topic Re: How many hours do you work? in SmorgasBoard

How many hours do you work?

meehan22 — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 13:44:22 GMT

A good discussion I think. How many hours do you work, are you the strict 40 hour work weeks. Or perhaps a wall street person working 60-70 hours a week. Do you work a full time and part time job?

Most importantly, is it worth it? Do you have a goal in mind if you are working more than 40 hours?

I work a strict 40 hour work week myself currently. Have been for just over a year now. Prior to that between 20-24 i was working 3 jobs 7 days a week and raking in a bunch of money till I got burned out. Recently I have been approached a part time opportunity that would double my current take home pay for about 20-25 hours a week. Putting me up at 65 hours a week between 2am-5pm daily between the two. Something I am considering short term. My long term goal is to own rental property like my parents and that would provide enough to get my feet planted.

So do you work more than the average 40 hour week, is it worth it to you?

Re: How many hours do you work?

sunshine7157 — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 15:22:09 GMT

That's a tough question. I worked 45-50 hours/week in fast-paced retail all my life (I'm 45 now). While I liked it for the most part, it was more a means to an end for me. I had 3 kids & ended up single very early on. I had no help whatsoever, physically or financially. I worked myself down to 98 pounds, feeling like I was a 1/2" away from welfare the entire time. I wasn't able to enjoy my kids as much as I should have. I was stressed out all the time, did alot of crying. Would I do it that way again? Probably not. Life passed me by in many ways because I was too busy busting tail just to make it. That being said, however, if you have a goal in mind that requires a few hard, solid years of work & you have the energy and the drive, I say go for it. Always be aware of your priorities & keep them in check. Just remember that there are other equally important things in life like love, family, friends and happiness. Don't miss the forest for the trees.

Now I work the bare minimum, enough to pay the mortgage, pay the utilities, make the car payment. It works fine for me- I've never been a "spender", anyways. I am a huge believer of minimalism. I detest shopping, have never been a drinker, am not much for socializing. I don't need much, and want for even less. There's a sense of peace that comes with that.

Re: How many hours do you work?

DevotionToU — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 15:53:07 GMT

40 per week. Reasonable job. Not as busy as I would like to be since transferring to the department I am currently in. Position I was in previously was much busier, but decidedly less salary. I have considered part time jobs in the past, but I do value free time a lot.

Re: How many hours do you work?

meehan22 — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 16:03:35 GMT

@DevotionToU wrote:
40 per week. Reasonable job. Not as busy as I would like to be since transferring to the department I am currently in. Position I was in previously was much busier, but decidedly less salary. I have considered part time jobs in the past, but I do value free time a lot.

I am the same way, when I got burned out i started to go on a lot of vacations and such. Now I am getting to the point of looking into the future 5 or 10 years and see if some extra hard work now will pay off down the road. I am 26, no kids, no bills (everything paid), I live in a area where home values are 30-60k and rent is 500-700 a month on them homes. Simple math says with some hard work when I am 35-40 I could be in a pretty good posistion down the road. So I am considering following the same road as my parents and start buying up properties and reap the benefits later in life and work hard now while I am young.

Re: How many hours do you work?

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 17:17:47 GMT

I've often read that 40 or just slightly above is considered career suicide. I know this depends on industry. Also, when you take into account the target audience for articles and papers that present these opinions, then you begin to realize that it depends entirely on your priorities.

Want to have a job where you don't travel and don't work more than 40? It probably pays less than one that expects differently. But if you're happier, then what makes that the wrong choice?

Having said that, I work around 55-60 M-F. I have no kids, wife, etc. Just starting out.

Re: How many hours do you work?

mechanicaljen — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 17:24:46 GMT

50-55, generally. More or less depending on what's going on.

I'm in my late 20s, high-pressure, high-pay, high-responsibiity job. I'm hoping the stress, sweat, blood, and tears will pay off in the future. I do enjoy it.

I worry about burnout.

Re: How many hours do you work?

Imhotrodcrazy — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 17:29:43 GMT

None, ( retired ) When I did work, it was about 50 hours a week.

Re: How many hours do you work?

yudeology101 — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 17:31:58 GMT

For me, it varies.

I was in the media industry (now freelancing), and there's no such thing as a 'set time' when you're in the field. I was a producer and before and I would literally average about 70-80 hours a week, if not more during pre-production stage. Once a project is in full production, it gets even worse.. I averaged about 1-2hrs sleep a day One thing I've learned in the field is how NOT TO SLEEP!

Since quitting from the old media company, nowadays I run a small business and the hours are soo much more flexible and less.

Re: How many hours do you work?

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 19:27:50 GMT

definitely varies for me. technically i could get my 40 in, go home, and move on with life. but im soaking up the opportunities ahead of me so i do 50 most weeks. gives me enough opportunity to learn a lot, get exposure with important people, network, and make an impact while still having time to go out, explore, volunteer, etc.

23. single. new city.

Re: How many hours do you work?

pipeguy — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 00:12:20 GMT

55 to 65 depending on today's crisis (Congressional Legislation), which is actually much less than the almost 20 years when I owned my own business (10 to 14 hours a day 6 to 7 days a week, with no holidays or vacations)

....would not change a thing other than the damn commute today into DC

Re: How many hours do you work?

Stralem — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 01:52:30 GMT

I work tech support for my university.

But because I also attend classes, the university restricts me to 25 hours per week. Basically my status as a student trumps my status as an employee. They do this in part because they don't want me to bomb academically because of work demands, but more than that, they just want to save on labor costs.

I work 40 hours during breaks, though. Summer breaks tend to be quite lucrative.

Of course, I also do tech jobs on the side. They tend to fall somewhere in the 5-to-15 hour range.

Re-install Windows here.

Unb0rk a router there.

Scrape peanut butter and candle wax from little Timmy's Macbook Pro every now and then...

It's not a lot of money, but it fattens the wallet just enough.

Re: How many hours do you work?

Roarmeister — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 19:06:41 GMT

I'm supposed to only work 38 hrs a week but since I'm out-of-scope mgmt, I work until my job is done. That means about 45 hrs a week. AND I never take work home with me. The office is the office, my home is not.

Re: How many hours do you work?

juggalo9er — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 03:39:15 GMT

40-65 hours a week as a service tech for a cable company.....going for my mba, two kids, wife, just bought first house.....i sleep around 6 hours a night

Re: How many hours do you work?

Shogun — Sun, 20 Apr 2014 02:37:37 GMT

Oh crap, bet I'm gonna lose this one. Mine varies. This week? 120 hours, and no that's not a typo. I work 24 or 48 hour shifts usually 24. So this week I am working 5 24 hour shifts.

Re: How many hours do you work?

DarkMoonLily — Sun, 20 Apr 2014 05:03:54 GMT

Currently at about 26 - 28 hours a week. I'm a part time Cashier.

Re: How many hours do you work?

meehan22 — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 13:15:39 GMT

@Shogun wrote:
Oh crap, bet I'm gonna lose this one. Mine varies. This week? 120 hours, and no that's not a typo. I work 24 or 48 hour shifts usually 24. So this week I am working 5 24 hour shifts.

how in the world...

Re: How many hours do you work?

youdontkillmoney — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 22:45:29 GMT

@meehan22 wrote:
A good discussion I think. How many hours do you work, are you the strict 40 hour work weeks. Or perhaps a wall street person working 60-70 hours a week. Do you work a full time and part time job?

Most importantly, is it worth it? Do you have a goal in mind if you are working more than 40 hours?

I work a strict 40 hour work week myself currently. Have been for just over a year now. Prior to that between 20-24 i was working 3 jobs 7 days a week and raking in a bunch of money till I got burned out. Recently I have been approached a part time opportunity that would double my current take home pay for about 20-25 hours a week. Putting me up at 65 hours a week between 2am-5pm daily between the two. Something I am considering short term. My long term goal is to own rental property like my parents and that would provide enough to get my feet planted.

So do you work more than the average 40 hour week, is it worth it to you?

^^^

40 hours a week tops.

Re: How many hours do you work?

Ridewithme38 — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 20:55:23 GMT

Do you guys who work 60+ hours a week find it 'worth' the loses to personal and family time? At the end of the day, is cuddling up with a slightly better paycheck worth not really knowing who your kids are?

This is something i'm working on figuring out now. I'm at a transition...Been a typist for 5-6 years working 38hrs, leaving everything behind when i leave the office, simple no stress job. Recently a job has been posted that i would be perfect for, I've been recommended for it by some of the top bosses....Big promotion, but, i know people who do it now...it's 24hr 7day a week work....Provided a work cellphone and laptop i'd have to carry with me everywhere i go.

I'm not sure if it's worth giving up my life to (more then)triple the amount of money i'd be bringing home a week. This is nearly an impossible choice for me....Money is tight right now, but i don't know if it's worth giving up family time to make things more comfortable.

Re: How many hours do you work?

meehan22 — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 18:25:09 GMT

I think for the people who are single, or married without kids if they can work extra there is no reason why you shouldn't. Save for the future! Which is why I posted this therad, as I been burned out in the past adn considering doing a round two again for a while to put money away for a home, a ring and marriage with a nice home in a year perhaps.

Understandably its different with a family. I grew up in a family with a father who owned multiple bussinesses, I'd see him at dinner time most nights and that was about it. Didn't have much of a relationship till the last few years when he had to retire somewhat. One hand it was tough, other hand I understood why it had to be done. Be hard to tell if I had a family and the opportunity came for great pay to provide more for my family if I would or would not do it.

Re: How many hours do you work?

youdontkillmoney — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 18:33:01 GMT

@meehan22 wrote:
I think for the people who are single, or married without kids if they can work extra there is no reason why you shouldn't. Save for the future! Which is why I posted this therad, as I been burned out in the past adn considering doing a round two again for a while to put money away for a home, a ring and marriage with a nice home in a year perhaps.

Understandably its different with a family. I grew up in a family with a father who owned multiple bussinesses, I'd see him at dinner time most nights and that was about it. Didn't have much of a relationship till the last few years when he had to retire somewhat. One hand it was tough, other hand I understood why it had to be done. Be hard to tell if I had a family and the opportunity came for great pay to provide more for my family if I would or would not do it.

^^^

These are good ideas. Generally I like to make the most amount of money and working the least to have more leisure time. This becomes more important as you age. Nothing wrong with working more to earn more, especially when you're young. I suppose as you age the idealism fades and you just want to earn enough (whatever that amount is) to enjoy life. And of course if you're single it is different than if you have a child or a family, assuming you want to spend time with your family, then you'd likely want to work less and possibly get paid less to have that time. Where I work we have a new hire coming in who was traveling 2-3 days a week, earnign $145K, but wants to start a family, etc so he joined us, and will now only make $100K instead but enjoy a 40 hour week instead of his 60+ hour weeks.