I definately care about what other people think. I know, I know “You shouldn’t care about what other people think. The only opinion that matters is God’s”. I give this advice, regularly. But the fact of the matter is: I care. Maybe, I have not had to deal with this fact because generally other people ‘approve’ of me and my actions – or at least as far as I can tell.
However, Saturday my lab partner (LP) called me a slacker – not in so many words – but a slacker, nonetheless. My feelings were badly hurt. Ok, I have been called many things – but slacker has NEVER been one of them. Maybe that is why my feelings were crushed. Or maybe I felt so bad about it because I knew I have not been trying my best.
It is true. He has been doing all the work. But it is not because I don’t want to contribute. It is because he does all the work. I know what you are thinking: that is circular logic. But, seriously, LP is a master: a perfectionist and a genius. He has been working in the engineering field for more than 20 years. No wonder (almost) everything I contribute is changed - for the better, of course. Our teachers ask HIM application questions. His coworkers refer to him as: ‘one of their top designers’ But he never got an engineering degree, so now his job is paying for him to attend school part time.
So, we meet every Saturday morning (at 7am), to work on the write up for the previous lab and the prelab for the future lab. However, these past few labs – he finished the prelab before I even got there. He has also done most of the writing for the lab write-up. His job gives him the convenience of using the full version of software at work or at home. So he is able to build the circuit in Pspice and generate the output graphs.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that the purpose of having a lab partner is to work on the lab - together. However, every week, he does a significant portion on his own – then calls me a slacker for not doing the same.
I hate when people make excuses, but here I go: first of all, the lab is extremely hard. Second of all – it takes like 14 hours. I cannot see myself independently taking 14 hours out of my week to stress out on a lab that LP and I aren't going to use? - just so that I can say: We each did the same amount of work. No.
Now I don’t think that any one person should do all the work either. I think that we should divide they work and share the load. But LP thinks that by doing the entire thing by ourselves – we will get a better understanding, individually. Maybe, but I simply don’t have the time – nor motivation for that matter. I would have the motivation if it wasn't going to get done, unless I did it. But this is not the case. Not only will it get done - we will get a 100% on it.
So why do I feel bad because of what LP thinks of me? One thing: I always think of him as the type of guy I will be working with/for in the real world. If he thinks I am a slacker – there is a good chance others will later. When I go off to work –I want to be considered one of the company's top employee. I want to know everything there is to know. I want to complete all of my assignments early. But if I am a slacker…
That would really suck. I know that this experience is not deterministic of my future work experiences, but I would hate to ever be in this situation, again. My feelings are easily hurt.
In conclusion, I have learned from this experience to always try my best – even when it seems unnecessary.
5 comments:
Doesn't sound like you are a slacker. Sounds like you are working with a jerk. If he is in the class and doing as well as you say he is, he knows that he is ahead of the curve. Knowing that, he should be pretty easy on you when it comes to getting things done because he knows he has an advantage. On top of that...didn't you say he goes to school part time? And do you really think corporate america is represented by this guy? Yeah, right. Haven't you read some Dilbert?
Finally, what kind of guy works with a young hottie and doesn't try to be really 'helpful'? One with issue. I wouldn't worry to much about his opinion.
Thanx guys for the advice (and compliments :)!) But I hope I didn't misrepresent LP - he really is (generally) a nice guy. And as he pointed out to me - he is not my instructor, so he shouldn't be obligated to show me everything... Anyway, I will take your advice and won't stress out over it. Thanx again for commenting.
The message written @7:21 PM, April 26,2005 is replaced by:
You should not stress over him calling you a slacker b/c he has no patience. That is the bottom line: he does not have any patience. He needs to be a good team player and slow down and take the time to explain/show you what he is doing and split the work up with you. If he thinks you do something wrong he should guide you until it (the assignment) is right. He should be acting as a mentor b/c he has 20+ years experience in the field already...not calling you a slacker b/c you are still learning and he is making it appear as though he is doing all of the work. And you need to let him know how that made you feel when he implied that you are a slacker...
Maybe you should talk to him about if he wants to do the work early then why not split it up and then when you two meet go over the work and make corrections as needed. Otherwise you are the one being cheated b/c you will be entering the work world and you need to know everything you can learn from - while you are there.
He is already working and so he is just applying what he knows from experience...you will one day be applying what you have learned to try to create experiences...
P.S. Your entries are interesting and well-written.
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