The 8-hour 5 days syndrome not etched in stone

originally posted by: Edumakated
While I rarely agree with the OP, I do think the American work culture is toxic. Early in my career, I worked 60-80 hour weeks pretty regularly as it was just the nature of the work / culture of the industry at the time. It was high burn and most people couldn't hack it even though the money was excellent. You just learned to suck it up and deal with it.

I would agree with this. I lived that life up close watching my parents. Swore I would never do it. Corporations are just doing what they need to in order to remain competitive, and that's always a race to the bottom. It's really only cultural acceptance of long hours that gets people to take the positions offered. The US works nearly as hard as Japan. Our work culture is completely messed up. I also think it's unfixable due to the myths of capitalism that anyone can have success with enough hard work.

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
a reply to: Willtell

Its rewarding when you do things youre good at. I enjoy my job. I just wish it was possible to enjoy more life too.

I lucked out with my job. I get to travel, I get paid well, I get to work with all the new technologies I want to work at, I have an unlimited industry conference budget. And I get to have fun. I legitimately enjoy every day I'm at work. And they even recruited me directly out of college... I never even sent a resume.

The jobs are out there, I think people stop getting educations before they're qualified though.

originally posted by: Bone75

originally posted by: Willtell
The question is, when the f___ are we going to wake up?

Maybe after you answer my question.

What is your queston

originally posted by: Bone75
a reply to: Willtell

Would you work 3 eight hour days a week for no money if I gave you a house, a car, food, clothes, healthcare, and education?

Sounds reasonable...

How about a wife, and even a couple of kids. A swimming pool and can you throw in a tennis court, a Jacuzzi, maid, gardener and a bonus and we have a deal.

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
Ibwork more than i should. I make money for other people.

Id like having a 4 day, 32 hour week.

I missed this and had wanted to respond. In theroy a 32 hour work week should be possible for you. If you could automate enough tasks that you could work efficiently enough that you can work fewer hours, it would be within reach. Unfortunately, we both know that when you automate tasks in order to do more in less time, your reward is getting to use all that extra free time you found on even more work.

So the real issue is that it comes down to how many hours your bosses expect of you, and that's where the work hard culture of the US really hurts the employees. More is never enough, and companies like the one I'm fortunate enough to work at, that respect a work/life balance not only expect very high performance during work to compensate, but still face a competitive disadvantage by doing so.

originally posted by: Bone75
a reply to: Willtell

Would you work 3 eight hour days a week for no money if I gave you a house, a car, food, clothes, healthcare, and education?

It would depend a lot on what the work involved. I'm a firm believer that people should work the jobs that interest them, and that they shouldn't work just to make a paycheck. Not everyone is interested in that philosophy, some just want to put their hours in, and go home.

As someone who is interested in lifelong education, and in working fewer hours to actually be able to spend time on education, I would at least consider such a deal. But it would depend heavily on the work involved. I would probably turn it down if it didn't involve something I found intellectually stimulating.

Unfortunately, it’s not up to us. The elite are running this show.

What I did is look at professions that allow one to actually work fewer hours.

I went from am autoworker, good money and benefits but when you left that plant you were pretty dam tired!

I went into field service IT and there often you work 3 or 4 hours a day and stop for the day. When you get good at it, you can produce in a few hours without killing yourself.

Even when you work as an onsite helpdesk or networking engineering the works very human and rewarding and I might add--easy once you get experienced.

Unfortunately, the gig economy has devised ways to stop that advantage, GPS, Amazons shenanigans and just the general gutting of American IT field.

It’s still a good career but not like it use to be in the old days.

What is good about the IT field is that, basically, you sit around doing nothing until a problem comes up, then you get busy, solve the issue and unless another one comes up you go back to doing nothing.

It’s not about being lazy, it’s about not wanting to become an automaton, a human machine like zombie that many of these industrial jobs have become.

As I said, they should definitely cut work hours of people on those type jobs.

originally posted by: Willtell
What is good about the IT field is that, basically, you sit around doing nothing until a problem comes up, then you get busy, solve the issue and unless another one comes up you go back to doing nothing.

It’s not about being lazy, it’s about not wanting to become an automaton, a human machine like zombie that many of these industrial jobs have become.

As I said, they should definitely cut work hours of people on those type jobs.

The problem I have with IT is that all too often you're trying to show a company value by proving a negative. When things break, it's your fault and you have to show the company that you're working on preventing it. When nothing breaks, they don't see anything going wrong and therefore don't know what you're doing. There's no reward in it in either being proactive or reactive.

Development is much calmer. I get to custom build software for the company, and they see what they're paying me to create. Basically, they get to see value while IT all too often feels like the value is invisible to the decision makers.

originally posted by: Willtell
What is good about the IT field is that, basically, you sit around doing nothing until a problem comes up, then you get busy, solve the issue and unless another one comes up you go back to doing nothing.

It’s not about being lazy, it’s about not wanting to become an automaton, a human machine like zombie that many of these industrial jobs have become.

As I said, they should definitely cut work hours of people on those type jobs.

Yah said no one ever that moved beyond the break fix level of IT.

Please though tell me how as a Principal Engineer for a major healtcare system I sit around doing nothing until something breaks..