Okay, so this post is not really related to engineering career development, but it’s Thanksgiving week and I wanted to write about something more family related. Work–life balance has been a major topic of discussion in much of my work with motivated engineers. The question of how to have a successful career in engineering but still have time to enjoy your family has been a hot topic on several Institute for Engineering Career Development calls as of late.
As we embark upon this Thanksgiving week, I would ask all of my readers to really be thankful for and enjoy the company of your loved ones—spouses, children, parents, brothers, sisters, in-laws, and so on. We often take the time we spend with them for granted and don’t fully enjoy it.
I know at times in my own life, I rush through things with my kids to try to get back to work. For example, maybe I rush through their bedtime routine so I can get back to doing work in the evening. Then, every so often, I read articles like this or listen to a moving song that drives home how lucky some of us are to be able to spend so much time with our loved ones.
The moving song I referred to is called “I Drive Your Truck,” which is about a young man who was killed while serving in the US military and how his father still drives his truck every day to remind him of his son. It’s a moving song that you can read about or listen to through the video below. I hope it serves to remind us all of how valuable the time spent with our loved ones really is. I am thankful for every minute of it.
Happy Thanksgiving.
