Our generation's lack of work ethic and money skills.

[IndyColtsFan]

..all good for you but realize it or not YOU are obsolete and of no consequence in the big picture.

LOL. Spoken like someone who has no clue and will drop to his knees at a moment's notice to please his corporate overlords.

I've never been unemployed and probably won't be if I stay at my current employer. Have fun slaving away!

 

[IndyColtsFan]

It's only stupid if you don't get paid for it. OT is how my parents had their house paid off in 7 years. They also had a boat and a motorhome. Being able to water ski as a kid is not something everyone gets to do, but I did

OT can also be used to collect time off. The rules seem sketchy at best. Example: my dad would work an hour extra every day then get every second friday off; it was banked 1 for 1. There's also a scheme where overtime hours are banked as 1.5 vacations hours (because it would be paid as 1.5x regular wage).

Correct - I should have been more clear. If you are getting paid for OT, knock yourself out. As I mentioned, I'd work OT all the time if I got paid to do so. I've been salaried my whole career, however, and while I will work extra hours occasionally for certain projects, I won't make a habit of it.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I'm 24, work 50+ hours a week, go to grad school on the side, and save 25% of my income. Do I win some kind of award?

If you're salaried, no.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Seems to be working just fine for me.

You're the exception. In my entire career (16 years in IT), there have been exactly three internal promotion opportunities, one of which was really just a title change and a salary bump with no change in responsibilities. I've gotten 2 of them. At the place I worked the hardest and probably did my best work and was recognized the most, there was a single opportunity and I didn't get it. There will be a position opening up soon at my current workplace and I am going to try for it.

At any rate, the point is that the fastest way to move up and get more money is to move around as Veliko stated. I've been conservative in my career and since my job isn't even close to the most important priority I have, I haven't made those jumps and looked as often as I should have. If I don't get the promotion at my current job under the new management, I will be looking to leave in the next year.

The thing is that there's a difference between busting your butt and working hard for a company and getting taken advantage of. People need to remember that employees are expendable at any moment no matter how much time they've put in. Everybody should work hard at their job which is a given but also need to remember that it's just a job and shouldn't be your life. I learned that the hard way and I hope others do before getting taken advantage of as well.

This.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I actually agree with what everyone said - I feel like such a sucker sometimes. But here's my rationale:

It's the call center industry - there's always a metric fuckton of hell to deal with and someone else willing to do it. I started out as a CSR four years ago -the bottom of the barrel. For my trouble, I have been compensated OK and have seen growth professionally. I was a CSR, then Senior CSR, Subject Matter Expert/New Hire Mentor, Trainer, Senior Trainer - and I am now typically delegated tasks owned by the Training Manager and/or Director. Apart from overseeing new hire training and ongoing skill training, I also support the IT Field Ops and Resource Center teams in analyzing and reporting application issues that impact our productivity -kind of a BA Lite.

I am doing all of this backbreaking stuff because come January, when it's time for the results of the Annual Talent Review, I want to move up to Assistant Training Manager. I feel like I have invested enough time and energy into this gig that it would be a bad decision to leave before getting 'Manager' into my job title. And that would be a good thing - my employer is well-regarded in the industry and local job market. People who left after reaching that position have traditionally done exceptionally well for themselves elsewhere. Most job offers I have received this year would have me do what I was already doing last year.

It sounds like hell but then I look at folks who have been working as CSRs for as many as 8 years - and I think making Assistant Training Manager in 5 years kind of makes up for the trouble. Ah, the old carrot-on-a-stick...

What sucks is work used to be a 15-minute drive until last year before we relocated to accommodate expansion that is only now taking effect.

Some short-term sacrifice for strategic gain isn't a bad idea. However, if you don't get the title/promotion, I'd start looking.

 

[kranky]

The sweeping generalities in the comments fail to recognize that individual company cultures have the most impact. At some places the opportunities to advance are few and you do have to jump from place to place in order to move up. At others they do promote from within and recognize good performance, so you can have a good career progression and still stay at the same company.

But in all cases, make sure you keep growing and learning. That's on you, not the company. If you do that you will be positioned to succeed in either scenario above.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

The sweeping generalities in the comments fail to recognize that individual company cultures have the most impact. At some places the opportunities to advance are few and you do have to jump from place to place in order to move up. At others they do promote from within and recognize good performance, so you can have a good career progression and still stay at the same company.

It obviously depends on the company, but at least in my field (IT), internal promotion opportunities seem to be few and far between and that has been over the course of a career spanning 5 different company cultures.

But in all cases, make sure you keep growing and learning. That's on you, not the company. If you do that you will be positioned to succeed in either scenario above.

I'd agree but oftentimes, experience is what gets you new jobs outside of your company. If you want to be a manager and your company won't let you manage people or lead teams in another capacity, reading books will only get you so far.

The tone of my posts probably makes it sound like I'm someone who is burned out. That is probably a correct assessment. Right now, I just seem to go through the motions and am struggling to focus on a particular direction going forward.

 

[TraumaRN]

You said that you can't imagine anyone being able to work their way up, without doing the necessary overtime.

The fact is, anyone who is sufficiently ambitious to want to keep moving up, would be better off changing jobs every couple of years or so.

As a nurse I've worked at 3 different hospitals in a span of 7 years. Finally going to stay put for a little while because I've reached the point where I can have increased career opportunities. My hospital system is expanding and plans to expand at my current work site in the next 5-7 years I want to be around when that happens because I'll have pick of the litter on promotions and such. For now I work hard, pick up OT as needed and generally enjoy myself.

Haven't needed to kill myself for my job. But I've done what I needed to do to be in line for promotions and pay raises and will continue to do so.

 

[brianmanahan]

The tone of my posts probably makes it sound like I'm someone who is burned out. That is probably a correct assessment. Right now, I just seem to go through the motions and am struggling to focus on a particular direction going forward.

this :thumbsup:

i liked things more when i wasnt in charge of people and didnt feel burned out 10 months out of the year

but, it pays more money, so...

 

[IndyColtsFan]

this :thumbsup:

i liked things more when i wasnt in charge of people and didnt feel burned out 10 months out of the year

but, it pays more money, so...

I'd rather be back in charge of people and planning strategy. I'm hoping I get this new position but it isn't likely.

 

[yh125d]

I'm 22, have been a working professional since 18, am putting 10% (soon to be 15) into my 401k, have 3 weeks vacation banked, have worked an average of ~48-50/week the past year, own my car (modest midsize sedan), just bought a nice starter 3 bedroom in a great suburb, have no other debt, and could live for 6 months if i lost my job without changing my lifestyle at all, or incurring debt

I like to think I'm doing ok.

 

[soulcougher73]

I'm 22, have been a working professional since 18, am putting 10% (soon to be 15) into my 401k, have 3 weeks vacation banked, have worked an average of ~48-50/week the past year, own my car (modest midsize sedan), just bought a nice starter 3 bedroom in a great suburb, have no other debt, and could live for 6 months if i lost my job without changing my lifestyle at all, or incurring debt

I like to think I'm doing ok.

Doing fine minus the 50hr work weeks. Stop at 40 and go home

 

[JS80]

I'm 22, have been a working professional since 18, am putting 10% (soon to be 15) into my 401k, have 3 weeks vacation banked, have worked an average of ~48-50/week the past year, own my car (modest midsize sedan), just bought a nice starter 3 bedroom in a great suburb, have no other debt, and could live for 6 months if i lost my job without changing my lifestyle at all, or incurring debt

I like to think I'm doing ok.

What "professional" career can you get right out of HS?

 

[Bignate603]

What "professional" career can you get right out of HS?

Stripper? I don't know if they usually have 401ks though.

 

[yllus]

I think you're still suffering from something a lot of us did when we first joined the work force - we became super serious and efficient employees who did anything our managers asked us to do because that's what our identity was in the post-university phase: An adult who has a job and does serious things for real money.

After a while you ease out of that when you realize that work - even interesting, fulfilling work - isn't the be-all and end-all of existence. Or from a more mercenary perspective, it's highly unlikely that you're going to strike it rich by working for someone else; in the technology field you'd be silly to dump hours into your day job when you should be trying to join or start a promising startup instead.

I think you have a lot of growing up yet to do. But hey, enjoy that sense of superiority working 100+ hours gives you while your eyes, hands and back still hold out.

 

[96Firebird]

I'm 24 and work 40 hours a week, unless the project requires me to stay later but usually things are done on time. I'm salary as well.

My buddy, who is a year older than me, is also salary. He works 80+ hours a week, and has to travel a lot. Sometimes travel is last minute, so he has to cancel plans. He still gets the same pay he would have if he just sat in his office 40 hours a week, like most others at the company. He keeps saying he is going to quit, but he has yet to do so. They even offered him a promotion, but he declined because he didn't want to take the promotion and then quit soon after.

I like spending most of my time outside of work. I think some people work so much because their home life sucks.

 

[brianmanahan]

I like spending most of my time outside of work. I think some people work so much because their home life sucks.

:thumbsup:

 

[yh125d]

What "professional" career can you get right out of HS?

Drafting

 

[Cerb]

Drafting

Not today. Votech schooling will also be desired.

 

[yh125d]

Not today. Votech schooling will also be desired.

Yes today. I did it just 4 years ago without technical school. HS my only qualification. And I'm 1 of 3 at my company of <20 who did the same in the last 5 years

 

[Fingolfin269]

You guys are probably right that for most the best way to be successful is to move from place to place. I'm in a good spot and am in perfect alignment for another step in about 3 years. That said, if I knew of other opportunities in the same general area, that paid more and offered less stress and hours then of course that would need to be looked at. Who wouldn't? I just don't think those opportunities exist at the pay level I'm looking for and in the are I'm in. Granted less stress and less hours for a little less pay isn't necessarily off the table either.

 

[JMapleton]

I like spending most of my time outside of work. I think some people work so much because their home life sucks.

My point behind all this is, my home life would suck if I only made a standard 40 hour/week salary. I'm able to live a superior lifestyle because I work large amounts of overtime.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

My point behind all this is, my home life would suck if I only made a standard 40 hour/week salary. I'm able to live a superior lifestyle because I work large amounts of overtime.

Get a better job?

 

[JEDI]

Get a better job?

um... no

i make 6figures

i rather have time and half than comp time

 

[IndyColtsFan]

um... no

i make 6figures

i rather have time and half than comp time

I have no clue what you're talking about, as my post wasn't directed at you.