Bored into retirement - the other side of the coin

[SteveR]

I seem to have it both ways; overworked and bored.

I average about 11 hour days and most is spent in mind numbing bordom intertwined with corporate HR BS that makes one want to puke. Programs that are intended to meet a personal or company goal that has very little to do with reality and everything to do with individual incomes. Corporate initatives and HR programs are eyewash and have very little to do with helping either the average employee or to make the business run better. It is mostly just pure BS to pad annual bonus goals and to justify HR's existing.

Not that I am bitter or anything..... :

32 years in Megacorp.; this being my third mega...and being in various levels of manufuacturing site, division or Corporate management along the way will either make you a rapid cheerleader or a bitter realist. I choose the latter.

As long as they are willing to pay me to do my thing I will continue here until I pull the plug. There is not retirement from my present company. You just leave since there are no benefits that carry over into retirement. And they wonder why the turnover rate is 20-25% per year and company loyality is poor and support for new project is only half hearted. Maybe it is because people detect the BS management is spewing and the fact that people see through it all and understand that things are not going to change except to work harder with fewer people on more crap that corporate forces down to the sites to do without being throught through and with inadequate resources.

Ok, I will get off my soapbox now.

24 months and 2 days to ER.

 

[frayne]

ERed July 1st this year. Worked 32 years in a chemical manufacturing plant, pretty much in front line and middle management positions. After numerous rounds of benchmarking, downsizing, reorganizations simply got tired of the Dilbert type BS and decided life is too short to be bored and to work with stupid people, reguardless of the pay.

 

[vic]

I am totally bored in my job. It takes a lot of effort to even move the mouse to kick it off screensaver. Same thing day in, day out. I worked way harder up to about 6 months ago. However I noticed initiative is not appreciated and my boss wanted to be 100% control over me. Now I am told what to do at the beginning of the week. I usually finish by Monday or Tuesday and then fill up the rest of the time with face time with goof off time to errands, gym etc when I am not on the internet at my desk. It is very important though not to advertise in the company that you are bored. Who ever comes up with something to do for me, I refer them to my boss to set the priority. Boss feels important and ensures that he can kill it right away. It feels so unnatural, but if this is how I can keep my paycheck in the cube farm, that is ok. My boss seems to be extremely happy with the current situation.

I used to go to my boss when I was getting bored, telling him that I wanted to expand my skills and learn new things. He gave me spreadsheets and other typing assignments (I am an engineer). I don't need that. I also don't need any more 'challenges' and 'exciting' projects - just tired of it and lost all interest. Nowadays, I am usually recuperating at work from all the other real exciting things that go on in my life. Too busy with running a side business and building a house and all my outside interests to worry about doing at work. Keep yourself very busy outside of work, and you will appreciate the emptiness of your daily existence in the cube farm.

Vicky

 

[maddythebeagle]

Lol Vicky: Are there any interesting people at your work. I always find that helps. My first job out of college was a "soul sucker" but I had some pretty cool people to talk to about stuff and that helped a lot. My current job is the opposite, the work and boss are ok, but folks in my office are kinda dull (sorry to make generalizations).

 

[vic]

Yep, ther are some very nice folks at work. I work in R&D and I found that I can only properly communicate with someone who does not have a PhD (PhD's make up >50% of the cube farmers up here).

The gal two cubes over is really nice, she is taking an early out next year. She knows what I think and do but otherwise I keep to myself most of the time. I never go out for lunch with others and I barely socialize. The main reason is that otherwise people would find out what I really (don't) do at work and that I am not always in the lab like they are thinking but just goofing off

Vicky

 

[retire@40]

...and my boss wanted to be 100% control over me...Now I am told what to do at the beginning of the week...It is very important though not to advertise in the company that you are bored. Who ever comes up with something to do for me, I refer them to my boss to set the priority... It feels so unnatural, but if this is how I can keep my paycheck in the cube farm, that is ok. My boss seems to be extremely happy with the current situation.

I used to go to my boss when I was getting bored, telling him that I wanted to expand my skills and learn new things. He gave me spreadsheets and other typing assignments (I am an engineer). I don't need that. I also don't need any more 'challenges' and 'exciting' projects - just tired of it and lost all interest.

I'm sorry, but having a "boss" is so demeaning.  I could NEVER live my life with a "boss" telling me what to do for 1/3 of my life.

I even consider having a “boss” worse than working.

 

[dimwit]

dex,

your job isn't any worse than anyone elses that is working for some one - absolutely meaningless of itself... just bear with us all and make meaning of it until FIRE than we can all make fun of the whole damn thing!

 

[cube_rat]

I know the cube farm feeling Our cube farm is a ghetto. Picture this: rows and rows of cubes shaped into a square with 4 workstations and a WIDE open entrance so your three neighbors can see what you're doing, eating, saying all of the time. In addition, low walls. I'm 5'5" and the wall reaches my chin when I'm standing. It's aggravating when people walk by and *peer* into my work space. I just shoot them a dirty look. The contractor cubes are worse they look just like men's urinals (lol). The absolute insult is management (below director level) must SHARE a small office with another manager.( Err, I don't want to be promoted, thank you very much.) The offices are so small the occupants are practically stepping over on another. It's not that we lack offices. There are plenty of empty offices! It's that groups are slappped to together in order to be near a senior director who doesn't even acknowledge you when passing in the hall.

Gee, I'm not bitter or anything :

 

[flipstress]

Wow, cube_rat--I now understand your user name. 

My present job is the only one I've had since I started working (over 15 years) when I've had an office of my own with a door. 

It felt weird the first month to be at my own desk with guests sitting across me like I were the principal or some other authority figure (like a manager  ).

Now, I like it a lot, despite having no windows and despite the absence of any ability for me to control the temperature.

 

[maddythebeagle]

It's aggravating when people walk by and *peer* into my work space. I just shoot them a dirty look

- I call that "rubbernecking". My first job I had an older guy do that. He would never talk to me though. Funny, that first job there were several that would never talk to you. Weirdos or just had the will sucked clean from their lives.

I have an office now and moved up enough that I got a nice window view.

 

[cube_rat]

Well Maddie (sorry, I have a hard time calling you Maddie because I think your a guy ), in my previous life as an accounting manager for a Met Life subsidiary, I had cool office overlooking the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Well that life ended when I went into IT 7 years ago. I more than doubled my salary but look what I got in exchange. Anyway, my current employer is a great company in spite of it's weirdness with seating arrangements. I was just ranting a little bit here.

 

[unclemick]

BC and AD?

I worked in BC - before cubicle - the open bullpen sea of desks/drawing boards and mostly with a desk shoved into the corner of a lab or on a test stand platform with designer metal cabinets for knick knacks.

I kinda feel sorry for the AD's(after Dilbert) - love the Sunday cartoon though.

Heh, heh

 

[mikew]

In my last job, I was the token foreigner and they didn't have a clue how to use me. For the first six months they didn't give me any work. After that it was a half day a week. They gave me an office with a chair, a desk, and a telephone (which never rang), but no computer.

Also, they had built a new building and everyone moved into it but they were one office short. They put me in an office on the 8th floor of the old building. I was the only person in the entire building. It was very spooky especially after dark.

I ended up going to work once a week for a couple of hours and being a house husband. I stayed there for 3 years. Once I gave up the desire to be productive, the job was a lot less stressful for me.

My friend said to me the company was like a tomb but sometimes a tomb is not such a bad place to be.

 

[daxm]

I feel that my job is similar.  I am an data network engineer but I work for a traditional phone company.  I feel that I work only about 2-4 hours of the day and usually on simple stuff.  Sometimes I feel that I'll get fired just because I am underutilized though I know my function in the company is quite valuable.  I have actually considered taking a different job just so I could work a full day's work and feel good about myself at the end of the day.

My latest idea is to talk with my boss and "ask" if he wouldn't mind if I took a class or two from the local university.  I am only a few classes away from a mathematics degree and would like to finish (but some of my remaining classes are only offered during the day).  Going back to school would help fill my schedule, provide a more challenging life, and help me finish something I set out to do over a decade ago!  Who knows, maybe in 4-6 years from now I'll drop the whole IT world and work as a mathematician!

 

[Nords]

My latest idea is to talk with my boss and "ask" if he wouldn't mind if I took a class or two from the local university. 

You might not even need to ask.

When I was on active duty one of my officers completed his entire EE masters at U of Washington from his Oahu (Ford Island!) office. He did it all over the internet, including the video classroom lectures and the projects. (I did feel sorry for his troops-- "Hey, Petty Officer Schmuckatelli, come here and hold this wire for a second!") You might be able to do the same thing from a broadband connection in your office.

While I understand the dehumanizing concept of spending years in cubicles without having to actually experience it, I did spend a few years of my own in submarine staterooms and 80-year-old buildings that occasionally attempted to submerge as well. Think of the lack of privacy & surly co-workers as preparation for parenthood... and consider that you'll be able to have all the solitude you can handle in ER!

 

[mikew]

That's how I got my MA. I was doing in-house corporate training but the employees were too busy to come. I got a solid 4 hrs of studying in per day. In my case I didn't have a boss looking over my shoulder and could do what I wanted, within reason. Some distance programs are strong and most are getting better all the time.

Nords the military seems to have excellent training opportunities both on-site and distance. The University of Maryland and Texas are always advertising for professors over here. 


It took me a long time to realize work was not my life focus. I didn't need to be productive. It was hard because much of my identity was wrapped up with my job title and what I achieved at work. The thing that got me out was I realized what I achieved at work didn't really help me (my personal case) but helped the employer.  Also, I realized they could replace me in a week.

I have never gotten over the fear of being fired even when I was the model worker. My solution is to save as much as possible and achieve FI as quickly as possible.

 

[Andre1969]

Wow, I had no idea that there were this many people in the same boat as me! I work as a government contractor doing desktop publishing, graphics, putting together big presentations, etc. Every once in awhile we'll have something come up that requires some major overtime. I think my personal record was about 90 hours total (40 hours + 50 OT) in one week. But usually our work is cyclical, where it's fairly busy for maybe a week, and the rest of the month is pretty extremely dull.

Financially, I'm okay. Between my almost-maxed out 401k and some regular investing in mutual funds, i'm probably socking away $30,000 per year right now. Plus I put in a max for a ROTH IRA. I'm part owner in a house that's paid for in full (or was, until I took out a $100K HELOC! ). And the real kicker is that I only live about 3 1/2 miles from work! If I really wanted to get cheap, I could give up the car and bike it to work.

Sometimes i fantasize about just bailing out right now, but realistically I know that I don't have enough saved up. Plus, I'm only 35 years old, so what I do have saved (probably about $330K by now) would have to stretch out for an awful long time! When I was younger, I never even fathomed that one day the biggest problem with my job wouldn't be low pay, an incompetent boss, too much work, or too much stress, but would be BOREDOM instead!!

If nothing else, I figure each day I work is another day I have some money to save, and another day closer I get to total financial independence! I've also got something like 280 hours of leave saved up, and I get almost 8 hours every two weeks (25 days per year, comes out to 7.69 hours per pay period), so one thing i've started doing, just to keep from burning out totally, is to just take a day off here and there, and use the time to work on the house, out in the yard, or just goof off and do nothing productive at all!

 

[Nords]

When I was younger, I never even fathomed that one day the biggest problem with my job wouldn't be low pay, an incompetent boss, too much work, or too much stress, but would be BOREDOM instead!!

Welcome to the board, Andre! Looks like compounding will take care of all the usual ER challenges in your situation...

Another ER challenge that frequently goes unmentioned is being responsible for your own continuing education & development entertainment. If you're bored at work and can't find a way to sneak your own agenda & projects into your office, then ER might be fraught with unexpected pitfalls. You probably can't practice your longboard skills there but you could definitely research/plan your investments or learn more about things that interest you. The number of online books & discussion boards alone could fill a "work"day.

Frequently at this point in your life any lingering boredom relieved by acquiring a spouse and (hopefully sequentially) a family. That solves the boredom problem, anyway. Some days I still wonder if I was tricked into being a reproductive member of the human race, but the other inmate seems pretty nice.

Another option, not that I'm trying to mess up what seems to be a perfectly happy lifestyle, would be to look around for job skills that would help you become more valuable to your company (or to some other company). There's usually training courses or masters degree programs, advanced Excel, other presentation software or projects, or just commission artwork? Or spend your down time at your desk reading Bernstein's "Four Pillars".

A 3.5 mile commute in, what, the Bowie area? Get a bicycle and a workplace locker! You'll be the envy of about 99% of the surrounding population... that short a commute is probably more damaging to the car anyway.

 

[Andre1969]

You guessed it, Nords, I'm in the Bowie-Greenbelt area! Are you from the area?

 

[WanderALot]

I worked at my previous company for over 4 years. It was only 3 miles from home so I was always thinking about how lucky I was that I only had a 5 min drive. About 2.5 years into my job, I decided that I was going to biking to work.
I can't begin to tell you how awesome it was!

My biggest regret is wasting the first 2 years of my job by not biking to work. The best part was just noticing the jacaranda trees or the hawks/vultures flying overhead. Total stress relief! Plus, it was such a short ride, I didn't have to worry about getting sweaty.

Unfortunately, I now work 12 miles so it's a lot harder now!

 

[treypar]

Use your time to your advantage.

 

[Nords]

You guessed it, Nords, I'm in the Bowie-Greenbelt area!  Are you from the area?

Spouse grew up in Bowie and her family later moved to the Annapolis area before moving to be near their grandkid in Hawaii. (My brother-in-law the CPA is up in Crofton.) My FIL still kvetches about buying the Bowie house in 1964 ($16,500) and selling in 1983 for $122K instead of renting it out. If he had his way he'd still be a landlord.

I haven't been back to Bowie in a couple decades, but I'm sure the statute of limitations has expired by now.

Whenever I feel maudlin about Hawaii's warm summer months & year-round traffic, I remember the DC winters, the 50/Beltway interchange, and the Woodrow Wilson bridge. Then I think about Pentagon duty, and suddenly I'm in paradise again!

 

[kayelem]

Nords:
The sad thing is Beltway/50 is nothin' these days (heck, I work right there and feel privledged with my easy commute).

I think the new WW bridge opened today also.

Just reporting in from our nations capital.

 

[Andre1969]

Well, here I am today, bored at work again...so entertain me, guys and gals! Actually, today's been a pretty good day for once. Just enough work to keep me busy and make the day not seem to drag. Plus, watching the stock market today, and my Scottrade account, is exciting...but not necessarily in a good way. Oh well, it'll go back up again!

 

[tozz]

Well, well, well.  The imprimaturs at the Washington Post are validating Dex's lifestyle.  As usual, we at Early Retirment.org are on the cutting edge.

Boredom Numbs the Work World