Job Hunting - Lifestyle - Your Experience?

[Jagosaurus]

Hi all, I'm a generally laid back guy & try to live by "most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." but work has been rough lately lol.

I'm a salary employee who works 75+ hours a week in order to get the job done. I'm meeting all my benchmarks and it pays my bill but I have little family or hobby time.

So, time to do something about it! I'm applying to jobs now & it feels dang good. Looks like I'll probably take roughly a 7% salary cut but work 40% less hour (in the jobs I'm hunting). No brainer, right? It'll be worth it to have a life outside work IMO.

Anyone leave a job that wa taking advantage of them & not regret it? Advice? Thanks!

[Frag Mortuus]

I left a job in the coal industry making around $60k a year for a job in IT (which is what I went to college for) making around $45k. I was working about 60-80 hours a week in the coal job but now only work 40. It was a really hard hit to us financially. We actually had to let my wife's car get repossessed and shut off our satellite TV and change cell phone providers. All to save money. With my student loans, car payment, and regular bills including gas and groceries, we aren't left with much money with what I make. My wife is a "stay at home" mom. But, she goes to college full time, raises two kids, keeps up with the house work the best she can and a couple of years ago started a photography business, which has really taken off this year and is expected to grow a lot more next year.

We have leveled off financially now that my wife is doing so well with her photography, but there for about a year it was really tough. But, it was all worth it. I get to be involved with my kids more and just am much happier.

[Jagosaurus]

I left a job in the coal industry making around $60k a year for a job in IT (which is what I went to college for) making around $45k. I was working about 60-80 hours a week in the coal job but now only work 40. It was a really hard hit to us financially. We actually had to let my wife's car get repossessed and shut off our satellite TV and change cell phone providers. All to save money. With my student loans, car payment, and regular bills including gas and groceries, we aren't left with much money with what I make. My wife is a "stay at home" mom. But, she goes to college full time, raises two kids, keeps up with the house work the best she can and a couple of years ago started a photography business, which has really taken off this year and is expected to grow a lot more next year.

We have leveled off financially now that my wife is doing so well with her photography, but there for about a year it was really tough. But, it was all worth it. I get to be involved with my kids more and just am much happier.

Glad to hear you're happier man! I work a lot with financials so I've back into what #s I need to make & a 7-10% cut & I'd be okay. I'm thinking it's totally worth it to cut back on spending a bit to have free time... & sanity.

Posting this from my office... where I have 3 reports due... Friday afternoon. I also had meetings one day this week @ 7:30a & 6:30p... that's an automatic 12 hour day, not counting the 10p work related call I had on the same day. The culture here is just that you're expected to work 24/7. Getting old quick (been with this company 2 yrs)

[LugNutX]

All the clichés are true, money really can't buy happiness. A lot of companies fail to acknowledge that personal/family time is just as important as your time on the job.

My previous job carried that 24/7 mentality and I only lasted a year before I took a position somewhere else. I've never had to take a pay cut, but I was definitely prepared to with the last job. I'm still very busy at my current job, but the company realizes that when folks leave at 5pm, things can wait until tomorrow. I'm also IT, so on-call constantly, but I only get bothered afterhours if there is a true emergency.

You will not regret the change. Family and your personal health (including mental) comes first. When you're 80, you and your family won't care that you couldn't afford that new Mercedes, they'll care about the quality time they got to spend with you.

[Valkyrie-Favor]

I work 10 to 13 hours a day, five days a week, but only get paid for 8. Sometimes I have to work Saturday - can't refuse. I need the job. Get paid $10 an hour though, and the work is sort of enjoyable. Variety and challenge at least! I work construction with some pretty good guys, but I haven't had a conversation with a woman outside my family for a long time

I'm making 16k, which I guess is fine just out of high school. I don't have a family to support, and I don't care about having the best (or even decent) things so long as I can enjoy my hobbies. Haven't gone through "higher education' yet - I have to decide what I want to do first.

Sleep, food, gaming and reading have been the only joys in my life lately. Hard to socialize when I often get home at 7:00.

Before I got my job in construction (through a personal connection) I was unemployed for several months. Very frustrating. I made hundreds of applications and dozens of interviews, but in the end no one hired me based on my "stats."

[Xeogred]

but in the end no one hired me based on my "stats."

"Two years of experienced required"

BUT WHERE, WHERE DO YOU GET IT!!!

[Jagosaurus]

Took everyone's advice (and advice of family members & friends) and started hunting jobs hard.

The 70+ hours at my current job are too much. I am off today on vacation & had a second site interview with another company. Literally during my interview... on my day off... my current employer kept calling & texting with "an emergency." Good thing my phone was silenced with vibrate off. Annoying ...

Second interview went well. They're getting back to me Monday. Fingers crossed...

[Ack]

What do you currently do, Jag?

[Jagosaurus]

What do you currently do, Jag?

I'm an operations manager for a for profit healthcare company. There are good individuals who work for the organization but as a whole, they're a rough company to work for and really squeeze their managers hard. We've had 10 directors leave this year (out of roughly 15) and I'd be the 11th. Hospital never closes so it really cultivates the 24/7 mentality which equates to high turnover. Even my new COO has expressed concerns to me that he probably should've stayed with his last job. Bad when even the C-suite feels the heat.

I worked in IT for two years while in grad school and loved it. I just interviewed for an Executive Sales Manager for a telecommunications/IT company. They have a great culture and work place setting that seems like something out of a management 101 book lol... everyone bust their butt for 8-9 hours a day but it's a family owned, tight-knit group. My possible future boss said I might have to work 30 extra minutes a day when start starting to learn the product lines but could do it into my lunch break... I almost laughed at him... don't even get a lunch now. Work straight through it.

We'll see. I'll be excited if they make an offer and back to the drawing board if not. I'm thankful to have my current job but am definitely actively seeking a better environment I've learned a lot in my current role that makes me a marketable candidate... IMO anyway ha!

What about you Ack, what do you do? I seem to remember a thread dedicated to this at one point.

[Ack]

I'm a media content analyst with Turner Broadcasting. I index our programming, which means I effectively generate descriptive metadata about our shows, which is then used by a variety of different groups within the company for things ranging from promo development to targeted advertising. I focus primarily on domestic Cartoon Network programming, though I am trying to expand to our international division.

The short answer is that I get paid to watch cartoons all day.