Do you work to live or live to work?
03-03-2004, 05:11 PM
#22
Thread Starter
Actually, I've been pretty lucky. In both of my two careers I've been able to "wrap my arms around" my profession. I've enjoyed and I enjoy what I do for a living. I'm one of those lucky people who never worked for money but rather worked for the love of it and somehow the money came. Maybe thats the answer.
I keep telling myself that I'm going to slow down, but in my heart of hearts, I don't really believe it. I can't wait to get to work in the morning.
I do define myself by what I do, I have to. It's a part of me, and no matter what, I can't deny that (nor would I want to). I also define myself by my family, my interests and all of the things that makes life worth living. Work is one of them.
My biggest problem is that there simply aren't enough hours in the day to do all the work, family and everything else that I want to do. Unfortunately, I need to sleep sometimes and now that I'm getting a little older I get tired sometimes too.
I keep telling myself that I'm going to slow down, but in my heart of hearts, I don't really believe it. I can't wait to get to work in the morning.
I do define myself by what I do, I have to. It's a part of me, and no matter what, I can't deny that (nor would I want to). I also define myself by my family, my interests and all of the things that makes life worth living. Work is one of them.
My biggest problem is that there simply aren't enough hours in the day to do all the work, family and everything else that I want to do. Unfortunately, I need to sleep sometimes and now that I'm getting a little older I get tired sometimes too.
03-03-2004, 07:47 PM
#23
Registered User
My job does from time to time present interesting challenges. However, it is basically "whoring out a buck."
If management felt for one moment that someone in Bangladore, India could do the job as well for 1/4 cent less per year, they'd move my job and tell me to take a hike.
When "cold fusion" supplies the world's energy needs; when someone achieves peace in the Middle East; when someone finds a cure for AIDS; when anyone does anything else important, I can assure you that my support for the bean counting at a utility company will have absolutely nothing to do with it.
I'm a whore: I sell a bit of myself for the money that allows me to live.
If management felt for one moment that someone in Bangladore, India could do the job as well for 1/4 cent less per year, they'd move my job and tell me to take a hike.
When "cold fusion" supplies the world's energy needs; when someone achieves peace in the Middle East; when someone finds a cure for AIDS; when anyone does anything else important, I can assure you that my support for the bean counting at a utility company will have absolutely nothing to do with it.
I'm a whore: I sell a bit of myself for the money that allows me to live.
03-03-2004, 08:13 PM
#24
As some of you know, I was downsized exactly one month ago. With 3 months severance, I've been 'working' at my next career move (networking, resume, etc)....but also having a great time 
*swimming at noon every day
*attending cultural/ professional events for which there was never time before {tonite: lecture by a Swarthmore College prof: "Too many choices: Who Suffers and Why"}
*starting to clean out lots of sh*t in every corner of our house
....but the party may be over.....possible consulting position in the works.... 
*swimming at noon every day
*attending cultural/ professional events for which there was never time before {tonite: lecture by a Swarthmore College prof: "Too many choices: Who Suffers and Why"}
*starting to clean out lots of sh*t in every corner of our house
....but the party may be over.....possible consulting position in the works....
03-06-2004, 08:47 AM
#26
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This is a subject that I have been giving some thought lately. I don't believe that I ever really lived to work. I always lived for my wife and family. However, I certainly used to be far more enthusiastic about work than I am these days, and I used to put in long hours on a very regular basis. It used to be the case that I felt like I was "in partnership" with the company I work for - I felt that if I worked hard, and placed a high personal priority on doing a good job, the company would look out for my interests as well. It was what one HR person I knew referred to as "the unwritten agreement" between employer and employee. And it did work that way for a long while. Back then, as a part of management, we used to do everything we could to avoid laying people off when things got tight. I don't have to tell most of you that that is just not true any more. Everyone is viewed as an expendable, replaceable cog in the machine. The company is enthusiastically blowing away people who have devoted most or all of their working lives to making the company successful. We are focused on offshoring, almost as an end in itself, with little apparent regard for whether the work is actually getting done. Moral is absolutely in the tank. HR policies are changing to reflect a "don't let the door hit you in the ass" attitude toward employees. I will be 57 this year, and prospects of continuing to work for this company until I can retire do not look good. Unfortunately, this seems to be becoming pervasive in business today, at least in this country. Business is becoming very "mean".
My wife is a public school teacher, and she is so disgusted with the idiotic requirements of this "no child left behind" nonsense that she can hardly stand to drag herself to work each day. And she is a superb teacher - the kind that parents and other teachers lobby to get their children into her class.
With 26 years at the company, I'm not going to quit now, but if I am downsized, I'm not sure that I will even attempt to find a similar position. Now that our kids are grown and gone, we may just scale back our lifestyle and see if we can get by being greeters at Wal-Mart or something, until we can retire.
I'm sorry that this has turned into a rant. I guess I needed to get this off my chest.
My wife is a public school teacher, and she is so disgusted with the idiotic requirements of this "no child left behind" nonsense that she can hardly stand to drag herself to work each day. And she is a superb teacher - the kind that parents and other teachers lobby to get their children into her class.
With 26 years at the company, I'm not going to quit now, but if I am downsized, I'm not sure that I will even attempt to find a similar position. Now that our kids are grown and gone, we may just scale back our lifestyle and see if we can get by being greeters at Wal-Mart or something, until we can retire.
I'm sorry that this has turned into a rant. I guess I needed to get this off my chest.
03-06-2004, 02:11 PM
#27
Thread Starter
Dallas
I am troubled by much of what you said.
In this day and age where there is such a shortage of qualified, competent teachers, I find it troubling that policies are put into place that serve to frustrate and discourage teachers like your wife. I know, first hand from watching my two sons, that a good teacher makes the difference. A good teacher is the inspiration to the kids to do a little better and to reach a little higher. It's about time the politicians stopped making school policy and got out of the way to let the teachers teach. Unfortunately, Mr. Bush's policies have probably done more harm than good.
I know what you say about corporate America is also true. There is no more loyalty to the worker. I laugh when people in corporate speak about not being able to find dedicated workers. Don't they realize that it's a two way street?
I have never worked for big business (except as a temp when I was going for my MBA). I spent almost 30 years owning and running my own small clothing manufacturing firm, and now I am in a second career as a CPA working for a small accounting firm. I wouldn't have it any other way. For all the problems and difficulties of working in small business, it is, in my opinion, the only way to go.
I am troubled by much of what you said.
In this day and age where there is such a shortage of qualified, competent teachers, I find it troubling that policies are put into place that serve to frustrate and discourage teachers like your wife. I know, first hand from watching my two sons, that a good teacher makes the difference. A good teacher is the inspiration to the kids to do a little better and to reach a little higher. It's about time the politicians stopped making school policy and got out of the way to let the teachers teach. Unfortunately, Mr. Bush's policies have probably done more harm than good.
I know what you say about corporate America is also true. There is no more loyalty to the worker. I laugh when people in corporate speak about not being able to find dedicated workers. Don't they realize that it's a two way street?
I have never worked for big business (except as a temp when I was going for my MBA). I spent almost 30 years owning and running my own small clothing manufacturing firm, and now I am in a second career as a CPA working for a small accounting firm. I wouldn't have it any other way. For all the problems and difficulties of working in small business, it is, in my opinion, the only way to go.
03-06-2004, 06:20 PM
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Dallas, I too am troubled by what you've said, and the "situations" you've observed. I hardly know where to begin. There is no way to breach some of these topics without it becoming a rant.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dallas
This is a subject that I have been giving some thought lately.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dallas
This is a subject that I have been giving some thought lately.