I hear this statement quite often in discussions with candidates, particularly when they are planning a career change. „I would like to do a job where I can see the results of my work“. What does it mean? How long does it actually take across various professions to see the real outcome of „my“ work? How much do professions differ when compared by this factor? Thinking about it a bit more shows how relative the term time may be….
When I start with myself in the position of consultant I may say that it sometimes takes hours, sometimes days, most usually a few months but sometimes even a year before a project is finished.
For many positions it may be the same. A house will likely be finished within a year or two if everything goes according to plan. My friend who is running a big garden centre will probably see the outcome of his gardening projects within few months or a maybe year. He may even have the great benefit of seeing various longer-term results as the seasons change and the client’s garden gets modified by growing trees, bushes or grass….
For some jobs it takes much longer to see results. It is said, and unfortunately also measured, that it takes around 12 years before an infrastructure project such as a new highway is finished in the Czech Republic. The wait for a new high speed train connection? We may have to wait till 2035 (a real claim made by our prime minister in 2017). Well, still not too bad when compared to the length of the project which started back in the past in Puerto Rico. In 1974 scientists seeking artificial intelligence in the distant galaxies sent a message via the Arecibo radiotelescope. If their message reaches its audience it will take 50,000 years before any answer is received back here on Earth. Time is relative…..
