Work and career progression apathy.. Is it much more prevalent now?

[Efour]

I swapped a very prosperous oil field career with very clear progression for living in the arse end of nowhere earning a relative pittance....

I don't regret it for a second....(Or do I)

Some folks are constantly measuring themselves by others success and that's good if you want that but it dawned on me there's other ways to live "better".

Ofc this is all subjective and some days I do daydream on how my life could have been but.... Why bother you get 1 shot at it. Do what makes you happy.

If working harder and stressing more is part of that go for it. It doesn't matter one iota to anyone but you and your family.

If I had a time machine I'd definitely do things differently but it's not terrible how things turned out.

Maybe it's all a big cope

 

[dunno]

My desire to progress back to a manager level is 0. I got fairly senior in a small organisation, liked it at first but then over time it felt like too much hastle and not worth the stress. Left for a job which paid more at a lower level... I'm much happier in a 'doing' role where I dont have to manage some of the people I am around all day...

 

[arknor]

. I’m in engineering, semiconductors, and plenty of individual contributors are on well into 6 figures.

mind telling me which company you work for and what your job title is? purely asking out of curiosity.
I'm not in the industry. but for some reason I feel compelled to ask.

nowhere earning a relative pittance...

Whats a relative pittance? under 40k?

Personally I'd love to live in the arse end of nowhere.

having to travel 5-10miles to see any enjoyable countryside trails is annoying

 

[Chrisc]

I went into middle management after leaving a European role due to the travelling becoming too much. Absolutely hated man management although i always personally got good feedback in manager reviews, so I must have been doing something right.

My salary is above the national average and probably well above the average in the area i live and I am comfortable. I do my 37.5hrs a week and I shut off and thats how I like it. With management I could never do that and would find myself working at weekends free of charge just to keep in front.

As for 4 day weeks, ill only take this if its a reduction in overall hours. I have absolutely Zero interest in squeezing my 37.5hrs into 4 days. F-That...

 

[Chrisc]

I like to do, not delegate, so management is a hard pass for me, even if it does cap my earning potential, I don't really care.

We are DINKs though, so that helps.

The managers above me or in different departments never got this. I told them, I cannot delegate a job that I physically dont know how to do, it makes no sense. If i am to delegate something, I need to know how to do it myself.

Absolutely embarrassing seeing people delegate work that they cannot do.

 

[arknor]

Absolutely embarrassing seeing people delegate work that they cannot do.

That's how the world works though?

people can't really work their way up the ladder anymore in a lot of careers it seems.

look at all the CEOs that get in charge of companies and ruin them.. like john lewis was it? hiring someone with 0 retail experience

 

[Chrisc]

That's how the world works though?

people can't really work their way up the ladder anymore in a lot of careers it seems.

look at all the CEOs that get in charge of companies and ruin them.. like john lewis was it? hiring someone with 0 retail experience

oh yeah it 100% happens and I am only talking from my own values, I absolutely refuse to ask somebody to do something that I am physically incapable of doing, it just doesn't sit right with me.

The problem in my industry (Global logistics) is that if you're good at what you do it can be extremely difficult to progress. Ive seen many talentless morons progress into positions on the backs of people who are extremely good at their job.

 

[Nitefly]

I think I’ve broken ‘the illusion’ that your effort dictates your earnings.

I earn pretty well, compared to what I used to, and I definitely don’t think I work as hard as I have in the past. Certainly not as many hours. It’s actually the ‘right sort of hard’ that makes use of my skill set.

But at the risk of undermining myself, I feel like I’ve just sort of flopped into my role through being there at the right time, being an ‘above average’ (let’s face it… rockstar *ego*) performer and being likeable.

There’s an element of luck and being opportunistic. The route to my role came about at a BBQ where I drunkenly bumbled: “ya know… I could do that!”

You aren’t going to magically progress unless there is a space and a need to fill. Where will there be room? At places that are hiring.

Another point: I’m a pretty tasty strawberry… but some people just really hate strawberries. I’ve encountered people that just didn’t like me for whatever reason, I have no idea why… but it does suck to be the recipient of poor feedback from someone who is lacking. No longer a problem for me though.

Finally, there is some low skill work that is extremely fiddly and difficult (certain cross system data entry stuff). Requires loads of concentration and it’s quite boring. It’s hard and low pay. People who are managing don’t necessarily have a ‘harder job’ - even if they have a different set of skills that makes them well suited to that role.

Summarising all that: people can find themselves on good pay from a bit of luck and being opportunistic. Other people who spend high energy doing complex tasks aren’t just going to flop into better pay unless a role appears. The old classic is true, you’ve got to move on if you’re stagnating.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

I’ve found the sweet spot in work/life balance. Can’t be arsed to give up more hours just to fund our corrupt leaders. Enough cash to live comfortably, don’t need anymore. No point being the richest person in the graveyard and I want to enjoy life.

Go back to before Covid and I was promotion hungry and flying up in my career, I’d nearly be at the top now.

 

[andybird123]

There’s an element of luck and being opportunistic. The route to my role came about at a BBQ where I drunkenly bumbled: “ya know… I could do that!”

This is exactly how my career progressed (with out the being drunk at a BBQ bit).
I went from menial level IT work, to software dev, to project management, to management buyout by being in the right place and sticking my hand up and saying "yeah I can do that" without any experience of "doing that", doing it for a few months and then looking for a job doing that (except the management buyout thing obviously as that was its own end goal). I never chased promotions within the same role and probably only had something like a handful of payrises within the same company.

I'm now basically retired with several revenue streams I can pick up and drop when I feel like it, if I feel like working at all. I homeschool my kids and have enough tucked away in long-term investment to cover old age.

 

[Trifid]

I have zero interest in the jobs above me. My boss takes home £500 more a month then me which I guess isn't to be sniffed at, but to get the same pay I'd have to do the next 5 years earning just £70 more until I prove I can do the job. For that £70 I'd have to work at least 2 more hours extra a day unpaid (and literally have no breaks during the day), get a lot more hassle from above, manage a multi million £ budget that is nowhere near enough to achieve what is needed and as a result get a load of grief from those who he manages. I was happiest in the position below me, no staff to manage and a boss who directs work that provides value (plus interest) and deflects what doesn't.

 

[Participant]

I'm at the stage where I'm happy on low-mid 6 figures and want time for self / family. I have been moving myself away from being a team manager to being a technical expert / individual contributor.

I work far better on my own that having to persuade useless ****wits to do stuff for me. Better earning potential, satisfaction, and variety (for me) doing consultancy projects, delivering, then moving on. People also leave you alone more and out of all the BS meetings and team events, which I just hate.

 

[413x]

I mentioned this in another thread, but for me personally, the amount of people I've seen either becoming very ill or dropping dead in their 40s and 50s is highly alarming. Good reason to retire as soon as you can IMO.

Is probably because as get older you just see it first hand more. But it does certainly feel like it

 

[413x]

I went into middle management after leaving a European role due to the travelling becoming too much. Absolutely hated man management although i always personally got good feedback in manager reviews, so I must have been doing something right.

My salary is above the national average and probably well above the average in the area i live and I am comfortable. I do my 37.5hrs a week and I shut off and thats how I like it. With management I could never do that and would find myself working at weekends free of charge just to keep in front.

As for 4 day weeks, ill only take this if its a reduction in overall hours. I have absolutely Zero interest in squeezing my 37.5hrs into 4 days. F-That...

I'd take that. I'd rather 1 extra day and compressed work days

 

[413x]

I'm at the stage where I'm happy on low-mid 6 figures and want time for self / family. I have been moving myself away from being a team manager to being a technical expert / individual contributor.

I work far better on my own that having to persuade useless ****wits to do stuff for me. Better earning potential, satisfaction, and variety (for me) doing consultancy projects, delivering, then moving on. People also leave you alone more and out of all the BS meetings and team events, which I just hate.

Low mid 6 figures... I'd be pretty happy with that.. But only if it came with no extra work hours. I'm mid 50s base

Would be absolutely no worries. Think of the holidays!

 

[Ayahuasca]

I'm at the stage where I'm happy on low-mid 6 figures and want time for self / family. I have been moving myself away from being a team manager to being a technical expert / individual contributor.

I work far better on my own that having to persuade useless ****wits to do stuff for me. Better earning potential, satisfaction, and variety (for me) doing consultancy projects, delivering, then moving on. People also leave you alone more and out of all the BS meetings and team events, which I just hate.

I mean, you don’t exactly sound like a joy to work with/for.

Well done for getting to that position though as it’s not easy if you just want to be left alone.

 

[200sols]

The 100k tax trap needs to die, UK tax system is a joke tbh.

 

[413x]

Wouldn't more bands be better? So there are fewer cliff edges? I dunno

 

[OpenToSuggestions]

The 100k tax trap needs to die, UK tax system is a joke tbh.

I acknowledge the need for stepped tax bands, but yes the 40% band is far too low and the whole idea of the 100-125k 50% trap is very daft and does not promote working harder.
Even worse when you consider you get spanked for 20% minimum via VAT when you spend it.

 

[Narj]

I acknowledge the need for stepped tax bands, but yes the 40% band is far too low and the whole idea of the 100-125k 50% trap is very daft and does not promote working harder.
Even worse when you consider you get spanked for 20% minimum via VAT when you spend it.

Doesn't it actually work out to 60%? It's ridiculous.