They're coming to take me away...

[brewer12345]

At least I sure as h3ll hope so. Just having (yet another) bad day at the salt mine. Every week, it seems to be the same: more work piled on me, less and less that is actually interesting to do, increasingly poor treatment by management. I keep hinting to my wife that we need to sell everything and start living in an RV so I don't need to work any more, but she doesn't seem to get it. Maybe if I took a hit off the management bong it would all make sense.

No real message here, just needed to vent.

[BigMoneyJim]

My work situation really isn't bad, but I have over the past year considered all sorts of alternative arrangements, including going minimalist and working as little as possible.

The sad truth is I'm still dependent upon an income and will be for another 15-20 years. And I really like spending money.

Reading this board sometimes puts me in the wrong frame of mind for work.

My work stress is low right now. It's easy to tell someone else to find something else, but starting anew is stressful and risky, too.

Keep venting.

[Marshac]

Quote:

Maybe if I took a hit off the management bong it would all make sense.

Nothing left by the time you get it anyways... unless you like the water.... it might be just as good as drinking the koolaid, just not as tasty.

[BilltSuperTester]

This all reminds me of a Christmas song:
To the tune of "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow"...

Conditions at work are frightful,
And the boss is not delightful,
And some soon we will all be let go,
This job blows!, this job blows, this job blows!

The good news (for me, anyway) is that I'm only 3 years short of FIRE. The bad news is that each progressive year seems to get more difficult. It's the same old "salt mine" at work, but my tolerance of it seems to be fading. I don't know if this is a classic case of "burn out" or whether I'm simply anticipating retirement and becoming impatient. I find myself checking "the numbers" with greater and greater frequency -- as if I could, by shear force of will, make the numbers move upward faster. I wonder if this is an "occupational hazard" for those aspiring to an early retirement.

I suspect it is an "occupational hazard" for a lot of ERs.
I didn't effect me as I paid little attention to the numbers
until after I ERed

JG

[azanon]

I would suggest one run the numbers at least once before they retire.

[laurence]

Now that I've had the ER epiphany, I have to fight getting discuraged. I look at my assets and say, "all right, I'm one half of one percent of the way there!", but hey, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step....are you staying at this job for pension reasons? Is switching places not an option? Keep venting, it's healthy!

[Eagle43]

Go through the motions. They like that anyway. Appearance is reality.

But, in by 8am, out by 5pm. And save, save, save.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Now that I've had the ER epiphany, I have to fight getting discuraged. *I look at my assets and say, "all right, I'm one half of one percent of the way there!", but hey, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step....are you staying at this job for pension reasons? *Is switching places not an option? *Keep venting, it's healthy!

Actually, I am taking tomorrow off to interview elsewhere. The only problem is that every promising new job turns into the daily grind at the salt mine within 3 years.

Quote:

I would suggest one run the numbers at least once before they retire. *

Not possible if one is laid off and can't find a job because perceived as too old.

[Hyperborea]

Quote:

The only problem is that every promising new job turns into the daily grind at the salt mine within 3 years.

One possibility is a larger company in which you can move around inside. I'm in that situation myself. I recently switched to another group and the work is once again interesting for a while. When it gets not so interesting anymore I'll look around inside again. That way I keep all the benefits - keep vesting options, 401k, increased vacation time, etc. and I get new challenges.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

One possibility is a larger company in which you can move around inside. *I'm in that situation myself. *I recently switched to another group and the work is once again interesting for a while. *When it gets not so interesting anymore I'll look around inside again. *That way I keep all the benefits - keep vesting options, 401k, increased vacation time, etc. and I get new challenges.

Actually, I am ready for a stint away from a large company. I've never actually worked for a large company that offered me the opportunity to move around. In the few occasions that was supposedly the case, it was impossible to navigate around the political landmines posed by my immediate supervisor.

I can't actually fault jumping ship. Every time I do so, I have managed a large raise and usually more interesting stuff to do.

[Marshac]

Quote:

Go through the motions. *They like that anyway. *Appearance is reality. *

Someone once told me that in Japan, office folks "run" (walking that looks like running) around the office so as to appear busy. I don't know if this is true or not.... anyone

[sgeeeee]

Quote:

Someone once told me that in Japan, office folks "run" (walking that looks like running) around the office so as to appear busy. I don't know if this is true or not.... anyone *

Once when I was working in the coal mines, my crew was informed that the mine manager was going to come down and visit us. This was a big deal - not a normal event. The crew foreman was very nervous and concerned that we would embarrass him. He gave us a little pep talk and told us, "Make sure that you are always doing something. And if you don't have anything to do but stand around, try to stand in a strain."

[ESRBob]

Quote:

Someone once told me that in Japan, office folks "run" (walking that looks like running) around the office so as to appear busy. I don't know if this is true or not.... anyone

Yes, I worked in Japan for 3 years -- while I don't remember seeing people run too much around the office, I do remember an incredible culture of looking busy, hanging out at the office, and never being seen to be the first one to go. I know that might sound like the U.S., but it really was different there.

Then again, it was considered perfectly acceptable to sit in meetings with your eyes closed and try to sleep. If the powerpoint went on and the lights went down, it was like a big dormitory in there.

I remember once when a new australian manager came to tokyo and saw this for the first time. Nobody had told him. He picked up a huge ashtray and dropped it on the middle of the table to wake everyone up. we had to explain that if you spend every night out drinking with work colleagues until midnight, you're entitled to catch up a bit on shuteye during meetings... A cultural thing.