Anthony wrote:

Anthony:

I'll admit that "challenging" is an apt term for this. But it doesn't
quite convey the risk of financial loss in material & time to the
company if the job is started and somehow can't be completed.
"Challenging" tends to give the impression that the work can be done,
but that you just have to pay attention to detail. That said, I'll
respond to BD's form of the survey.

Do you like work that is;

[ ] Boring

[X] Challenging

[X] Other

Comments:

I like challenging work as long as it's not so challenging that it
can't be done at all. Some inventor's ideas are like that in prototype
work. It you're being stressed beyond your ability to accomplish the
task with the machinery you have at your disposal... then it's
certainly no picnic. If you are able to surmount all the difficulties
with personal creative input then the self-satisfaction and atta-boys
can be significant.
IMO a balanced approach is better for my own job satisfaction.
A couple of relatively easy jobs interspaced with a job from Hell tends
to keep your momentum up. Personally, I get bored to tears if I have
to make more than a small handful of parts. Luckily where I am, after
a job is running relatively smoothly someone else can take over as
operator and run the parts. Although I still "mother" the job to see
that the parts are coming out the way I want.
Another thing to consider is that what's boring for one person can be
challenging for another and vice versa. Everything is challenging for
an apprentice type, or someone new and not experienced in the exact
type of processes your shop may regularly engage in. Conversely, if
you never do work that pushes and expands your limits, you'll never
learn to grow and get that hard won experience. The term "One year
experience repeated 20 times" comes to mind.
When in the middle of a job-from-hell I dream about what it would be
like doing a simple stress-free parts loader job. But when I actually
HAVE a job loading parts, I go nuts with boredom. I think constant
change is better for all around satisfaction in a job, at least for me.
That's why I've chosen prototype work as my personal niche.