To a job that makes more of your experience, especially if it’s just a lateral move. You’ll know you’ll there when you start quantifying every single thing you do at work as gross vs net benefit. Make yourself as indispensable as you possibly can. That may mean doing the boring, monotonous, difficult, time-consuming, or downright dirty jobs, but the fact you can/will/understand how to do them is key. Eventually tptb will come to you bc asking anyone isn’t worth it, as well as the other coworkers will be happy bc they didn’t want to do those jobs anyway. It’s a win/win that far too many people fail, but it’s the easiest trick in the book to find your way out of being enslaved to a desk with 8 hours of the same old thing 40 hours a week.
Didn’t answer earlier bc it’s a hard concept to explain. Become a fixer of shit, and your services will be indispensable. The key is, you have to have mentally mastered the shit your own self, and so you no longer see it as shit, which means everyone looks to you to get it done. It can be the stupidest job on planet earth, but if you’re the only one willing or knowledgeable to do it, then you’re the the most valuable employee to them. Now, have 10 of those skills- and you can start writing your own ticket within that job or to move up/out.
Necessity drives invention. Make yourself necessary.
Yes…. I was speaking to employing yourself based on the necessary fixtures to failures, that only you, yourself, were willing to fix.
However, this is happening a lot in the wage market, too. It’s a worker’s paradise bc they can call their own shots, as employers simply need bodies in place. I have seen them give in to the most insane demands I have ever seen, and some are even beginning to cater to such things.
More younger people than older people fail to take advantage of this, probably because they can’t see it yet, bc they’ve been convinced they are so oppressed.
Most of the boomer generation lived in a time where the company took care of you. You came in a did a dedicated job. You were taken care of for life. Good retirement, health care, gold watch, stocks.
Gen X came in where workers were used and thrown away. But we didnt know it. We still believed in the boomer model. It was gone and industries were destroyed. I became a mechanic and it was bad. Much higher cost of tools, severely cut pay and flat rate times, benefits slashed and eliminated, work hours increased.
After Gen X things swung back some. Its still bad but we know it going in. And industry had to improve conditions to stay alive.
At least that is my personal perspective. As a mechanic apprentice in a Jaguar dealership (should have been a lottery win kind of job) the top mechanic cautioned me to consider another profession because he lost 5k a year every year. He was making 105k in the late 80s. I wish I had tried something else. It took me 10 years to break 10 an hour and I was a go getter. For example after stage 4 cancer and major disability I became a Fire Chief.
At some point it does turn into mere work, and I think that's the natural way of things. I'm running a couple of little software projects to pay the bills, and is working on a more ambitious project that isn't out yet, and to be honest it's only the latter one I'm still passionate about.
40+ here... I haven't worked in an office since 2011. I figured out how to freelance and get enough solid contract work to never put up witb office bullshit again.
When you're a contractor, your client is paying you for the product of your labour. When you're an employee, the employer is paying you for your time. They own you during work hours. The sooner you can escape that, the better... because you can make the same money for way less time invested if you have a skill worth paying for.
Front desk, front line workers are the young, inexperienced, and sadly poor performers. The majority gain experience as they age and move up to management, back-office, or leave and start their own business.
This question is like an infantry grunt asking where all the officers are hiding.
That's certainly what we told ourselves when I was starting out. Now it just sounds like naive envy. I spend most of my time now helping people grow in their careers and double their income. Doesn't feel like selling my soul.
No. Management. I get paid more if my team performs better, therefore, I am incentivized to help them grow their skills, capabilities, and career. The better I do with the teams I am assigned, the more people I am given to manage. The more people I manage, the more I get paid.
Not everyone can become a supervisor. So, in every recession, there is a purge.
There is a lot of older people in the warehouses. A lot of people with degrees. Turnover is high, no union protection. Good place to grind workers down. Injured and sick workers disappear without anyone caring. People slave away until they can find a way out.
I'm in Healthcare IT (analytics). Everyone except the one token black is over 40 on my team of 16 people. We just gained 40 more people so when they get us all one zoom for some stupid meet and greet, I'll see if it is the same (just young diversity hires while the Olds do the work).
I know I will never be able to retire. I'll die at my desk.
40+ are less likely to be desk slaves. They will have served their time and gained enough experience to remove themselves from that cesspool.
Remove and go where?
To a job that makes more of your experience, especially if it’s just a lateral move. You’ll know you’ll there when you start quantifying every single thing you do at work as gross vs net benefit. Make yourself as indispensable as you possibly can. That may mean doing the boring, monotonous, difficult, time-consuming, or downright dirty jobs, but the fact you can/will/understand how to do them is key. Eventually tptb will come to you bc asking anyone isn’t worth it, as well as the other coworkers will be happy bc they didn’t want to do those jobs anyway. It’s a win/win that far too many people fail, but it’s the easiest trick in the book to find your way out of being enslaved to a desk with 8 hours of the same old thing 40 hours a week.
Im interested but not sure where to seek these roles out. It's either that or going back to toxic corporate
Didn’t answer earlier bc it’s a hard concept to explain. Become a fixer of shit, and your services will be indispensable. The key is, you have to have mentally mastered the shit your own self, and so you no longer see it as shit, which means everyone looks to you to get it done. It can be the stupidest job on planet earth, but if you’re the only one willing or knowledgeable to do it, then you’re the the most valuable employee to them. Now, have 10 of those skills- and you can start writing your own ticket within that job or to move up/out.
Necessity drives invention. Make yourself necessary.
Clear as mud, I know.
The reason it's hard to explain is because this doesn't really exist anymore within most companies.
Most companies don't care about the quality of their products or services, so being better doesn't mean anything.
Learning 10 skillsets means 'hey we can pay this one guy to do 10 things...' then you become too valuable to be promoted...
Your advice is best applied to the self-employed. If you have to work for someone else, do your homework on the employer.
Yes…. I was speaking to employing yourself based on the necessary fixtures to failures, that only you, yourself, were willing to fix.
However, this is happening a lot in the wage market, too. It’s a worker’s paradise bc they can call their own shots, as employers simply need bodies in place. I have seen them give in to the most insane demands I have ever seen, and some are even beginning to cater to such things.
More younger people than older people fail to take advantage of this, probably because they can’t see it yet, bc they’ve been convinced they are so oppressed.
Most of the boomer generation lived in a time where the company took care of you. You came in a did a dedicated job. You were taken care of for life. Good retirement, health care, gold watch, stocks.
Gen X came in where workers were used and thrown away. But we didnt know it. We still believed in the boomer model. It was gone and industries were destroyed. I became a mechanic and it was bad. Much higher cost of tools, severely cut pay and flat rate times, benefits slashed and eliminated, work hours increased.
After Gen X things swung back some. Its still bad but we know it going in. And industry had to improve conditions to stay alive.
At least that is my personal perspective. As a mechanic apprentice in a Jaguar dealership (should have been a lottery win kind of job) the top mechanic cautioned me to consider another profession because he lost 5k a year every year. He was making 105k in the late 80s. I wish I had tried something else. It took me 10 years to break 10 an hour and I was a go getter. For example after stage 4 cancer and major disability I became a Fire Chief.
Im looking at either rejoining microsoft or some image of a true path. That image is fuzzy
What's holding you back from starting your own venture?
I've been working on something for over a year, software related. Will be giving it a shot pretty soon. But im losing passion for it
At some point it does turn into mere work, and I think that's the natural way of things. I'm running a couple of little software projects to pay the bills, and is working on a more ambitious project that isn't out yet, and to be honest it's only the latter one I'm still passionate about.
I agree with this assessment, at least based on my personal experience.
I see him going after the vax. Is there another angle?
I didn't want to say it but my guess is people kill themselves far more than data can show
One of many
They wanted a fair wage and health benefits. They were replaced with younger, less uppity, slaves.
40+ here... I haven't worked in an office since 2011. I figured out how to freelance and get enough solid contract work to never put up witb office bullshit again.
When you're a contractor, your client is paying you for the product of your labour. When you're an employee, the employer is paying you for your time. They own you during work hours. The sooner you can escape that, the better... because you can make the same money for way less time invested if you have a skill worth paying for.
Front desk, front line workers are the young, inexperienced, and sadly poor performers. The majority gain experience as they age and move up to management, back-office, or leave and start their own business.
This question is like an infantry grunt asking where all the officers are hiding.
Moving up == selling your soul harder
That's certainly what we told ourselves when I was starting out. Now it just sounds like naive envy. I spend most of my time now helping people grow in their careers and double their income. Doesn't feel like selling my soul.
Recruiter?
No. Management. I get paid more if my team performs better, therefore, I am incentivized to help them grow their skills, capabilities, and career. The better I do with the teams I am assigned, the more people I am given to manage. The more people I manage, the more I get paid.
I tried management and I'm not a fan of what I'm required to do on behalf of HR. I'm a better player than a manager but I respect a good manager.
Depends on the industry. Boom and bust affects how attractive it is . Not a whole lot of 45 year olds in oil &gas gas
Not everyone can become a supervisor. So, in every recession, there is a purge.
There is a lot of older people in the warehouses. A lot of people with degrees. Turnover is high, no union protection. Good place to grind workers down. Injured and sick workers disappear without anyone caring. People slave away until they can find a way out.
I'm in Healthcare IT (analytics). Everyone except the one token black is over 40 on my team of 16 people. We just gained 40 more people so when they get us all one zoom for some stupid meet and greet, I'll see if it is the same (just young diversity hires while the Olds do the work).
I know I will never be able to retire. I'll die at my desk.
They've forced them all out early at most of the places I've been at.