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Do/did you have close friend in your line of work?


shootingstar

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....instead of dumping here in Cafe?

I do.  They are 2 friends who graduated from university from same program, same year. Each friend doesn't know that I am friends with the other. I'd rather keep it separate since they are each different.Over the past 4 decades, we have occasionally visited each other in one another's workplace.  Not every place. I probably got visited the most, because of some unique places where I worked, compared to theirs.

Personal privacy was important to each of us, because we belong to a profession that networks across Canada through various national associations. So "friends" with others, for me, is super distant.   If we want talk about problems, key  career decisions, etc., there has been a safe place to unload and to learn.

I am incredibly blessed. I owe part of my mental health equilibrium in various jobs, some upsetting work stuff (which I can't talk here), to these friends.

Amongst 3 of us, we probably inspired each other, to try certain jobs and employers...where each of us have had 5-6 different employers....which isn't normal. Other colleagues, it's approx. 3-4 different jobs. Or less.

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25 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

Yes but it's been more than a decade since I was retired.  It's difficult to stay close with work friends after that.

Each of these 2 friends are more than just work. I've stayed /vacationed with them several times and vice versa. So when we each retire, we look forward to visiting one another...and know a place to stay too. They live in southern Ontario, where we all graduated from school once upon a time.

I do have an entirely different work friend but not in my line of work, with current employer.  Thank God, she is in a totally business function.  That friend has also evolved into more than just work stuff.  After all, met one another in our work collective bike cage. :) 

 

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35 minutes ago, sheep_herder said:

Yes, several, some local and some former graduate students. Sorry to say, some of the older ones have died. Still interact with a former graduate student that works in consulting. He is the one that cycled professionally with the Raleigh Boys many years ago.

That will be a sad day when it happens... losing close friend. :( 

I had an older friend-mentor who died 5 yrs. ago.  She was my former manager in 1 of my first jobs after graduation. Looking back:  I was just so lucky. I was so green...one has to learn how to carry oneself professionally and how work with managers. But more importantly, how she carried out her life....having her own home, single, no children yet happy with large circle of friends and good family relationships.  She was very willing to give me advice yet capacity to learn.

There were no family members for myself nor siblings, in such capacities as "role" models. 

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 I do not have close friends at all in my life.. I never really did.. Everyone I knew or know have just been acquaintances. I don't talk to anyone outside of work, never just go out with people, don't get invited places, and so on.. It's been this way my whole life. The only time I get contacted by someone is when they need something. 

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21 minutes ago, KrAzY said:

 I do not have close friends at all in my life.. I never really did.. Everyone I knew or know have just been acquaintances. I don't talk to anyone outside of work, never just go out with people, don't get invited places, and so on.. It's been this way my whole life. The only time I get contacted by someone is when they need something. 

..so it becomes family...as best friends. Hopefully. :party: 

Because I've worked in 3 different provinces and switched different employers, with the exception of above older mentor-friend and a good friend I met first in bike cage, I haven't kept any work contacts....from previous 9+ different employers.  

I am not certain as a woman who has been sufficiently mobile geographically career-wise and home locations, if my situation is "normal". All I know, I'm incredibly lucky...with me, being the most geographically mobile of all my closest friends, in my career, to even keep good tabs on some close buds. :slow-dance-smiley: Methinks my tendency to strike out independently ...even cycling-wise, makes me wonder. :huh: Or maybe it's just being a first-born helps me.

 

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53 minutes ago, Kirby said:

I've been at my current job so long that most of my friends in the same work area are my coworkers.

I could not really become friends with my present co-workers. Not really. They are reliable and pleasant to work with. That's all.  I'm not going to kid myself, since of them have a career garden to tend for the next 20-30 years ahead. I can see just by their work relationship with boss. Kirby, it's very different me:  I didn't have to do that type of sucking up....because earlier in my career, I had a few jobs where I was the person in the same role as boss.

It's not terrible. It's just reality.  In 2 wks., we're supposed to share some highlights what we read independently re professional areas of development. Oy. :whistle:

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6 hours ago, ChrisL said:

Not really.  The past few jobs I held senior positions and I really didn’t become close friends with anyone. I had few peers and several subordinates so kept professional distance.

I have my wife & my family if I need to vent. 

Similar situation for me. It was different as a teacher and somewhat different as a principal but as the superintendent professional distance is required. I must avoid even the appearance of impropriety.   I also need to be careful here. So you hear a lot about Einstein and the Airedales. 

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I've never had any close chemistry friends, but had/have teacher friends.

A high school friend. Paul, was in the same class and we were on the track team together and earned our first varsity letters together our Junior year. He and I attended the same college, taught in the same school system, and coached together the same track team we had been on in school.

We're still in touch and meet for lunch on occasion.  Now in our 70's, here's me on the left, Paul on the right, and Diane, Cheerleader Captain in our high school class, who became a dance teacher in our high school system.  We had lunch at a Greek restaurant.

20190614_141515clar_sat_900p.jpg.8564b62035af693d789beb3a683d8f0d.jpg

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11 hours ago, MickinMD said:

I've never had any close chemistry friends, but had/have teacher friends.

A high school friend. Paul, was in the same class and we were on the track team together and earned our first varsity letters together our Junior year. He and I attended the same college, taught in the same school system, and coached together the same track team we had been on in school.

We're still in touch and meet for lunch on occasion.  Now in our 70's, here's me on the left, Paul on the right, and Diane, Cheerleader Captain in our high school class, who became a dance teacher in our high school system.  We had lunch at a Greek restaurant.

20190614_141515clar_sat_900p.jpg.8564b62035af693d789beb3a683d8f0d.jpg

Given certain stresses for teachers of children and teens, always good to have teacher friends here and there to unwind with.

My doctor-sister is pals where 1 of her close friends, is also a physician, same age, etc.  In her home, is a terrific oil painting, her friend painted and gifted her.

Of course, dearie was excellent listener and offered all sorts of  thoughtful insight. But it does help to have 1-2 other additional pals, outside of partner. For obvious reasons. Every carefully selected pillow cushion to soften the blows.

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Yeah. After working for the same company for 31 years I have many friends from that span. When I started there, there were about 800 employees. When I retired, there was over 5 maybe 6,000. There are over 12,000 employees there now. I’m close to about a dozen or so, even after 11 years gone. Cathy and I worked together for over 20 years and we still meet up a few times a year for lunch and catching up. 

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I have 2 close friends unrelated to career.   Those, I can tell anything to and know everything there is to know about me.  I have a lot of friends that I see socially as like Zephyr, there are shared experiences and personality types that form a tight community and comaradarie.  Those, I have met at all stages of my career.  Sometimes I think the younger guys are just ass kissers but that is to be expected to a degree. 

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On 3/19/2023 at 5:08 PM, Parsnip Totin Jack said:

Yeah. After working for the same company for 31 years I have many friends from that span. When I started there, there were about 800 employees. When I retired, there was over 5 maybe 6,000. There are over 12,000 employees there now. I’m close to about a dozen or so, even after 11 years gone. Cathy and I worked together for over 20 years and we still meet up a few times a year for lunch and catching up. 

When I returned to Toronto to visit family over 8 yrs. ago or so, I did for once, dropped by a former workplace. There was a few people left vs. those who were very new. A group of fire protection engineers I knew. We took a group photo ...and little did I know, within 2 yrs. later, 1 of my key contacts died of cancer.  He was my age.

So one never knows what lies ahead  --that the visit may be the ..last one. It was govn't, a unique corner of services and clientele.

Just got email from 1 of the close friends earlier in thread..... she now has to backfill a top senior management position, while university goes on its recruitment, long-winded search. So her retirement has been delayed. At least, she  gets  a  bumped, healthy 12-month salary.

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