Re: work times & accommodation @tokyo, WAS: Re: [tlug] Embedded linux dev wanting to find work in Tokyo.. Seeking advice.

[Curt Sampson <cjs@example.com>]

On 2008-07-21 17:26 +0900 (Mon), jim grisanzio wrote:

> Stephen J. Turnbull wrote:
>
>> True in a sense, but I don't think you understand Japan or the
>> Japanese very well yet; it's not a matter of stupidity, here.
>
> ...
> Fortunately, I'm much smarter now and can rationally and proudly
> reject the systems that lead such horrible experiences. Not fully
> understanding Japan is a completely separate issue.

Actually, that you can imply that Japanese should "proudly reject the
systems that lead [to] such horrible experiences" just shows how you
don't understand Japan. The implication of doing that here is to face
the risk of never making enough money to start a family, get married, or
even move out into your own apartment.

To "proudly reject" the system means that you can't get a job in most
Japanese companies. Even if you manage to get in, you'll be branded
as un-cooperative and face the wrath of your peers. Very few people
can sustain their co-workers despising them for years on end; I would
guess that that's more likely to drive you to death (by stress and maybe
suicide) than overwork is. Even if you can handle it, and somehow avoid
getting fired, you'll stand no chance of promotion, and will never make
enough money to finance all those activities outside of work for which
you set aside that time.

Your other options are pretty limited. Being an entrepreneur is not
likely to work out if your main aim is to spend less time at work,
since most entrepreneurs spend more than average time there. Becoming
a housewife is not generally an option for men. You might find a job
with a foreign company in Japan, but many of those have the same sort of
demands as Japanese companies. Moving overseas may be a good bet, if you
can figure out how to do it.

Japan has no lack of people who do reject the ridiculous work ethic, but
I encourage you to look up the "freeters" entry on Wikipedia to see what
they're really facing.

> Personally, I'm interested finding more efficient ways to work so I can 
> increase the value of my work while reducing the hours I work. To me this 
> is basic engineering and project management. Why would you produce a system 
> any other way? Why would you build an engine that is so inefficient that it 
> has to work so hard that it eventually kills itself?

Learn more about the people side of management, particularly managing
non-engineers, and you'll figure it out easily enough.

On 2008-07-21 17:40 +0900 (Mon), jim grisanzio wrote:

> The Innovator's Dilemma (still scariest book around) demonstrates
> clearly that a product can be too good and therefor cause the direct
> collapse of a company from competitors whose products are just good
> enough and manages miss this consistently.

Actually, that rather misses the key point of that very good book.

Stephen may correct me on it, but my take was that the products lose not
because they're too good, but because they're not good enough. They may
exceed the desired specifications in many areas; but they fail in at
least one other.

cjs
-- 
Curt Sampson       <cjs@example.com>        +81 90 7737 2974   
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