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I just don’t want to be busy anymore

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Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#261
post #247

One thing that helped me is not to care so much about my employer's goals. It's almost heretical. But once you embrace this mindset, it does wonders. Or at least, it has for me so far. I think a lot of us want to be proud of the work we do, and we feel that if we slack off, then we shouldn't be proud. But it's the other way around. I think the slackers have it right. You're probably not going to get rich from working…

I know of so many folks in fang and my current job who’d disagree that you can’t get rich from a day job. Most of them got there by not being cynical about their employer’s goals and working with the team to make those happen. I guess I’ve been incredibly lucky and probably am in a nice west coast dream bubble, but my bubble vision means I definitely don’t buy that am a rare unicorn. I don’t think I would feel happy…

What's the Big Dream at FAANG these days? What "greater goal" is there at Facebook in 2021? Or Amazon? I mean sure, if you want to switch off your moral compass and make lots of money, go you, I guess, but it sounds almost cultish at this point to still believe that there's a higher purpose to working for these companies.

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like the premise here is that the only purpose for a career is to "get rich". I think a lot of people genuinely enjoy the work they do, and the relationships they have with their co-workers. Or, on the darker side of things, over-work themselves because they can't find anything engaging _outside of work_. For both of those groups of people, they might not actually enjoy getting…

>the only purpose for a career is to "get rich". What other reason is there for a career? If there was no financial incentive for most, I highly doubt anybody would waste the time learning how to be a lawyer, programmer, or doctor. People don't just go into a career hoping to make a menial wage and work 40-60 hours a week.

Career is something imposed by companies where HR cannot phantom why people like to keep doing what they love, instead of being endless promoted until they aren't fit for the position.

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>the only purpose for a career is to "get rich". What other reason is there for a career? If there was no financial incentive for most, I highly doubt anybody would waste the time learning how to be a lawyer, programmer, or doctor. People don't just go into a career hoping to make a menial wage and work 40-60 hours a week.

> What other reason is there for a career? A way to make a living doing what you love. I loved programming as a child/teenager. I wasn't paid then.

You also had someone providing for you and covering all of your costs. Once you leave the carefree comforts of childhood and join the rat race the rules change.

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like the premise here is that the only purpose for a career is to "get rich". I think a lot of people genuinely enjoy the work they do, and the relationships they have with their co-workers. Or, on the darker side of things, over-work themselves because they can't find anything engaging _outside of work_. For both of those groups of people, they might not actually enjoy getting…

>the only purpose for a career is to "get rich". What other reason is there for a career? If there was no financial incentive for most, I highly doubt anybody would waste the time learning how to be a lawyer, programmer, or doctor. People don't just go into a career hoping to make a menial wage and work 40-60 hours a week.

I highly doubt most doctors' end goal is to get rich

The world is cynical but not that depressing dude

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was how you could get rich. Maybe I'm overly cynical, but I feel that these days VC and founders know all the right tricks to play to remove value from the contributors and reallocate it to the investors.

Nope. You can still get rich from equity, especially by being an early employee. It's all a giant lottery though. The easiest way is to join companies that are obviously doing well and will likely IPO in 2-3 years. This is still a lottery, but one with much higher odds and a lower potential payout. You can make $600k-1m every few years in equity alone by hopping around these companies. If you ever wondered why so man…

You can get rich winning the lottery. Both are purely chance.

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#266

One thing that helped me is not to care so much about my employer's goals. It's almost heretical. But once you embrace this mindset, it does wonders. Or at least, it has for me so far. I think a lot of us want to be proud of the work we do, and we feel that if we slack off, then we shouldn't be proud. But it's the other way around. I think the slackers have it right. You're probably not going to get rich from working…

This attitude works at random jobs where you’re replaceable, absolutely. However if you’re a meaningful part of an early team with equity, this is quite literally how you can indeed get rich.

Yes I also used to believe in the Tooth Fairy and Father Christmas.

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#267
Seems many people here relate to work burnout in general. How many others like myself are burnt out from the constant learning from work? This in comparison to what you’re doing with the tools you’ve already learned. Still 5ish years into my career and get drained

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't say doctors were responsible for all understaffed roles in the country. But they are partly responsible for understaffed physician roles. :) The payer aspect I mentioned is relevant for the nurses.

In America we pay on average ~$3000 per day of stay in the hospital. How much extra do we have to pay to have enough nurses so that we don't work them to death? Why British hospitals have a fraction of that cost (1/10th)? Oh yes, it is because they decided that it is not a moneymaking business. Overworked employees should not blame themselves for not being able to keep up with unreasonable hours. They should blame th…

It feels good to have a villain to blame, but in a complicated problem, there are often complicated reasons.

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/08061...

Hospital profits are part of the costs, but doctors and nurses here are also paid more than elsewhere. Doctors in the US are paid multiple times as much as doctors in the UK, and supply restriction is a big part of why that is possible.

There are also administrative costs, drug costs, and insurance overheads to deal with.

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#269
post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hospitals and contractors are great examples of professional fields where job roles are well-defined and the hours worked are carefully tracked. When contractors get too busy, they tell clients their project is delayed. When ER or ICU resources are maxed out, they stop accepting patients and send them to other nearby hospitals. When clinics are fully booked, they stop making appointments. I understand what you’re say…

Contractors is overly broad but plenty of contractors work overtime and very long, stressful hours including weekends and holidays. Hospitals on the other hand, you're just downright wrong about that. Not only in general do hospital staff work 12 hour shifts including being on-call and having to work abrupt hours, especially over the past year their hours have been absolutely ridiculous. This includes nurses and MDs.…

There might be difference between healthcare systems in different parts of world.

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#270
Ever since I got my first job over 10 years ago I've wondered why there is still an 8 hour work day, at least in this profession. If you're a highly intelligent, capable person, and you're working on something cutting edge that consumes you, and you want to sleep under your desk to get it done -- then sure, go ahead. But the vast majority of people don't do that. So 6 hours with a lunch break included seems fine to me, maybe even too much. Just ban social media, news or whatever. Look at Youtube videos on your own time, post on HN on your own time. Come to work fresh, leave fresh, and I think people will be more productive in the long run.
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