IT Insights Blog — TestOut Continuing Education

Besides LabSim, the folks over at TestOut are known for their fun-loving natures. The company holds an annual bowling event (that is hotly contested); goes running, biking, and hiking together each summer; tackles cooperative fitness challenges; and sits down to a classy Christmas party where everyone is puttin’ on the Ritz.

Today, Oct. 16, National Boss's Day in the United States. Please note that it is not National Bosses's (or Bosses') Day, which would imply a general celebration of all bosses everywhere. Rather, National Boss's Day would seem to imply the recognition and commendation of a particular, singular capital-B Boss. So perhaps if you're either from New Jersey or live there, then you celebrate Bruce Springsteen. For everyone else, um, maybe God?

Most employees at most businesses spend most of their time focused on a couple of recurring tasks. Even IT jobs, which are frequently thought of as requiring creativity and agility in the face of changing technology, are often largely repetitive in nature. In some respects, this is why advances in artificial intelligence are seen to threaten many jobs now performed by human workers. So much of what people do now is repetitive and narrowly focused.

Several weeks ago, as Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 storm, was making a beeline for Florida, I grew concerned for my IT instructors living in the Miami area. Fortunately, most came through without too much damage. The rest of the state wasn’t as fortunate. As the storm rolled northward, the devastation and flooding became horrific. The preliminary damage estimate for the U.S. already exceeds $50 billion.

Everyone — or at least the subset of everyone who is some level of employee in some organization somewhere — wants to work at a great job. If you have to get up in the morning, take a shower, put on clothes, eat some breakfast, and be at your desk before 8:30, then that desk might as well be somewhere that you generally feel good about going to and being at. It's just better for your overall well being.