How do you feel about your job?

[kesslari]

I have noticed a trend here; when most of you talk about your jobs, you feel the need to bring up the topic of monetary compensation -- as if the two are somehow related. Well, I guess most people expect to make money from their place of employment, so it makes a little sense I guess.

I'll tell you though, as someone who was responsible for hiring/staffing a restaurant (yeah, it's sh*t work, but it was work); I would immediately disqualify any person who asked about money in the interview. If all you care about is money, I don't want you working for me. So yeah, any stupid questions like "How much does it pay" or "When do I get paid" or "How often can I get a raise" I would simply shake their hand and thank them for coming in.

Yeah, even without relocating, in the professional world, you talk about compensation first. At this point I (and people like me) have specific skillsets, there are pretty clear ranges of compensation (varying by region). And likely your candidate knows about where they should be in that compensation range (junior engineer, senior, architect, etc.) You want to talk to me about hiring me or my peers, you tell me up front what you're offering, including perks. And that is open to negotiation.

 

[smeet]

I have noticed a trend here; when most of you talk about your jobs, you feel the need to bring up the topic of monetary compensation -- as if the two are somehow related. Well, I guess most people expect to make money from their place of employment, so it makes a little sense I guess.

I'll tell you though, as someone who was responsible for hiring/staffing a restaurant (yeah, it's sh*t work, but it was work); I would immediately disqualify any person who asked about money in the interview. If all you care about is money, I don't want you working for me. So yeah, any stupid questions like "How much does it pay" or "When do I get paid" or "How often can I get a raise" I would simply shake their hand and thank them for coming in.

They are called jobs for a reason. If they didn't pay, most people wouldn't work. I have a great job already. A minimum requirement for me to change jobs would be a higher salary.

 

[hondo4life]

I hate my job. I hate almost all jobs. There was a time back when I was young and naive that I found pleasure and fulfillment in my job, but that got shat upon from above. I am done being the nice, honest, hard worker. It has literally sucked the life out of me, and I have nothing to show for it aside from bitterness, hatred, screwed up legs, and numbness in my hands.

Interesting. A year later, and I find myself in a better place. It is 100% due to finding a boss that genuinely respects his workers, and does not pass the b.s. downhill. It is his business, so he doesn't have a big dark corporate cloud hanging over his head. He has worked for enough bad bosses, himself, so he knows better.

Nevertheless, this job hurts my hands.
I don't want to do it any longer than I have to.

 

[BaileyMan]

I love my work! I'm a speech therapist and someone who stutters. I've turned my biggest challenge in life into the most rewarding career where I get to support other people who stutter.

 

[comatosedragon]

Yeah, even without relocating, in the professional world, you talk about compensation first. At this point I (and people like me) have specific skillsets, there are pretty clear ranges of compensation

Absolutely.
But I'm not referring to the professional world, I'm talking about gutter trash like myself, people who work in the food service industry. There is a reason minimum wage exists. I would never go to a job (a job, not a professional career) expecting to make more than the minimum wage. And I would be embarrassed to ask for more.

 

[fingerguy]

No longer love what I do. But I been doing it for 20-plus years, I am really good at it, I get paid really well, and too many responsibilities to take a chance on changing my career at 43.

 

[Fishheadjoe]

I've been a professional recruiter in I.T. for the past 30 years. I had no computer knowledge when I started and frankly, I didn't even know the industry existed. My friend got me into it and I have progressed to the point of opening and running my own agency for the past four years. I started by placing Mainframe folks, progressed through the mid-range years and have been working in the client server arena since. Recently I have been focusing on POS, transaction processing and development. Funny, this industry, recruiting, puts you in a position to have a great deal of insight into how companies operate as well as having knowledge across a huge number of businesses. I now a little about just about everything!
I work alone, from home and honestly, it was really tough at first. Now, I find myself shaking my head when I think about working for someone else and giving half of what I make to my employer. Not gonna happen.
Being the chief recruiter, marketer, accountant, psychologist etc is a full time 7x24 job. My hours are typically 8-8, five days a week, with some weekend work as well.
I do enjoy dealing with most people as I am seen as a solution to their employment problems, but I don't really get much job satisfaction when I am successful. Example - I can place an individual in a new career role, getting them in most cases a significant increase in compensation, exposure to new and developing technologies, a shorter commute and in three months of service in their new company, they don't even remember my name! It used to bother me a lot, but I have decided that my job satisfaction will be solely derived from cashing cheques.
Fishheadjoe

 

[Chicory Blue]

Special Education: The pay is butts and in no way a livable wage, but days are loose and I get to innovate and improvise rather than follow a daily grind. I'm privy to a lot of frustrating, frightening and emotionally numbing situations, but I get to go home feeling like I've sufficiently paid my dues to society. Having the summer off to be musically creative is well worth the worst of it and old ladies are the best drinking buddies.

Fortune Telling: For a few hours each month, I get paid more than a physician's assistant to wear a silly costume at a rich-people party and practice my most polished hobby while strangers listen to me talk with bated breath and hug me. One time a caterer gave me crapton of leftover truffle macaroni. It was delicious. I feel like a celebrity.

When you put it all together, I barely scrape by, but life is colorful and usually comfortable with a lot of free time, so I think I have it pretty sweet.

--^@

 

[zon6c-f]

Haven't read beyond first page

After a couple of entry jobs I began my career day job in 1974. Didn't plan to make its career but earning a living as s musician wasnt my destiny regardless of how I tried.

Long story short I retired in 2014 after40 years.
Economy was bad No raises in years. No reason to stay on

Ironically in retirement I had plenty of time for music but with $4 gal gas and my guzzler all I could do was my yard work
Fortunately my wife loves music so we listened to music watched music dvds as much as possible. Mostly Allman Brothers I miss that part of retirement

I bored quickly playing along do I would go for months without bass in hand

I digress.

I developed depression as I applied for jobs which never gave me a chance

At peak of my depression I removed batteries from my active basses and began to compose my good bye letter while I took a short course in Project Management

Out of the blue I got called for an interview and was hired.

Now I have my next career with a great company no time to play my basses as weekends I still have my yard chores

My new job pays well. Great people benefits. I wake up happy because I get to go to work instead of having to

I wish each of you success whether in day jobs music or both.

Hang in there I know it's tough. Persevere and succeed

 

[Selta]

I have noticed a trend here; when most of you talk about your jobs, you feel the need to bring up the topic of monetary compensation -- as if the two are somehow related. Well, I guess most people expect to make money from their place of employment, so it makes a little sense I guess.

I'll tell you though, as someone who was responsible for hiring/staffing a restaurant (yeah, it's sh*t work, but it was work); I would immediately disqualify any person who asked about money in the interview. If all you care about is money, I don't want you working for me. So yeah, any stupid questions like "How much does it pay" or "When do I get paid" or "How often can I get a raise" I would simply shake their hand and thank them for coming in.

I sell hours of my life (and a set of my skills) for compensation - that's how a job or career works. Of course it's a rather substantial consideration. Everyone has an amount that is necessary to get by, or want to further a goal of theirs. If you're paying everyone minimum wage, and that is clear up front, then sure, no need to ask in the interview or screening process. If it isn't clear, then asking shouldn't be means for dismissal, though you're well within your right to do so. Every job I ever had - even as a commis under a chef de partie, then working up to a sous, and now in my primary profession, every job has had a compensation discussion during the interview process.

 

[russosborne]

I wish I had a job to either love or hate.

I made the stupid mistake of not dying and instead got "old". I'm 57. Have over 20 years experience as an electronic technician, but can't even get an interview these days. Got laid off from a job of 6 years in 2013 and thought it would be best to move back to Phoenix in 2014 as the job scene in NE Ohio wasn't very good. Haven't had a decent job since then that has lasted. The last decent one, not a tech job, I had to leave for health reasons after about 2 months. Stupid me needed triple bypass surgery. I've probably worked about 10-12 months out of the last 3 years. And now not only is the age a factor, but also a lousy job history that is killing me.
I hated the last job I had, and it showed. So they fired me. It was a case of being told the job was one thing, and actually being another. Now, if I had been told upfront what the job really was I would have handled it a lot better.

We're lucky my brother is our landlord and he has been able to let us not pay rent, otherwise we would be on the street. Paid off the car, so now we can pay him what the car payment was, but it is far short of what we should be paying or what he could easily get with another renter.

Russ

 

[Munjibunga]

The last ten years of my career were the hardest job I had over the course of 40+ years of employment. I had to do many things I absolutely hated to do, but I always did my best at them. The salvation was that I had great bosses, partners and coworkers and I also got do do a lot of things I loved to do. I've told people along the way that they don't work for the company, they are the company and they'll get out of it what they put into it. I tried to make sure that came true for the ones who got it. The ones who understand that best now own part of the company.

So I'll say the same thing to you in different words: don't expect to get back from a job more than you put into it.

 

[Oddly]

I wouldn't say I love my job but it suits me nicely.
Aircraft handling agent.
10 minute drive time, good people, no manual lifting(doctors orders as my back is pretty much shot from 15 years of hauling bags and cargo) so I spend my shift marshalling, pushing or towing aircraft.
I usually work weekends and late shift so it's been a hassle in terms of band rehearsals etc, but my roster is pretty flexible and I'm managing that ok.

The money is not great, but in all honesty thats never been a big deal for me...the wife earns twice what I do and we do ok.

 

[Mike N]

Wish I had a job / paycheck. I was in the restaurant industry for close to 20 years, including General Manager positions at a few different restaurants.

Now that I refuse to work in the food service industry any longer, it is impossible to find other employment. So, I have been getting used to being broke. My wife has a minimum wage restaurant job, and we live on that. Barely.

Why the refusal after 20 years in the business? What drove you away?

 

[comatosedragon]

Why the refusal after 20 years in the business? What drove you away?

I just got tired of being responsible for everyone elses' laziness, ineptitude and self-serving behavior. Watching the decline of the industry over the years as the "new generation" with their entitled attitude has come into the workplace. As one example, A food worker needs to be "ServSafe" certified every few years, which is a government program dedicated to teaching important food safety regulations (regarding temperatures, storage and food allergens and the like). When I first started in the industry, this was a 2-3 day class (where the teacher actually teaches you something!) with a 400 question test at the end. Over the years with people not being able to pass the class, they have dumbed down the certification so much, squeezing the entire class into a two hour period, a 40(!) question test, and the instructor actually gives you the answers for any questions . . .

Like I said (and this is probably a personal flaw of mine); I can't and wont work with people who are not intelligent, hard working, and are actually able to multi-task and plan ahead.

 

[jasmangan]

Like I said (and this is probably a personal flaw of mine); I can't and wont work with people who are not intelligent, hard working, and are actually able to multi-task and plan ahead.

I smell what you're cooking, but what you describe makes up about 80% of the work force in one form or another.

 

[Oddly]

Like I said (and this is probably a personal flaw of mine); I can't and wont work with people who are not intelligent, hard working, and are actually able to multi-task and plan ahead.

I wouldn't call that a flaw, but you're sure limiting your options A LOT...
I admire your principles and obvious work ethic and I truly hope you can find an employer who values that as much as they should.

 

[DirtDog]

If I had the means, I would not show up for work tomorrow.

Since I don't have the means, I do work and have a career. I consider myself having a pretty good job right now with the normal amount of nonsense. I don't have to work hard physically any more and use my brain mostly for good and not evil. My chain of command is not insane. It's not the most satisfying work on the balance, but I think we do make a small bit of difference. Work life got a lot simpler when I stopped taking things personally (e.g., the top guy didn't implement my brilliant, well-researched and logical recommendation) and stopped trying to swim upstream.

I'll retire in less than a decade and I will have a very good pension on top of savings, investments and equity in property.

Kind of fits in with my vision statement: "Leisure with Dignity".

 

[jmattbassplaya]

I work in business operations. Like any profession, it has its ups and downs. I like that I have the ability to manage my team however I see fit, and I think it's awesome that I have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of my employees. However, working in a warehouse environment gets depressing after several years, and there's zero ability to work from home or abroad.

I plan on moving into a new career in the near future. I've been taking a number of online coding classes, and I plan on going through a boot camp sometime soon. I've had several friends do them (including App Academy, General Assembly, and Flatiron), and they've all come out the other side with good jobs in hand. I'm enjoying the work a great deal, and I think it'll be a great change for me.

 

[tlc1976]

For the last 18+ years I've been a mechanical design engineer, for a company that builds equipment for dust-free loading of bulk materials. I really enjoy what I do, and working with the shop guys. They like me because not only can I engineer, but I can fab and weld too. However I can't stand the management and it's getting worse all the time. They fight and deny you to use the time off you've earned, whether it be for medical or family or whatever. Even had to put up a big fight to get a few days off to get a massive blood clot taken care of. Went 6+ years without a raise or even a review, and when I finally got a review it was complete BS. I've got insurance but a ton of medical issues that I've not been able to address. A fellow worker puts it well "they keep themselves so busy cutting wood that they refuse to take time to sharpen the axe". Another thing is the people that started this place in the early 80s are still there. People like me who have been there 18 years are newbies and are still on the bottom. Shortly after me the turnover is so unreal you lose track. (It's like this at the place next door which I worked at 20 years ago. The same people I worked with are still walking past my window on break every day like it's still 1997. The owner still drives the same mid 90s Suburban he did in 97. Everybody knows everybody around here, and nothing changes.) I've been looking for another job for quite a few years, but it's pretty slim pickins around here, everybody's set for life. At least only 2 more years till my daughter is 18, then I can get out of Dodge if I want. Or take one of the $12/hr factory jobs that are everywhere all the time, and still come out ahead of what I am doing now.