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Well, hm, ok. In my industry C performers are usually bad news. So, this is important in my specific area, but maybe not so much in others? I feel like it's still possible to "get away" with an average amount of work, as long as it meets certain standard. What I find more and more is that standards of C performers are far below what companies have as their standard. Isn't businesses with high standard a good thing, in general? So "average" employees have to raise their bar, or they risk losing their job. There is nothing wrong with that.
In and of itself, no, but in terms of having a satisfied, functioning society that does more than just "work" then there is something wrong.
I think what the OP really means is that in the past, if you were looking to just "do a good job" and have a pretty decent personal life on the side, you could and still earn enough money to live on. Put another way, you would get the big raises and bonuses if you "lived to work", but if that is not what you wanted, you got less but you still could survive and enjoy life.
Nowadays, all too much you basically have to be connected and work almost your every waking hour (either at a corporate job or pieceing together 2-3 jobs, either all p/t or one f/t and the others p/t) just to get by, making it very stressful, especially if you want or have a family.
Employer's want the most for the least. And there are suckers out there who give them just that. The joke is on them at the end of the day though.
Ive seen people give their lives to a company only to be passed over for some promotion given to some goofball idiot of the hiring manager from outside the company.
Eventually most everyone becomes fed up with corporate contemporary America since meritocracy is hardly relevant there anymore
I do agree with OP that we are very career driven as society & our standard keeps increasing. Not to say back in the days people didn't have high standards & people didn't strive for best. They did & I am sure they worked their ***** off for what they had, which might seem average to us now but it was excellence then. But very few of us are happy just living a basic life.
This thread reminds me of a conversation I had with my sister when she started college. My brother and I were trying to advise her on which major to choose & I kept saying "find something you are good at & comes easy to you, so you can thrive". We had lot of discussion about success and excellence and career..etc until she (a 18 year old soft spoken girl) said "what if I just want to be average? what if that is all I want? what's so wrong with that'. It stopped us mid-track & I had nothing to respond to her. I realize I was projecting my ambition on to her but there is a beauty in being simple & being average. There is peace and serenity that we lose when we chase
It's not about the job, it's about the expectations regarding your career and how it drives your life.
If I didn't like what I did I wouldn't do it, I have this career by choice. That doesn't mean I have to be ok with the expectation that it dominates my life. I've worked for several companies in the industry, it's not company specific. it's cultural.
Okay sorry
Personally Its important to get to know the company before you take a job offer thou.
Asking about
Expectations of hours worked.
Workload demands
Company culture and expectations in the interview helps.
Because before you know it you are going to quit yet again or be miserable and stuck working for a boss you don't like or who demands a job will take over your life
I simply won't be one of those guys that lets a job take over my life.
You should do the same
Yea just quit then go get kicked out because you cant pay rent. Your attitude is disgusting not everyone can just up and quit
People are complaining in this forum about taking a job offer then clearly complaining they don't like it.
No one is forcing nobody to take a job
These things are discussed in the interview You know what you clearly signed up for .
This is why you ask and get to know the company you are working for.
Creme will always float over time, and poo will always sink over time. Workplaces are no different. But there are a lot of hyper-spazes in the work place who will happily sacrifice friendships, marriages, health, etc chasing the work shinny ball into their graves. They call this "success" because they rise the corporate later and make lot's of cash. No amount of money they earn will buy their way out of hell.
I'd suggest not competing with those folks, let them run their course. You run yours. If you are stuck in a job you don't like, try to turn it into a job that you do like. If that doesn't work, look for a new job or career. If that doesn't work, you are stuck, try to increase happiness outside of your work place. Do the work you are paid for. Sometime do extra. Then go home and live.
Personally Its important to get to know the company before you take a job offer thou.
Asking about
Expectations of hours worked.
Workload demands
Company culture and expectations in the interview helps.
Because before you know it you are going to quit yet again or be miserable and stuck working for a boss you don't like or who demands a job will take over your life
I simply won't be one of those guys that lets a job take over my life.
You should do the same
It's not always that simple, and in the beginning stages of your career, things like "I really want this firm's name on my resume" outweigh work/life balance factors.
It's not a job, it's a career, it can't be treated as just a job with the expectation to succeed, at the same time, my life shouldn't revolve around my career, it should compliment my life, there should be a healthy balance.
You might refuse to work over 8 hours a day but unless you are a business owner, you might very likely make that decision at the expense of money, and that's a decision I can't make right now.
Arguably I can change careers but that involves a massive pay cut that I can't afford right now, I need my high earing salary to both pay off my debt and sustain my quality of life, which isn't extravegant, but I live in one of the most expensive places in the nation.
It's a very valid complaint, in other countries, work isn't pushed in the same way, and people are still successful, happy, and things like rest and sleep are enforced, places close around lunch, it's a cultural problem we have in this country that we want to reward people (beyond just financially) for working harder when in reality that's not always a good thing, nor is it healthy.
It goes both ways. Many people I have met in my working life have been satisfied doing simple, tedious, low paid work, and weren't interested in "following your passion" or being the next big cheese. They are strangely oblivious or neutral towards any kind of pressure to exceed and are perfectly happy just having a job.
Working an average job is normal. Working for $18-$30k and doing ironing, receptionist work or washing dishes for 15 years is fine. Not everyone needs to want to be a cutting-edge trader like Wolves of Wall Street. If working a simple job makes you happy, and gets you by, then you have already succeeded.
Years ago getting a job and staying at the same company 30+ years was common. So you could have a job and it would become routine. You would get promotions regularly just by doing a good job and staying loyal. You could even retire and count on a company pension. As a result, you had more time for outside endeavors (family, recreation). Today those jobs where you could start out in the mail room and end up in the board room are gone. Companies get sold and layoffs happen all the time. Private sector pensions have disappeared and have been replaced with volatile 401k's. The American worker truly has to look out for himself. It's not uncommon to see Linkedin resumes where someone spends no more than 3 years at one job before moving on to another company. I think it's less of "follow your passion" and more of trying to survive and get the best job with the best job security while continuing to climb the ladder with status and pay. That's why the modern career has become even more of a rat race. With the exception of some public jobs (firefighter, teacher, police officer) you have to stay aggressive and keep yourself marketable at all times since you don't know if your job will always be around.
It's not always that simple, and in the beginning stages of your career, things like "I really want this firm's name on my resume" outweigh work/life balance factors.
It's not a job, it's a career, it can't be treated as just a job with the expectation to succeed, at the same time, my life shouldn't revolve around my career, it should compliment my life, there should be a healthy balance.
You might refuse to work over 8 hours a day but unless you are a business owner, you might very likely make that decision at the expense of money, and that's a decision I can't make right now.
Arguably I can change careers but that involves a massive pay cut that I can't afford right now, I need my high earing salary to both pay off my debt and sustain my quality of life, which isn't extravegant, but I live in one of the most expensive places in the nation.
It's a very valid complaint, in other countries, work isn't pushed in the same way, and people are still successful, happy, and things like rest and sleep are enforced, places close around lunch, it's a cultural problem we have in this country that we want to reward people (beyond just financially) for working harder when in reality that's not always a good thing, nor is it healthy.
Ultimately, those decisions are up to each individual. There isn't a right or wrong answer.
I hired in with a coworker in the same pay grade at an employer three years ago. He was on a team where high hours were the norm, but became valuable as his expertise increased and the firm lost experienced staff in his position. He threatened to leave and was counteroffered a few times, and accepted, probably doubling his income. However, he's been working 80 hours week.
I probably make a little more than half of what he does now, but still make around 200% of the median HHI for my community, not to mention he's been stuck in pressure cooker environments for years.
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