Having spent most of my life in Lynnwood, I’ve long been in the shadow of Boeing. Interestingly, though I’ve worked for many Seattle stalwarts such as Starbucks, Microsoft, and Amazon. But never Boeing. I’ve had a few opportunities, but for each one, by the time they extended an offer to me, I’d accepted one somewhere else. And their slow hiring process is something they’re known for.
I’ve heard from many folks about the giant B is soul sucking and fraught with petty factions and frictions. Yet I have many friends and family who’ve worked there for decades. It seems, from one view, that many (most?) folks end up there for the long-haul. Now, I guess I can understand that if you have a rather non-transferable skill, say aerospace engineer or aircraft machinist. For those folks, I could see hating the place but being rather trapped by circumstances. But then there are those folks like me who have very transferable skills. Why would they stay if Boeing is so very miserable? Well, they won’t. Which tells me there’s something more at stake here.
Every workplace has their challenges. And the larger an institution, the easier it is to feel caught up in something soul-less. Yet at the team level, where you talk and interact with people everyday, that space is much more pleasant. Perhaps this disconnect between the local and macro sums this up.
What do you think? Do you work at Boeing, hate it and yet have been there two decades? Do you love Boeing? I’m deeply interested in your thoughts.
Please comment and let’s “talk”.
