Does anyone in NYC actually work 9-5? (New York, York: insurance, how much)

[nastyboy]

Originally Posted by jcoltrane

I've never, really, ever worked 9 to 5 in my life! Not in my first job, 8:30 am start, rarely left before 8pm. Not in my last, where my hours were my own, paid to do a job, not punch a clock, started as early as needed, anywhere from 7 to 12, and rarely left before 7pm (and that was normally a Friday!).

You don't go from $5K to $18K in 8 months (better than 3x raise in less than a year). You dont go from $18K to better than $40K in a year. You don't go from $40K to doubling that in one year. You don't reach six figures another year later, and more year over year by working Nine to Five!

At one point, I'd work 12 to 16 Hour days; sometimes 2 or 3 24 hour days with maybe 4 hours sleep. I'd always go home, but it was normal for for those earning multi six figures, those earning yearly seven figures, working days on minimal sleep. People sleeping as they can, wherever they can. Million dollar salariies sleeping in War Room conference rooms, on the floor under conference tables!!!

[I learned a great lesson during this period. The ignorant and envious, generally, presume that those with very high incomes don't work too hard. They think that people at that level have it made. Silly, silly, ignorant notion!

Self made people of great income and wealth always work harder than everyone else. Business owners grossing under a million, they worker harder than their employees, and pay their employees BEFORE paying themselves! They work typically 12 hour days. Do you all *think* that a small business owner, relatively profitable, would give up his independance, his OWNERSHIP, for a 9 to 5 SLAVE!?]

Myself, eventually, I reached a point, where I'd work like the above, and once the deal was done, and the team was dismissed, I was **out**! I'd work 6 to 8 weeks like that, then I'm sitting in a beautiful FL home around a pool sipping cocktails, planning the evenings festivities!

Three to six weeks or so later, I'd get the call, and back I went. I did this for a few years and it was great. Extreme pressure, extreme work, but VERY fulfiling, knowing you were among the *best*, working at the highest level of corporate events. The kind of stuff which makes the newspapers, journals, and TV!

The money, the percs, the recognition among your peers and superiors, and the FREEDOM! Work hard, play hard!

****

Mothers aside, isn't 9 to 5 simply settling?

The Yuppies of a generation ago, came to NYC to **achieve**. They came with credentials earned from every *storied* institution in the country! They came to get to the top! That is what NYC had ALWAYS been about, achievement!

Today, we have a generation seeking an *ordinary* life, in the greatest city in the world, with average and worse credentials, seeking to achieve a middle class life in the most competitive and expensive city in the United States!

Really?



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No one need read further, as the below are simply deeper thoughts spurred by the subject topic.

****

Something to think about: the recession may be coming to an end. The optimist forecast is for 3% growth by the end of the year. Without checking the facts, the U.S. hasn't experienced much better than 2% growth for well over a decade, preceding the Great Recession. Note: 4% growth is the traditional (Keneysian post WWII) average for the modern U.S. economy! 3% will be an incredible and significant milestone! Most of you, have NEVER experienced such general growth!!! [Unless you happen to watch 'Mad Men'! LOL!]

The point here is that if such occurs, life in NYC will become more demanding and more expensive. A signifcant portion of today's Transplants will not make the economic cut! Prepare yourselves for NORMALITY! For what you all have experienced so far has been, abnormality, the consequences of a false economic.

The first thing which will hit, sometime, likely in the followwing year, perhaps the next, will be a rise in Interest Rates, which, in addition to the rise in Demand (as everyone earns with a near full tilt economic), will cause the cost of living to become more expensive, as credit card rates rise; auto loan rates rise, mortgage rates rise, and interest costs of the average business/corporation are pushed down to the consumer.

Everyone will earn more, but the increase will be absorbed by higher interest rates, which the Federal Reserve will instill, in order to stem the enemy of all *real* booming economies, INFLATION!! All of the monies plowed into th economy by the Fed and the Government, from *stimulus* to quantitative easing, those TRILLIONS of borrowed and PRINTED money/value, will HAVE to be taken out of the economy, or risk runaway inflation.

The piper MUST be paid!

yo man, can you give us the readers digest version, your posts are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to long and draining to read..................


not that I can possibly read the complete post, because it almost sounds like it is written by a maniac.

[11KAP]

some people want to work all day and all night if it
is worth it, and then again, some will settle for regular
time too if it is worth it. it's your choice really, unless
your position demands longer shifts. i bet if you could
cut your daily hours down and make just as much money,
you would do it.

[mc33433]

Originally Posted by nastyboy

while i understand what you are saying, i cant see how working 12-16 hours a day really leaves one much time do anything.

At least for most people I know, you don't work these hours consistently or 7 days a week.... There are periods of the year that require this and it is done. Sometimes it's more often than what you would prefer but when people are being let go left and right, the environment sometimes demands it. Many that I know worked these hours in their early 20s to work up to a more consistent senior roles.

Also a lot of people seem to think 9am is the only time people come in...

[spacepilot]

The subways are always busy through 8PM in my experience as a musician... I've had HUGE waves of people coming through the downtown 6 platform from 5-8:30. Same goes for the S train. The stations are always busy though... there are just busier times than others. Morning rush hour is always the worst for me though, when I'm pressed against the wall of a downtown 1 train at 8:30 just trying to get to class.

[Mr. Ryu]

i work 7:30am to 7:45am to 5:30pm. I carpool to work which is why i get to work so early. I live in Wash Heights and i work in the SoHo area. I can't deal with crowded trains which is why i carpool in the AM.

I play the lottery every week.

[Nudetypist]

I've worked in many manhattan buildings after hours, and I can tell you that some people work til midnight or later. I don't get it but they do. I'm trying to get a city job just so I could experience the 9-5 luxury, like all my city employed friends.

[NyWriterdude]

Actually, working long hours does not necessarily make one rich. There are immigrants who work mad hours in dishrooms. But they'll never get anywhere.

Very often ambitious career people who work like mad often burn themselves out.

Also keep in mind you can be fired at any time, for any reason . Doesn't have to have anything to do with your performance. Your company could have financial difficulties or even go under. Devoting your life to work is an individual choice, but it can be just plain stupid. Because all you're really often doing is slaving away making someone else rich.

[nastyboy]

Originally Posted by NyWriterdude

Actually, working long hours does not necessarily make one rich. There are immigrants who work mad hours in dishrooms. But they'll never get anywhere.

Very often ambitious career people who work like mad often burn themselves out.

Also keep in mind you can be fired at any time, for any reason . Doesn't have to have anything to do with your performance. Your company could have financial difficulties or even go under. Devoting your life to work is an individual choice, but it can be just plain stupid. Because all you're really often doing is slaving away making someone else rich.

FOLKS, WE HAVE A WINNER HERE !!

SO TRUE

[Febtober]

Originally Posted by jcoltrane

I've never, really, ever worked 9 to 5 in my life! Not in my first job, 8:30 am start, rarely left before 8pm. Not in my last, where my hours were my own, paid to do a job, not punch a clock, started as early as needed, anywhere from 7 to 12, and rarely left before 7pm (and that was normally a Friday!).

Whoop te do.

You realize the city doesn't revolve around you, correct? Just because that was your experience doesn't mean that no wealthy people do not work standard 9-5 hours. With 8 million people in the city, I'm sure there are people of every income level working every possible combination of hours.

Last year, I had just under 1,200 hours of overtime. That's on top of the normal base 40 hours a week. There are a bunch of people who worked less than I did and made way more, and there's people who worked a lot more than I did and made way less

[babysladkaya]

Government working hours aside, the working hours in a private enterprise is a formula that has the following variables:

1. The industry you are in.
2. The function you perform.
3. The culture of the company.
4. The management style of your manager.
5. The overall strength of the team you work with.
6. The financial condition of the company you are working for.
7. The overall economic conditions.

If you work in a business that is very client-driven, or deadline/regulatory work-driven, you can expect overtime as a rule. If you work in a company with a slower pace, but your boss is a moron who does not respect that you have a life, you can expect OT. If you work for a company that has been great in all aspects, but due to economy, they fired many people, you can expect OT.
I will provide a personal example. When I came to the company I currently work for in 2004, it was a profitable yet small company and my function while pretty busy, was really manageable because there were no deadlines during the year except for the annual tax return for the business. The overall market conditions were great, my boss was flexible, and let me have run of the place in a good sense, that is, make improvements, it was only 2 of us at the time in the department, the hours were 9 to 5:30 every day, now, this was still a pretty busy day, with often a work through lunch, but no matter what, I was out of there at 5:30 sharp, and the job paid much better than the one I left. Shortly, we were acquired by a major publicly traded company and while things have not changed immediately to what they are now right away, all of the variable above have changed over the past 9 years. The industry has become tightly regulated, which means a lot more filings and deadlines both external and internal. The economy went south and our business has not been doing too well, so many folks have been let go, guess who picked up the slack, the remaining lucky souls who are still employed. The culture of the company has also changed since to handle the growth and integration with the big guns, they brought tons of execs from big Wall st investment banks who think that 60 hour work week is a blessing and if you don't like it, they can always hire a smart 22 year old to work 80 hours and be happy. The manager I had who was doing his best to get the best out of people and still offer quality of life, is long gone and now I and another person co-manage the team, while it does offer certain flexibility, we have no one to cover our a...s, provide mentorship and protect us. As my role within the firm grew, so did the hours. These days, I work 5 days 9 to 9 during month-end and every week, it's 9 to 9 one or two times per week. The normal working day is 9 to 6, we do try to leave earlier, around 5 on Fridays. Now, why am I not leaving? Because there are still a few things holding me here: Great team. Super-interesting work. Fantastic pay. I am definitely not a type-A personality workaholic, and if I could get all these 3 things and work 9 to 5, that would be utopia, and believe me, I tried to look around, but either the work was boring, the people sucked, the hours were even worse with a same or slightly lower pay. I also happen to be a sole breadwinner for a family of 5 with a stay at home husband who does amazing job taking care of our kids and right now, taking a huge paycut is not an option. There is one thing I have learned as I went through what I consider a transformational experience-you can get better hours in the same function within more laid-back industry, but that almost always comes with a paycut, so if you can adjust your spending and the current job is making you miserable, by all means, go for it. However, I also realized that I am not at all miserable. Tired at times, yes, cranky after 4 late nights in a row, yes, but at the same time, when I walk into the office each morning, and feel the energy, start the conversations with people, it feels great.