In my 15 years of retirement I have learned an important fact: You will reach a point in your life when people will not care how you earned your money. People will, however, came about what you did with your life. I became, almost by accident, heavily involved in health charity and church work many decades ago. When I retired I just kept on doing the charity and church leadership work. People apparently thought I was good at it. I kept being asked to fill varying positions and I often accepted. I was very successful in my professional career but it appears that I have been even more successful in my volunteer efforts. I have, in the word of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, "made a contribution." Today many (most?) people with whom I associate don't know what I did for a living. But they all know about my volunteer efforts. I have found great joy in those efforts and, as I approach age 81, I feel very blessed and very successful, indeed.
The real problem with much work is the work itself. It's boring. People will grab at anything else to distract themselves from the drudgery. The few who manage to find work that holds their interest and fulfills them are vey, very lucky. We've organized a system that serves it own needs, not ours.
I'm divorced and have two kids in college and another one on the way (to college). If my math is correct, I will have to stay at my job until I turn approximately 117 years old.
Ally Love? I used to always say hi to her at Nets games, she's the in-game host.
I've worked from home and I've worked in an office and I know which I prefer.
At this point, forcing your employees to work in an office is just about control. It's a domination tactic. It says I don't trust you. At my previous job, they frowned on working from home and then the pandemic hit. They discovered the world didn't end, we all did our work, and best of all, employees could be hired from anywhere.
Working in an office is so anxiety inducing- worrying about getting to work on time, what to wear, going to the bathroom, people staring at you, etc.
And maybe I'm in the minority, but I always found working in the office much more distracting. Especially at my last job, there were always people walking in and out, food being served, snacks, people laughing. Given my job involved listening to radio for 7 hours, it's amazing I was able to get any work done.
That said, I'm definitely someone who is miserable at work. Getting to work from home is amazing, but my job is very unfulfilling, I feel I am overqualified for it and the pay is a joke.
Absolutely true!! With one 2-year exception (a "fallow" period) I haven't worked a day in the past 43 years (or worn a coat and tie) and I can afford everything my life needs, including, it turns out, a new unexpected social life after my wife escaped Parkinson's 14 months ago.
I took my parents' advice and got a job that I enjoy. Turns out that I don't enjoy it every day - many days are terrible. And I'm acutely aware that my job (high school teacher in one in Texas, and in one of the poorest cities in the U.S.) means that I am underpaid based on my level of education. But I do enjoy my job. That's the advice I give to students who are thinking about it - look for a job you enjoy before worrying about how much you'll get paid.
Enjoyed this read, Chris. I retired December 2022 and am much happier as my job had gotten to the point of just wearing me out. Sadly, the company I worked for was a 300+ employee company, due to layoffs starting in 2008, was a 13 employee company when I left. Each time we had a layoff, the rest of us took on more and more work. We were a support arm for banks & mortgage companies and the market we were dealing with was just changing with the times and technology advances making some things obsolete. The company is still hanging in there, basically buying other companies that are in the same boat and we are pooling resources. Once the pandemic hit, we worked from home and the world didn’t end, so they decided to keep work from home permanently. I liked it as I was tired of the office politics. We also didn’t get a lot of PTO so mentally things were just not good sometimes. I do remember when in Barbados, speaking to someone from England (if I recall correctly) and she was stunned how little time we actually got off. She had been in Barbados 3 weeks and still had tons of vacation time left.
Chris, it is interesting that today both you and Kirsten Powers (on her Substack) wrote on the same topic although she wrote on the happiness of the Danish people who live with complete government payments for health care, retirement, education, etc. but with huge taxes as well. This seems like an impossible scenario with our hyper individualism and fear of government. But do you think we might ever have a greater moral consciousness that let’s go of greed for the sake of the common good which would make everyone’s life better?
I quit my "suit and tie and commute" job 43 years ago this month. However, 2007-2010 were "fallow years" in my career (screenwriter/author) and I took a "straight job" (fundraiser for the Obama campaign).
What I found was that 40+ years ago, nobody had to clock in/clock out, or wear an ID card around their neck. People were treated as functioning adults, which meant they were left to self-discipline themselves. I only recall two cases of Idiot Employee during that time.
30 years later, the workplace reminded me of either a prison or the US Navy of my youth. People were *controlled* and treated as if they would default to "fuckup" without the close monitoring, the clock in/clock out, wearing the ID horsecollar, etc. One can argue that perhaps a majority of people who end up doing a job like that might be that kind of employee, but wherever I go, I see people wearing the ID horsecollars, and whatever the job, their faces look like the people I worked around on that terrible job. So it happens everywhere.
I think there is a correlation with the "conservatism" that developed between 1980 and 2008, which has manifested itself in people being treated in accordance with this world view that expects the worst in employees.
Fortunately the tide rose and I returned to doing what I love, for which I will self-discipline myself to whatever degree is necessary to create what I create. And I mostly don't consider it "work."
Pandemic changed everything for me. I am now a retired Army dentist. That manic work work work lifestyle, the pressures of running an army dental clinic, all took its toll on my health....dentists cannot work at home on a computer, so my work life issues differ greatly from yours...but there is this component we share...more personal freedom. It isn't about money, it is about my control over my time. Of course, retiring isn't the answer for everyone, it was the answer for me . And I LOVE it.
Great article. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I just wanted to highlight one of your points - balance. I'm not completely sure what it is about American society, but we clearly struggle with this in many areas. Perspectives such as yours are wonderful and helpful. The one string that ties the important themes I'm seeing talked bout these days by many many folks, is balance. Personally, professionally, economically - balance. There is no one answer. It's finding that "sweet spot" as you say, which is likely different for every one of us.
Working is only bearable if you love what you do. Having to slog through a workday that feels less and less rewarding is no way to live. In my own experience, I found myself in a challenging and very well paying technical job that required long hours, required dealing with corporate management which felt like having a second job, and I could not imagine the rest of my life doing it. I decided to go back to school to learn a new profession. I lived more frugally than I thought possible, I took classes on weekends and at night. I slogged through the days at my job. I saved enough money to make going back to school a reality, and emerged some years later with a newly minted degree and a new outlook on life. Still working long hours, working in my own practice so no corporate overlords….magical. Still dealing with things that I don’t like (insurance companies) but I do it my own way. It takes sacrifice to be a wage-earning adult with a decent lifestyle, and then to turn into a frugal drone with no life..but emerging on the other side with wings is worth it. There are a million reasons why folks don’t abandon unfulfilling careers for something better….but it can be done.
In my 15 years of retirement I have learned an important fact: You will reach a point in your life when people will not care how you earned your money. People will, however, came about what you did with your life. I became, almost by accident, heavily involved in health charity and church work many decades ago. When I retired I just kept on doing the charity and church leadership work. People apparently thought I was good at it. I kept being asked to fill varying positions and I often accepted. I was very successful in my professional career but it appears that I have been even more successful in my volunteer efforts. I have, in the word of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, "made a contribution." Today many (most?) people with whom I associate don't know what I did for a living. But they all know about my volunteer efforts. I have found great joy in those efforts and, as I approach age 81, I feel very blessed and very successful, indeed.
The real problem with much work is the work itself. It's boring. People will grab at anything else to distract themselves from the drudgery. The few who manage to find work that holds their interest and fulfills them are vey, very lucky. We've organized a system that serves it own needs, not ours.
I'm divorced and have two kids in college and another one on the way (to college). If my math is correct, I will have to stay at my job until I turn approximately 117 years old.
Ally Love? I used to always say hi to her at Nets games, she's the in-game host.
I've worked from home and I've worked in an office and I know which I prefer.
At this point, forcing your employees to work in an office is just about control. It's a domination tactic. It says I don't trust you. At my previous job, they frowned on working from home and then the pandemic hit. They discovered the world didn't end, we all did our work, and best of all, employees could be hired from anywhere.
Working in an office is so anxiety inducing- worrying about getting to work on time, what to wear, going to the bathroom, people staring at you, etc.
And maybe I'm in the minority, but I always found working in the office much more distracting. Especially at my last job, there were always people walking in and out, food being served, snacks, people laughing. Given my job involved listening to radio for 7 hours, it's amazing I was able to get any work done.
That said, I'm definitely someone who is miserable at work. Getting to work from home is amazing, but my job is very unfulfilling, I feel I am overqualified for it and the pay is a joke.
So if you're hiring....
As the old saying goes, find something you love doing and you'll never work a day in your life.
Absolutely true!! With one 2-year exception (a "fallow" period) I haven't worked a day in the past 43 years (or worn a coat and tie) and I can afford everything my life needs, including, it turns out, a new unexpected social life after my wife escaped Parkinson's 14 months ago.
I took my parents' advice and got a job that I enjoy. Turns out that I don't enjoy it every day - many days are terrible. And I'm acutely aware that my job (high school teacher in one in Texas, and in one of the poorest cities in the U.S.) means that I am underpaid based on my level of education. But I do enjoy my job. That's the advice I give to students who are thinking about it - look for a job you enjoy before worrying about how much you'll get paid.
If you love children, teaching is a wonderful job, no matter how much you are paid!
Enjoyed this read, Chris. I retired December 2022 and am much happier as my job had gotten to the point of just wearing me out. Sadly, the company I worked for was a 300+ employee company, due to layoffs starting in 2008, was a 13 employee company when I left. Each time we had a layoff, the rest of us took on more and more work. We were a support arm for banks & mortgage companies and the market we were dealing with was just changing with the times and technology advances making some things obsolete. The company is still hanging in there, basically buying other companies that are in the same boat and we are pooling resources. Once the pandemic hit, we worked from home and the world didn’t end, so they decided to keep work from home permanently. I liked it as I was tired of the office politics. We also didn’t get a lot of PTO so mentally things were just not good sometimes. I do remember when in Barbados, speaking to someone from England (if I recall correctly) and she was stunned how little time we actually got off. She had been in Barbados 3 weeks and still had tons of vacation time left.
Chris, it is interesting that today both you and Kirsten Powers (on her Substack) wrote on the same topic although she wrote on the happiness of the Danish people who live with complete government payments for health care, retirement, education, etc. but with huge taxes as well. This seems like an impossible scenario with our hyper individualism and fear of government. But do you think we might ever have a greater moral consciousness that let’s go of greed for the sake of the common good which would make everyone’s life better?
Unfortunately, I think the American Mythology is so bone deep and pervasive that such a change won't happen. Please America, prove me wrong!
I quit my "suit and tie and commute" job 43 years ago this month. However, 2007-2010 were "fallow years" in my career (screenwriter/author) and I took a "straight job" (fundraiser for the Obama campaign).
What I found was that 40+ years ago, nobody had to clock in/clock out, or wear an ID card around their neck. People were treated as functioning adults, which meant they were left to self-discipline themselves. I only recall two cases of Idiot Employee during that time.
30 years later, the workplace reminded me of either a prison or the US Navy of my youth. People were *controlled* and treated as if they would default to "fuckup" without the close monitoring, the clock in/clock out, wearing the ID horsecollar, etc. One can argue that perhaps a majority of people who end up doing a job like that might be that kind of employee, but wherever I go, I see people wearing the ID horsecollars, and whatever the job, their faces look like the people I worked around on that terrible job. So it happens everywhere.
I think there is a correlation with the "conservatism" that developed between 1980 and 2008, which has manifested itself in people being treated in accordance with this world view that expects the worst in employees.
Fortunately the tide rose and I returned to doing what I love, for which I will self-discipline myself to whatever degree is necessary to create what I create. And I mostly don't consider it "work."
Pandemic changed everything for me. I am now a retired Army dentist. That manic work work work lifestyle, the pressures of running an army dental clinic, all took its toll on my health....dentists cannot work at home on a computer, so my work life issues differ greatly from yours...but there is this component we share...more personal freedom. It isn't about money, it is about my control over my time. Of course, retiring isn't the answer for everyone, it was the answer for me . And I LOVE it.
Great article. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I just wanted to highlight one of your points - balance. I'm not completely sure what it is about American society, but we clearly struggle with this in many areas. Perspectives such as yours are wonderful and helpful. The one string that ties the important themes I'm seeing talked bout these days by many many folks, is balance. Personally, professionally, economically - balance. There is no one answer. It's finding that "sweet spot" as you say, which is likely different for every one of us.
Thank you,Chris, for your articles aside from politics. And how open you are about who you are!! It is refreshing.
Working is only bearable if you love what you do. Having to slog through a workday that feels less and less rewarding is no way to live. In my own experience, I found myself in a challenging and very well paying technical job that required long hours, required dealing with corporate management which felt like having a second job, and I could not imagine the rest of my life doing it. I decided to go back to school to learn a new profession. I lived more frugally than I thought possible, I took classes on weekends and at night. I slogged through the days at my job. I saved enough money to make going back to school a reality, and emerged some years later with a newly minted degree and a new outlook on life. Still working long hours, working in my own practice so no corporate overlords….magical. Still dealing with things that I don’t like (insurance companies) but I do it my own way. It takes sacrifice to be a wage-earning adult with a decent lifestyle, and then to turn into a frugal drone with no life..but emerging on the other side with wings is worth it. There are a million reasons why folks don’t abandon unfulfilling careers for something better….but it can be done.
During the majority of my "career", there was an ever-present threat of a layoff, being downsized, rightsized, or just being outsourced.
So I was forced to accumulate vacation pay (and savings) to help compensate for the next period of prolonged unemployment.
So stress, yeah!
Funny thing, but now companies can't seem to find people anymore with my unique skillset. Golly gee, I wonder why that is?? 🤔🤔
and had a full volunteer life from local to international roles. yes, I could have made more money but have never been sorry for the choice.
Interesting column, Chris. Amazing how much perspectives can change in a matter of 4 short years.