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People start hating their jobs at 35

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Re: People start hating their jobs at 35

#61

Post by koboll »

albertgoeswoof wrote: post #29
vfc1 wrote: post #24

I think its because through experience people have figured out a lot of unspoken things about what its really like being an employee. They have figured out that its much more about connections and office politics than hard work. They have figured out that there is really no job security, and they could be one layoff wave away from unemployment. They have figured out that its much more about face time and spending lon…

> They have figured out that the majority of their work, to their surprise is not actually that important or necessary. I used to keep wondering when I was going to get found out for not contributing to the company's bottom line like the other thousands of employees around me seem to do every day. But then I realised that everyone else is probably doing exactly the same. And either a) none of us are doing anything va…

If it wasn't c) the company wouldn't exist, even if b) is true.

At my company I think it's true that a small % are the driving force, in terms of our central product, but the rest are important in that the company would be dysfunctional to the point of collapse if that small % also had to take care of the ancillary tasks they do.

Re: People start hating their jobs at 35

#62

Post by woogiewonka »

k__ wrote: post #55
woogiewonka wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you still freelancing?

Yes, I found out that I don't work as well with "bosses" as I work with "customers" :D

Good for you! What kind of freelancing and how long? I know of many who burned out, and I'm borderline there myself since I hadn't developed a passive lead stream.

Re: People start hating their jobs at 35

#64

Post by woogiewonka »

claydavisss wrote: post #53
mrhappyunhappy wrote: post #7

35 is probably the age where you have accepted the fact that you are just a cog in the machine, and the output will benefit someone other than yourself. For years leading up to it you already know youre just trading your life's precious hours away for money - which seems to have less and less purchasing power by the year. Once you realize the job is just a means of keeping yourself going, the perpetual cycle dawns on…

Sounds like you have never had a job outside the office. Go dig ditches for a construction company for six months and you'll run back to your 9-5 "slavery".

There is no mention of 9-5 in the parent comment. What made you get so aggressive at the statement above?

Re: People start hating their jobs at 35

#65

Post by swiley »

woogiewonka wrote: post #58

I was 23 when I lost all taste for ordinary work. After being borderline homeless to making 300k in 3 months in affiliating marketing, the though of office work made it unbearable. Little did I know the new found good life would crash around me and I'd have to do the unthinkable - work in an office. The next 4 years were the most miserable years of my life. I was saved by a remote job, followed by another remote gig…

You didn’t invest any of that 300k? I feel like if you even put 100k of that into something like a reit you probably could have just retired and done whatever you wanted.

Re: People start hating their jobs at 35

#66

Post by AnIdiotOnTheNet »

EZ-E wrote: post #52

About work and happiness : the more I think about the reality of being a full time employee, the more I start to believe part-time is actually the right way to work and be happy. I see little reason to spend something like 70% of waking hours commuting and working for someone else's profits if you can afford to do less. I've become pragmatic and realized the company I'm I work in is just a tool I use to make money wh…

Boy, I wish I could find part time work that paid even a quarter of what I make supposedly working full time. The reality of course is that I'm at most actually working 15-25% of that time and the rest I'm just piloting a desk and being available for people to pick my brain.

Then there's the health care issue to consider, at least for US residents.

Re: People start hating their jobs at 35

#67

Post by bonoboTP »

vfc1 wrote: post #24

I think its because through experience people have figured out a lot of unspoken things about what its really like being an employee. They have figured out that its much more about connections and office politics than hard work. They have figured out that there is really no job security, and they could be one layoff wave away from unemployment. They have figured out that its much more about face time and spending lon…

I feel these two are somewhat contradictory or inconsistent:

> They have figured out that the majority of their work, to their surprise is not actually that important or necessary.

> They have figured out that they are never going to get payed the true value of their work

If their work is not that important or necessary, isn't its true value also not too high?

Re: People start hating their jobs at 35

#68

Post by slfnflctd »

This is much more likely to happen if you didn't manage your career well because you were caught up in 'more important' things that you thought would add greater meaning to life. If that greater meaning has evaporated (or never showed up), it can be a world of hurt.

I realized recently I was trapped in a dead end tech support role and would never grow beyond it, because the job was taking up too much time & energy for me to have enough left over to develop my software development (or any other) skills. I was making decent money, but my household had become addicted to spending it all. If I had managed my finances better and been able to say 'no' more, that might have helped some, but since I didn't, my burnout was accelerated.

Now I struggle against losing all hope that I will ever have either a well paid or a fulfilling career again. But at least quitting the job that was clearly only a faster way to dig my own grave helped my mental health a bit.

Re: People start hating their jobs at 35

#69

Post by ggambetta »

grecy wrote: post #4

I can't stress this enough - if you're not happy with life, and you feel like you aren't moving closer to your goals and dreams, make a change!!! I realized that sitting at my desk for 30 years to pay for a house was not what I wanted to do, so I quit my job and have been driving around Africa for 2 years[1]. I dreamed for years of being a travel writer and photographer, and I am making that dream come true! I now wr…

> I can't stress this enough - if you're not happy with life, and you feel like you aren't moving closer to your goals and dreams, make a change!!!

I generally agree with this feeling, but with some caveats.

Change for the sake of change is at best a temporary solution. You get some excitement because of the new situation (new job, new country, new partner), but if you don't first identify what isn't working before changing it, you may not actually find a long-term solution.

As the saying goes, "wherever you go, there you are". Sometimes what you need to change is inside yourself. Otherwise you just take your old problems with you to your new country.

Re: People start hating their jobs at 35

#70

Post by rboyd »

albertgoeswoof wrote: post #29
vfc1 wrote: post #24

I think its because through experience people have figured out a lot of unspoken things about what its really like being an employee. They have figured out that its much more about connections and office politics than hard work. They have figured out that there is really no job security, and they could be one layoff wave away from unemployment. They have figured out that its much more about face time and spending lon…

> They have figured out that the majority of their work, to their surprise is not actually that important or necessary. I used to keep wondering when I was going to get found out for not contributing to the company's bottom line like the other thousands of employees around me seem to do every day. But then I realised that everyone else is probably doing exactly the same. And either a) none of us are doing anything va…

It’s B. Usually just can’t get rid of A because of politics. Enjoy the free lunches though.
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