Do you love your work?

[mp170.6]

Meanwhile, my aunt who worked at the So Cal College of Optometry as the receptionist until her early-80's recently failed her DMV test two or three times now.  She, too, was forced out by an automated switchboard.   She's 89 now and the last several years, everyday driving to the post office, bank, store, the mall, etc, is about the only thing keeping her active.  She still attends the SCCO luncheons as if she still worked there. 

I have a feeling this isn't going to end well, as stubborn and fiercely independent as she is. 

Her only daughter lives in Wisconsin, and she has no desire to leave the sunny, So Cal house she's lived in since 1955. 

[ten ocho recon scout]

8 hours ago, Don said:

That's where I feel a balance should be struck. It's ok to enjoy your job, but people need to find a way to go and enjoy life outside of that. Which is tough if you live the typical American existence of 10 days PTO/year (and worse for a lot of contractors, which is an ethical shit show, IMO). 

I have a buddy that takes a month off every year to do a solo trip through an area of the world he's never been to. Instead of negotiating salary on his current job, he just talked them in to 20 days of paid vacation per year with the understanding that he'd be unreachable for one month out of the year. Loved that.

That's awesome. To me that would be like your buddy, same as a raise.

The rest of the western world has us beat in that regard. Like you said, most Americans don't get enough time off, so no one gets to enjoy anything.

[ten ocho recon scout]

20 minutes ago, Schildog said:

I got a taking down the other day for being a "9 to 5er"

I work to live not the other way.

Know what you mean. We had a talk the other day about how we need tof put the agency before out personal life...hahaha. sad part is some agreed. (Those trying to promote).

When it's time to work, you have to work.but if you let your job dictate your life (other than you have to be there schedule wise, you have to hold over to finish, things like that), you're doing it wrong.

[Lhalo]

I pretty much hate my job and everything it stands for. It was described to me as something different before I started. I'll be working somewhere else a year from now. 

 

Anyway... carry on. 

[Tank]

2 hours ago, Don said:

I love my work. Different sets of challenges every day (keeps things from becoming boring), 

that's because you have people shooting around you every few weeks.

[Don]

19 minutes ago, Tank said:

that's because you have people shooting around you every few weeks.

Just once every couple years. And my coworkers seem to be well-behaved. It's my personal time that seems to screw everything up.

[arch stanton]

I always loved working on planes. Training others, QC, tech writing, I tolerated those. Now running the simulator there's not a lot of enjoyment in the work but it's an easy job with friendly hours and good pay. I don't complain about much except maybe the location.

[wopphil]

I think I can say that I love my job and career (as much as a job can be loved, that is). I am working in a field that is an excellent fit for my personality, and doing the type of work I have long wanted to do.  My work is engaging and I am always learning. I am rarely bored. And I make good money. 

That being said, my job is way too stressful. There are literally days I take a beta blocker just to stay calm. There are other days, like today, where I work way too many hours in a day (today was about 15 hours). There is little room for error in my work - if I give someone the wrong advice, they may find themselves on the wrong end of a lawsuit. And I take almost no time off. I think I have taken two business days off in 2016 (and have probably worked the equivalent of 15 days across the weekends).

[Adam]

You have really attractive and charming clients though. That's a nice perk

[Vegas Halo Fan]

A former boss once said, "This isn't our lives. This is what we do to pay for our lives." That keeps it in perspective. If we enjoy what we do, it's a bonus.

[ten ocho recon scout]

6 hours ago, wopphil said:

I think I can say that I love my job and career (as much as a job can be loved, that is). I am working in a field that is an excellent fit for my personality, and doing the type of work I have long wanted to do.  My work is engaging and I am always learning. I am rarely bored. And I make good money. 

That being said, my job is way too stressful. There are literally days I take a beta blocker just to stay calm. There are other days, like today, where I work way too many hours in a day (today was about 15 hours). There is little room for error in my work - if I give someone the wrong advice, they may find themselves on the wrong end of a lawsuit. And I take almost no time off. I think I have taken two business days off in 2016 (and have probably worked the equivalent of 15 days across the weekends).

What kind of law are you in, Phil? 

Know what you mean. I cheat because I take a lot of time off to do stuff, but I kill myself in overtime. I've gone on stretches where I have 3 days off in a month, with a bunch of double shifts mixed in. For awhile there I was working Friday days, then would get off at 5 to go sleep for 2 hours, then coming back for another 11 hours on graveyard...I'm an idiot. 

[ten ocho recon scout]

6 hours ago, arch stanton said:

I always loved working on planes. Training others, QC, tech writing, I tolerated those. Now running the simulator there's not a lot of enjoyment in the work but it's an easy job with friendly hours and good pay. I don't complain about much except maybe the location.

Good trade off. Job might bore you, but quality of life is there. Could you get the same job stateside?

[ten ocho recon scout]

5 hours ago, Vegas Halo Fan said:

A former boss once said, "This isn't our lives. This is what we do to pay for our lives." That keeps it in perspective. If we enjoy what we do, it's a bonus.

Exactly. The reality is, we only work to pay for life. Those who think otherwise are doing it wrong. 

When I retire I'll need a second job. I'm saving and investing as much as I can now so that my next career can be lower paying but something I enjoy. Sadly I think my dream job of running the projector at the movies is a thing of the past. 

[arch stanton]

8 minutes ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

Good trade off. Job might bore you, but quality of life is there. Could you get the same job stateside?

For about half the pay and a quarter of the autonomy

[ten ocho recon scout]

2 hours ago, arch stanton said:

For about half the pay and a quarter of the autonomy

In N Out though

[arch stanton]

2 minutes ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

In N Out though

Yeah but the mixed grills and falafels are top notch

[wopphil]

3 hours ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

What kind of law are you in, Phil? 

Employment law, exclusively representing management/ownership (as opposed to former employees/plaintiffs).

[red321]

Life became much better when I realized I didn't love my job...hell, didn't even really like it...but it was an ends to a means. I work to make the money to do the things I really want to do...travel...photograph...experience things. Once I put things in perspective both work, and outside life, became much better.

Sure, I'd love to make a living doing something like photography full-time...but that's not happening anytime soon because people and companies are cheap bastards...but I'm finding it's a nice way to add some additional coin to the bank account.

 

On that note...holidays coming up...school's started...so anyone who needs photos....I'm pretty flippin' good.

[cez]

love actually teaching kids stuff, which is 95% of what i do

makes the other 5% bearable at least

[ten ocho recon scout]

51 minutes ago, red321 said:

Life became much better when I realized I didn't love my job...hell, didn't even really like it...but it was an ends to a means. I work to make the money to do the things I really want to do...travel...photograph...experience things. Once I put things in perspective both work, and outside life, became much better.

Sure, I'd love to make a living doing something like photography full-time...but that's not happening anytime soon because people and companies are cheap bastards...but I'm finding it's a nice way to add some additional coin to the bank account.

 

On that note...holidays coming up...school's started...so anyone who needs photos....I'm pretty flippin' good.

Agree completely. Once I stopped taking work home, and defining myself by my job, my focus became life outside of work. 

Because of that I still have all my hair and no wrinkles as I close in on 40. 

Travel photographer is my "I just won the lottery so I can punch my boss and quit" job too. Can't imagine anything better than heading off around the globe and getting a perfect shot to awe your friends with.

[ten ocho recon scout]

37 minutes ago, cezero said:

love actually teaching kids stuff, which is 95% of what i do

makes the other 5% bearable at least

If it's only 5, that's good. 

People think my job is hard. I honestly don't think I could do what you and tank do. I've toyed with the idea of getting my credential and teaching, because I'd love to teach history. Would absolutely love it. But I deal with so many but those teens that I couldn't hack anything other than teaching college (where they're paying so will pay attention), some all Asian kid school where they are quiet and respectful, or some throwback school from the 40s where I could whack their hands with a pool cue for interrupting.

The teachers in bad districts have my full admiration. 

[ten ocho recon scout]

3 hours ago, arch stanton said:

Yeah but the mixed grills and falafels are top notch

But back here you can go to a bar and drink an Irish car bomb. You're in the land with no bars, or irish.

Advantage CONUS 

[arch stanton]

1 minute ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

But back here you can go to a bar and drink an Irish car bomb. You're in the land with no bars, or irish.

Advantage CONUS 

Not necessarily Irish but plenty of pubs. One staggering distance from where I sit right now. But I have a 4 month old so I don't get out much anyway.

[red321]

25 minutes ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

Agree completely. Once I stopped taking work home, and defining myself by my job, my focus became life outside of work. 

Because of that I still have all my hair and no wrinkles as I close in on 40. 

Travel photographer is my "I just won the lottery so I can punch my boss and quit" job too. Can't imagine anything better than heading off around the globe and getting a perfect shot to awe your friends with.

I have a love/hate relationship with travel photographers and hosts...I hate them because they have a job I would love...dicks

[mp170.6]

Here's a picture of @wopphil loving his job