I went from a 10 hour day, 1.5 hour commute (45min/way), with no/little stress, decent money to 8 hour day (including a long lunch), 40 minute commute (20 min/way), high stress, and ability to make a lot of money and learn a lot.
What do you prefer regarding work and stress
- Thread starter RKS
- Start date
Honestly? It's always been about the money, it's the only reason I work. I couldn't care less about anything else. They call it work for a reason, it isn't supper happy fun play time, it's work.
more money usually comes with more stress
At a couple of my previous jobs, they were low-stress, low hour jobs with a lower salary
My current job pays more, but comes with lots of stress and long hours. Beside the pay, this job looks better on paper and provides more perks, benefits, prestige, and opportunity to learn.
Sometimes you just have to suck it up and keep moving forward if you want to get ahead.
At a couple of my previous jobs, they were low-stress, low hour jobs with a lower salary
My current job pays more, but comes with lots of stress and long hours. Beside the pay, this job looks better on paper and provides more perks, benefits, prestige, and opportunity to learn.
Sometimes you just have to suck it up and keep moving forward if you want to get ahead.
More stress=more compensation
I would say you have a massive gain though. You gained 2 hrs 45 min in "not work" time. Thats over 13 hours/wk you have gained to do with what you please, AND are making more money.
I would say you have a massive gain though. You gained 2 hrs 45 min in "not work" time. Thats over 13 hours/wk you have gained to do with what you please, AND are making more money.
Tweak155
Lifer
- Sep 23, 2003
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I work out of house 4 days a week for a company 10.5 hrs per shift. Which comes out to 0 drive time which I love.
The job is friggin easy though and I'd prob change jobs just for a change up because I get so bored. However, I get paid pretty well for working out of home (prob about ~60k this year) and it would take a much nicer salary to get me out of it.
The job is friggin easy though and I'd prob change jobs just for a change up because I get so bored. However, I get paid pretty well for working out of home (prob about ~60k this year) and it would take a much nicer salary to get me out of it.
Atomic Playboy
Lifer
- Feb 6, 2007
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I love the mentality that work should be stressful, that we should fill our lives with all this strife in the pursuit of money, with the only deomstrative measure of success being wealth. In one hundred years, your name will likely be remembered by a handful of people, at best; in a thousand, you won't even be a memory anymore, lost to history, unless you had the good fortune to start a global war (which, let's face it, is unlikely). Our lives are inconsequential, and for all the money we will make, it will not make us immortal. Why do we sweat and toil so? Give me a beach chair, a vast, uncaring ocean and no responsibilities in the world and let me live and die destitute and happy.
Of course it would be just bully if I struck the Lotto.
Of course it would be just bully if I struck the Lotto.
HannibalX
Diamond Member
- May 12, 2000
- 9,359
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I agree somewhat. I do agree people torture themselves over work unnecessarily. Sometimes though it can be difficult to avoid depending on what you do for a living or who you work for.
I am a believer in the old saying "I work to live, I don't live to work". Everything is relative though, consider that some people like and enjoy being workaholics as much as you enjoy not being those things.
Atomic Playboy
Lifer
- Feb 6, 2007
- 16,432
- 1
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Exactly. To each their own. If someone enjoys work, more power to them. But the attitude expressed by spidey07 and krunchykrome, specifically "it isn't supper happy fun play time, it's work," and "sometimes you just have to suck it up and keep moving forward if you want to get ahead," do not indicate people who love to work, but who determine success as commensurate with wealth, a metric that devalues personal happiness and satisfaction (which are hard to quantify anyway). My comment was primarily intended as a devil's advocate position to that mentality.
MagnusTheBrewer
IN MEMORIAM
- Jun 19, 2004
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I have no problem with stress created by the work you do. I do have a problem with additional stress created by the people you work for. I call it false drama. SOP's which only benefit the accountants, policies in which the negative aspects clearly outweigh the positive ones and, upper management's inability to make decisions in a timely manner are but a few examples of this kind of false drama.
The stress in my job I can handle however, I refuse to take on the stress of other folks being unable to handle theirs.
The stress in my job I can handle however, I refuse to take on the stress of other folks being unable to handle theirs.
BoomerD
No Lifer
- Feb 26, 2006
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Stress can't hurt you if you just don't care.
That doesn't mean you don't do your job to the best of your abilities...you just don't need to let shit bother you.
(yeah, I know, it sounds easier than it is...but you CAN do it if you try.)
Remember...
don't sweat the petty things and
don't pet the sweaty things.
That doesn't mean you don't do your job to the best of your abilities...you just don't need to let shit bother you.
(yeah, I know, it sounds easier than it is...but you CAN do it if you try.)
Remember...
don't sweat the petty things and
don't pet the sweaty things.
RichUK
Lifer
- Feb 14, 2005
- 10,341
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What do you expect?
Today I spent 3 hours in the project office with my design team (conference calls etc), just over an hour travelling for an almost 3 hour long meeting with our delivery partner to discuss some new processes, then on to the customer?s site to speak with the various department authorities, and then back home to finish my personal admin for the day, which includes preparing for a meeting tomorrow with my programme managers.
So, that?s a 6:45am start (the time I left the house) ?til about 6:30pm when I got back home, and then on ?til about 9pm (or longer) when I finally finish the day?s work.
Oh, and it?s not as if I schedule in breaks, as I usually just get a bite to eat on the fly - so it can be a damn long day, but it?s very rewarding. I can honestly say that I wholeheartedly enjoy what I do for a living.
I can?t complain, though, contract project management pays very well.
Today I spent 3 hours in the project office with my design team (conference calls etc), just over an hour travelling for an almost 3 hour long meeting with our delivery partner to discuss some new processes, then on to the customer?s site to speak with the various department authorities, and then back home to finish my personal admin for the day, which includes preparing for a meeting tomorrow with my programme managers.
So, that?s a 6:45am start (the time I left the house) ?til about 6:30pm when I got back home, and then on ?til about 9pm (or longer) when I finally finish the day?s work.
Oh, and it?s not as if I schedule in breaks, as I usually just get a bite to eat on the fly - so it can be a damn long day, but it?s very rewarding. I can honestly say that I wholeheartedly enjoy what I do for a living.
I can?t complain, though, contract project management pays very well.
that was a nice day dream from the real world....but
children's college education, who will pay for that?
vacations, comfortable lifestyle...how can you afford that?
Eating well....it's not free
living in a nice area...it's not cheap
retirement...?
Salaries tend to scale with stress levels. However if you're getting a ton of stress and barely making ends meet then you gots a career crisis.
Stress free/Low stress living vs. high income....low stress no contest.
I went from making about $25/hr, medium to high stress, 45 minute drive one way 4 days a week 10-16 hr days) to making $8 part time and going back to school and I could not be happier.
We never did anything too stupid with the money (a few toys here and there but nothing extravagant), saved a bunch and when I voluntarily walked from the company after 17 years I got a decent severance package...that was 2 years ago and I have loved every minute of it.
I enjoy my PT tech support job at the college a hell of a lot more now than I enjoyed my old job...ever.
Th only unknown is what I will do after college....pushing 40 that's kinda scary but not too concerned...I'll cross that bridge when I get there....in the mean time...sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
I went from making about $25/hr, medium to high stress, 45 minute drive one way 4 days a week 10-16 hr days) to making $8 part time and going back to school and I could not be happier.
We never did anything too stupid with the money (a few toys here and there but nothing extravagant), saved a bunch and when I voluntarily walked from the company after 17 years I got a decent severance package...that was 2 years ago and I have loved every minute of it.
I enjoy my PT tech support job at the college a hell of a lot more now than I enjoyed my old job...ever.
Th only unknown is what I will do after college....pushing 40 that's kinda scary but not too concerned...I'll cross that bridge when I get there....in the mean time...sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
Squisher
Lifer
- Aug 17, 2000
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I was going to start a very similar thread as this once I fleshed it out more.
My wife came home the other day ready to quit her job because her boss is an asshole. (btw-he apologized to her today, so I guess I don't have to run out and find a job for myself)
In these hard economic times here in the rust belt, she could have very easily have had to cut her income in half.
My wife came home the other day ready to quit her job because her boss is an asshole. (btw-he apologized to her today, so I guess I don't have to run out and find a job for myself
)In these hard economic times here in the rust belt, she could have very easily have had to cut her income in half.
A lot of it depends on your standards for each of those items. A typical professional job should be able to provide those things with an average or below-average stress level, provided your standards are not too high and you are good at managing money. For example:
Does the child/children need to attend a $50k+/year private school, or will a state school suffice? Do the kids also need to attend private school for elementary, middle, and high school?
What constitutes a "vacation"? Is seeing attractions within one's own state considered a vacation, or do you need to leave the country?
I agree that healthy food is more expensive than unhealthy food, but do you need to only buy organic food, or will healthy food items from the local supermarket brand be good enough?
How nice of an area do you need to live in? How big of a house do you need?
What sort of life do you want to live in retirement?
Your quantified answers to these questions will determine how much money you need, which would in turn determine your stress level to some extent.
Jan-April, work and work-related stress comes home with me everyday, even on weekends. Sometimes, I'll work from home and I usually work saturdays during that time as well.
With the exception of those months, I really try to leave the work-related stress at work when I go home. It's easier said that done though. I"ll often times find myself thinking about "what I have to do tomorrow...deadlines...etc" while I'm at home. I've even had dreams work related....nothing crazy; just dreams about me doing my everyday work.
Atomic Playboy
Lifer
- Feb 6, 2007
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Now hold on a minute. Just because your definition of the "real world" requires a certain level of income to be happy, do not assume that applies equally to everyone. It was your choice to have children, your desire to pay for their education (which I commend you for), your desire to live in an area with a higher cost of living, your desire to pursue activities which cost money. Do not assume that these apply equally to all people.
I see testimonials from New York City stockbrokers, I read about lawyers and doctors, I hear of my cousin, the investment banker in San Francisco who works 100 hours a week, and I find myself questioning their motivation. Somewhere along the line, someone convinced them that money equals happiness, that the larger their bank account, the greater their success. Then I watch the surfer bum in Australia without a dime to his name, without a care in the world, who enjoys his life more than the investment bankers and stockbrokers of the world would ever think possible.
As for me personally? I don't have children, and have no desire to. I have been lucky in life to have been able to pursue an education that was largely furnished by grants. I work a fine job which pays considerably more than I need, but which I am in the process of quitting. I have few personal philosophies, but one of the key ones for this discussion is the belief that you only live life once, so you might as well enjoy it, and stress is not something I find personally enjoyable. I will never put a job above myself, my family, my loved ones. Money comes and goes, but I hope that I never define myself by my bank account or my profession.
Good luck with your work and family, more power to you. I hope your life brings you leisure sooner rather than later.
You use the example of the overworked professionals who don't enjoy their life, but do you know any that seem to have it all - i.e. they work 100 hours/week, make tons of money, yet still have plenty of time to raise a happy family?
Atomic Playboy
Lifer
- Feb 6, 2007
- 16,432
- 1
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Certainly, and more power to them. Some people genuinely love to work and they enjoy life because of it. I think that's commendable. I think people in krome's position who work to support a family are also commendable, but not ideal, as he has already said the stress at work gets to him. Obviously, not everyone is going to be happy at work, but I see far too many people like krome and spidey who resign themselves to an idea that work must be miserable if you want to be successful. I find that such a narrow definition of success that does not fit with my views on what should be the biggest determinant of success; personal satisfaction with life.
I disagree with the notion that stress = more money. I look at success as a mountain, and if you choose to climb it you're going to have to suffer the consequences. The higher you go, the more stressful it tends to be on the body and mind. Reach the top, and the climb back down is increasingly easier on the mind and body, and once you reach the bottom you have the success from reaching the top.
Not sure if that made sense or not, but it does in my head. The point is, sometimes a concentrated level of increased effort can pay multitudes later on. It's generally these people, the people that have climbed up and down the mountain, that have it easier than just about everyone else.
The trouble for most people is that they don't even know there is a mountain to climb at all, and instead spend their careers helping others do the climbing only to find themselves out of energy and with nothing to show for it.
Not sure if that made sense or not, but it does in my head. The point is, sometimes a concentrated level of increased effort can pay multitudes later on. It's generally these people, the people that have climbed up and down the mountain, that have it easier than just about everyone else.
The trouble for most people is that they don't even know there is a mountain to climb at all, and instead spend their careers helping others do the climbing only to find themselves out of energy and with nothing to show for it.
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