Does having a 9-5 suck?

[DPmaster]

Think about this...for most people that work 9-5, that's AT LEAST a 1/3 of their day working (that's not even counting the time it takes get to work and go home). Then you factor in they sleep 6-8 hours a day, which is another 1/3 of their day or so.

So in the end, most people spend 2/3 of their life just working and sleeping. Factoring all this in, you are left with a MAXIMUM of 8 hours for "me time". And let's not forget breakfast, lunch, and dinner...

 

[dabuddha]

What's 9-5? 7-5:30 here not counting my commute which is about 30 minutes each way now.

 

[arcenite]

I thought we were talking about the Saab

 

[mugs]

How much do you sleep? If 40 hours account for 70% of your waking hours, you must be sleeping almost 16 hours a day. For me it's more like 30% of my waking hours.

Why do I work for someone else? Because I can't afford to start my own business right now, and even if I could I don't yet have the skills or knowledge to make it succeed. Most people will never have the skills or knowledge to make their own business succeed. Most fail.

Slavery? Are you kidding me? I sit at a desk all day in an air conditioned office. When I have work to do, it's very enjoyable. When I don't, I dork around on the Internet. Woe is me!

 

[meltdown75]

i love it. did anyone else read the USA Today article about the US Marine who is on his third tour of duty in Iraq? Makes you really appreciate being a working stiff...

 

[Saint Nick]

i have a 7:30 - 4:30, 30 minute commute so i leave at about 6:45. and i'll end up coming home about 5:15 - 5:30 each day.

 

[GhettoPeanut]

Originally posted by: sleepmachine
i need to find me a 9-5

go get an art degree, 9 to 5 blows. you go to work, get off work, do errands, go to bed, repeat for the rest of your life

 

[DaFinn]

What do you have against SAABs??? 9-5 is very nice car...

 

[beer]

I don't know any people who really put in juwt 35 hours a week. Most do 50+

 

[Juice Box]

I work the ol' 8-4 during the summer (intern)...not so bad I guess...if you take a few walking breaks and then use your lunch hour wisely...it can fly by

 

[SouthPaW1227]

About the only way you'll avoid a 9-5 (or 3-11, 8-hour days in general) is to work for yourself or inherit lots of money.

The risktakers out there will startup businesses and then barely work at all if successful, but it's risky. Working 40 hours a week for a company is the safe way to get a monthly check to raise yourself and family, that's why most people do it.

I work in an office and it's AMAZINGLY similar to Office Space. I come in each morning and "space out" for about an hour. Then I work about 15 minutes out of each hour on a busy day. Some businesses are most intensive, and if you move "up" you'll obviously get more responsibilities.

However, I can't complain AT ALL. Yes, it's boring at times. But I'm making good money and I'd take boredom over stress any day of the week. I'm thankful I have a solid job, Office Space-ish and all.

EDIT: By the way, my employer offers flextime so I usually come in at 6:00am and leave by like 2:30pm w/ a 30 min. lunch. It SUCKS waking up at 5:00am but wow it's a nice afternoon/evening. I'm pretty sure my ability to leave at 2:30pm helps my outlook. Also, I never work over 40 hours a week. I see my job as a means to an end, and not something I will overexert myself for. When 8 hours is up, I leave regardless. My time is done, and unless I'm paid for more, I'm out.

 

[MetalMat]

I will be working 8-5 , but thank god I wont be stuck in a cubicle all day. When I go do work on offshore oil rigs the hours might be 7-7 some days

 

[Gunslinger08]

I work 8-5, but I usually get in around 8:30 and leave at 5.. I take a half hour unpaid lunch while everyone else takes an hour. I live about 10 minutes from work. So 8:20 to 5:10 everyday. That's not too bad.

 

[zendari]

Originally posted by: Amplifier
I'm just curious. Is office space pretty accurate in describing a 9-5'ers life? Movies usually stretch things but alot of 9-5'ers agree/empathize with the movie (my friends from college definately do).

Maybe I've just misread the whole world and people like spending 70% of their waking hours working for someone else. But the stereotype is that it's a 'grind' where people do the same thing day in and day out.

Also why do people work 9-5's if they hate them so much? And if that's the only way they can make ends meet, isn't that a lightly camouflaged form of slavery?

Your thoughts?

9-5 is nothing. That's 40 hours in a 168 hour week. If you aren't putting in 60 hours you really shouldn't complain.

 

[Kenazo]

I work an 8:30-5 job most of the year. More like a 8:30 - 10pm job during tax season, sometimes more.

 

[733SHiFTY]

9-5 isnt bad, its just the waking up in the morning part that really sucks. If I could find a 10-6 job, that would be perfect...

I cant stand going to bed before midnight, or waking up before 9...

 

[wiredspider]

1pm-12am here

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: SouthPaW1227
About the only way you'll avoid a 9-5 (or 3-11, 8-hour days in general) is to work for yourself or inherit lots of money.

The risktakers out there will startup businesses and then barely work at all if successful, but it's risky. Working 40 hours a week for a company is the safe way to get a monthly check to raise yourself and family, that's why most people do it.

I work in an office and it's AMAZINGLY similar to Office Space. I come in each morning and "space out" for about an hour. Then I work about 15 minutes out of each hour on a busy day. Some businesses are most intensive, and if you move "up" you'll obviously get more responsibilities.

However, I can't complain AT ALL. Yes, it's boring at times. But I'm making good money and I'd take boredom over stress any day of the week. I'm thankful I have a solid job, Office Space-ish and all.

EDIT: By the way, my employer offers flextime so I usually come in at 6:00am and leave by like 2:30pm w/ a 30 min. lunch. It SUCKS waking up at 5:00am but wow it's a nice afternoon/evening. I'm pretty sure my ability to leave at 2:30pm helps my outlook. Also, I never work over 40 hours a week. I see my job as a means to an end, and not something I will overexert myself for. When 8 hours is up, I leave regardless. My time is done, and unless I'm paid for more, I'm out.

I love coming in early, I think being half asleep makes the first few hours go by faster or something. Another important point that your post made me think of is that if you work for yourself it might not be 9 to 5, but you'll spend a heck of a lot more time working than you would if you're working for someone else. At least for the first couple of years you'll be putting in looooong hours. After that your business will most likely fail and you'll go back to the 9 to 5 with less than you started out with.

I know two guys who own(ed) their own businesses. One I worked for when the company was in its infancy. He had an MBA from Wharton, 20 years of management experience, every technical innovation you can buy, and a ton of money starting out. He thought he could just have other people work for him and he'd make a fortune. His business was on the verge of failure when I left. He sold his $800k house and moved into a $200k townhouse last I heard.

The other guy started out with nothing but a big loan, no formal business training or anything like that. He did have a good work ethic though, and he was incredibly successful. He wasn't taking vacations like the first guy was, he was working hard to build his business.

 

[archcommus]

But what about the job security that they present you with in Office Space? That's what seems most disturbing. Firing you JUST so they can hire new kids cheaper and move dudes to Singapore? If every business worked like that, how would anyone keep a job more than five years?

 

[Gibson486]

Depends where you work. At my last job as a frimware engineer, yeah, it was like OfficeSpace. But at my current job, it is nothing like office space.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: 733SHiFTY
9-5 isnt bad, its just the waking up in the morning part that really sucks. If I could find a 10-6 job, that would be perfect...

I cant stand going to bed before midnight, or waking up before 9...

My job will let you do 10-6 (lunch is included in hours) as would my last job...

If you are an Application Engineer, my company is looking for one now.

 

[neutralizer]

Yes, I have the life of Office Space.

I come in the morning and space out for an hour or two neffing. And I actually only get a 1 or 2 hours of real work done.

 

[V00DOO]

9-5 doesn't suck. No job = SUCK!

 

[jspeicher]

wish we were all cavemen

 

[cjgallen]

Originally posted by: neutralizer
Yes, I have the life of Office Space.

I come in the morning and space out for an hour or two neffing. And I actually only get a 1 or 2 hours of real work done.

That's what my job was like. Glad I quit.