How many hours do you work?

[meehan22]

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? 

[sunshine7157]

     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.

[DevotionToU]

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. 

[meehan22]

---

@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. 

[Anonymous]

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.

[mechanicaljen]

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.

[Imhotrodcrazy]

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

[yudeology101]

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. 

[milkshakes]

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.

[pipeguy]

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