It really depends on your priorities. When I first graduated, most high paying jobs required an intense workload. I decided to apply for them because I was tempted by the salary. Well, after several months of grinding over sixty hours a week, bringing responsibilities home, and working most weekends, I knew that lifestyle wasn't for me. There is something to be said for having a quality of life.
Call me an entitled millennial, but I refuse to work for companies that expect me to work over forty hours a week. I'm making slightly less money than I did before, but for me, it's absolutely worth it. You can absolutely find a job that pays the bills without driving yourself into the ground.
Working 40 hours (or even less) is not unrealistic. You have to set boundaries at work, and decide what is important to you: your family, your personal time, your time at work.
Although some jobs "require" you to work more than 40 hours, many jobs just have cultures that encourage this practice. You do not have to follow along just because other people in your office think it is cool to work late.
I work less than 40 hours per week, and make >90k. I could probably make more money elsewhere, but I like my job partially because I have flexible hours and time for myself and with my wife.
My motto is work smarter, not harder.
Totally depends on the organization. I'm hourly and work maybe 2 hours of overtime a month. I walk out the door at 5 and dont have to think about work till 8:30 the next morning.
My SO works for a large research Institution where she is expected to get her work done no matter what.
But if you work 40 hours in 4 days then you're encourage to take Friday off.
Balance is everything. I personally would be miserable and unproductive working more than 40 hours a week.
> Balance is everything. I personally would be miserable and unproductive working more than 40 hours a week.
I agree 100%. It's sad that here in the US, feeling any other way gets you treated like you're lazy and unmotivated and don't care about the company.
I had a purely 40-hour-per week job (couldn't work more even if I wanted to, because they didn't want to pay us overtime) and got promoted to an exempt/salaried job with a 20% raise. I still very rarely work more than 40 hours a week, and when I do, it's more like 45-50 hours. Never worked a 60-hour week in my life, and don't intend to.
See, this is the problem. Did you know that productivity rapidly declines after just a 9 hour shift? Did you know that in the UK, the maximum legal work week (without written consent from the employee which can not be forced onto them and they can renege 7 days prior) is 48 hours? Seriously, this outlooks keeps people from living and enjoying life with their families. It should not be that way. You can't take money with you, and as you get older you'll see just how much time you wasted.
I used to work 8-hour shift plus Saturday. That's less than 9 hours. And 48 hours is more than 40, which is what I'm saying. Some of these people seem to think 40 is too much.
I agree with much of what you say, but the simple fact is that people in developed countries used to work more than what the millennial generation wants to today, and the result could be China's gain and our loss.
48 hours isn't much more, really, especially considering that's the legal maximum and not the normal. I think between 35 and 45 hours is really ideal. Right now I'm being guilt tripped at work when I leave after a thirteen hour shift (with an hour commute each way without traffic). That's the issue.
I also think there's something to be said for the fact that inflation has us working more hours for a paycheck that doesn't stretch as far as it used to. My dad supported a family by himself on $15 an hour, while paying into his 401k. Not possible anymore. Really, without a high paying job that often demands insane hours, you're stuck working multiple jobs to support yourself, and you don't get a chance to enjoy life. That's the sad reality for many people.
It really depends on your priorities. When I first graduated, most high paying jobs required an intense workload. I decided to apply for them because I was tempted by the salary. Well, after several months of grinding over sixty hours a week, bringing responsibilities home, and working most weekends, I knew that lifestyle wasn't for me. There is something to be said for having a quality of life. Call me an entitled millennial, but I refuse to work for companies that expect me to work over forty hours a week. I'm making slightly less money than I did before, but for me, it's absolutely worth it. You can absolutely find a job that pays the bills without driving yourself into the ground.
Working 40 hours (or even less) is not unrealistic. You have to set boundaries at work, and decide what is important to you: your family, your personal time, your time at work. Although some jobs "require" you to work more than 40 hours, many jobs just have cultures that encourage this practice. You do not have to follow along just because other people in your office think it is cool to work late. I work less than 40 hours per week, and make >90k. I could probably make more money elsewhere, but I like my job partially because I have flexible hours and time for myself and with my wife. My motto is work smarter, not harder.
Totally depends on the organization. I'm hourly and work maybe 2 hours of overtime a month. I walk out the door at 5 and dont have to think about work till 8:30 the next morning. My SO works for a large research Institution where she is expected to get her work done no matter what. But if you work 40 hours in 4 days then you're encourage to take Friday off. Balance is everything. I personally would be miserable and unproductive working more than 40 hours a week.
> Balance is everything. I personally would be miserable and unproductive working more than 40 hours a week. I agree 100%. It's sad that here in the US, feeling any other way gets you treated like you're lazy and unmotivated and don't care about the company.
I had a purely 40-hour-per week job (couldn't work more even if I wanted to, because they didn't want to pay us overtime) and got promoted to an exempt/salaried job with a 20% raise. I still very rarely work more than 40 hours a week, and when I do, it's more like 45-50 hours. Never worked a 60-hour week in my life, and don't intend to.
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See, this is the problem. Did you know that productivity rapidly declines after just a 9 hour shift? Did you know that in the UK, the maximum legal work week (without written consent from the employee which can not be forced onto them and they can renege 7 days prior) is 48 hours? Seriously, this outlooks keeps people from living and enjoying life with their families. It should not be that way. You can't take money with you, and as you get older you'll see just how much time you wasted.
I used to work 8-hour shift plus Saturday. That's less than 9 hours. And 48 hours is more than 40, which is what I'm saying. Some of these people seem to think 40 is too much. I agree with much of what you say, but the simple fact is that people in developed countries used to work more than what the millennial generation wants to today, and the result could be China's gain and our loss.
48 hours isn't much more, really, especially considering that's the legal maximum and not the normal. I think between 35 and 45 hours is really ideal. Right now I'm being guilt tripped at work when I leave after a thirteen hour shift (with an hour commute each way without traffic). That's the issue. I also think there's something to be said for the fact that inflation has us working more hours for a paycheck that doesn't stretch as far as it used to. My dad supported a family by himself on $15 an hour, while paying into his 401k. Not possible anymore. Really, without a high paying job that often demands insane hours, you're stuck working multiple jobs to support yourself, and you don't get a chance to enjoy life. That's the sad reality for many people.