Joerg wrote:
David Brown wrote:

[...]


Indeed. Work can actually be fun. I am actually looking forward to
Monday when I'll get to fire up the old CAD again. Fun, wow, what a
concept ...


I enjoy my work - but I enjoy spending time with my family too. Here
I have plenty of opportunity for both. But if my job had been making
hamburgers or sweeping the street, I'm not sure I'd be keen on longer
hours than necessary just for the fun of it.


True. One has to put in the sweat of studying hard before becoming an
engineer. But that's similar in most other professions. Without the work
and sometimes hardship to obtain a good education people end up in not
so fun jobs.


We want "to get ahead", own our own business, be "boss".


And some of us ultimately get there.


And some of us don't want to get there - I'm happier working in a
small company than I would be trying to run one myself. It all
depends on what you like doing - I'd rather not have to deal with
finances, or customers, or that sort of nonsense.


Yep, you'll be the marketeer, finance guy, chief engineer, QC guy, grief
counselor and so on all in one person.


I'm already the fpga guy, the high speed digital guy, the assembly
programming guy, the C expert, the PC software guy, the Python guy, the
web server guy, the email guy, the IT guy, the English language expert,
and a dozen other hats - that's enough for me.


Europeans know there's nothing to gain but more taxation.


Same here. The brackets don't exactly motivate. To run a smaller biz
in Europe is tougher though, that continent is more geared towards
larger corporations. BTDT.


My boss (company founder, and owner of many of the shares) has made a
fair amount of money out of his business. But perhaps Europeans (or
at least Norwegians) don't see money as a goal in itself - I'm
perfectly happy with my income exceeding my expenditure. While I'm
not likely to say no to a pay rise (I only did so once), I'd not want
to pay for it in stomach ulcers.


Americans like the prospects of early retirement when they sell their
home and buy a huge bus that now becomes their main residence. A thought
that drives the sheer fright into the eyes of most Europeans.


It certainly does not appeal to me!

Then, some have so much fun at work that they keep working. The weirdest
scenario I saw was a guy in final assembly. He was almost 80, said that
they don't really need any more money but that his wife told him he'd
either return to work or she'd hit the highway, never to be seen again.


That's good motivation.


Why do you think there's a constant trooping of Europeans to America?


Tell me about it ;-)


I can't understand the appeal myself - but I guess there are many
sorts of people around.


With me it's the other way around. I can't understand how someone cannot
feel the appeal ;-)


I like the more social democratic Norwegian society. I can take care of
the things I am interested in (such as embedded systems development),
and let the state take care of things like health care, schools, and
pensions. I like the idea that when you have troubles, you can get help
- both from the state, and from elsewhere (such as your employer). I
like the idea that no one much minds who you are or how much you earn -
there is almost no division on class or wealth lines here.