Maybe your job will be the death of you

[wtburnette]

I spend almost 70 hours at work every week. Granted that 32 hours of that is sleeping and getting paid for it, but I'm away from Thurs at 0600 to Monday evening sometime. Worst part for me is all the time I spend sitting.

Some jobs do not lend themselves to 8 hour schedules...

 

[gregkl]

I had a bunch of stuff written, but deleted it.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I spend almost 70 hours at work every week. Granted that 32 hours of that is sleeping and getting paid for it, but I'm away from Thurs at 0600 to Monday evening sometime. Worst part for me is all the time I spend sitting.

I'm "at work" 24/7 now, and have been since mid-March of last year. (I work from home. )

 

[teddy12b]

Honestly, I'm not on the do the bare minimum to get by in life bandwagon. I spent my 20's working all day, going to school at night and balancing the reserves on the weekends. I can count the number of weeks I didn't work overtime in a week on my hands during this time. It was tough, it hardened me and focused me on getting things done. When I had moments to look around at peers who were out having parties all the time and doing whatever they wanted I was jealous, but knew I wanted to make a life for myself. Later in my 30's all that was behind me and I was able to look at those same peers and how the struggles of responsibilities and adulting were weights they weren't equipped to bear and they've started to severely struggle. Now in my 40's, I live in my dream home, with my dream family and doing my dream job that some days I can't stand, and some days I have to work late or weekends. That helps me provide a great life for my family, and a great ability to spend quality time with friends and family today. If that means I get an occasional phone call while on vacation or have to work a late night or early morning here and there, then suck it up buttercup. While doing all of this every year I've crossed something off my bucket list. It's usually a small trip or an event that is planned a year or so out that gives me a dream and glimmer of hope to look forward to. Yeah I've put in a lot of overtime, but I've also been bear hunting in Maine, Ontario (multiple times), deer hunting in Michigan and Wisconsin multiple times. I've been able to go to shooting competitions, go fly fishing, and do trips like Alaska because I had put in the time working, made a plan and managed the funds to do that. The guys who everyone can set the clock by when 8 hours hits usually can't say the same thing.

I follow the work hard, play hard mentality. All work and no play is bad, All play and no work is equally as bad.

As far as $15 an hour, personally I think fast food workers do work hard and it's nobody's dream job, but for some folks that's going to be as good of an opportunity as life throws at them and I won't resent them for that. Whether or not they should be paid $15 an hour or not should be up to the company they work for and the free market if we still had such a thing.

 

[KLB]

True, but even in the service and information age, it's pretty easy to get an entry level job that you can work up to a career. Take the IT arena, a 2 year degree in IT, or while you're still in college can get your foot in the door for helpdesk work, which you can easily work for a couple years and advance if you know what you're doing. The same is true for Information Security, the field I work in. We've hired people with a 2 year degree and a desire to learn and do the job. They didn't have experience in the field, just a 2 year degree and desire to do the job. Some employers ask for a lot more, but it's still possible to find entry level jobs you can work up in, though it often will now require you to find a new employer every 2 - 3 years in order to advance.

That has always been true for a lot of IT.

 

[trimman83]

I sent that OP out to a friend I think gives too much of his life to The Company. I know full well he must have reasons I don't know about. I'm just sure It is taking life from his years.

In '17 I had a pancreatic surgery that went well. Due to a malfunction during recovery, I legit had my life saved by people that happened to be physically close to me, four times. I then lost enough blood for 7 people during one operation.

After your head clears and you learn to walk and shave again, you don't look back and wish you had worked more OT. Maybe it is my low-dose mind medicine and poor man's Prozac(ES Excedrin), but I started my retirement when I was able to get out of my chair. I still work as I think I will, hopefully, for the rest of my life, but I only do the work that I truly enjoy. I do a little hunting and fishing when the season is right.

 

[teddy12b]

I sent that OP out to a friend I think gives too much of his life to The Company. I know full well he must have reasons I don't know about. I'm just sure It is taking life from his years.

In '17 I had a pancreatic surgery that went well. Due to a malfunction during recovery, I legit had my life saved by people that happened to be physically close to me, four times. I then lost enough blood for 7 people during one operation.

After your head clears and you learn to walk and shave again, you don't look back and wish you had worked more OT. Maybe it is my low-dose mind medicine and poor man's Prozac(ES Excedrin), but I started my retirement when I was able to get out of my chair. I still work as I think I will, hopefully, for the rest of my life, but I only do the work that I truly enjoy. I do a little hunting and fishing when the season is right.

Those "wake up" moments put everything in perspective and I couldn't agree more. There's a lot to be said for taking some reverence in every moment that we're given, but there's a balance with keeping food on the table too. I'm glad you recovered and have kept working. Most of the guys I've seen who are "retired" find something to keep them busy and without that it's just a matter of time left wasting away on a chair in front of the TV until the clock runs out.

My wake up moments were when working for Uncle Sam and watching life go by in my 20's. I don't want to spend every waking moment of my life at work, and hopefully I've laid the ground work that I won't have to, but that's also why I schedule something out each year that gets me as far from my daily life as possible.
Imagine people that work their entire life, and love the outdoors, but never make a trip to Alaska or wherever. In late August a round trip flight to Alaska is less than $400. Once you get there or any other place you can write your own story, traveling for me is when I get a chance to break away and really soak in the moments of a lifetime.

 

[Thor]

Workaholics are the least productive workers. They spend way too much time doing busy work and get less done than someone who works a standard day effectively. They also tend to be micromanagers who obsess over everyone else and what they are doing ruining their productivity.

Do your job well, then go home and enjoy our family.

 

[wtburnette]

Workaholics are the least productive workers. They spend way too much time doing busy work and get less done than someone who works a standard day effectively. They also tend to be micromanagers who obsess over everyone else and what they are doing ruining their productivity.

Do your job well, then go home and enjoy our family.

My buddy was a perfect example of this when we worked together back in 97. He took his sweet time with everything, took long breaks, long lunches and such just to make the work day longer. He was unofficially required to put in at least 60 hours a week, so he stretched his 40 hour week to do it. To be fair, he worked his butt off and got stuff done, but it always irritated me as I was a get sh!t done asap kinda guy.

 

[HoughMade]

I work 5 days a week for the $, 1 day a week at home and take one day (mostly) off. Sometimes I have to work 6 or 7 days a week for the $, but not all the time. Also, for the past 9 or so months, I have been coming home and putting in 2 or 3 hours a night on diy stuff, so these are not hard and fast rules.

6 days of work, 1 of rest. I came up with that idea all on my own.

One piece of advice I have given my kids (and anyone else who will listen) is that you want to have a career arc that becomes less and less dependent upon physical labor over the age of 40. That can mean a "sit down" job, but it can also mean that you are supervising others, or perhaps just an apprentice or 2. However, if a guy is over 50, it's cool to show the young guys he can still work hard...but probably not for the best long term.

As for working long hours, granted I do not have a physical job (see above), but I see no problem with long hours as long as they are not forever. I did very long hours in my 20s and 30s, less in my 40s, but accomplished more. It helps to be doing something you enjoy and having an ownership stake. I choose to work the hours I work and it is not imposed, except by circumstances. That makes all the difference. I have no plans to fully retire...I will have the ability, but no intention to.

 

[Thor]

Sometimes the mission requires additional hours...but it shouldn't be a habit.

 

[JettaKnight]

I work 5 days a week for the $, 1 day a week at home and take one day (mostly) off. Sometimes I have to work 6 or 7 days a week for the $, but not all the time. Also, for the past 9 or so months, I have been coming home and putting in 2 or 3 hours a night on diy stuff, so these are not hard and fast rules.

6 days of work, 1 of rest. I came up with that idea all on my own.

One piece of advice I have given my kids (and anyone else who will listen) is that you want to have a career arc that becomes less and less dependent upon physical labor over the age of 40. That can mean a "sit down" job, but it can also mean that you are supervising others, or perhaps just an apprentice or 2. However, if a guy is over 50, it's cool to show the young guys he can still work hard...but probably not for the best long term.

As for working long hours, granted I do not have a physical job (see above), but I see no problem with long hours as long as they are not forever. I did very long hours in my 20s and 30s, less in my 40s, but accomplished more. It helps to be doing something you enjoy and having an ownership stake. I choose to work the hours I work and it is not imposed, except by circumstances. That makes all the difference. I have no plans to fully retire...I will have the ability, but no intention to.

For me, my sit down job is too much sitting. I gotta get out walking more mid-day.

 

[wtburnette]

For me, my sit down job is too much sitting. I gotta get out walking more mid-day.

My job is all sit down, so I understand. I'm lucky enough that usually I can take a break every hour or so to walk around, or stand for meetings, etc. Working from home has some definite advantages.

 

[teddy12b]

However, if a guy is over 50, it's cool to show the young guys he can still work hard...but probably not for the best long term.

I agree with this completely. As we get older, we transition from player to coach. It's good for the team to see the coach get back in the game every now and then though too. Always a big boost in moral.

 

[flatlander]

I'm tired of mandatory overtime. Not knowing if you are going to work 8 hrs or 16 every time you go in is old. I can still out work pretty much everybody but my mental health has become more important.
I applied for S.S. last week and have another real job that I'll enjoy all lined up. **** it, I'm done dealing with the politics involved at my job.

 

[wtburnette]

I agree with this completely. As we get older, we transition from player to coach. It's good for the team to see the coach get back in the game every now and then though too. Always a big boost in moral.

It also stifles some of those comments of "you've been away from the work for so long you don't understand what we go through".

 

[teddy12b]

It also stifles some of those comments of "you've been away from the work for so long you don't understand what we go through".

Exactly. Doesn't matter what you've done in the past. If someone else is doing that for 5 minutes and hasn't seen you doing it yet then it never happened.

 

[teddy12b]

I'm tired of mandatory overtime. Not knowing if you are going to work 8 hrs or 16 every time you go in is old. I can still out work pretty much everybody but my mental health has become more important.
I applied for S.S. last week and have another real job that I'll enjoy all lined up. **** it, I'm done dealing with the politics involved at my job.

That would get old. Going into every day that's a cluster (*&^% is hard to plan a life around. At some point something has to give.

 

[phylodog]

If I’ve learned anything from the Democrat party it’s that working is for chumps.

 

[mmpsteve]

My job is all sit down, so I understand. I'm lucky enough that usually I can take a break every hour or so to walk around, or stand for meetings, etc. Working from home has some definite advantages.

I don't like wearing pants either, but alas, my job requires it. Lucky you.

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