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Why are successful professionals still working 70 hours a week?

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Re: Why are successful professionals still working 70 hours a week?

#51

Post by koonsolo »

bluedino wrote: post #36
ulfw wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a HUMONGOUS difference between owner of a business and employed by a business. Makes sense for the "10th richest person in the world" to work long hours. It's his call. He is working basically for himself. Totally different when you're making say 50K and the "10th richest person in the world" wants YOU to work all day every day too.

There's nothing wrong with being passionate about your job

In a sense not, but it does make it easier to exploit you.

Just look at the game dev industry. Lots of passionate people there, and lots of companies who will exploit that. In the end, those people lose their passion.

Being passionate about work can make you very happy. But always make sure you don't get exploited because of it. You will need to set your limits.

Re: Why are successful professionals still working 70 hours a week?

#52

Post by Waterluvian »

aceon48 wrote: post #50
Waterluvian wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to work 60 hours a week because I absolutely loved what I did. It gave me meaning. Then I had a son and it fell to 40... Then 30... Then I quit. Now I'm home with him and absolutely love what I'm doing. I still feel successful nurturing a little human. It gives me more meaning than my job ever did. Financially I need to work again, but I doubt it will ever be the nexus of my day.

Are you male or female?

Typically I'd question why it matters but I appreciate that this is a very gender role specific topic. I'm male.

Re: Why are successful professionals still working 70 hours a week?

#53

Post by marcosdumay »

shadowtree wrote: post #31
sgt101 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where will this lead? How would you react if you were laid off ?

You’re replying to the CEO of Apple.

That's a very bad thing for a CEO to ever say. He is the one dictating that his organization hires C workers at best.

But, anyway, I'm really curious about know how he would answer that question.

Re: Why are successful professionals still working 70 hours a week?

#54

Post by joaomacp »

jondubois wrote: post #47
ulfw wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a HUMONGOUS difference between owner of a business and employed by a business. Makes sense for the "10th richest person in the world" to work long hours. It's his call. He is working basically for himself. Totally different when you're making say 50K and the "10th richest person in the world" wants YOU to work all day every day too.

This hits the nail on the head. Most of the value that you're creating is captured by someone else. So why should you be expected to spend all your life to benefit someone else's interests? It's quite strange that today slavery is a completely taboo subject (rightfully so) and yet workplace slavery is not only tolerated but encouraged. It's essentailly the same; someone else uses their coercive power over you to esse…

It's not slavery, because you're not forced to do it. You signed a contract agreeing to those conditions.

Re: Why are successful professionals still working 70 hours a week?

#55

Post by fastbeef »

For the most of my career, I was certain that there was something wrong with me. After the first few months at a new job, a sense of meaninglessness grew in me. Is this it? Am I really babysitting this ASP.Net app from here on out? I tried to find meaning in my work but always came up short. Cue a miserable year followed by a job hunt. Rinse and repeat every 2-4 years.

After 12 years of this, it suddendly struck me - I don’t like working. I don’t hate it, not at all - I enjoy coding and fixing bugs. However I fail to see any deeper meaning in the work I do. So last month, I quit, started my own consultancy and sell my skills and time to the highest bidder, max 6 hours per day. Couldn’t be happier! I really feel more like a plumber or electrician than a coder and for the first time in my career I don’t feel anxious about doing something meaningful, because I’ve redefined what “meaning” is.

Re: Why are successful professionals still working 70 hours a week?

#56

Post by gem1123 »

Waterluvian wrote: post #52
aceon48 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you male or female?

Typically I'd question why it matters but I appreciate that this is a very gender role specific topic. I'm male.

Were you a web developer?

I found my web dev colleagues were much more aware of the gender imbalances in the world and the expectation that I (female) would be the nurturer in my family.

Re: Why are successful professionals still working 70 hours a week?

#57

Post by Waterluvian »

gem1123 wrote: post #56
Waterluvian wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Typically I'd question why it matters but I appreciate that this is a very gender role specific topic. I'm male.

Were you a web developer? I found my web dev colleagues were much more aware of the gender imbalances in the world and the expectation that I (female) would be the nurturer in my family.

I'm a geographer (The STEM program that was 51% female at my university). I'd like to think I have nurtured a balanced progressive view of the world, but we all have our biases.

Re: Why are successful professionals still working 70 hours a week?

#58

Post by sjg007 »

saas_co_de wrote: post #27

It is odd to ask this question without any consideration of culture. Perhaps our culture defines "success" in a way that can only be achieved by working 70 hours a week. Also, where is the law that says devoting time to idle leisure is superior to working?

Are these 70 hours productive? I need downtime to think. So if you include thinking as part of that 70 hours then fine.

Re: Why are successful professionals still working 70 hours a week?

#59

Post by indemnity »

fastbeef wrote: post #55

For the most of my career, I was certain that there was something wrong with me. After the first few months at a new job, a sense of meaninglessness grew in me. Is this it? Am I really babysitting this ASP.Net app from here on out? I tried to find meaning in my work but always came up short. Cue a miserable year followed by a job hunt. Rinse and repeat every 2-4 years. After 12 years of this, it suddendly struck me -…

Thanks. As someone who struggles mightily with the same, I’ve always thought that path is one I should follow, but I’m not great at networking / hustling for the next contract, which you kind of have to do, right?

Re: Why are successful professionals still working 70 hours a week?

#60

Post by zrb05292 »

sgt101 wrote: post #23
zrb05292 wrote: post #17

I have to work almost all the time. My day typically begins at 3am and ends around 7pm. The reason for this is that my own projects and goals are often contingent on the successful completion of projects by other teams, and organizationally we tend to hire C workers at best. So I spend a lot of time pushing other people and other teams. It doesn’t make me popular but it does make me effective.

Where will this lead? How would you react if you were laid off ?

I was laid off about 4 years ago. My boss Skyped me (really!) and said there was no easy way to put it but they were moving the business in a different direction and I, along with my team, were being laid off. I laughed at him, said ok, and hung up. Then I stomped around angrily for half an hour. Then I hopped on LinkedIn and started applying for every open position that looked appealing. In 12 days I was made an offer and started the following week.
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