Forgot the college loans.
Jerbs.
- Thread starter 4xBoy
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I've seen the added workload, stress, people management, anal reaming and responsibility that managers all have and face here. I've told my boss and HR manager (now director), that no I don't want that and no I won't ever apply for it, thank you though.
The automotive manufacturing industry is brutal, from what I see of it. Not so bad on the IT side, when stuff works. But alas, the $$$$ is tight.
I quite enjoy my senior position on the team now, where my boss actively encourages me to delegate stuff out to the juniors.
In the next year or two I think I'll start shopping myself around, as by then I will have completed some very large projects and participated in some other ones. I think I can and should be better $ for my quality of work and eye for detail.
The automotive manufacturing industry is brutal, from what I see of it. Not so bad on the IT side, when stuff works. But alas, the $$$$ is tight.
I quite enjoy my senior position on the team now, where my boss actively encourages me to delegate stuff out to the juniors.
In the next year or two I think I'll start shopping myself around, as by then I will have completed some very large projects and participated in some other ones. I think I can and should be better $ for my quality of work and eye for detail.
I've been salary almost exclusively and in Oregon, IT is straight time for overtime, so you'd be lucky to get 40 hours out of me. But going from $18/hr to $85k/year in like 6 years was a rush.
Of course I was making $10/hr driving tow truck for a little bit after that fucking bubble, but it gave me a whole new perspective.
I had something like that happen after I graduated college, but not that steep of a curve.
Had always made just above minimum wage, so like what 14-15/hr? Then made basically nothing through college and landed a job - the one I have now. The pay was almost double anything I had made before, it was awesome.
and then I realized how much I was going to pay in taxes. Ouch.
wow, tow truck drivers were making $25 + an hour here during the recession, and more like $35-40 for reliable, careful ones here these days.
I was making about $10/hr on unemployment and I actually got benefits driving truck, so it was better than sitting at home waiting for an interview. This was '02ish timeframe.
$10/hr salary plus 25% (or $25, whichever was more) of tow bill when on call 2 nights a week. I worked for an awesome company that taught me a ton about winch recovery. My truck was built to do high dollar winch jobs. I also towed UPS trucks and RV's up to 40'. Technically I was supposed to have a class a license because my truck had air brakes, but nobody checked.
I am paid,...good.. actually really good for being a machinist.
I run, program, rebuild, swiss machines ( if that is on an consern)
Even the people who sell me machines offer me a job.
Was asked if I should fire someone today.
Back to wondering if I am paid enough.
I run, program, rebuild, swiss machines ( if that is on an consern)
Even the people who sell me machines offer me a job.
Was asked if I should fire someone today.
Back to wondering if I am paid enough.
What Swiss machines? Like Schaublin, Mikron, Hauser, Fehlmann and Aciera?
Regarding jerbs. Quality of life is worth so much. There should be a calculation for that in addition to the dollars. Like a comfort/discomfort coefficient.
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Trying to add something useful to the discussion, but I’m too busy working overtime and stressing out about projects.
In all seriousness, I spent way too much time over the years working long hours and weekends, and laying in bed at night thinking about unfinished tasks at work. 50-60 hour weeks are pretty common in Architecture. I did it because I care a great deal about the quality of my work, and if I’m being honest, because I wanted more money.
Wound up in the ER with chest pains last year. All tests came back normal, but my doctor insists it was probably stress related. He’s probably right. I still stress too much about work, but I’m slowly learning to give less of a shit. And I work 40 hours a week now.
In all seriousness, I spent way too much time over the years working long hours and weekends, and laying in bed at night thinking about unfinished tasks at work. 50-60 hour weeks are pretty common in Architecture. I did it because I care a great deal about the quality of my work, and if I’m being honest, because I wanted more money.
Wound up in the ER with chest pains last year. All tests came back normal, but my doctor insists it was probably stress related. He’s probably right. I still stress too much about work, but I’m slowly learning to give less of a shit. And I work 40 hours a week now.
My wife and I recently finished building 2 rental apartments behind our house. Just need to rent them out now. I would like to continue to work with DH bikes/riders and I would also like a raise. So, like this I’m hopefully giving myself one. Seems like it’ll work.
This is where my wife was at. She made damn good money as a dental hygienist but it was hard on her body working long hours in unnatural positions. She now works from home doing dental screening for a large insurance company.
It pays less than half what she made, but the benefits are insane and she's at home with the dogs all day. I make enough money, she's just no longer my sugar mama.
Yeah nice! Sounds like you guys have a nice rhythm.
Stepping back is a hard choice to make, in our culture, for many reasons.
My wife works 3 days a week at a mental hospital (gnarly) and sends her DH bike or snowboard the rest of the week. She always felt judged for not working full time from her Swiss culture.
work stress can be a biatch. how you decompress is key to managing your health as well s job performance. In Fire we deconstructed every call asap. What went right, what went wrong, how could we do things better? and most importantly we checked on each other. We asked are you OK and if we could tell someone was not right we called the Chief and asked to have a professional counselor come up to the station. As the medic sometimes the stress could be intense. If I guessed wrong people could die in my hands. I would go into an altered mental state sometimes where I would be reacting so fast to changing conditions that at the end of it all my head was screwed on backwards and I would be second guessing myself and wondering if I checked this or that. Thankfully there would usually be someone else on the team filling out the patient care record as I went and I could reconstruct things. We had one day that went so sideways that they pulled two engine crews off line, we had Battalion Chiefs and 6 counselors spend 6 hours talking to us. we were sent home for two weeks with daily follow-ups. the calls: Crotch rocket doing 100 hit an SUV and ended up in the back seat on top of little kids where he died, the kid were critical and got flown out. An hour later a family member of one of our guys that lived near the station put a bullet in her head and died in our arms. total mid fuck of a day. I went though 12 years of that kind of stuff and another 8 on Ambulances. I am not certain that my head will ever be on straight. At least I no longer have nightmares. Anger issues yes....
So if the jerb is causing you sleepless nights just say fuck it and find something fun to do.
So if the jerb is causing you sleepless nights just say fuck it and find something fun to do.
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I'm a teacher....we definitely aren't paid that well, but I do get all of my holidays off and summers (for the most part...I do have some annual trainings etc. for certification maintenance). With a Master's Degree and 2 Bachelor's I should probably make more than I do, but I have never met a teacher who does it for the $ either.
My experience with it is as my Mom as an elementary teacher and then myself with a short stint as a professor at a university. This is a job where they use the "exempt employee" excuse to keep you from earning overtime and where you are required to work (in the school months) far in excess of 8 hour days much of the time. Hell, my mom would sometimes employ us kids to help her and grade after school or on weekends. I remember how much of the time she was gone and how hard that was on the family. The intention of this rule is for highly-paid professionals like doctors, lawyers, etc., but educators are in there too and public and private institutions abuse the hell out of this. It's pretty fucked up how little they pay and then how much work you are expected to do "for free".
Wise words!
This.
I know I keep saying it, but I'll repeat:
"No one ever died wishing they had spent more time at work."
I know that of all the things that went through my head the night I drowned in my own blood in the back of an ambulance, not a single one of them had any thing to do with "work" or "career". I reflect on that regularly and it's a huge part of the reason I just recently turned down what was quite arguably a "better" job
I tell all of Haley's teachers that if they need anything for class, to let me know. If I can facilitate it, they will have it. There is zero reason they need to pay for things when they get paid as little as they do.
Told my boss when he came on that I work 40hrs because I'm paid for that. If they want to work more, then it needs to be stipulated that I work that many hours and my pay needs to be adjusted accordingly. He hasn't pushed me on it in nearly 3yrs.
Running offices nationwide now apparently has me on call, to a degree, until up to 7:30/8:00 at night. If for some reason I don't answer there appears to be panic, all of which I get to deal with and think about until the West coast gets into the office the next morning.
I feel grateful for the opportunities I've been given, but I think it's time...
I feel grateful for the opportunities I've been given, but I think it's time...
Having the same boss for 3 years only happened to me once, same for my wife. I typically see a new boss every 3-12 months.
I have had the same boss for 15 years. Of course he is the Founder and CEO of the company and I am employee hire #1 and he knows I have skills that the company needs and he doesn't have. For the most part he leaves me the fuck alone until he needs me to "Fix" something or someone.
just shy of 10 years and i average a new boss every 2 years. currently on boss #5. note i am in the same role.
I usually job hop, longest boss (lol) was 4 years. He was a prick- I hope he stubs his toe getting into bed this evening.
I use the term "funemployed"
During the heyday of warmongering, I had 3 contractors in a bidding war before I got hit on active duty. Highest offer was 80k up front, 275k lump sum, tax free for 6 months but you had to live in order to spend it.
I've had it a bunch. The one prior was only my boss temporarily while they hired previous guy's (who I never met) replacement. Before that 4yrs until I left, before that, 4yrs until I left (with one 1mos stint where another manager sent me back because he couldn't handle my "directness"), etc.
I tend to keep bosses. It's part of why I stay around - good bosses. I have left because of bad bosses though, multiple times.
I haven't even been many places more than 2 years. A lot of 12-18 month contracts on my resume.
But also at least half the companies on my resume are either gone or purchased. My plan is to stick it out here if possible. But I've only been here 2 years and I've had 4 different bosses already.
I seemed to fall ass over backwards into a decent career with a decent company where I generally like my coworkers and most of the bosses I've had. I like the work, they trust me to do the work I think I should do, and I'm 100% remote so I spend my time in places that let me hike to views like this one from last weekend:
I feel pretty lucky. If shit goes south, I live well below my means and could afford to take my time finding another gig.
But I think living below your means (if possible) is key to a good work/life balance. If you can afford to tell your boss to eff off, it's a lot easier to treat your job as transactional; you don't need the raise or the title, so you don't have to kill yourself trying to get them.
I feel pretty lucky. If shit goes south, I live well below my means and could afford to take my time finding another gig.
But I think living below your means (if possible) is key to a good work/life balance. If you can afford to tell your boss to eff off, it's a lot easier to treat your job as transactional; you don't need the raise or the title, so you don't have to kill yourself trying to get them.