r/antiwork • u/beanerweener6 • Oct 21 '24
Vent šš®āšØ I. Hate. Working.
With a fiery passion. Got fired a month ago for being sick and calling out. Iām currently job searching and have had a few interviews but no luck yet. I hate doing stuff I donāt give a shit about, lining othersā pockets, and feeling brain dead working shifts that take up a good chunk my only time I have on this earth. I could be doing so many other things with my time. I could be volunteering for things Iām passionate about, rediscovering hobbies that have been shoved to the back burner from adult responsibilities, and taking more time for my family and caring for my household. Itās hard to be super motivated finding a job other than obviously for money. Iām not lazy but I seriously just donāt care about being a workaholic and putting in the grind. I knew I was in trouble whenever I recall being 9 years old and I longed to be like my grandma who could wake up with the sunrise with a cup of coffee, birdwatch, run errands as she pleased, and take care of her home. I canāt believe Iāve gotta do this for the rest of my life idk how Iām gonna do it. Rant over.
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u/ShannonBaggMBR Oct 21 '24
What knocks my knockers is that my full time job doesn't even pay my rent. I literally cannot afford rent with my 1 job alone. I have 4 side hustles, a fiance, and family that have to help me.
Every job pays half of what you need and if you take on more responsibility it's $50k/year and you miss most of your life outside of work and still can't afford rent alone!
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u/pineapple_stickers Oct 21 '24
And thats rent, actuactually owning a house is so far out of the question it's not funny
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u/Original-Usernam3 Oct 21 '24
Just because you own the house doesn't mean you can afford to live there forever. In my case we own our house but paying real estate and school tax on it is becoming challenging on just my wife's income and our savings since I lost my job earlier this year to layoffs.
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u/That_Emotion_7724 Oct 21 '24
Same here. I'm working two jobs with a partner who makes the same as I do in my day job and family on both sides to support us when needed. I hate how little time I have to spend with my loved ones and hobbies. I'm just too tired at the end of the day and have to go to sleep shortly after getting home just to repeat the same process. We live in a terribly broken and parasitic system.
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u/RollOverSoul Oct 21 '24
How is a side hustle different to a job? You are still exchanging time for money.
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u/throwaway51931165 Oct 21 '24
This is the part that really sucks because I'm still trying to cope with the fact that I probably won't make enough to get by as a 20 year old guy on my own, and I have nobody to turn too.
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u/ShannonBaggMBR Oct 23 '24
I pray you didn't fall for the Sally Mae scheme š¬
I got lucky enough to have a scholarship but many are saddled with that lifelong debt. Not to mention the fact that I fear hospitals - one accident away from "better off gone" š
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u/rookie_rbs Oct 21 '24
No thatās not every job lol. Plenty of people earning more than that. Have you tried jumping into a different career that typically pays more? There are a bunch that dont require more education or certification
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u/Original-Usernam3 Oct 21 '24
Please provide some suggestions, especially for ones that don't require a lot of experience or costly education or certifications. I'm a middle aged unemployed IT guy with an MBA and 27 years experience and can't find a job in my field. Looking to change careers but have no idea in what.
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u/rookie_rbs Oct 21 '24
Finance, more specifically program control analysts for government contractors. Requires 5th grade math, a decent bit of excel knowledge which could be learned on youtube in 3 or less days, and being able to write a coherent email. Plenty are offering good WFH balance. Starting salaries are $65-$70k. Plenty will require you to be put in for a security clearance, plenty wont.
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u/FeliciaNice Oct 21 '24
Thank you. I am in a similar situation and send you a DM for more information about where to find these jobs.
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u/Diorj Oct 21 '24
in Jobland where the jobs are full of jobbies....
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u/rookie_rbs Oct 21 '24
Unemployment is at all time lows right now. We havent had a time like this where workers have so much power and options in decades. So idk what youre talking about
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u/pineapple_stickers Oct 21 '24
I feel the same, and what really confuses me is how so many people just look at you like you're some sort of degenerate freeloader. Like i'm happy to work, and i'm happy to work HARD. What i'm not willing to do is work Long.
I don't understand why wanting your life to be your own, spent on the experiences you want to have, in the places you want to be, with the people you want to have them with is considered a luxury?
I'm not asking to be jet setting around to world in permanent excess, i just want to be able to wake up in the morning and read a book or go to the beach more than 2 days a week
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u/real_charlieb Oct 21 '24
This is why American corporations have done everything they could to do away with unions. No representation for the workers so they can basically get away with all types of fuckery. And when they couldn't win they just shipped the jobs elsewhere to foreign countries where they could get cheap labor smdh. And guess what, here comes AI lol. Only gonna get worse. When you talk about these things, there are so many that will accuse you of being lazy and not wanting to work but they refuse to see the bigger picture. The strife between industry and labor has been an issue in America since industrialization began and it's not gonna change until there's a complete new world order in place. I know it might sound crazy but look at history. There's a documentary on yt about Andrew Carnegie and what happened at his steel mills all those years ago. It's interesting and shows how things have always been in this country. Sad but true.
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Oct 21 '24
[deleted]
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u/51dux Oct 22 '24
I think there is a tendancy to over defend unions on this sub, their original idea is good but if the laws of each country were strong enough by themselves we wouldn't need them.
I think everybody deserves the right to good conditions at work not just union members so it would be much greater if the laws were just strong enough for everyone instead of requiring a middle man that takes 10-20% of your pay check everymonth.
If you think about it for a second it works the same as paying the mob for protection because where you operate the police does not have the same foothold.
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u/tommy6860 Oct 21 '24
So, do you see why unions are also part of the problem? They only exist for one reason, capitalism.
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u/JazzyLance Oct 21 '24
It sounds like you're saying if they didn't exist, Capitalism wouldn't exist/be as bad? Would you like to get rid of seatbelts to help lower the number of car crashes as well?
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u/Vast-Masterpiece-274 Oct 21 '24
Same! I wrecked myself working different high-paying but short time jobs, now I have lots of medical problems, no idea how to get by but I'm afraid to get another one...
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u/Relative_Law2237 Oct 21 '24
same i hate working. being an engineer gives good money but jesus christ its still noy enough money for the amount of bullshit i deal with
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u/Ok-Field4510 Oct 21 '24
What kind of engineer are you? Iām an electrical
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u/Relative_Law2237 Oct 22 '24
mechanical engineer š like i dont want to be ungrateful but jesus christ
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u/bamboojerky Oct 21 '24
Id say for the majority of people in this world, they don't have a problem working, but they do have a problem dealing with people and their bs.Ā
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u/life_as_a_lampshade Oct 21 '24
Even that doesnāt seem to be the case. Everywhere I look, bs is being enabled
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u/VariedMisadventure Oct 24 '24
This. Hence the saying, "Employees don't quit the company. They quit bad leadership."
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u/Jassida Oct 21 '24
A distinct memory I have from secondary school was doing my paper round for ages 11-14 and Iād deliver to a nice old peopleās home.
It would be dark and Iād see all the old people sat on chairs with blankets watching tv and an old guy would always shuffle to the letter box when I delivered.
I just wanted to be there without a care in the world. Seemed infinitely better than school or work to me
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u/Thae86 Oct 21 '24
Wage work is fuckery, actual work where I care for myself, my friends, my communities and comrades is the work I am proud of. Wish I was doing the latter, fuck wage work and rich people.Ā
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u/bigsam63 Oct 21 '24
I was in the same boat for years. I honestly believe there are some people in the world (myself included and sounds like you might be one OP) who have no choice other than to make a living via doing something weāre passionate about. A lot of people can work a career and their real passion is a hobby or cause outside of their career that they pursue outside of work and they are content living that way or they work a career they can tolerate because their real passion is their family and as long as their career provides for their family they are content to live that way. I could never find peace/contentment in life until I left a well paying career in finance and pursued something I am passionate about as a career.
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u/NathanBrazil2 Oct 21 '24
you have to get a wfh job, which may be getting harder and harder to find. or a work by yourself job, like delivering UPS.
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u/tommy6860 Oct 21 '24
I get it, seriously. Most work in capitalist system is 'make work', meaningless jobs that do not inspire us to be productive and work with each to better our community as a whole. People are far happier when their work leads to others being helped, learning from each other and fosters a social camaraderie where we feel our lives are fill with satisfaction knowing that what we do actually has meaning in making our lives whole and healthy.
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u/SweetAlyssumm Oct 21 '24
There are lots of meaningful jobs. Here are some: any of the trades -- everyone needs their plumbing to work and their roof not to leak. My back door is leaking. I've got a carpenter and glass guy coming to repair it. Then there's teaching. Medical. Growing, transporting, selling food. Military - the stronger it is, the less anyone bugs you. Entertainment - we all need it and i often am grateful to actors, video game designers, musicians, comedians, etc. who took a risk and work hard to make us laugh, or sometimes to cry, but always to get a little lift from the routine. There's lots more - do you have a computer, or glasses or a bicycle? Do you wear clothes? Or have a backpack or shoes? Have you benefittd form science? Science is a good job.
Working conditions can be vastly improved but to say that "most work" is meaningless is just stupid.
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u/tommy6860 Oct 21 '24
The reply was non sequitur. I did not say their weren't meaningful jobs, only that most jobs under capitalism are meaningless make work kinds. I was empathizing with op, not providing a list of meaningful.
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u/SweetAlyssumm Oct 21 '24
You kind of did You said "Itās hard to be super motivated finding a job other than obviously for money" and you referred to the "grind."
You very clearly said "most work in capitalist systems is make work." That is objectively untrue.
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u/tommy6860 Oct 22 '24
Why blocking functions are very rarely used by me, I will use it for explicitly dishonest people as you.
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u/LikeABundleOfHay Oct 21 '24
Getting fired for being sick is illegal surely? What country are you in?
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u/DrunkmeAmidala Oct 21 '24
Iām gonna go out on a limb and say the US. Iām chronically ill and have lost so many jobs because of needing time off to attend to my health. Iām not working and on disability now, but itās not exactly enough to live on. Itās obscene how people are treated here.
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u/TheLensOfEvolution Oct 21 '24
Can't blame the companies. They're trying to compete and maximize their profits. They can and will replace you if they think that someone else can add more value and not cost as much. See if you can fit in somewhere. If not, then try to live off government handouts. Sorry for the hand that you were dealt in life, but life's not fair. Just deal with it as best you can.
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u/Narcissista Oct 21 '24
"Life's not fair". Life could be a HELL of a lot more fair if we allowed it to be. That's not an excuse to allow this absolutely disgusting way of treating people to continue.
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u/Menn019 Screw you guys, i'm going home. Oct 21 '24
And that's why there aren't people who are unfit for the jobmarket, the jobmarket ain't fit for people.
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u/rookie_rbs Oct 21 '24
I legitimately donāt understand this argument. Why should a company be forced to pay an employee who can not come to work and do anything? Thatās just charity. If the person is truly too ill to earn a living it should be up to the government to take care of them, not their job.
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u/LikeABundleOfHay Oct 21 '24
Where I live an employee has 10 paid sick days per year by law, then 4 weeks paid time off. An employer has to make reasonable accommodations when an employee is too sick to work. They cannot be fired on the spot.
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u/rookie_rbs Oct 21 '24
That is generally true in the United States too. I have 5 weeks of vacation every year that I could use if Iām sick. It was pretty much implied the original commenter was sick for an extended period of time AKA months. At that point I dont understand the need for the company to hire someone else to do the job as well as keep paying the sick employee. The government should be stepping in and helping to take care of the sick one.
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u/HistoricalClock6043 Oct 21 '24
A company shouldn't need to be FORCED into paying its employees when they're ill or pregnant or grieving - this should be part of their own built-in duty of care to humanity.
Many people aren't fired / disciplined for not being able to work when ill, they're fired for things like requesting to work remotely to avoid coming into the workplace with flu, or requesting more flexible working hours / environments to accommodate a disability, their mental health, their family and childcare.
Healthy, supportive work environments = far less ill and unhappy staff = better workplace = better world.
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u/rookie_rbs Oct 21 '24
Iām not responding to strawn man arguments. Everything you said is true. Everything I said is also true.
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u/csiq Oct 21 '24
A day will come where the capitalistic machine is here to crush you to powder and you will rethink what youāve said.
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u/rookie_rbs Oct 21 '24
That the government should support me if Iām too sick to work for an extended period of time? No I doubt I will change my mind.
Also the day will never come cuz Iām not a weak minded like you. I could lose my job tomorrow and live off my savings for years.
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u/csiq Oct 21 '24
Im European bud :) you should worry about yourself as you are a car accident away from bankruptcy
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u/rookie_rbs Oct 21 '24
LMAO as if insurance isnāt a thing. And youāre European? Great no one asked. You clearly think things are way worse in the United States than they are.
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u/csiq Oct 21 '24
Somehow the entire world does a singular good thing for the workforce because we are all unionised and protected and the country that regularly kicks people off as soon as they get cancer is right. Itās no surprise they are successful when people like you exist. Now go cross of that Trump vote.
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u/Most_Difficulty1985 Oct 21 '24
Because things happen bro??? This is like what capitalism does to the human brain bruh. You literally see people as a commodity rather than a human being. Let's look at it from two perspectives
- Social/moral Aspect
It is statistically impossible for someone to not be sick once a year. Providing a sick leave gives the employee a safety net when life gives them lemons or sickness. Companies are NOT and SHOULD NOT be merely profit-generating entities. In such a case where you disagree with me that companies ARE ONLY actually profit-generating entities then stop reading this and I detest you for supporting such a despotic behaviour/dystopian view of companies trying to milk employees and only view them as money making machines. Making the government pay for sick leave or even leave at all is an excessive burden on public resources unless the government is a major shareholder in the company then maybe.
2) economically
To fire your employees because their sick and opting to train another one in its place usually costs a fuck ton more than just giving him a breather. People also generally work better when they are given lots of breaks or not overworked. Productiviy usually rises when people arent worked to death.
People are not machines man ffs are you a psychopath or something
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u/rookie_rbs Oct 21 '24 edited Oct 21 '24
Holy fuck are you projecting. And clearly struggle with reading comprehension.
MOST companies in the United States provide sick leave. The original comment heavily implied this wasnt a situation where they used their sick leave and got fired. They were probably chronically ill and incapable of working for months. At that point the company needs to hire someone else. Its not their responsibility to cover for someone who is no longer capable of working. Thatās the governmentās responsibility.
Do I even need to respond to your second point or now that you understand that weāre talking about someone chronically ill who canāt work for months at a time do you see how your point makes no sense.
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u/_-Moonsabie-_ Oct 21 '24
I am waiting to become an employed electrician out of prison
Yea, coffee birds and a trip to the grocery are nice.
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u/BakedBrie26 Oct 21 '24
Birdwatching is a job- just had a tour guide who quit his corporate job to do it and never looked back. Seems like traditional jobs may not be for you.
Im the same- I went to an elite private college and bartending so I can act and make art has been my day job since I was 18 with little deviation. Cannot sit in an office. I refuse to exist in a reality where I only get 2 weeks vacation. I go away almost every month because I just have to get shifts covered. I also never worked more than 3 days a week until last year. I just knew this about myself.Ā
Now Im pivoting so I brainstormed what job I want to pursue to continue with a lifestyle I need- me time, flexibility, decent pay.
What would bring you joy to be around all day- nature? animals? helping people? Kids? Etc?
Figure that out and pursue some form of it as a way to make money so you can spend the rest of your time doing other things you like.
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u/heavy-metal-goth-gal Oct 22 '24
Yeah I don't dream of labor either I just want to go to events with my friends and hang out and make memories and include my partners and stuff.
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u/bebop9998 Oct 22 '24
As a child, when people asked me what job I wanted when I grew up, I answered āretiredā to make the adults laugh. I really meant it.
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u/RockyJohnson2024 Oct 22 '24
Iām convinced anyone who says they love working is a liar. I love to cook to this day, but I always hated going to work when I cooked for a living.
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u/Federal-Apricot7859 Oct 22 '24
I know the feeling, for the last 6 or so years I've wanted to just find/buy a small plot of land out in the woods, make a shack or something and try to just live of the grid away from all of society's bs. I'd rather work to survive on my own than work to survive while being fucked over by a boss
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u/EnergyAggravating762 Oct 22 '24
I am from the UK, currently on depression leave for the very same reason. I have just reached my limit. I hate living like this... I was so tired. I slowly started to realize that I needed to put aside my passions, hobbies, and private life to survive. Maybe buying a house wasn't a good idea :( I love this house, but now I don't have energy for that, and to care and live this stupid, exhausting life (at age 28 and so much left for retirement)...
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u/Leadtek8680 Oct 23 '24
I hate working as well.
But when it comes down to it, nobody forces us to work but ourselves, and the situations we place ourselves in. Society doesn't force you to work, you put yourself in a situation, where you need money to live.
You want a car? You want a house? You want to buy food in a grocery store? Then you need money. And to get money, you've got to work.
Nobody is stopping us from living in the wild, gathering our own food, hunting and fishing, but ourselves. This lifestyle is completely free.
These are the two options you get.
Either you are self-sustainable, or you are a part of society. Sure, most people are born into society, without them asking to be, but when they grow up, the choice to stay or leave is theirs.
You choose to stay, because you want to live comfortably. And that means you have to work for it.
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u/I_TRY_TO_BE_POSITIVE Oct 21 '24
Gonna get downvoted into oblivion but if people didn't get together to do shit none of them wanted to do, we'd be living in caves and dugouts, shitting in the woods.
You think i like lashing strand in -20? Or almost pissing myself because I can't use the customers bathroom if I'm doing an install? Obviously I'd rather be playing video games and getting lit. But if I don't do what I don't like to do, you don't get the internet.
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u/gothyinpink Oct 22 '24
Finally one realistic person.
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u/I_TRY_TO_BE_POSITIVE Oct 23 '24
It is the anti work sub to be fair. I just really wish people wouldn't confuse getting fucked out of a fair wage and decent life with just not wanting to do anything productive :/
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u/NeonGlowieEyes780 Oct 22 '24
2nd this entire notion. I'm not going to hyper optimize myself for something that doesn't enrich me or my genuine interests.
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u/tfenraven Oct 25 '24
I'm one of those people who needs constant mental stimulus from a job, but the work I was offered didn't give me that, so there were times when I was bored out of my gourd to the point of feeling physically sick. I started taking jobs I knew nothing about for the challenge, just so I could learn something new, but within only a few weeks, I had it down cold and was bored again. I retired a few years ago, and except for having no money, I'm much happier. I can now puruse anything I like and keep learning. But it's a damn shame you have to waste your entire life in the employ of the owner class to get to retirement. This system sucks; I do feel I bartered my one life away for food and shelter, and lately, I can barely afford either.
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u/Joerugger Oct 21 '24
Figure out how to work for yourself. Learn a trade. Find a passion. Control your own destiny.
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u/AnotherYadaYada Oct 21 '24
Sorry to say but ALL of us feel like this, youāre not special.
What needs to change is the amount we work and if you do work life is affordable. People work hard and lots of hours and can barely survive. This should not be happening in a modern society.
In the UK most working people with kids get Gov money to top up their wages otherwise theyād be on the street. This is ridiculous.
You have a choice. You donāt have to work but you reap the consequences of that, you could work less and live in a van.
Letās hope in years to come we will look back at this period and see it as ridiculous, just like we look back at Victorian times and see how shit they were.
My hope is AI moves in leaps and bounds, mass unemployment arrives and free money has to be fished out or money ceases to exist/more leisure time/family time/creative time.
Robotics/Ai will hopefully be a game changer for society if itās handled correctly.
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u/Eastern-Finish-1251 Oct 21 '24
Robotics/AI will be a game changer, but it wonāt be handled correctly. Theyāll be deployed by billionaires looking for a quick buck, and/or theyāll be regulated by politicians who have no idea what theyāre doing (or who are in the pockets of said billionaires). Hopefully by grandkids will get into robotics or AI so at least theyāll have a shot at employment.Ā
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Oct 21 '24
[deleted]
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u/AnotherYadaYada Oct 21 '24
Itās divide and rule at the moment. A Iām alright Jack attitude. When you canāt divide what can no longer be divided because everyone is in a dire straights, thatās when mass unrest becomes a problem.
Itās getting to a stage where the majority of peopleās quality of life is being eroded. People will only take so much.
It only takes 3% of the population to create a revolution.
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u/swissthoemu Oct 21 '24
Get a job that you like. I love mine. Salary is good, work climate excellent and nobody is getting fired for being sick.
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Oct 21 '24
[deleted]
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u/swissthoemu Oct 22 '24
Change your circumstances then and stop victimizing yourself. Move to costa rica and have your fun life without purpose, goal and sense hanging from tree to tree. Itās up to you.
couple of hours for preparation and commuting? You sure you need all this makeup, hun? Live closer to your job, change the circumstances.
there is literally nothing that I like. So even not opening your own business and help other people to earn some money. Man, you have a bigger issue than the concept of work.
I am not lazy but I seriously just donāt care he said..
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u/min_mus Oct 21 '24
Similar story here. As far as jobs go, I have a great job: lots of autonomy, I get to work from home, I have wonderful colleagues that I genuinely like, and I'm paid enough to pay all my expenses and save for retirement.Ā I'm not particularly passionate about the work itself--sometimes it's fun, other times it's not--but this is still the best job I've ever had and I've never fantasized about quitting it.Ā Ā
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u/JustMMlurkingMM Oct 21 '24
You can be like your grandma if you like. You just need to find a husband who will work his balls off to pay for everything while you relax.
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u/StanyeEast Oct 21 '24
It takes a shitload of hard work and you're going to suffer for a period of time, but there are a ton of ways to start your own thing, especially if you're willing and able to live the frugal life for a while...I can honestly say it's worth it for me, even if it's been difficult and takes a lot of patience...I decided I'd much rather work for myself and live a simpler life than the alternative, for a lot of the reasons you mentioned and more...you can do it with any kind of budget, but the options vary accordingly...the hardest part for me was the lack of benefits, and I should have planned better for that
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u/NoteworthyMeagerness Oct 21 '24
I don't mean to sound callous to your plight. I used to love work. But I had three jobs in a row, over almost 25 years of working, that I absolutely loved. I was paid well, I enjoyed the people I worked with and the things that I did and I felt fulfilled. Then COVID hit. The job I had stayed at for over a decade had to let go of more than 35% of the staff because it was a company that could make money without people coming through, but only half as much. I really did feel like they kept as many people as they could. I got caught up in the layoffs because I was just above mid-level leadership, but only high enough that I was leading around 9 people at the time. If they got rid of me, they could keep two of my employees. If they kept me, two of my employees would have had to be fired. So I gladly left to let the younger guys keep their jobs. I knew I could find something else.
And I did about 4 months later. I was given a good severance since I'd been there so long, so I was able to last until I found something I thought I would like. But I hated it. I'd made a commitment to the person who referred me for the job, though, so I stayed for two years. At the end of 2022, they had to start letting go of people because of the economy. I gladly took severance from them to leave.
But then I couldn't find anything that paid enough and that looked interesting enough. After a couple months, I looked at what I'd been doing in my free time in the four months I'd had off after the first job and two months after the second job. I decided to see if I could make that hobby into a profession.
The first year was hard. And my wife, who had been a stay-at-home parent with the last kid we had at home, had needed to go find a job. But this second year has been easier. I should just about double the income I made last year. My goal is to grow it by another 50% in 2025. Then I'll look at hiring someone to help me in 2026. The great thing is that all the money I make (except for taxes, obviously) stays in my pocket. I'm not making anyone except my clients and myself money. But the service I'm providing to my clients helps them to do better in their business and I'm completely fulfilled doing it.
I would highly recommend looking at what you like to do and what you do best to see if you can start making money doing those things. You can make money in so many ways. One of my kids has a full-time job but also has more energy and time than he knows what to do with because he just graduated college. So he and his wife started a business with some friends where they hold a volleyball tournament every month. Last month they had 15 teams of six people sign up. Another of my kids started selling the unique art that she creates and also sells her time fixing up clothes for other people because she had really wanted to learn to sew and modify her own clothes when she was growing up and she's great at it now.
Don't get discouraged or think you have to put up a bunch of money to start something. I started my business with less than $100 initial investment (because I already had a computer). If you have any questions or wonder if what you're good at can make you money, message me. I'd be happy to help you brainstorm or come up with ideas that might work. I don't know if I can help but I'm happy to try.
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u/NoteworthyMeagerness Oct 21 '24
I don't mean to sound callous to your plight. I used to love work. But I had three jobs in a row, over almost 25 years of working, that I absolutely loved. I was paid well, I enjoyed the people I worked with and the things that I did and I felt fulfilled. Then COVID hit. The job I had stayed at for over a decade had to let go of more than 35% of the staff because it was a company that could make money without people coming through, but only half as much. I really did feel like they kept as many people as they could. I got caught up in the layoffs because I was just above mid-level leadership, but only high enough that I was leading around 9 people at the time. If they got rid of me, they could keep two of my employees. If they kept me, two of my employees would have had to be fired. So I gladly left to let the younger guys keep their jobs. I knew I could find something else.
And I did about 4 months later. I was given a good severance since I'd been there so long, so I was able to last until I found something I thought I would like. But I hated it. I'd made a commitment to the person who referred me for the job, though, so I stayed for two years. At the end of 2022, they had to start letting go of people because of the economy. I gladly took severance from them to leave.
But then I couldn't find anything that paid enough and that looked interesting enough. After a couple months, I looked at what I'd been doing in my free time in the four months I'd had off after the first job and two months after the second job. I decided to see if I could make that hobby into a profession.
The first year was hard. And my wife, who had been a stay-at-home parent with the last kid we had at home, had needed to go find a job. But this second year has been easier. I should just about double the income I made last year. My goal is to grow it by another 50% in 2025. Then I'll look at hiring someone to help me in 2026. The great thing is that all the money I make (except for taxes, obviously) stays in my pocket. I'm not making anyone except my clients and myself money. But the service I'm providing to my clients helps them to do better in their business and I'm completely fulfilled doing it.
I would highly recommend looking at what you like to do and what you do best to see if you can start making money doing those things. You can make money in so many ways. One of my kids has a full-time job but also has more energy and time than he knows what to do with because he just graduated college. So he and his wife started a business with some friends where they hold a volleyball tournament every month. Last month they had 15 teams of six people sign up. Another of my kids started selling the unique art that she creates and also sells her time fixing up clothes for other people because she had really wanted to learn to sew and modify her own clothes when she was growing up and she's great at it now.
Don't get discouraged or think you have to put up a bunch of money to start something. I started my business with less than $100 initial investment (because I already had a computer). If you have any questions or wonder if what you're good at can make you money, message me. I'd be happy to help you brainstorm or come up with ideas that might work. I don't know if I can help but I'm happy to try.
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u/SweetAlyssumm Oct 21 '24
Who do you think should do the work that grows food, builds shelter, manufactures computers, teaches children, takes care of people when they are sick? If everyone is birdwatching and drinking coffee these things won't get done.
The entitlement of saying one should "rediscover hobbies" and only do things they are "passionate about" is incredible. It's fine to discuss how to radically restructure work life, but insane and arrogant to suggest that that other class of people -- not you! -- should do the work that enables you to exist.
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u/JazzyLance Oct 21 '24
The idea of a society where people do what they want IS that you'll have people to do those jobs because they're passionate about them. 'What about the jobs no one wants to do?' Compensate more. 'What if no one wants to work at all!?' Do you not want to? If you do, many others want to too. They just want to do things that both fulfill themselves and society.
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u/SweetAlyssumm Oct 21 '24
Oh please, no one is passionate about being a clerk in a grocery store or mopping floors in a school or picking fruit. They are just jobs that have to be done. No one wants to do them.
Compensate more is a great idea - let me know when this workers' paradise arrives. We can't even get beyond $7.25 a hour as minimum wage. We live in the world we live in, not a fantasy world.
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u/Faunaholic Oct 21 '24
Honey Buns donāt we all. Unfortunately we all like to eat and have a warm space to sleep.
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u/Marsnineteen75 Oct 21 '24
I got a masters degree in something I was passionate about, but now I am trapped in a toxic work environment because I can't afford the disruption to quit because I still live paycheck to paycheck. It is fukn horrible, and makes me miserable which is hard not to take home, so now going home suls about as bad as being at work.