Yeah, for over a year now, I've been at IBM "chained" to a desk working 40 hours EVERY week. And while I don't mind it, I want to go back to college and have my "own" schedule. It's sooo nice. But the working life isn't ALL that bad.

9/5/2007 10:55:57 AM

i like the scent of fresh air way over the the scent of the lab i work in. let me ooooouuuutttt

9/5/2007 11:03:05 AM

For me, college generally sucked and working generally sucks . . . but I'm a pretty lazy man with a history of making poor choices in both the academic and career world with practially no goals in life beyond a) being left alone to do my thing and b) making enough money to do the relatively modest activities that I enjoy. So I don't blame anyone but myself on that.

My biggest gripe with post-college life is that the social life bites ass once everyone starts getting married. "Nah man, I can't do that, the wife wants me home tonight / this weekend / always." And once they start popping out babies. Nah, fuck that shit.

As the song goes, "All my (not so, but moderately) rowdy friends have settled down."

[Edited on September 5, 2007 at 11:08 AM. Reason : .]

9/5/2007 11:07:24 AM

Quote :

""Nah man, I can't do that, the wife wants me home tonight / this weekend / always." And once they start popping out babies. Nah, fuck that shit."

haha, that's me these days. I'm at the point now where it's not even that the wife wants me home, but that i'd rather hang out at home then go out to a bar where I can't pick up women anyway....

9/5/2007 11:12:32 AM

Quote :

"i think maybe the key is finding a job that excites and stimulates you so that everyday doesn't become monotaneous"

Amazingly tough to do. Even filthy rich athletes probably can't wait for the season to end, and you'd "think" you'd enjoy playing sports for money.

I greatly preferred college over the working world. Sleeping in was amazing, plus I could take 20 hours in 3 days, and have 4 days off per week (well, except for homework, but you know...) The money is nice, but slaving away each day really sucks. A lot of folks find me terribly negative about this subject, but works just blows, and I've tried quite a lot of stuff.

I think I'd be A-okay if I had 1 week off per month, so like 12 weeks of vacation per year. Going 3-4 months (sometimes more) for a week of vacation is what kills me, whereas college had breaks all the time.

9/5/2007 11:18:06 AM

quit your job, get on welfare, and you can live like a college kid forever!

9/5/2007 11:20:00 AM

Heh. Move to Europe and they'll give you plenty of vaca.

9/5/2007 11:20:30 AM

^ Tell me about it -- even in studies, the US is profusely overworked, and generally speaking, performance is no better although we're "at work" so much more than Europeans. Says something to me.

9/5/2007 11:21:50 AM

yeah, it says we sit at work and jack off half the time and get paid for it.. sure some weeks i need to work 12 hour days to get everything done but damn, when there's nothing to do i wish they'd just admit it and let me go home. well, actually, for about a year i got to do just that..

[Edited on September 5, 2007 at 11:28 AM. Reason : t]

9/5/2007 11:27:41 AM

Quote :

"when there's nothing to do i wish they'd just admit it and let me go home. "

BINGO

9/5/2007 11:30:47 AM

Why can't you just go home?

9/5/2007 11:35:41 AM

I can, but they get all pissy if I do it too often. While I was in school I was on salary and just had to work whenever I was needed..sometimes none, sometimes 12 hour days.

[Edited on September 5, 2007 at 11:45 AM. Reason : ah fuck it, i'm going home after lunch]

9/5/2007 11:37:11 AM

^^ You ever been a in huge corporation? If you just up & leave your cube at 10am, trust me, someone will be pissed & talking by 3pm that same day.

Unless you're some higher-up, it's hardly feasible. I work a corporate day job and a much more enjoyable non-office job part-time, and I can't tell you how awesome it is to work from wherever, whenever and only when you're needed. But it's simply not the mindset of most major corporations these days.

[Edited on September 5, 2007 at 11:48 AM. Reason : .]

9/5/2007 11:47:56 AM

If I had that little work I'd probably take on an extra project or something. Either that or I'd work from home that day so no one noticed.

9/5/2007 11:50:31 AM

Quote :

"If I had that little work I'd probably take on an extra project or something."

thats the difference between the workers who just coast along through their careers, and the ones who actually move up and get noticed.

9/5/2007 11:52:27 AM

I prefer to be lazy. I'm only here for 3 more months

[Edited on September 5, 2007 at 11:53 AM. Reason : ^agreed..but the company is owned by my family so a little different situation ]

9/5/2007 11:53:16 AM

Quote :

""Nah man, I can't do that, the wife wants me home tonight / this weekend / always." "

9/5/2007 12:01:28 PM

Quote :

"Unless you're some higher-up, it's hardly feasible. I work a corporate day job and a much more enjoyable non-office job part-time, and I can't tell you how awesome it is to work from wherever, whenever and only when you're needed. But it's simply not the mindset of most major corporations these days."

I think this really depends on the career field. I've come under the impression that a lot of engineering and tech companies are a lot more flexible then people with careers in banking and accounting. Sucks for those banking guys my friend who works at his cousins futures and investment company talks of working almost 60 hours a week.

9/5/2007 12:04:24 PM

some engineers work that much when the demand is there. It all depends on the company you work for and they type of person you are. there are people in every profession that refuse to work over 40 hours a week.

9/5/2007 12:31:41 PM

Every once in awhile I wonder what it'd be like to work 20 hours a week in some technical field and live frugally to get by. But then I'd probably have to give up broadband, cable, cook more of my own meals, buy less video games (or only buy games when the price goes down 8 months after release), and probably live in a shitty apartment with paper-thin walls in a poor neighborhood.

9/5/2007 12:54:37 PM

i graduated from State in 2005. I just left 2+ years of management in food & bev to go to grad school in Philly. Best choice I've ever made. Yeah, grad school is "stressful" but it's a completely different kind of stress than working 10-12 hours a day serving the public, dealing with employees, & shit like that. I literally feel spoiled now, working on research, spending time in the library, and meeting new people.... LOVE IT!

9/5/2007 2:36:22 PM

Ha ha, ShinAntonio, that's where I am right now. It's not as bad as you think. Because it's only 20 hours a week, I only need to drive to work two to three days out of the week depending on how much I get done, which means I can eat at home (cheaper) and save gasoline. The trick is finding a way of sharing the rent and utilities. My friend has a house with two master bedrooms, so I'm paying $370 in rent and spliting everything else. All told, my living expenses are less than $700 a month including food. Now if only I could get my girlfriend to move in with me her entire salary would be available for buying cruises, airfare to Australia, etc.

9/5/2007 3:04:30 PM

^^Glad to hear you are enjoying grad school up there.

I enjoyed both college and work, but I really hated working and taking classes at the same time. Just too much in too many directions at once. I'm enjoying grad school and just being a TA now.

[Edited on September 5, 2007 at 3:31 PM. Reason : .]

9/5/2007 3:31:11 PM

i got bored of the college life, so working life was a welcome change

but in 3-4 years i might get bored of the workin life so i'll go back and get my MBA, hopefully with my employer footing the bill

9/5/2007 4:37:08 PM

Quote :

"but as a college student I'm free to SLEEP TILL 10am, go to the store, go to the gas station, go to the bank, go take a nap, whenever the hell I feel like it"

I'm getting fat paychecks, AND I can do all that. I might not move up if I do it all the time... but still

College fucking rocks, but I'd prefer having a good job at this point

9/5/2007 8:25:13 PM