Man, my GF works so much... can you beat her hours?

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Zeze

Lifer
Mar 4, 2011
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Not everyone is focused on making every dollar they possibly can.

Not everyone is content staying in middle class. It's good to be ambitious.

Oh yea, you can have family and ambition too. They're not mutually exclusive. :)
 

IndyColtsFan

Lifer
Sep 22, 2007
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However, I do think it's worthwhile to put in ridiculous hours if it helps you grow as a professional. I've spent a number of years working anywhere from 60-120 hours a week (for someone else) and that experience helped me grow technically as well as managerially (lots of early mistakes, etc.). Additionally, that bitter experience of slaving away for someone else's bottom line makes me doubly motivated when it comes to running my own company now.

You can grow professionally in a variety of ways without putting in 120 hours every week. There are very few things in life that I enjoy enough to want to spend 120 hrs per week doing them and I sure as heck am not going to spend 120 hours per week, year after year, doing something I hate.
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,418
1,599
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You can grow professionally in a variety of ways without putting in 120 hours every week. There are very few things in life that I enjoy enough to want to spend 120 hrs per week doing them and I sure as heck am not going to spend 120 hours per week, year after year, doing something I hate.

the idea of being big4 is doing it until you burn out and then applying up, cuz big4 experience is valuable.
 

IndyColtsFan

Lifer
Sep 22, 2007
33,655
687
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So, you must be pretty wealthy now as a 40yr old I assume?

Upper middle class. Who said I wanted to be wealthy? Did you miss the post where I said some don't worry about chasing every dollar possible? If I was interested in money, I wouldn't have gone into engineering.
 

Zeze

Lifer
Mar 4, 2011
11,395
1,180
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the idea of being big4 is doing it until you burn out and then applying up, cuz big4 experience is valuable.

Yeah, that's exactly what she's planning on doing. She's only been at PwC for 6 months now. Now having obtained CPA just now, she's outta here after she makes manager promotion (within 1-2 yr).

Then she's back to private companies, planning on (hopefully) making really big money from PwC Big 4 experience.
 

IndyColtsFan

Lifer
Sep 22, 2007
33,655
687
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the idea of being big4 is doing it until you burn out and then applying up, cuz big4 experience is valuable.

Yeah, I understand that. And if that's what people want to do, more power to them. It just isn't something I'd want to do. Heck, I enjoy my profession for the most part and if my boss came to me tomorrow and said "I'm going to double your pay but you're going to need to put in 100 hrs per week," I'd decline.
 

Gibson486

Lifer
Aug 9, 2000
18,378
1
0
the idea of being big4 is doing it until you burn out and then applying up, cuz big4 experience is valuable.

yeah...it's pretty valuable. My gf had to change her linked in account to only accept messages from certain users. Having Deloitte on there was essentially bait for companies to keep bugging her. I wish I had that issue:\
 

Obsy

Senior member
Apr 28, 2009
389
0
0
For over half a decade, my dad "went to work" at 6–7 AM and came home at around midnight, and he did that for 6 or 7 days a week. Yes, he cheats on my mom and neglects our family. He still "goes to work" at 7 or earlier, but comes home at around 9 PM.
 

Zeze

Lifer
Mar 4, 2011
11,395
1,180
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For over half a decade, my dad "went to work" at 6–7 AM and came home at around midnight, and he did that for 6 or 7 days a week. Yes, he cheats on my mom and neglects our family. He still "goes to work" at 7 or earlier, but comes home at around 9 PM.

How about that for a random ass depressing comment of the year straight from left field?
 

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,859
4,976
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Yeah, I understand that. And if that's what people want to do, more power to them. It just isn't something I'd want to do. Heck, I enjoy my profession for the most part and if my boss came to me tomorrow and said "I'm going to double your pay but you're going to need to put in 100 hrs per week," I'd decline.

Totally agree with this. And I make pure crap now... barely enough to survive and keep my head above water. Time is beyond precious and irreplaceable.
 

IndyColtsFan

Lifer
Sep 22, 2007
33,655
687
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Remember the old adage: "Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life." And I hope that those people working all those hours really love what they're doing because if not, they'll wake up one day and regret throwing the time away.
 

Gibson486

Lifer
Aug 9, 2000
18,378
1
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Yeah, that's exactly what she's planning on doing. She's only been at PwC for 6 months now. Now having obtained CPA just now, she's outta here after she makes manager promotion (within 1-2 yr).

Then she's back to private companies, planning on (hopefully) making really big money from PwC Big 4 experience.

If she wants the big bucks at a private company, she will need more than 2 years at PWC.
 

Zeze

Lifer
Mar 4, 2011
11,395
1,180
126
Remember the old adage: "Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life."

What do you do that you absolutely love so much that it's not working at all?

In reality, even things you love doing become work when you make a serious career out of it. But yes, it beats working at shitty job you hate.

I work in a corp as well, but I also love photography and actually made some money doing it on a side.

People keep telling me, "Why don't you pursue your wedding photography?". Fuck no, not in a million years. I love doing photography, but it becomes high pressure work.

I think people who TRULY love their work that it never feels like they're working has to be from entertainment. Man, I'd love to be a rock star.
 

dquan97

Lifer
Jul 9, 2002
12,010
3
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Being in gov't auditing, every week is 40/hrs but the pay (salary) is 10-20% lower than private industry.
 

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,859
4,976
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What do you do that you absolutely love so much that it's not working at all?

In reality, even things you loving doing become work when you make a serious career out of it. But yes, it beats working at shitty job you hate.

I work in a corp as well, but I also love photography and actually made some money doing it on a side.

People keep telling me, "Why don't you pursue your wedding photography?". Fuck no, not in a million years. I love doing photography, but it becomes high pressure work.

I think people who TRULY love their work that it never feels like they're working has to be from entertainment. Man, I'd love to be a rock star.

I think you're taking the phrase a tad too literally.

Coincidentally I know 2 photographers (primarily wedding) a couple of professional musicians, a professional record producer and they all LOVE their work. LOOOOOOVE it. It is not "work" to them while they are doing it. Does it take them away from their personal lives? Yes. But its not "work"
 

IndyColtsFan

Lifer
Sep 22, 2007
33,655
687
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What do you do that you absolutely love so much that it's not working at all?

Definitely not my job -- hence the reason I'd never put in tons and tons of hours on a regular basis. :D I didn't make the old saying, I'm just repeating it.

In reality, even things you loving doing become work when you make a serious career out of it. But yes, it beats working at shitty job you hate.

I work in a corp as well, but I also love photography and actually made some money doing it on a side.

People keep telling me, "Why don't you pursue your wedding photography?". Fuck no, not in a million years. I love doing photography, but it becomes high pressure work.

I think people who TRULY love their work that it never feels like they're working has to be from entertainment. Man, I'd love to be a rock star.

I think you're right, but even movie stars and singers occasionally bitch about how hard their lives are. I just can't imagine enjoying being an auditor enough to spend 100 hrs/week doing it. I've been involved in lots of audits (SOX, network/security, etc) and it just seemed mind-numbingly boring and no challenge at all.
 

Zeze

Lifer
Mar 4, 2011
11,395
1,180
126
I think you're taking the phrase a tad too literally.

Coincidentally I know 2 photographers (primarily wedding) a couple of professional musicians, a professional record producer and they all LOVE their work. LOOOOOOVE it. It is not "work" to them while they are doing it. Does it take them away from their personal lives? Yes. But its not "work"

Man, no one 'loves' dealing with bridezillas and general 'retail' end of photography. I belong to a prof photog group too. NO ONE.
 

JS80

Lifer
Oct 24, 2005
26,271
7
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Yeah, I understand that. And if that's what people want to do, more power to them. It just isn't something I'd want to do. Heck, I enjoy my profession for the most part and if my boss came to me tomorrow and said "I'm going to double your pay but you're going to need to put in 100 hrs per week," I'd decline.

Except in our industry, it's the opposite. The higher you move up, the less hours you work, and more parabolic the salary increases. Pay is very top heavy because we get to take advantage of paying someone $50k to work 80 hours a week. Everyone that goes in to public accounting knows this and does it for the potential money.
 

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,859
4,976
126
Man, no one 'loves' dealing with bridezillas and general 'retail' end of photography. I belong to a prof photog group too. NO ONE.

I assure you, these two guys love it.
They have carved out a very unique niche. Are there some shitty days? Yeah. But all in all, they love their work.