Anyone else bored at work?

[accountingsucks]

Just wondering if any others are also really bored at their job. My job is in accounting and is pretty busy during the first week of the month. For weeks 2-4 there is not a tremendous amount to do. Sure, stuff comes up occasionally that is urgent but I haven't felt really stressed about anything in about a year.

I'm torn because I make excellent $ at this job (although in my profession getting a high paid job is not a problem) with no stress and a 40 hour work week. On the other hand you can only go over your FIREcalc spreadsheets and surf the net so much in any given workday.

This is one of the reasons I want to get financially independent. I may still want to work, but only part time. My job would be perfect if I was permitted to work only the hours I truly require to get the job done. Just wondering if any others in the same boat, or do you have the opposite issue (too much work)?

 

[Onward]

You are not alone. (Please see my signature. )

 

[Alan]

Just wondering if any others are also really bored at their job. My job is in accounting and is pretty busy during the first week of the month. For weeks 2-4 there is not a tremendous amount to do. Sure, stuff comes up occasionally that is urgent but I haven't felt really stressed about anything in about a year.

I'm torn because I make excellent $ at this job (although in my profession getting a high paid job is not a problem) with no stress and a 40 hour work week. On the other hand you can only go over your FIREcalc spreadsheets and surf the net so much in any given workday.

This is one of the reasons I want to get financially independent. I may still want to work, but only part time. My job would be perfect if I was permitted to work only the hours I truly require to get the job done. Just wondering if any others in the same boat, or do you have the opposite issue (too much work)?

I got into this situation last Fall, after the last big project was completed and I went into hand-over mode, plus the downturn meant very few projects were being sanctioned. I was desperately bored and had it not been for the knowledge that ER was only a few months away I would have needed to change jobs.

I was in a similar situation in 2003/2004 but was able to find a new job within the same megacorp. I don't like being totally bored and can understand your frustration.

 

[bbbamI]

Most of my years at Megacorp were enjoyable and fast paced. Each day I felt like I really had accomplished something. My workday flew by...it was great.

The last year I was 'forced' into a financial analyst position. It took about three hours to get my work done each day (if I did it slooooowly) and the rest of time, I'd try to find something to do. I was probably one of very few people that would ask anyone if they had a project for me.

Besides being financially set, this is one of the reasons I left Megacorp.

People worry they may be bored in retirement. My experience has shown I'd much rather be bored at home than on the job.

 

[Walt34]

Sometimes a boring job can be appreciated. I went from 29 years in law enforcement to doing armed security. Pay is about the same. However, today at work:

1. Nobody tried to kill me.

2. Nobody insulted my ancestry.

3. I didn't have to hand print six-page reports (five copies, please).

4. I didn't have to explain to some moron that the sign means what it says. What part of "No Parking", "Do Not Enter" or "No Left Turn" is it that you don't understand? And no, I don't care if your mother-in-law is a pain.

5. I didn't have to deal with any dead bodies.

I could go on for pages, but I think you get the drift.

"Be careful what you wish for. You might get it."

 

[traineeinvestor]

It's begining to feel that way.

I changed jobs in late 2008/early 2009 primarily because of boredom and, to a lesser extent, frustration with management. I stayed in the same industry, hoping that building a start up would provide the necessary challenge. It's not and I am back to being bored and feeling distinctly unmotivated. (Of course, reading the postings on the "what did I do today" thread from all the people who have already FIREd is not helping....)


Not sure what I will do when my contract runs out at the end of 2011. I had planned for 1-2 years more working after that (either full or part time) but am begining to think that I should give priority to preseving my sanity.

 

[W2R]

Some jobs are fairly slow most of the time, punctuated by avalanches of high stress, high visibility work from time to time in during which one is expected to perform miracle upon miracle and after which one retreats to one's office to sit invisibly and wait until the next crisis.

Frank and I both had jobs like that. I kind of liked that aspect of my work. You never knew what would happen next. The only problem with it was that during the "slow" periods, it was hard to feel entirely relaxed.

I never felt bored, even during the slow times. There was always something to do (read, surf the net, or plan, for example).

 

[NW-Bound]

It's better to be bored and paid than to be bored and broke.

 

[traineeinvestor]

It's better to be bored and paid than to be bored and broke.

I can't argue with that - especially as I am very well paid.

 

[NW-Bound]

I got bored with my cushy megacorp job when I turned 40. Left to join and found a couple of semi high-tech ventures. Both crashed and burned after we put in much hard work.

In hindsight, if boredom pays well, STICK WITH IT!

 

[calmloki]

Wonder if this guy gets paid well enough to put up with the tedium of his job... pretty skilled, probably gets his pay docked for drops.

YouTube - Brickies Labourer in Bangladesh.wmv

 

[freebird5825]

My first 10 of 18 years were fun - I was w*rking solo as a single small laboratory manager. I was designing and executing all sorts of experiments, collaborating with some cool people in industry, academia and national labs, with a minimum of contract managing.
The "key to success" in my org was managing big contracts and getting visibility via "PowerPoint engineering".
I fought that tooth and nail, but had to settle for a 50/50 split between hands-on in the lab and...yawn...managing contracts. Then I was [-]hoodwinked into[/-] transferred to a software deployment project. Bigger yawn. I had to attend 2-3 hour meetings filled with bureaucrats who enjoyed the sound of their own voices.

When a creative person gets pigeonholed into mindnumbing tasks, boredom is the inevitable result.

 

[vicente solano]

Most of my years at Megacorp were enjoyable and fast paced. Each day I felt like I really had accomplished something. My workday flew by...it was great.

The last year I was 'forced' into a financial analyst position. It took about three hours to get my work done each day (if I did it slooooowly) and the rest of time, I'd try to find something to do. I was probably one of very few people that would ask anyone if they had a project for me.

Besides being financially set, this is one of the reasons I left Megacorp.

People worry they may be bored in retirement. My experience has shown I'd much rather be bored at home than on the job.

I totally agree with your final conclusion

 

[DougViages]

I also work in Accounting/Finance for a construction firm. Over the past two years I have reduced to 20 -24 hours a week (This schedule has been beneficial in the past 18 months due to a really slow Michigan economy). This seems to "right size" my work load vs. hours. My employer carries medical/dental coverage for my DW and I. It's worked out very well.

It's a bit slow right now, so today mi querida Y yo (DW and I) are off to 16 days of summer in Chile!

 

[RonBoyd]

"Be careful what you wish for. You might get it."

There are worse jobs, you know.

 

[Moscyn]

What Accountingsucks described is exactly what I am experiencing. I joined a mega mega bank less than 3 years ago. The first year was challenging and I invested a lot of time in housekeeping, systems and processes. Now, I can do my job in less than half the hours in a day including attending to any ad hoc matters. I get excited when I have projects but once those are sorted, I find it is so meaningless to spend time pretending to be busy - I feel like I am doing time in the office. So, how do I fill my time? I take as many online in-house training I can get - I think I'm building a frightening amount of hours on that, I'm very careful with surfing the net and limit my surfing to reading business articles. At times I am rather daring and read about planning for retirement which was how I stumbled onto this forum! I'll like to keep working for maybe another year and then try to ask for part time. But how does one last another year of boredom and working slow? Any tips? Oh, I already walk around the office and spend half an hour networking daily. Also, this year I will be taking some weeks off for medical reasons - that would be helpful to help me last another year, I guess.

 

[MasterBlaster]

How can anyone be bored at work when we have this forum !

 

[skyvue]

I am in a typical middle management job at mega corp. The profession of working in Corporate America got really boring and tired for me about 2 years ago. At 42 I know feel trapped because I make too much to start over in a career or profession that I would really enjoy. I feel like I just have to gut it out for another 8 years when hopefully I can FIRE.

I work for the Director or head guy in my field (IT) in our division. He plans to work for 10 more years which is more than I do, so it is hard to get motivated. I literally have ZERO promotion opportunities at this company. I have managers working for me that have managers working for them. So I really have very little day to day to deal with. I mainly set strategic priorities, monitor progress on major projects and surf the Internet! My problem is not with my company and position, it is with me. At 42 I have realized I pursued a career for purposes of making an income and now the money means a whole lot less than it did when I was 26. If I could turn back the clock I would choose a very different career path.

The smart thing to do would be to leave my current company and get a better paying job in my profession so as to accelerate FIRE. However, I am not motivated enough to do that. I am too comfortable here and willing to just "do my time" now with the little effort it requires. At this point just looking forward to FIRE at 50 so I can begin living my life again.

 

[Bimmerbill]

Yeah. But my job pays well, is secure and has great retirement bennies. It's pretty much totally unchallenging.

 

[jIMOh]

In 1997 I graduated from college and went to work for a small software company. Small is relative- 2000-3000 employees. My two previous employers were one of the big 3 and the US Navy (contractor) so you get the idea of small.

In 2000 or 2001 the software company was bought by mega corp 1 (merged with another company under name of a 3rd company), then in 2004 megacorp 1 raised cash by selling us to private equity firm then in 2007 the private equity firm sold us to mega mega corp #2. Each time the company got bigger and each time it got worse.

The most fustrating part was the software in 2000 was just starting to kick ass, and it was FUN and exciting to come to work. Not true anymore. That CEO which initially sold off the small company deserves to be shot IMO.

 

[Fantasm]

I am in a typical middle management job at mega corp. The profession of working in Corporate America got really boring and tired for me about 2 years ago. At 42 I know feel trapped because I make too much to start over in a career or profession that I would really enjoy. I feel like I just have to gut it out for another 8 years when hopefully I can FIRE.

I work for the Director or head guy in my field (IT) in our division. He plans to work for 10 more years which is more than I do, so it is hard to get motivated. I literally have ZERO promotion opportunities at this company. I have managers working for me that have managers working for them. So I really have very little day to day to deal with. I mainly set strategic priorities, monitor progress on major projects and surf the Internet! My problem is not with my company and position, it is with me. At 42 I have realized I pursued a career for purposes of making an income and now the money means a whole lot less than it did when I was 26. If I could turn back the clock I would choose a very different career path.

The smart thing to do would be to leave my current company and get a better paying job in my profession so as to accelerate FIRE. However, I am not motivated enough to do that. I am too comfortable here and willing to just "do my time" now with the little effort it requires. At this point just looking forward to FIRE at 50 so I can begin living my life again.

What do you do?

 

[Fantasm]

How much do all you guys that get paid "really well", actually make?
Are we talking $100K+ but <$150K?

Sometimes I wish I could just have a "normal" job like what all you guys here are saying is really boring and easy, lol and take a pay cut from where I am now.

 

[Bimmerbill]

Well, I'm a gov't schlep, so almost at $80K. I guess it's all relative. This is the most I've ever made, so I have nothing to compare it to. I do get jealous when I hear $150K+ tho!

 

[freebird5825]

Well, I'm a gov't schlep, so almost at $80K. I guess it's all relative. This is the most I've ever made, so I have nothing to compare it to. I do get jealous when I hear $150K+ tho!

Ditto on salary and in govt sector, pre-FIRE.

 

[Dawg52]

Just wondering if any others are also really bored at their job. My job is in accounting and is pretty busy during the first week of the month. For weeks 2-4 there is not a tremendous amount to do. Sure, stuff comes up occasionally that is urgent but I haven't felt really stressed about anything in about a year.

Same for me only the second half of the month was boring. And from Dec-Mar, I was always busy at my company due to year end work and auditors bugging me. But I have been bored free for almost 3 years now.