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People Start Hating Their Jobs at Age 35

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Re: People Start Hating Their Jobs at Age 35

#71
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is, distinctly, not my domain. But, curiosity struck and so I went to the almighty Google and found this: https://www.livescience.com/5325-mental-fatigue-perceived-ph... You may find it interesting, so I figured I'd share it. I offer no opinions, other than to say it is interesting and that the study was done with a very small sample size. (I'm unqualified to opine beyond that.)

A lot of research around Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is pointing toward mitochondria as being a prime culprit. As the most energy consuming organ in our body, I would expect the brain to quickly use up our easy-to-access / quick release energy so it's really not so surprising to me. I have no biology degree, but I find it interesting and have no problems opining about :p I've often found a smoothie made with fresh fruit…

LOL I avoid opining on some subjects.

I used to be married to a lady who was quite proud of me. Well, so to speak. She used to take me to these fancy parties where people dress funny and eat crap I can't pronounce - they also use utensils for certain dishes and all sorts of fancy stuff.

Well, she'd introduce me as, "Dr. KGIII."

Now, I don't want to say people are stupid - but this frequently resulted in me being asked medical questions. I, being drunk more often than not, would give absurd medical advice.

I've since learned to not opine on anything medically related, as it seems to result in people coming back to me with very angry moods. So, certain subjects I try just let the links speak for themselves. It works.

Also, my method was to remain in a fairly constant state of inebriation. It was surprisingly effective, though I'm not sure I'd recommend other people try it.

Re: People Start Hating Their Jobs at Age 35

#72
I agree 100% on the last statement, refocus your efforts on a personal project. I think more people in a corporate job should consider doing this sooner in life. It is a great way to build additional skills, especially in situations where no training is offered.

Re: People Start Hating Their Jobs at Age 35

#73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think deep down, a lot of people have a low hum of awareness that they don't believe what is being said, but it's a survival mechanism to repress this in order to maintain a sense of worth in the work being done/not get fired for not being a team player.

My personal perspective is cynical like yours - that it's generally a scam to try and extract more "value" out of workers - but my wife works at a large corporation where they seem to genuinely try to make it an enjoyable place to work and the people involved, all the way up the ladder, are committed to that ideal. Praise flows freely, they do a ton of charity work, and it's not a thin veneer over a corporate machine…

Do you mind sharing the domain in which your wife's company is involved in (assuming you don't want to share the name of the company)?

Re: People Start Hating Their Jobs at Age 35

#74

I started to notice this in my late 20s. It felt kind of like a "the emperor has no clothes" moment when I was working at a tech startup that pushed long hours/weekend work in order to fulfill some "mission" and "greater purpose" and that I should feel a part of this for the greater good. It kind of hit me that this was mostly just a fantastic way to extract more work out of young, impressionable 20somethings who did…

This is one of the reasons I like consulting.

Re: People Start Hating Their Jobs at Age 35

#76
post #9

I believe the tech sector is extremely prone to this: If you cannot climb out of a technical role, over time, you realize just how clueless most people are, especially those who imagine themselves of being "in control". Not just a bit uninformed, no: absolutely positively clueless[1]. If you go the management route, you often give up, what got you started with all this is the first place: curiosity and exploration, c…

I'm only 31 and found out the hard way that 90% of the way successful people got to where they are is through charisma, lying, and cheating others.

I don't think it's that bad. Most of the successful people I've meant were actually brilliant and deserved their success. There are exceptions of course.

Re: People Start Hating Their Jobs at Age 35

#77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was younger, I was learning non-stop. I kept changing companies/industries every year because I was relentless and very curious. This actually kept me going for maybe 12 years - It's fun so long as you keep learning new stuff... But eventually there comes a point when the day-job doesn't teach you anything new anymore (at least anything non-tedious) - At that point, your only remaining avenues for learning are…

Glad to hear jumping ship every year did not impede your progress. Someone at a BigCorp once told me that it's good to stay in one place for 5 years - otherwise you'll be seen as a 'leaver'.

One person's job hopper is another person's seasoned veteran of many battles. Who I want to hire depends on what job I need filled. The job hopper might be the perfect hire for someone who has learned from job hopping.

Re: People Start Hating Their Jobs at Age 35

#78

You don't have to be 35 to start hating your job, I did at 25. It begins with the realization that you're a loser in the corporate hierarchy, and do as little work as you can possibly do without getting fired. Software developers tend to complain that their job is tedious, repetitive, and that they aren't learning anything. Most jobs are like that. I believe that a large portion of repetitive software development can…

The 'little work as you can possibly do' is a trap. It's a toxic frame that unconsciously poisons a company culture(others notice and emulate). And it happens, often, as a completely understandable defense mechanism.

This is made worse every time a manager gives an unrealistic deadline. Exemplified by rushing towards ANY deadlines. Moreover, it happens as a result of forcing the worker to sit in a chair for 8 hours staring at a monitor.

A huge amount of work can be done by communicating vision, thinking for N hours, then hacking something together in 1-2 hours. I think companies should rethink the outdated assembly line factory worker schema for thought workers.

Re: People Start Hating Their Jobs at Age 35

#80

You don't have to be 35 to start hating your job, I did at 25. It begins with the realization that you're a loser in the corporate hierarchy, and do as little work as you can possibly do without getting fired. Software developers tend to complain that their job is tedious, repetitive, and that they aren't learning anything. Most jobs are like that. I believe that a large portion of repetitive software development can…

The 'little work as you can possibly do' is a trap. It's a toxic frame that unconsciously poisons a company culture(others notice and emulate). And it happens, often, as a completely understandable defense mechanism. This is made worse every time a manager gives an unrealistic deadline. Exemplified by rushing towards ANY deadlines. Moreover, it happens as a result of forcing the worker to sit in a chair for 8 hours s…

As long as your employers are not acting in good faith, then I don't think they are worth any extra effort. When most employees are doing just enough work to get by, it says more about the employer than employee.
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