What do you do?
Downsizing your career?
- Thread starter Admiral Huddy
- Start date
What do you do?
Don't think I've ever had a job that meant I was sat around with nothing to do, seems like a dream. 
Suppose it's to do with the fact the jobs have all been low payed with a constant work flow. Not even a career really.
Whenever I had the chance in my last job I used the 'boring' time to teach myself something new. I decided to learn PHP/HTML and used to it improve a data gathering process as I couldn't stand the method we were told to use. The boss was none the wiser and only cared about the figures so as long they were delivered it didn't matter.
Suppose it's to do with the fact the jobs have all been low payed with a constant work flow. Not even a career really.Whenever I had the chance in my last job I used the 'boring' time to teach myself something new. I decided to learn PHP/HTML and used to it improve a data gathering process as I couldn't stand the method we were told to use. The boss was none the wiser and only cared about the figures so as long they were delivered it didn't matter.
Associate
- Joined
- 11 Mar 2005
- Posts
- 1,168
I took quite a hefty pay cut when I switched careers 3 years ago - nearly back to where I was - but get so much more job satisfaction now as a result. Despite recent goverment initiatives, my job appears quite secure at the moment... /hereshoping!
one of the things that always strikes me reading these types of threads is just how much some people get paid without truly understanding how well off they are.
The amount of people who 'think' the average wage is £50-60k + £££ bonus and how companies are justifying those salaries for not even top level management is part of the reason so many business have relocated or gone bust in the first place. There has been an employee wage expectation shift in this generation that most of the rest of the world just doesn't get. However there are some people (read many) have to graft like *** just to get half of that money.
My take on the OP is that time and time again it always comes down to the same thing: working for someone else is not the same as working for yourself. Only then do you get out what you put in and feel good in doing so but that does not mean you burn yourself out you have to be realistic about who you are and what you want from life
The amount of people who 'think' the average wage is £50-60k + £££ bonus and how companies are justifying those salaries for not even top level management is part of the reason so many business have relocated or gone bust in the first place. There has been an employee wage expectation shift in this generation that most of the rest of the world just doesn't get. However there are some people (read many) have to graft like *** just to get half of that money.
My take on the OP is that time and time again it always comes down to the same thing: working for someone else is not the same as working for yourself. Only then do you get out what you put in and feel good in doing so but that does not mean you burn yourself out you have to be realistic about who you are and what you want from life
I agree, My school years were terrible, these days are far better. Bing adult with freedom, money to spend on what I want., go where I want, etc.
Undergrad days were definitely very good though, lots of fun times, interesting learning, only moderate stress, no real life concerns.
For me, I really dislike severe work stress and long work hours- I've been down the whole 80 hour weeks, no weekends, no old aus, constantly being threatened with being fired or failing. Definitely not healthy and should be avoided at all costs.
On the flip side if you have a job that is too easy boredom can set in. If I don't find my work fun I regret going to work and wonder why I even wake up in the morning. The days drag on. Having tasks and deadlines and producing results on time is very satisfying and gives much more meaning to work-life conundrum.
What is clear is that I money is relatively unimportant next to other factors such as location, working hours, job interest. Iwouldn't take a pay cut to work less hours, I think a 4 day week and 3 days off is perfect. The Thing is with a 2 day weekend invariably 1 day is spent doing the usual chores leaving 1 day for fun, 6:1 ratio is not very positive for me.
I highly value location. E.g., one can get paid far more working in lodn but I think I would top myself with a matter of weeks living within such a big city. I choose to live in places that I want to be in outside of work, so for the last 6 years that has included being within a 1 hour drive of decent skiing, being close to mountains and areas of natural beauty.
I would never a choose a job that pays more that is boring.
That being said, if I am working then I want to be financially awarded for my time in an appropriate away and make career choices that leads to a nice income that allows me to live the life I want. E.g., I love photography and could quit my day job to be a full time photog, but I would loose a massive amount of money and would get very stressed about making ends meet. Instead I work a job that can buy me lots of nice toys to Play with. I could happily spend the rest of my life skiing but there is so little money there that I would be spe ding,ost of my time working rather skiing on my personal time. Instead I choose a job and a location that allows me to ski ins my free time.
On the flip side if you have a job that is too easy boredom can set in. If I don't find my work fun I regret going to work and wonder why I even wake up in the morning. The days drag on. Having tasks and deadlines and producing results on time is very satisfying and gives much more meaning to work-life conundrum.
What is clear is that I money is relatively unimportant next to other factors such as location, working hours, job interest. Iwouldn't take a pay cut to work less hours, I think a 4 day week and 3 days off is perfect. The Thing is with a 2 day weekend invariably 1 day is spent doing the usual chores leaving 1 day for fun, 6:1 ratio is not very positive for me.
I highly value location. E.g., one can get paid far more working in lodn but I think I would top myself with a matter of weeks living within such a big city. I choose to live in places that I want to be in outside of work, so for the last 6 years that has included being within a 1 hour drive of decent skiing, being close to mountains and areas of natural beauty.
I would never a choose a job that pays more that is boring.
That being said, if I am working then I want to be financially awarded for my time in an appropriate away and make career choices that leads to a nice income that allows me to live the life I want. E.g., I love photography and could quit my day job to be a full time photog, but I would loose a massive amount of money and would get very stressed about making ends meet. Instead I work a job that can buy me lots of nice toys to Play with. I could happily spend the rest of my life skiing but there is so little money there that I would be spe ding,ost of my time working rather skiing on my personal time. Instead I choose a job and a location that allows me to ski ins my free time.
Soldato
- Joined
- 21 Apr 2007
- Posts
- 6,633
good for you,
sounds like a great move.
nobody I know of would do such a thing cause they are all busy chasing money and stressing themselves into an early grave.
Currently? Nothing. I used to be a forensic scientist.
Dropped you an email.
Agree on both points.
Ooh. I looked into a part time Masters in Forensic Science before starting to work in the City. Now I'm moving out of the city (hurrah) I wonder if I could look at that again. Did you enjoy the work?
Unless educational and towards some purpose, it tends to not overcome the "I'm not really doing a job" feeling.
Indeed. It's all well and good sitting there twiddling your thumbs but it soon gets tiresome.
I had one job where it was like that, we'd get one job that would last two months from start to completion then sit around for a month or more waiting for the next. Sounds glorious, but it drives you mad.
I would downsize in an instant. I am a civil engineering designer. I have just taken a pension from a previous employment at £900 gross per month and am paying 40% tax on it. If I found a job paying 20-25k (~50%) for less stress and more interest, I would go for it. I have 5 years until normal retirement but would work longer in an a more interesting job.
Soldato
- Joined
- 8 Oct 2008
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- 2,688
- Location
- Hull, East Yorkshire
Jesus christ are people really complaining about a good job and getting paid too much, you got it easy.
Maybe some people would rather work towards something? For a cause? For a purpose?
As said, some would jump at the opportunity to sit around and get paid, others however prefer to actually be working.