Wow, what an awful thread title. If only I had the power to change it now, saving both the effort of this pseudo-disclaimer and the shame associated with having written the title in the first place. Dare to dream. Anyway, an interesting discussion got started in the drunk thread, and it might be worth talking about in a space not interspersed with rockabilly songmaking and full nude women. Focus: How many hours a week do you work? Are you happy with your balance, or are you looking for something else? Would you rather make more money and work longer hours, or vice versa?
I was pretty vocal about this in the other thread so ill keep this brief here. I work about 40-45 hours per week. I am happy with that amount but wish I had more vacation time (where the U.S. lags behind many other nations in my opinion). I am better than some.... I get about 4 weeks between vacation and personal days (plus a ridiculous amount of sick days at 12 per year that I will never use). I make a good salary that I am pretty happy with. I have absolutely no interest in working longer hours for more money. It was mentioned that the magic salary is around $75k. I make more than that so I believe that is a fair amount where the returns vs balance start to be disrupted,
I have the best work/life balance out of anyone I know right now, I probably put in 20-25 hours a week but still make plenty of cash to support an insanely expensive diet ($650-$750 a month for two adults), pay all the bills for the two of us (the GF is worthless when it comes to money) and still put 15% (seriously, anything less than 10% is just pissing in the wind) in my 401k. This is key right now because I'm still taking exams so I spend a lot of free time studying, once I'm done with that I wouldn't mind going back to a 40 hour a week job and make some serious bank, but like a few others have said in the drunk thread, I have no desire to break my back working 70-80 hours a week to have all the newest stuff. As long as I make enough to eat well, keep a roof over my head, travel every once in a while and have the time to enjoy it I'll be happy.
I work around 50hrs/wk, because I pretty much have to. The real money is all in overtime, and God forbid I should pull less hours than blue collar next to me ("slacker!"). But I do actually enjoy the work, and with a few more years' experience I can move on to greener pastures. Pun intended. Definitely wish I could work less hours for the same or more money. Even better if I could work these hours during daylight.
A year ago, I would have said that I work 37.5/week and no more. I have found myself putting in later hours in the last few months, so I am probably up to 40-45/week. Totally manageable. Having given up teaching on the side, my nights are free for personal use which helps me achieve that "balance" people keep talking about. I make damn good money for what I do and I'm smart with my cash so the only reason for me to work past an early retirement date would be sheer boredom. That said, I have considered a job change multiple times over the years, to something a little less like mental prostitution. Consultants are kind of like bottom feeders; like lawyers without the clout. But I would be hard pressed to find a job that allows me the freedoms of this place, with the pay that accompanies it. I'm pretty lucky, all things considered.
I work long-ish hours (I average right around 50 hours, although to work 50, I'm usually here a little longer), and I work really unpredictable hours. Sometimes I go in not knowing I'm in for a late night, and I leave at 11. In the month of January, I worked 29 or the 31 days and over 300 total hours. That being said, I have a flexible schedule (I just rolled in at 10:30 today), great coworkers, bosses that respect my hard work, and really nice perks (for example, they're sending us on a 4 day long company retreat to Scottsdale in May. Last year I got sent to SF). I don't get paid obscenely well, but it's enough. The one thing I've learned is that these kinds of hours are really tough to maintain over any length of time without a sense of purpose. It's hard to not get really down if you can't answer "OK, I'm working all the time. Why? What is the point in me working all the time?" I don't think your answer there matters as much as having an answer. To provide for my family, because I love it, because it makes the world a better place, because you want to prove yourself, because I make crazy money and that's important to me, etc. When the answer is "Because the Man said so," it becomes depressingly rote really quickly. You need a Why. You also have to work on intentionally making time for yourself. When you don't have a "Oh, 5 o'clock, time to clock out," it's really easy to keep pushing yourself until you fall into a wake up-work-sleep-repeat kind of schedule. And this will eventually drive you crazy. Another thing is the idea of white collar work in New York (or Boston, Chicago, SF, LA, etc.) that is 9 to 5 is kind of a myth in 2013. Anyone I know who works a white collar job is putting in over 40 hours, usually more like 50.
I can't describe how upset I am that this thread is not actually about this... FOCUS: Like I mentioned in the other thread, I'd gladly work more hours to make another 20K+ in salary. As long as I have time to unwind after work and workout, then I'm fine, and I have ample time available now. As for salary, I wouldn't say my life isn't comfortable, and I could definitely cut back on a few things, but I've not had savings since I graduated college. I started out making shit money, interspersed with periods of unemployment, so I finally got to a point where I was making respectable money, and I splurged a bit cause I had discretionary income for the first time. Then I had a few unfortunate doctor bills and suddenly my CC balances got high. So, like mentioned before, everyone worries about money to some extent, but I would just love to get to the point where dropping $300-$400 on a flight, a new gadget, etc... isn't a question of saving or deep cost/benefit analysis. That and travelling. I went to London a year and a half ago, largely cause my hotel was paid for by a friend who had to go for work anyways, and I had some frequent flier miles. Up until that point, I hadn't taken a meaningful trip outside the country in a decade. And my domestic trips were largely routine jaunts to see friends. The trip made me realize I want to have the financial freedom to take trips like that more than once in a blue moon, and I'm willing to work a little harder if need be.
I suppose I'll answer for myself: I work probably 45-50 hours per week at my day job, then I have a couple side things that probably add another 10 or so hours per week. The side jobs (running a basketball league/trivia night respectively) are basically hobbies, but it does get kind of annoying when I want to be able to just take a nap or get dinner, and I'm still up at midnight doing writeups/lines etc.
Christ, what the fuck am I doing with my life. Between traveling and doing the actual work, 70-80 hour weeks are normal. 100 hours in a week was the most when I was in IB. Salary last year was 122k which included a bonus. Non-bonus is 90K. For those keeping track at home, 90K at 80 hours a week = $21 an hour. I could be a manager at McDonalds and make more per hour. If gladly take a pay cut if it meant working 40 hours.
I work on average 40 hours/week and earn enough to be comfortable despite student loan debt. Been at the same sales job since I graduated from school about a year and a half ago. I also work an additional ~20 hours/week in my basement workshop but I look at it as a hobby that pays for itself rather than a job (for now). I am content with my work/life/income balance. I had one internship during college that had me doing 80-100 hour weeks and there is no way in hell I'm doing that again. Also I've had some tough, physical labor jobs that remind me to be appreciative of my cushy desk job when I get sick of the cubicle and I'm thankful for that.
I work 30-40 on average and Ill not mention pay as it is embarrassing. My work hours is based on how many projects we have in at a time and if the owners charitable enough, which they aren't, to let me come in early to put in extra time (or they aren't in town and my manager ok's it). I am far from financially independent and still live at home. I have saved up a decent amount either for a car if mine breaks down or 6-7 months living expenses as a buffer when I eventually move out. In these terms it's pretty shitty and I would kill to have a full time gig that paid a normal salary for someone in my position. I've gone stretches working 40 and never had any beef with staying after an extra few hours or coming in on Saturdays. Mostly because it meant a larger paycheck. Id have to check back after working the 40 hour grind in an office environment with a standard salary to see if my feelings would change on post full time work. Ive thought about side gigs, working behind a bar again or something that might pad my income enough for me to move out but I couldn't handle the ever changing INDUSTRY hours. Honestly, I'd take the regimented hours living at home what Im doing now over making more odd hours and living on my own. Shit would fuck up my sleep cycles and thats a huge factor in my day to day happiness. Plus I'd probably end up working most weekend nights which would kill my usually blow off steam/socialize time.
As I've stated on here numerous times, I'm currently a law student. I am currently taking 15 hours of class. During the typical week I probably spend 15 hours outside of class preparing or reading. This semester has been slow because some of those hours are bullshit such as law review and a seminar. With finals right around the corner, I will consistently put in 50-70 hours for the next 5 weeks or so. In the fall I will be an editor on law review and working part time while taking 14 -15 hours of class. I expect to spend about 50-60 hours per week doing "work". All of this in hopes of getting hired after law school and earning very little money during the school year.
I work ~45 hours/week at a company where significant overtime is very common. The company culture is such that we're always a little short-staffed or have urgent situations crop up that require working until they're finished. I consider myself "lucky" in that I'm able to work these kind of hours, virtually never take work home, and get paid reasonably well. Not ridiculous money, but my girlfriend and I are comfortable on my salary while she's getting her PhD, traveling at least once a year, and I'm still putting money away. I say "lucky" because many people get pushed into overtime through inaction. Employment is an exchange of money for services: you don't owe your employer anything outside of that. When I'm overloaded, I speak with my boss and determine my priorities. If I have too many deadlines, I am clear and precise about what I can accomplish and what will slip. If a project needs overtime, so be it - it's my choice to work extra - but if the expectation is 60 hours/week, I will find another job. It's easier to be in that position when you have no kids and live a reasonable lifestyle with no big house, no big credit balances, no fancy cars... but it's still typically a personal choice. I make the decision to not leverage myself, and to have a solid safety net if I had to quit.
Around 50 is typical, sometimes more, sometimes closer to 40. I'm salaried, so my pay isn't tied to the number of hours I work, and the nature of my job is a little abstract so the actual schedule is all over the map. For example, I may travel to conferences or client meetings halfway across the country, and put in 12 to 18 hour days between traveling, the conference, client meetings, and managing my projects "back home". Honestly though I'm away from home, its hard to qualify plane flights or drinking with clients as hard work. A couple of weeks ago I did some technical project work and met with clients, so that I spent about 16 hours in a car over three days, with 12 hour days at the job site. It all depends on what a client wants and when they ask for it. I could work from 9 to 4 one day, with an extended stop at the bar on the way home, and be on the road by 5 a.m. and home around 8 the next day. I often say that i wouldn't mind a 9-5 job for less pay, but in some ways the variety and unpredictability makes things more interesting.
I work an office salary job doing Search Engine Marketing. Given the day to day things I'm in the office for 40-42 hours. I'm actually doing any real work anywhere between 15-25 hours a week. Unless we have some quarter business review to prep for or some huge website overall for the client. There are a ton of office perks, a ton of vacation time and a sick policy (sick days on the honor system, they don't track them) I'm currently abusing as I type this. I'm in the middle of changing jobs because there are too many days where I have to force myself to work because 1) My job is boring as fuck. 2) I'm never going to be great at my job because I'm not a numbers person. I need to get out before they figure out I suck at my job and have been bullshitting them this entire time. I'm aggressively looking to transition to a traditional ad agency to make the commercials you see. My goal is to have worked on a Super Bowl commercial, and dealing with shitty text ads is ever going to get me there. I have a headhunter company helping me out, have bounced my resume off as many people as I can, and I look all the time. The funny thing is that I'm looking at a paycut and a few less benefits, but in the long run the pay scales up better than my current job.
My hours are 8:45-4:45, but I'm normally in around 8 most days and leave around 5--so figure I'm around 45 hours a week, not counting commuting time. If I add that in, I'm in the car around 7-7:10 and get home around 6:15. There's some things on the horizon, and if they pan out the way I hope they do, I'll be working hours similar to Misanthropic, where some days will be shorter and some significantly longer, with travel tossed in a pretty fair amount. The opportunity will be huge, though--life changing--so I'm absolutely willing to put in the necessary time to reap the reward.
Our SEM consultant makes 55/hr and works like 25 hours a week, like 12-5 or 1-6ish. No benefits, but that's like 60-70k a year with basically the best kind of schedule.
Mine is a bit fucky, since my work is mostly seasonal. I put in any where from 60 to 90 hours a week from early April to late November/early December, and my winters consist of drinking, snowmobiling, office work and equipment maintenance, in that order. Summers are really hard and winters are really easy. It's a fair trade off. I hate disclosing what I make but none of you really know me, so fuck it. I make a $70k salary which I'm very happy with. And which one of you fuckers is making $300,000+ a year? Nice job.
Yeah, having an external search agency like people have is the biggest load of bullshit in the company. It is something 2-3 people in house could perfectly handle without issue and save a ton of money on. They're just used to paying agencies for this type of thing. If I went In-House I could easily do it. But I wasn't a finance major, I hate math, I'd like to have an ounce of creativity and the ability to talk about my job without putting people to sleep. In two years, I've never once been able to tell me friends "I did this cool thing at work" that wasn't a work party or something extracurricular.
I have a few jobs, have been doing mortgages for a long time and that is 60% of my income, bartending and repairing fishing reels make up the other portion of it. I work 50-55 hours a week on average but I take a lot of time off to kill shit, the older I get the more I like work and the more hours I put. Last year I was about 100k with tips and the cash I made from reels, which is really way more money than I need to live.