4 ms·

I gave way too much to more than one job when I was young. As I transitioned into my 30's I began to think very differently about work. It wasn't my #1 priority

I gave way too much to more than one job when I was young. As I transitioned into my 30's I began to think very differently about work. It wasn't my #1 priority anymore. By the time I coasted into my 40's I was just looking for somewhere I could become a number and disappear. A good paying Corporate job or contracting.I like environments where a huge bureaucracy exists to slow things down. Ride it out to retirement. It's working out well for me. Don't have a lot of piss and vinegar left. Like to enjoy my family, my cars, travel, quiet times. I can piddle a whole day away just messing around in the garage and it feels so rewarding. I think it is the Spanish who have a saying....."It's nice to relax after a day of doing nothing".

ams6110 10y ago
This is what a lot of 25 year olds who say "I can't imagine ever not working, not learning new stuff" don't understand. Of course they can't imagine it. I couldn't either when I was 25. But when you're 50, you can really feel like there are better things to do than work your ass off for someone else's benefit or entertainment.
- hobo_mark 10y ago
  There's a wide spectrum between GP's "doing the least I can get away with" and your "slaving for the man". This week I have to be on holiday, so I'll be working on a project I love and "learning new stuff", for nobody else's benefit or entertainment other than my own.
  - pavel_lishin 10y ago
    I think it varies by character. My stepfather only really stopped working when he suffered a pretty serious stroke. Prior to that, even when he wasn't employed, he was still working in his home lab, inventing stuff. (He's an electrical engineer, not a super villain or a crank - he wasn't inventing death rays or anti-gravity, but he holds a couple of patents on inventions that have made other people a few million dollars or so. Plus, during one of his "retirements", he worked on the gas chromatograph on the Phoenix lander.) On the other hand, I'm more likely to fall into Employee Number Whatsit situation - we have a seven month old kid, and there are definitely days when I wish I could just coast along with my red stapler until she turns 18 and moves out of the house, to say nothing of really putting in time to work on projects and hobbies at home.
  - nandemo 10y ago
    > I'll be working on a project I love and "learning new stuff", for nobody else's benefit or entertainment other than my own. Honestly, that might just be a less self-deprecating way of describing "I can piddle a whole day away just messing around in the garage and it feels so rewarding".
- Lxr 10y ago
  I'm in my late 20s, I see my friends chasing high stress jobs working for other people's benefit and honestly don't understand it. Why would I want to be an investment banker working 60 hour weeks when I could build something at my own pace and enjoy it?
  - kajjffkk 10y ago
    Some investment bankers enjoy their 60 hour work weeks. Ideally at least.
    - yarou 10y ago
      They enjoy the part that comes after - intense binge drinking on a daily basis.
- IndianAstronaut 10y ago
  I just realized this at 32. I was working 10 to 12 hours a day for the job. Ignoring friends, my health, hobbies, etc. It was fine for a bit since I was doing well at work. But I realized it meant nothing to the managers. I made one mistake and now all that hard work is ignored and the mistake is being dwelt on. I could have enjoyed myself the last few months and still have been in the same spot.
germinalphrase 10y ago
I teach high school. I love working with the kids, but then I look at my 50hrs+/wk (yes, really) and can't help but feel like pushing into business for the pay bump - or find a desk job for the same take home and have my evenings/weekends to myself. Always greener pastures elsewhere...
- whoozhat 10y ago
  Well, you get 4 months off during the year (Christmas break + summer). Any other business jobs, you only get 1 month off at most.
  - germinalphrase 10y ago
    Breaks aren't quite as rich as that (nor are they free from work obligations) - but the point stands and is certainly part of the calculation.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
dasmoth 10y ago
38 here, and while the way I think about work has changed somewhat, the "bureaucracy to slow things down" aspect remains, if anything, more soul-destroying. If I have to spend time at work, I really, really, don't want the feeling it's just a burned offering to the gods of process. Still time for this to change, but I'm starting to doubt it will.

ams6110 10y ago

This is what a lot of 25 year olds who say "I can't imagine ever not working, not learning new stuff" don't understand. Of course they can't imagine it. I couldn't either when I was 25. But when you're 50, you can really feel like there are better things to do than work your ass off for someone else's benefit or entertainment.

hobo_mark 10y ago
There's a wide spectrum between GP's "doing the least I can get away with" and your "slaving for the man". This week I have to be on holiday, so I'll be working on a project I love and "learning new stuff", for nobody else's benefit or entertainment other than my own.
- pavel_lishin 10y ago
  I think it varies by character. My stepfather only really stopped working when he suffered a pretty serious stroke. Prior to that, even when he wasn't employed, he was still working in his home lab, inventing stuff. (He's an electrical engineer, not a super villain or a crank - he wasn't inventing death rays or anti-gravity, but he holds a couple of patents on inventions that have made other people a few million dollars or so. Plus, during one of his "retirements", he worked on the gas chromatograph on the Phoenix lander.) On the other hand, I'm more likely to fall into Employee Number Whatsit situation - we have a seven month old kid, and there are definitely days when I wish I could just coast along with my red stapler until she turns 18 and moves out of the house, to say nothing of really putting in time to work on projects and hobbies at home.
- nandemo 10y ago
  > I'll be working on a project I love and "learning new stuff", for nobody else's benefit or entertainment other than my own. Honestly, that might just be a less self-deprecating way of describing "I can piddle a whole day away just messing around in the garage and it feels so rewarding".
Lxr 10y ago
I'm in my late 20s, I see my friends chasing high stress jobs working for other people's benefit and honestly don't understand it. Why would I want to be an investment banker working 60 hour weeks when I could build something at my own pace and enjoy it?
- kajjffkk 10y ago
  Some investment bankers enjoy their 60 hour work weeks. Ideally at least.
  - yarou 10y ago
    They enjoy the part that comes after - intense binge drinking on a daily basis.
IndianAstronaut 10y ago
I just realized this at 32. I was working 10 to 12 hours a day for the job. Ignoring friends, my health, hobbies, etc. It was fine for a bit since I was doing well at work. But I realized it meant nothing to the managers. I made one mistake and now all that hard work is ignored and the mistake is being dwelt on. I could have enjoyed myself the last few months and still have been in the same spot.

germinalphrase 10y ago

I teach high school. I love working with the kids, but then I look at my 50hrs+/wk (yes, really) and can't help but feel like pushing into business for the pay bump - or find a desk job for the same take home and have my evenings/weekends to myself. Always greener pastures elsewhere...

whoozhat 10y ago
Well, you get 4 months off during the year (Christmas break + summer). Any other business jobs, you only get 1 month off at most.
- germinalphrase 10y ago
  Breaks aren't quite as rich as that (nor are they free from work obligations) - but the point stands and is certainly part of the calculation.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]

dasmoth 10y ago

38 here, and while the way I think about work has changed somewhat, the "bureaucracy to slow things down" aspect remains, if anything, more soul-destroying. If I have to spend time at work, I really, really, don't want the feeling it's just a burned offering to the gods of process. Still time for this to change, but I'm starting to doubt it will.