quality to be a means to an end. That is it. It feeds and houses my family and me (I like you people, but I'd rather be with my family than you - no offense ). That being said, as long as I'm here, and since I've acquired a fair amount of experience and knowledge in the "Quality" field over the years, I might as well do the best I can and get the greatest amount of joy (and entertainment) out of it.

One thing nice about this field, even if we started a career in something else, the tools of quality give us a marked advantage.

Yep. Rob "gets it" too!

 

[mooser]

Rob & Wes,
You have something I wish I had more of... peace. I still get caught in the war with the system in place by management and complained by everyone else (but we know how much they hate to change). Anyway too often I feel like the 'monkey in the middle'.

Mooser

 

[Rob Nix]

Ahh, but peace is such a relative term. As indicated in the article I submitted on 10 things management does to undermine quality, I too experience very real hassles. But keeping perspective is SO important! You do what you can, and shed the anxiety of the things you can't do much about. Don't sweat the petty things (and don't pet the sweaty things either).

I once bought my wife the book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" (Guys: I'm not recommending that approach). She threw the book at me (literally), and scowled until she found out her best friend had read it - THEN IT WAS OK! Go figure.

 

[Claes Gefvenberg]

You do what you can, and shed the anxiety of the things you can't do much about. Don't sweat the petty things (and don't pet the sweaty things either).

You too? That is very sound advice... ...And I keep telling my wife the same thing. She admits I'm right (Not an everyday occurence, I assure you... ) but tells me that she is quite unable to stop worrying... Oh, well.

/Claes