This is a guest blog by Gina Covarrubias
Are you caught up in a dance between committing to work and living your life as an engineer? An extreme focus in either direction could leave you jobless or lifeless. Read on if you want to improve your dance moves as an engineer!
Balance or Integration?
While some people like to speak of a work/life balance, others prefer work/life integration. What is the difference, and why is this worth addressing?
On the surface, they refer to the same idea — which is to overcommit to one area at the expense of the other.
The phrase work/life balance may feel more reasonable if you’re the kind of person who tends to compartmentalize aspects of your life. For example, you may prefer a distinct separation between work tasks and personal life. Or, maybe your preference is that work friends should remain at work and you’d rather not mingle with them otherwise. If you compartmentalize, you might struggle to think about integrating the two aspects; it might feel more like suffocation.
On the other hand, work/life integration could be a desirable term if you prefer to weave both work and personal duties together. Like making personal calls during work breaks. Or perhaps you enjoy making the introduction of family members to your colleagues during a Zoom call.
There is no right or wrong phrase. You get to choose which one feels most comfortable based on personality and lifestyle. So do not fret if others have a different preference!
[Read more…] about The Dance Between Work and Life as an Engineer
