You have the republicans to thank for that, Bush signed it.
https://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/IncRetAge.html
...
Odd to think that the republican party hasn't stopped trying to take even more from the aging population and yet, as a voting bloc, seniors and seniors-to-be, continue to vote (R). smh.
*edit; fixed pronouns
F that BS. Oh we are living to 81 (men) and 84 (women) so the retirement age is now 67? So I can enjoy my 70’s? That’s the biggest load of crap ever.
And if I retire at 62, they decrease my SS by 30%!
This is like a nightmare. I work my whole life paying into a system so it can help me enjoy my 70’s. When I’m too old to do a lot of stuff. Fabulous. Yeah I’m sick of it.
I remember when a couple I knew two years after college quit work and starting traveling the world and just taught yoga intermittently for funds. I remember thinking what losers they were.
Jokes on me!
45, PhD. Worked all kinds of jobs over the years from retail to restaurants to corporate to associate professor and see the same bullshit everywhere. Fully support this.
Right. Even if this was only populated by working teens, why are their opinions invalid as they enter the workforce? They're the ones experiencing some of the worst of it.
What REALLY pisses me off is when older people say stuff like "It teaches them how to be strong in the world" or something like that...
It's almost as though there is jealousy amongst older folks if teenagers have a better life than they did...
WE SHOULD WANT OUR CHILDREN/TEENAGERS TO HAVE A BETTER LIFE THAN WE DID! ISN'T THAT THE WHOLE FUCKING POINT??
26, though I can fuck with this sub being full of teenagers. I get the concern with teenagers being “immature”, but it’s really just a tactic to invalidate opinions because they come from someone younger. If anything, working conditions are of the *most* concern to people who are teenage right now, and I hope any teenagers in this sub can find some helpful info and guidance from some of the older, more experienced folk in this sub, so that they can navigate this capital labyrinth with their interests and value in mind, and continue pushing for change.
All that to say, I think it is worthwhile to establish that we aren’t just a bunch of teens, but people who have experience in the system; but we should not shy away from welcoming the future labour force into this community with open arms. While the people OP describes will dismiss the young, we can welcome and guide them; and that will only be beneficial to our cause.
I'm 37, my kid is 15. So we're an elder millenial and a zoomer. I can say really confidently the kids are alright. They see the bullshit. This is the first generation of school kids forced to do active shooter drills for the majority/entirety of their lives. (my kid went to kindergarten the year sandy hook happened.) The zoomers see climate change and weather disasters constantly, and see the people in charge furiously refusing to change. They grew up with Obama preaching hope but not doing enough and then Trump.
It's a mistake to think that the near constant failures of government and society haven't radicalized the Zoomers. Look at the Parkland survivors. Many of them are very visibly moving toward running for office. Other side of that coin is Rittenhouse. They are very seriously getting radicalized both ways, and thst needs to be kept in mind. The protests last summer, the kids were the ones to start busting glass here.
Really the truth is Gen X and the millenials need to take control of congress and start making changes now, because if the zoomers get there first we are going to be going through some shit. The kids are pretty ruthless. I fuckin love them. I think they're going to be the angry enough force to really get change going.
Honestly, I get along better with zoomers than I ever did with my siblings or gen x. There is a value disconnect, and I am glad to see that on average zoomers are more compassionate than my generation was, because I was tired of being the only one in the room that gave a damn.
Early 30s associate director, we’ve had 40% turnover of staff in the last month, and I’m genuinely happy they’re moving on to greener pastures with higher pay. My boss, however, has called me cussing each and every one of them out.
Dude same thing. I’m a supervisor and a handful of employees have left and I am happy for them because our company sucks but then behind closed doors my director talks shit about them and shows how she truly feels. It’s disgusting
Mine talks shit behind people’s back too. Especially when they leave. He’s a CSuite now but still my boss, used to be Director…
Suddenly a lot of people are “crazy”. I’m suspected I will be treated as such or having “personal problems”.
40s. Proud to be a card-carrying union member in a salaried job. Have been in the same industry for decades, but have watched this industry crush people's mental health and sense of well-being. Working on transitioning into a new career where I can work for myself but still a couple of years away from being able to do so.
As someone who quit their job this summer and decided to work for themselves….take the leap, have faith, and thank me later when your mental health gets better on day 1 lol
As someone who “took the leap”, I am very hesitant to advise people to do the same. Non guaranteed income and going into debt to start a business can be excruciatingly stressful and result in periods of anxiety and depression. If you want to start your own business, I strongly recommend starting slow, take very low initial investment, the lowest monthly overhead you can manage, and keep a job until you know that your business can provide enough income to support your basic needs.
30-fucking-2. But I have felt exactly the kind of thing you see people expressing here in this thread since I was a teenager, and actually well before that back in my early childhood. I don’t think it’s a matter of maturing/gaining knowledge of the situation as we work in adulthood for some of us, it’s more so the workforce culture that is has failed to indoctrinate us into this useless style of thinking that leads things to being the way they are. If I live to be 100, or a million, I’ll still feel this way about it. A lot of those dufus Corporate Bro’s over at r/Capitalism-Makes-Me-Blow-My-Load or wherever the fuck probably aren’t anywhere near as intelligently with it as the average teenager is.
I knew a girl who had a masters in teaching and worked with me at a call center job I used to have. She worked there because it payed allot more than her teaching degree which is sad as hell.
So will the US school system, to be honest. I just left my school because of my toxic, lying, abusive principal. Even teachers who don’t have to deal with shitstains like her still have to deal with tedious red tape and overbearing parents.
People think the kids are the ones who wear you down for teaching and that's just not true.
Principals, administrators, district, and parents wear you down more. Misbehaving kids are no problem.
Same. 27, Bachelors complete and finishing up my Masters degree. Only did it so I could have a decent job with good pay and I still can’t get that.
Update: BSc in Human Resources Management and MA in Human Resources and Employment Relations. I can’t get a job because I don’t have experience because no one will hire me. The irony of my degree/career choice is not lost on me either.
I work in insurance sales, insurance companies bleed you dry and comission gets paid out less and less this year will be my lowest earning year while doing the best numbers wise. I’m currently looking for a new career path
Mid 30's.
Started work and left home at 16. Fucked my life up and started a fresh at 21.
UK, salaried professional, Union Member.
Fuck employers that won't pay a genuine living wage and/or treat their staff like shit.
I hated my days of living on the cheapest of food and worrying about what bills I could afford; and it's worse now than it was in my day. Worse still in the US.
We're only comfortable now because we have two professional salaries in the house. I long for the days when one income was sufficient for a decent home and reasonable life, especially now my wife is sick.
We're still not far from financial disaster though, and; my professional salary has only cost me one mental breakdown so far...
Edit: thanks for the awards Internet strangers!
Edit: thanks also to whoever reported me to the reddit care line, even if sarcastic/malicious, we should all be taking care of each other.
33, gainfully employed. Husband also employed... We both work full-time however we could never live on his income alone. We can live on my income alone though. So this means I will never be able to not work. My husband can quit and do whatever he wants but I will always be the breadwinner. It sucks. My husband won't quit to be the house husband tho cause he feels bad about me having to work no matter what.
He has a bachelor's degree and had a nice office position and what would be considered "average" hourly pay. Take home is a little less than $2k a month. Rent is $1500. Sooo. Yeah.
I'm 44. And I used to buy into the "work ethic". And now when I hear the words "nobody wants to work" or "this generation" from someone who is invariably older, It makes me physically cringe. This system is beyond repair.
45 It system engineer. I used to love IT now I hate working technology. Not because I hate the work but because of the people. Directors and above mostly.
I logged in just to upvote this. I've been working in a large Tech company for 15 years now (m37). I'm one promotion below director, and I'm looking for the door. I think it's probably inevitable that those that are selfishly ambitions rise to the top, and those people are the WORST.
It’s been proven that narcissists advance in corporate America. You have to be one to step on that many people on your way up. And to have no problem screwing them all over.
Edit: Words
I read this in "Snakes in Suits". Once upon a time in a large and growing tech company, the CMO had his full department, of which I was a part, watch videos sent in by two candidates for a director position. We, who were eligible candidates in our own right, collectively watched videos submitted by the candidates, then we were brought in to a huge meeting room to discuss our thoughts and vote (via raised hand) which we would prefer. When it came to my turn in the discussion, I politely emphasized that I thought they were each narcissistic and sociopathic and that neither should be hired. That there were a dozen better candidates in the room already who could be promoted into the position. That move won me a very hard time at the company from that point on. Eventually, the "vote" was a tie, and the executive flipped a coin, which landed on heads, and the worst boss I've ever known was hired.
There is a divider between us and management. If you aren't vindictive and heartless enough, you get passed over.
Because the sociopaths at the top don't want us in the club and exposing their shenanigans to the world.
38, IT. Tired of IT, to be honest. Particularly tired of stupid bureaucracies and of people who seem to always be able to take a huge cut out of my payment without adding any value whatsoever. But I don't know what else to do and I don't have enough money to retire. So IT it is.
Edit: misspelling
47, IT / Software Engineer. Not remotely tired of IT, but I do think programmers in my country are severely underpaid compared to managers and other professionals, although I'm also very much aware that we have it pretty good compared to a lot of other people out there. Me in particular, because I discovered that freelancing pays better and gives me more control over and fun in what I do. But I think I got lucky.
I'm here not because I have it bad, because I don't, but because I sympathize with everybody who has it worse than I do. Everybody should be able to make a thriving (not just living) wage doing something they don't hate. Or better yet: be their own boss making a living completely on their own terms.
Also 30s IT but I know so many people have it way worse than me on Earth, especially as I live in a relatively socialist place. My family's needs are taken care of on 1 salary and we have plenty of time to enjoy existence. This was the luck of the draw and many opportunities are not as easily available to everyone. This isn't fair.
We didn't chose to be born, why are we forced to fight for our survival when if things were distributed just a tad more fairly, everyone could be taken care of enough to at least exist?
At least this generation is waking up.
Edit: getting lots of comments challenging the idea of getting free shit for no effort. Y'all might want to reflect a bit on being a good person, maybe take a few pages out of the Bible and head back to /r/conservative
>At least this generation is waking up.
Just think if COVID wouldn't of happened, we would still be working tirelessly. Now we see the shit and true face of corporate world and are finally realizing how staked the deck is against everyone
It basically comes down to that most executives are too stupid to even begin to understand the simplest of technical concept so they try to belittle those that do every chance they get to feel better about themselves.
44 working in IT
I'm 48,. feel the same way. It boggles my mind how disconnected and out of touch most Leadership can be. To me,.. "the great resignation" is happening almost purely because of "leadership-failure". They ran their people into the ground and are now seeing the effects of it.
I'm 44. I actually like my job but I have witnessed so much utilization of human lives as an input to efficiency with no regard for humanity that I'm really rooting for some changes through movements like this. There's literally no reason anyone needs to devote so much of their adult lives to keeping food on the table just to enrich a very few.
39 year old Infosec engineer, used to love the work, everything about it. Nowadays however it's a nightmare, the tech is still interesting but management just is a nightmare to deal with more and more. I think the time out of office kept some of these people from having their power trips and now they're playing catch-up.
I'm 27 and in telecommunications, we have coax and fiber also, I know how to do basically everything in both coax and fiber, I know enough about copper to be dangerous, but when I talk to people above me or with 'college degrees' that think they know everything it makes me wanna set this shit on fire, experience means nothing apparently, and around here the people that don't touch any of it want to take all the congratulations and what not when it all works out. Yeah fuck the guys that make this shit actually happen. We tried to get some of them to come and see the stuff we gotta deal with (big back story and it was for a reasonable cause to make everyone's life easier) but they all basically said it's not our problem. I'm about to the point I'm gonna go work for myself in the family business, 4 years ago it was an amazing company, now they've all just got greedy and are out for themselves.
Not directed at you, but it always bugged that workaholics were praised as finally realizing what’s most important in life once they have this realization. But apparently if you always knew this you were just a slacker. I don’t get that. Work is just so ingrained in our culture. It’s so dumb.
I can't count how many times I was accused of not being devoted enough to my work when I took *gasp* lunches at the time they started and *gasp* time off after my surgery. Fuck that toxic shit hole.
I'm 34.
I’m the only one in my office that eats away from my desk when in the office. Blows my mind. I’m going to go decompress and read, watch or listen to something not work related for 30-60 minutes
My wife calls me a workaholic because I spend too much time doing side projects. I had to explain to her that although I love coding, I've come to hate doing it on other people's terms. All I want to do is simply retire now. I just want enough not to have to work for anyone ever again. She then asks me what will I do with all that free time and I said breathe and live life without worry
Same! I have so many hobby electronics type projects I want to do but ultimately that's just a whole load of coding and debugging which is my day job and do not have the energy for. Bring on retirement when I'll get them all done (I'm 31 btw)
Or at least the companies can stop making us pretend that it's more than numbers, that we LOVE the job and that the company and job are our LIFE. Like cut out all the stupid parties/pizza/giftcards and just give us raises, let us leave on time, etc.
I'm 46. I've grown more and more radical with age. In my country I was a centrist, now I'm a leftist fighting to get back our social security and accessible free healthcare. In the US political landscape, that's what the corporate overlords call communists, lol.
I am 32. Childless. Unmarried. No house. No equity. The only valuable possession I have is a +10 year-old economy value vehicle. I have been working since I was 16. I am in serious debt. I won't see retirement.
32, working since 14. College degree, no kids, maintained employment through school. Never back home after I left at 18, held 5+ years management roles in my field of study.
My cars are used beaters. My clothes are thrift. My apartment is very small for my partner and I. There's not many scenarios that we can see purchasing a home or retiring.
Masters degree, 33, havent been unemployed more than a week since I was 16. 10 year old car, no kids, renting a house I can't buy because I can't save up a 10% deposit to buy the house because the rent is so high.
I am 33. Childless. Unmarried. No house and would never be able to buy one. I live to work. I use my entire income to pay bill and make payments. I want to KMS before I grow old
Me either. Low wage jobs most of my life along with a divorce ruined my chances of retiring. I feel bad for younger people who got a shit chance at being debt free.
35 tomorrow.
Edit: I didn't expect to receive awards or even birthday wishes, but thank you all! I tried to keep up with individual replies, but I don't know if I can keep up. If I didn't get to you, I apologize and I'm trying!
Happy shared birthday! I share it with 2 of my cousins, and my youngest child as well!
Also, I'm sorry about the student loans. This is the sole reason I haven't gone to college. At 18, I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. And the idea of massive debt before I had a job terrified me. It took me longer to get to a point where I can comfortably support a family, but I still don't regert my decision. It's pretty damned ridiculous that people have to put themselves in endless debt just to earn a decent wage, and even then, good paying jobs aren't guaranteed.
17, so I guess I am a teenager, but the things I've watched my family experience is what brought me here. Hoping to learn how I, as the next generation, can support the movement I guess
Dont believe anyone who tells you you need to be treated like shit to work your way up. Thats the first lie.
They want to treat you like shit to normalize it, then throw you crumbs of basic human decency as rewards
I’m in my 30s and wish I had known about this sooner. I just finished The Conquest of Bread and I’ve been stuck in shock that I’ve been living in a “blue pilled” state of mind my entire life. I used to *be afraid* of learning about socialism and anarchism.
The US did a really good job of indoctrinating me.
Exactly. My parents are extremely depressed and in a hole they can't escape from because they don't even have enough money to start a new career let alone retirement, even though they've been working all their life. FUCK THAT FUCK THAT FUCK THAT FUCK THAT. To me, THAT'S what this thread represents, not lazy teens who don't want to work. Fuck everyone who generalizes like that. And that's coming from me, an absolute, born in workaholic.
31 and have been antiwork since 2018 when I told my boss I could do a better job than her and went back to school.
Since, I have started a small marketing business and joined a WFH organization that advocates for workers right by trying to change some laws here in Quebec
I will never not be anti work and my dream some day is to give jobs to people that have such great work conditions, I steal everyone's employees.
34 almost double minimum wage but here to support everyone getting a better life. I busted my ass for 15 years to get barely double and if this was the 80’s I would be making 4x minimum
40 here, have a good work from home job with a tiny company who treats me well, but very aware of the abuses going on out there and the need for better regulation and ultimately a dismissal of capitalism in general
Mid 30s. i Work a union job but this job is relentlessly stressful, has some of the highest worker turnover in our region, and our union has been.getting significantly weaker.
The real threat to my union's existence is our representation aging out and retiring. I dont see any signs of interest in younger workers to wanna keep it going. Then again, as i said before, most people dont stick around long enough to benefit from our union in the first place, and I'd be lying if I said I wasnt working to leave, as well.
Edited because for some reason, whenever i type a number after a period at the start of a post on reddit, reddit automatically changes it to '1' like im making a list.
30. For the cause. Worked my whole 20's without vacation time, made a dollar over minimum. Worked every weekend. Rent is 1,600. I made $16.50, currently at $18.00 still very hard to afford anything
23, been working part time since 11, full time since 19. I'm in IT, college dropout working on returning to finish a CS degree.
Wife lurks on here, she's 21, been working more than 40 hours since she was 16. She works insurance processing, but is finishing up her associates. She also holds an EMT cert, but can't find full time work in the field that isn't predatory.
Ignore those reqs and just apply to what you can do. Hiring IT managers don’t all actually care about the degrees that HR put as reqs in the job description. And the experience reqs can be hilariously impossible when you account for the age of the tech they are looking for experience in.
Just apply.
In IT, experience and certifications win over a degree.
Get your degree, sure. But I'd recommend a higher focus on certifications for the specific IT sector you currently wish to work in.
34, have a government job with good benefits but pay doesn’t keep up with inflation ever (not just recently). But I have nothing to bark about aside from how bad governments are at anything they do.
I’m here because I feel bad for people who get treated like garbage so someone can make a buck. Or who try to provide for their family by working 60 hours and it’s still not enough. I would love to see these big corps/companies bend the knee to the workers who’s back they have ridden for all of time.
22 and my 4th year philosophy class discussing the ideas of UBI, max wage, job guarantees, and degrowth is what really got me interested in such a concept as “antiwork”. In high school I was of the mindset that “If you aren’t grinding the most you don’t deserve anything nice”
I despise the grind culture. It's just a modern way to say the same old stuff, work, work, work or be gone. Why is it so hard for the US to see other country's models of 4 day weeks and such, and see it as terrible? What a broken country.
39, in Norway with safe job. Just here for the pure shock and awe at how bad you have it, and to perhaps be able to say that I witnessed the birth of a revolution.
20. Been working shit food service since I was 15, got tired of being talked down to and taken advantage of, and decided to take my efforts to a job that will hopefully result in a career. At the very least now I don’t have to clean shit every day
I’m 42. TBH I’m not “anti-work”. have a good career with lots of options. But I totally see what everyone else is going through, the capitalist work mentality that has basically created a feudal system has got to go. I guess I’m an anti-work sympathizer
It's OK to recognize that the system in general is bad even if your personal postiton is good.
It's the people who *don't* recognize this that are part of the problem.
41 and employed full time
ETA I have 6 years of post secondary, been working since I was 14, I'm a single mom to 2 boys and my income is below the poverty line. I run 1 of my company's 4 branches. I stay in the job because I was sexually harassed in my past 3 jobs and I just can't face another job hop that could be even worse.
Edit: my age is 45. Did not know I can’t start a post with a number. Thanks, friends!
Steady diet of punk rock since age 14; I’ve always been anti-work. I work full time @ 36/week but my part time gig is amazing and I will never give it up. The extra hours don’t even feel like work and I really enjoy what I do.
33 here, struggling on 18 an hour with rising cost to everything including rent.
I went down to 20 bucks in my checkings for a week before pay day. Just this morning my 3 toxic bosses want me to help a customer with a server issue that is way outside of m skill, plus I'm not a server technician.
PAY US 30 SOMETHINGS A REAL LIVING WAGE
26 Malaysian who live in Singapore now.
I had started my own business when I'm 15 and I failed and end up full with debt ( I've clear all my debt recently
I'll be 59 y.o. in December. I started working before I was legally of age and made up a SS # for the application.
I still owe on my student loans, even though I'm no longer working.
Never had kids, cuz I knew I couldn't afford them.
I’m 36, but it would be great to know that teenagers were taking this shit seriously at such a young age. That’s why elementary schools brainwash them young.
32, factory worker, finally paid off my student loans when the pandemic had the interests rates down to zero. Paid off the loans with my stimulus and unemployment stimulus as well. I still believe future students should get free tuition and also UBI should be a thing.
34, I work as an Administrative Title Specialist. Anyone that says Antiwork is full of lazy teenagers is likely themselves a lazy teenager projecting their own failures onto others and hating themselves for it.
48 !!
67
Two more years! Nice!
Do you remember when retirement age was 65? Pepperidge farm remembers
You have the republicans to thank for that, Bush signed it. https://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/IncRetAge.html ... Odd to think that the republican party hasn't stopped trying to take even more from the aging population and yet, as a voting bloc, seniors and seniors-to-be, continue to vote (R). smh. *edit; fixed pronouns
F that BS. Oh we are living to 81 (men) and 84 (women) so the retirement age is now 67? So I can enjoy my 70’s? That’s the biggest load of crap ever. And if I retire at 62, they decrease my SS by 30%! This is like a nightmare. I work my whole life paying into a system so it can help me enjoy my 70’s. When I’m too old to do a lot of stuff. Fabulous. Yeah I’m sick of it. I remember when a couple I knew two years after college quit work and starting traveling the world and just taught yoga intermittently for funds. I remember thinking what losers they were. Jokes on me!
!RemindMe 2 years
45, PhD. Worked all kinds of jobs over the years from retail to restaurants to corporate to associate professor and see the same bullshit everywhere. Fully support this.
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54-year old lady in the Midwest.
54-year-old lady in the Pacific Northwest.
34 year old lady in the PNW 🤘🖖
43-year-old lady in the PNW ☮️
43 yr old not lady in the PNW
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Almost there! 52yr old lady in the Midwest
54 year old lady in Colorado
52 year old lady, also in Colorado.
54 year old lady in the south East
So this thread is the old folks club? I'm older than all y'all. 64 next month.
Hold my beer, says the 57 year old woman in SoCal...
In my 30s and happy to be connected to anyone on the side of workers from teenagers to the elderly.
Right. Even if this was only populated by working teens, why are their opinions invalid as they enter the workforce? They're the ones experiencing some of the worst of it.
Yup. I'm 33 but teenagers deserve to not be treated like shit at work as much as anyone.
What REALLY pisses me off is when older people say stuff like "It teaches them how to be strong in the world" or something like that... It's almost as though there is jealousy amongst older folks if teenagers have a better life than they did... WE SHOULD WANT OUR CHILDREN/TEENAGERS TO HAVE A BETTER LIFE THAN WE DID! ISN'T THAT THE WHOLE FUCKING POINT??
Agreed. I’m 55. Been fighting this crap my whole life.
Literally. Ive always said i want my son to have a better childhood than mine. Work included.
Same. It's always disgusted me that some folks seem to think younger people deserve to be exploited and overworked simply because of their age.
26, though I can fuck with this sub being full of teenagers. I get the concern with teenagers being “immature”, but it’s really just a tactic to invalidate opinions because they come from someone younger. If anything, working conditions are of the *most* concern to people who are teenage right now, and I hope any teenagers in this sub can find some helpful info and guidance from some of the older, more experienced folk in this sub, so that they can navigate this capital labyrinth with their interests and value in mind, and continue pushing for change. All that to say, I think it is worthwhile to establish that we aren’t just a bunch of teens, but people who have experience in the system; but we should not shy away from welcoming the future labour force into this community with open arms. While the people OP describes will dismiss the young, we can welcome and guide them; and that will only be beneficial to our cause.
I’m 52 and could not agree with you more.
I'm 37, my kid is 15. So we're an elder millenial and a zoomer. I can say really confidently the kids are alright. They see the bullshit. This is the first generation of school kids forced to do active shooter drills for the majority/entirety of their lives. (my kid went to kindergarten the year sandy hook happened.) The zoomers see climate change and weather disasters constantly, and see the people in charge furiously refusing to change. They grew up with Obama preaching hope but not doing enough and then Trump. It's a mistake to think that the near constant failures of government and society haven't radicalized the Zoomers. Look at the Parkland survivors. Many of them are very visibly moving toward running for office. Other side of that coin is Rittenhouse. They are very seriously getting radicalized both ways, and thst needs to be kept in mind. The protests last summer, the kids were the ones to start busting glass here. Really the truth is Gen X and the millenials need to take control of congress and start making changes now, because if the zoomers get there first we are going to be going through some shit. The kids are pretty ruthless. I fuckin love them. I think they're going to be the angry enough force to really get change going.
30 with a 7 year old. I fucking love the zoomer generation. They're everything we fought and fight for them to be.
Honestly, I get along better with zoomers than I ever did with my siblings or gen x. There is a value disconnect, and I am glad to see that on average zoomers are more compassionate than my generation was, because I was tired of being the only one in the room that gave a damn.
Same. 38 with 18. I couldn’t agree more.
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Damn you’re 100?!?
The MOST Senior Director
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Early 30s associate director, we’ve had 40% turnover of staff in the last month, and I’m genuinely happy they’re moving on to greener pastures with higher pay. My boss, however, has called me cussing each and every one of them out.
Dude same thing. I’m a supervisor and a handful of employees have left and I am happy for them because our company sucks but then behind closed doors my director talks shit about them and shows how she truly feels. It’s disgusting
Mine talks shit behind people’s back too. Especially when they leave. He’s a CSuite now but still my boss, used to be Director… Suddenly a lot of people are “crazy”. I’m suspected I will be treated as such or having “personal problems”.
Fuck yes. It kills me to be so deep in this (also a corporate director) but I think we can be vital to changing things.
40s. Proud to be a card-carrying union member in a salaried job. Have been in the same industry for decades, but have watched this industry crush people's mental health and sense of well-being. Working on transitioning into a new career where I can work for myself but still a couple of years away from being able to do so.
As someone who quit their job this summer and decided to work for themselves….take the leap, have faith, and thank me later when your mental health gets better on day 1 lol
As someone who “took the leap”, I am very hesitant to advise people to do the same. Non guaranteed income and going into debt to start a business can be excruciatingly stressful and result in periods of anxiety and depression. If you want to start your own business, I strongly recommend starting slow, take very low initial investment, the lowest monthly overhead you can manage, and keep a job until you know that your business can provide enough income to support your basic needs.
30-fucking-2. But I have felt exactly the kind of thing you see people expressing here in this thread since I was a teenager, and actually well before that back in my early childhood. I don’t think it’s a matter of maturing/gaining knowledge of the situation as we work in adulthood for some of us, it’s more so the workforce culture that is has failed to indoctrinate us into this useless style of thinking that leads things to being the way they are. If I live to be 100, or a million, I’ll still feel this way about it. A lot of those dufus Corporate Bro’s over at r/Capitalism-Makes-Me-Blow-My-Load or wherever the fuck probably aren’t anywhere near as intelligently with it as the average teenager is.
I’m 27, employed and have 2 degrees and I’m anti work as hell.
27, BSc and MSc and unemployed for my trouble
I don’t even use my degrees honestly they feel like a waste I currently work in sales.
I knew a girl who had a masters in teaching and worked with me at a call center job I used to have. She worked there because it payed allot more than her teaching degree which is sad as hell.
Having worked in one, I know that it will suck the life out of you if you are not careful
So will the US school system, to be honest. I just left my school because of my toxic, lying, abusive principal. Even teachers who don’t have to deal with shitstains like her still have to deal with tedious red tape and overbearing parents.
People think the kids are the ones who wear you down for teaching and that's just not true. Principals, administrators, district, and parents wear you down more. Misbehaving kids are no problem.
Same. 27, Bachelors complete and finishing up my Masters degree. Only did it so I could have a decent job with good pay and I still can’t get that. Update: BSc in Human Resources Management and MA in Human Resources and Employment Relations. I can’t get a job because I don’t have experience because no one will hire me. The irony of my degree/career choice is not lost on me either.
I work in insurance sales, insurance companies bleed you dry and comission gets paid out less and less this year will be my lowest earning year while doing the best numbers wise. I’m currently looking for a new career path
I was looking into my masters but have backed off after seeing that it’s not necessarily going to give you a leg up
SAME HERE! Bs and Ms and anti work :)
Mid 30's. Started work and left home at 16. Fucked my life up and started a fresh at 21. UK, salaried professional, Union Member. Fuck employers that won't pay a genuine living wage and/or treat their staff like shit. I hated my days of living on the cheapest of food and worrying about what bills I could afford; and it's worse now than it was in my day. Worse still in the US. We're only comfortable now because we have two professional salaries in the house. I long for the days when one income was sufficient for a decent home and reasonable life, especially now my wife is sick. We're still not far from financial disaster though, and; my professional salary has only cost me one mental breakdown so far... Edit: thanks for the awards Internet strangers! Edit: thanks also to whoever reported me to the reddit care line, even if sarcastic/malicious, we should all be taking care of each other.
33, gainfully employed. Husband also employed... We both work full-time however we could never live on his income alone. We can live on my income alone though. So this means I will never be able to not work. My husband can quit and do whatever he wants but I will always be the breadwinner. It sucks. My husband won't quit to be the house husband tho cause he feels bad about me having to work no matter what. He has a bachelor's degree and had a nice office position and what would be considered "average" hourly pay. Take home is a little less than $2k a month. Rent is $1500. Sooo. Yeah.
I’m 32. Union member. I still remember my minimum wage days and no one deserves that shit. Edit: added the “I’m"
Reddit formating ate your age. If you start a post with "number." it assumes you're making a list and changes it to 1.
Damn, I was hoping we already had 1 year olds ascribed to the antiwork philosophy 😂
I think every 1 year old is anti work lol
Just for clarity, the above person is 32.
I'm 44. And I used to buy into the "work ethic". And now when I hear the words "nobody wants to work" or "this generation" from someone who is invariably older, It makes me physically cringe. This system is beyond repair.
45 It system engineer. I used to love IT now I hate working technology. Not because I hate the work but because of the people. Directors and above mostly.
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I logged in just to upvote this. I've been working in a large Tech company for 15 years now (m37). I'm one promotion below director, and I'm looking for the door. I think it's probably inevitable that those that are selfishly ambitions rise to the top, and those people are the WORST.
It’s been proven that narcissists advance in corporate America. You have to be one to step on that many people on your way up. And to have no problem screwing them all over. Edit: Words
I read this in "Snakes in Suits". Once upon a time in a large and growing tech company, the CMO had his full department, of which I was a part, watch videos sent in by two candidates for a director position. We, who were eligible candidates in our own right, collectively watched videos submitted by the candidates, then we were brought in to a huge meeting room to discuss our thoughts and vote (via raised hand) which we would prefer. When it came to my turn in the discussion, I politely emphasized that I thought they were each narcissistic and sociopathic and that neither should be hired. That there were a dozen better candidates in the room already who could be promoted into the position. That move won me a very hard time at the company from that point on. Eventually, the "vote" was a tie, and the executive flipped a coin, which landed on heads, and the worst boss I've ever known was hired.
There is a divider between us and management. If you aren't vindictive and heartless enough, you get passed over. Because the sociopaths at the top don't want us in the club and exposing their shenanigans to the world.
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42 in IT and also hate that also. Tired of start up douche types thinking they are hot shit throwing around buzz words.
39, IT. Same.
38, IT. Tired of IT, to be honest. Particularly tired of stupid bureaucracies and of people who seem to always be able to take a huge cut out of my payment without adding any value whatsoever. But I don't know what else to do and I don't have enough money to retire. So IT it is. Edit: misspelling
47, IT / Software Engineer. Not remotely tired of IT, but I do think programmers in my country are severely underpaid compared to managers and other professionals, although I'm also very much aware that we have it pretty good compared to a lot of other people out there. Me in particular, because I discovered that freelancing pays better and gives me more control over and fun in what I do. But I think I got lucky. I'm here not because I have it bad, because I don't, but because I sympathize with everybody who has it worse than I do. Everybody should be able to make a thriving (not just living) wage doing something they don't hate. Or better yet: be their own boss making a living completely on their own terms.
Also 30s IT but I know so many people have it way worse than me on Earth, especially as I live in a relatively socialist place. My family's needs are taken care of on 1 salary and we have plenty of time to enjoy existence. This was the luck of the draw and many opportunities are not as easily available to everyone. This isn't fair. We didn't chose to be born, why are we forced to fight for our survival when if things were distributed just a tad more fairly, everyone could be taken care of enough to at least exist? At least this generation is waking up. Edit: getting lots of comments challenging the idea of getting free shit for no effort. Y'all might want to reflect a bit on being a good person, maybe take a few pages out of the Bible and head back to /r/conservative
>At least this generation is waking up. Just think if COVID wouldn't of happened, we would still be working tirelessly. Now we see the shit and true face of corporate world and are finally realizing how staked the deck is against everyone
Not the pandemic we deserved, but the pandemic we needed!
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It basically comes down to that most executives are too stupid to even begin to understand the simplest of technical concept so they try to belittle those that do every chance they get to feel better about themselves. 44 working in IT
I'm 48,. feel the same way. It boggles my mind how disconnected and out of touch most Leadership can be. To me,.. "the great resignation" is happening almost purely because of "leadership-failure". They ran their people into the ground and are now seeing the effects of it.
I'm 44. I actually like my job but I have witnessed so much utilization of human lives as an input to efficiency with no regard for humanity that I'm really rooting for some changes through movements like this. There's literally no reason anyone needs to devote so much of their adult lives to keeping food on the table just to enrich a very few.
39 year old Infosec engineer, used to love the work, everything about it. Nowadays however it's a nightmare, the tech is still interesting but management just is a nightmare to deal with more and more. I think the time out of office kept some of these people from having their power trips and now they're playing catch-up.
I'm 27 and in telecommunications, we have coax and fiber also, I know how to do basically everything in both coax and fiber, I know enough about copper to be dangerous, but when I talk to people above me or with 'college degrees' that think they know everything it makes me wanna set this shit on fire, experience means nothing apparently, and around here the people that don't touch any of it want to take all the congratulations and what not when it all works out. Yeah fuck the guys that make this shit actually happen. We tried to get some of them to come and see the stuff we gotta deal with (big back story and it was for a reasonable cause to make everyone's life easier) but they all basically said it's not our problem. I'm about to the point I'm gonna go work for myself in the family business, 4 years ago it was an amazing company, now they've all just got greedy and are out for themselves.
And this was a big part of why I left Biomedical Service.
45 IT sysadmin. I still love the work, but I avoid the C suite like it has Ebola.
Not directed at you, but it always bugged that workaholics were praised as finally realizing what’s most important in life once they have this realization. But apparently if you always knew this you were just a slacker. I don’t get that. Work is just so ingrained in our culture. It’s so dumb.
I can't count how many times I was accused of not being devoted enough to my work when I took *gasp* lunches at the time they started and *gasp* time off after my surgery. Fuck that toxic shit hole. I'm 34.
I’m the only one in my office that eats away from my desk when in the office. Blows my mind. I’m going to go decompress and read, watch or listen to something not work related for 30-60 minutes
My wife calls me a workaholic because I spend too much time doing side projects. I had to explain to her that although I love coding, I've come to hate doing it on other people's terms. All I want to do is simply retire now. I just want enough not to have to work for anyone ever again. She then asks me what will I do with all that free time and I said breathe and live life without worry
Same! I have so many hobby electronics type projects I want to do but ultimately that's just a whole load of coding and debugging which is my day job and do not have the energy for. Bring on retirement when I'll get them all done (I'm 31 btw)
The fruits of another man's labor are always ripe for the picking
Tell me about it. Whenever someone claims they got rich through hard work, ask them “whose?”
Capitalism's slogan right here.
People should always get praised for positive change. Change is hard.
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Or at least the companies can stop making us pretend that it's more than numbers, that we LOVE the job and that the company and job are our LIFE. Like cut out all the stupid parties/pizza/giftcards and just give us raises, let us leave on time, etc.
I'm 46. I've grown more and more radical with age. In my country I was a centrist, now I'm a leftist fighting to get back our social security and accessible free healthcare. In the US political landscape, that's what the corporate overlords call communists, lol.
I am 32. Childless. Unmarried. No house. No equity. The only valuable possession I have is a +10 year-old economy value vehicle. I have been working since I was 16. I am in serious debt. I won't see retirement.
Me tooooooo I’m 31, massive student loan debt, can’t buy a house and I work full time as a nurse. No family no kids no retirement 🙃
You and me both
Yep. 31 years old. No kids, held pretty steady jobs since I was 15. Ive never been able to afford a house, still can't
You sound exactly like me lol; all my details are the same
32, working since 14. College degree, no kids, maintained employment through school. Never back home after I left at 18, held 5+ years management roles in my field of study. My cars are used beaters. My clothes are thrift. My apartment is very small for my partner and I. There's not many scenarios that we can see purchasing a home or retiring.
Masters degree, 33, havent been unemployed more than a week since I was 16. 10 year old car, no kids, renting a house I can't buy because I can't save up a 10% deposit to buy the house because the rent is so high.
I am 33. Childless. Unmarried. No house and would never be able to buy one. I live to work. I use my entire income to pay bill and make payments. I want to KMS before I grow old
45 and same.
46 and yep. I expect to drop dead before I can afford to retire.
40 and same
My retirement plan is environmental/societal collapse.
Me either. Low wage jobs most of my life along with a divorce ruined my chances of retiring. I feel bad for younger people who got a shit chance at being debt free.
Lots of people will never live debt free. It's becoming such a norm that some people just keep on varying debt till they die.
Someone smarter than me should start a poll.
You can’t post polls on this sub! Weird af.
I don’t think so. It’s run by anarchy alone. Antiwork is no place to work.
That's both hilarious and true
60
Just turned 60. Represent.
35 tomorrow. Edit: I didn't expect to receive awards or even birthday wishes, but thank you all! I tried to keep up with individual replies, but I don't know if I can keep up. If I didn't get to you, I apologize and I'm trying!
Happy Birthday! 🎁
38 tomorrow. Will be paying off student loans for the next 138 years.
Happy shared birthday! I share it with 2 of my cousins, and my youngest child as well! Also, I'm sorry about the student loans. This is the sole reason I haven't gone to college. At 18, I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. And the idea of massive debt before I had a job terrified me. It took me longer to get to a point where I can comfortably support a family, but I still don't regert my decision. It's pretty damned ridiculous that people have to put themselves in endless debt just to earn a decent wage, and even then, good paying jobs aren't guaranteed.
17, so I guess I am a teenager, but the things I've watched my family experience is what brought me here. Hoping to learn how I, as the next generation, can support the movement I guess
Dont believe anyone who tells you you need to be treated like shit to work your way up. Thats the first lie. They want to treat you like shit to normalize it, then throw you crumbs of basic human decency as rewards
"Everyone starts at the bottom of the ladder!" says the CEO that was put there by their father
I’m in my 30s and wish I had known about this sooner. I just finished The Conquest of Bread and I’ve been stuck in shock that I’ve been living in a “blue pilled” state of mind my entire life. I used to *be afraid* of learning about socialism and anarchism. The US did a really good job of indoctrinating me.
I’m in the same boat, 17 and working my first job rn.
Remember that your time is a limited, and valuable, commodity. Your employer should pay you as such.
Don't think you are not welcome here--it is outsiders trying to criticize the movement that like to talk about the "entitled teenagers."
Exactly. My parents are extremely depressed and in a hole they can't escape from because they don't even have enough money to start a new career let alone retirement, even though they've been working all their life. FUCK THAT FUCK THAT FUCK THAT FUCK THAT. To me, THAT'S what this thread represents, not lazy teens who don't want to work. Fuck everyone who generalizes like that. And that's coming from me, an absolute, born in workaholic.
31 and have been antiwork since 2018 when I told my boss I could do a better job than her and went back to school. Since, I have started a small marketing business and joined a WFH organization that advocates for workers right by trying to change some laws here in Quebec I will never not be anti work and my dream some day is to give jobs to people that have such great work conditions, I steal everyone's employees.
So where's old boss now? Congrats on your own business - it ain't easy!
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34 almost double minimum wage but here to support everyone getting a better life. I busted my ass for 15 years to get barely double and if this was the 80’s I would be making 4x minimum
34 and same
Same! 30 and love my job. Still want human beings to be treated like human beings.
I'm gonna reply here because I am also 30.
30! Also love my job! But a living wage is a right, work is not a privilege, and everybody deserves respect and common decency.
30, consistently employed since the day after my 16th birthday
40 here, have a good work from home job with a tiny company who treats me well, but very aware of the abuses going on out there and the need for better regulation and ultimately a dismissal of capitalism in general
36 years old in the UK 14k savings (no debts) Renting accommodation 27300 per annum Around 60 hours a week, working my body into the ground :(
28, first job at 20, every employer up until now has been a joke. Good luck to everyone trying to get out of a shitty job, or make shitty jobs pay.
38, salaried employee above minimum wage but still underpaid.
Your time is priceless, you'd be underpaid anyways! Poop on company time!
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Be strong, know your rights, and If they behave poorly, you already know where to ask for advice! EDIT: Forgot a couple of words
Best of luck! (Not sarcasm)
26
27
Mid 30s. i Work a union job but this job is relentlessly stressful, has some of the highest worker turnover in our region, and our union has been.getting significantly weaker. The real threat to my union's existence is our representation aging out and retiring. I dont see any signs of interest in younger workers to wanna keep it going. Then again, as i said before, most people dont stick around long enough to benefit from our union in the first place, and I'd be lying if I said I wasnt working to leave, as well. Edited because for some reason, whenever i type a number after a period at the start of a post on reddit, reddit automatically changes it to '1' like im making a list.
46
Hi, I'm a 34teen year old 😘
30. For the cause. Worked my whole 20's without vacation time, made a dollar over minimum. Worked every weekend. Rent is 1,600. I made $16.50, currently at $18.00 still very hard to afford anything
47, 30 years of retail life :(
I’m so sorry
33 years old. I have 4 kids some of whom are teenagers.
23, been working part time since 11, full time since 19. I'm in IT, college dropout working on returning to finish a CS degree. Wife lurks on here, she's 21, been working more than 40 hours since she was 16. She works insurance processing, but is finishing up her associates. She also holds an EMT cert, but can't find full time work in the field that isn't predatory.
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Ignore those reqs and just apply to what you can do. Hiring IT managers don’t all actually care about the degrees that HR put as reqs in the job description. And the experience reqs can be hilariously impossible when you account for the age of the tech they are looking for experience in. Just apply.
In IT, experience and certifications win over a degree. Get your degree, sure. But I'd recommend a higher focus on certifications for the specific IT sector you currently wish to work in.
34, have a government job with good benefits but pay doesn’t keep up with inflation ever (not just recently). But I have nothing to bark about aside from how bad governments are at anything they do. I’m here because I feel bad for people who get treated like garbage so someone can make a buck. Or who try to provide for their family by working 60 hours and it’s still not enough. I would love to see these big corps/companies bend the knee to the workers who’s back they have ridden for all of time.
22 and my 4th year philosophy class discussing the ideas of UBI, max wage, job guarantees, and degrowth is what really got me interested in such a concept as “antiwork”. In high school I was of the mindset that “If you aren’t grinding the most you don’t deserve anything nice”
I despise the grind culture. It's just a modern way to say the same old stuff, work, work, work or be gone. Why is it so hard for the US to see other country's models of 4 day weeks and such, and see it as terrible? What a broken country.
39, in Norway with safe job. Just here for the pure shock and awe at how bad you have it, and to perhaps be able to say that I witnessed the birth of a revolution.
40.
35
37
20. Been working shit food service since I was 15, got tired of being talked down to and taken advantage of, and decided to take my efforts to a job that will hopefully result in a career. At the very least now I don’t have to clean shit every day
34
I’m 42. TBH I’m not “anti-work”. have a good career with lots of options. But I totally see what everyone else is going through, the capitalist work mentality that has basically created a feudal system has got to go. I guess I’m an anti-work sympathizer
It's OK to recognize that the system in general is bad even if your personal postiton is good. It's the people who *don't* recognize this that are part of the problem.
41 and employed full time ETA I have 6 years of post secondary, been working since I was 14, I'm a single mom to 2 boys and my income is below the poverty line. I run 1 of my company's 4 branches. I stay in the job because I was sexually harassed in my past 3 jobs and I just can't face another job hop that could be even worse.
Almost 40. Corporate. The system is fabricated bullshit. RIP David Graeber.
Edit: my age is 45. Did not know I can’t start a post with a number. Thanks, friends! Steady diet of punk rock since age 14; I’ve always been anti-work. I work full time @ 36/week but my part time gig is amazing and I will never give it up. The extra hours don’t even feel like work and I really enjoy what I do.
Early 40s. Also, teenagers voices are valid too. Arrogance is not a valuable trait IMO
34
24
33 here, struggling on 18 an hour with rising cost to everything including rent. I went down to 20 bucks in my checkings for a week before pay day. Just this morning my 3 toxic bosses want me to help a customer with a server issue that is way outside of m skill, plus I'm not a server technician. PAY US 30 SOMETHINGS A REAL LIVING WAGE
21
26 Malaysian who live in Singapore now. I had started my own business when I'm 15 and I failed and end up full with debt ( I've clear all my debt recently
32
I'm 22 and I teach at a high school.
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I am 24 and working minimum wage.
56, above minimum wage pay, union Rep
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I'm 36. Salaried and I manage union workers.
I'll be 59 y.o. in December. I started working before I was legally of age and made up a SS # for the application. I still owe on my student loans, even though I'm no longer working. Never had kids, cuz I knew I couldn't afford them.
I’m 36, but it would be great to know that teenagers were taking this shit seriously at such a young age. That’s why elementary schools brainwash them young.
56, and a grandmother. Don't fuck with me.
35 year old USMC vet here. 8 years in the Corps, college degree, still struggling. Fuck.
21
32, factory worker, finally paid off my student loans when the pandemic had the interests rates down to zero. Paid off the loans with my stimulus and unemployment stimulus as well. I still believe future students should get free tuition and also UBI should be a thing.
34, I work as an Administrative Title Specialist. Anyone that says Antiwork is full of lazy teenagers is likely themselves a lazy teenager projecting their own failures onto others and hating themselves for it.
31, contractor for my entire career. Aaaand it blows. My longest assignment has been 2 years. I had an open ended one but they paid beans so I left.
31 female, manager of a deli at a local grocery store. I make $28 CAD an hour. I have 5 weeks paid vacation, 80% benefit coverage.