I love my job but...

The Enigmatic Dr X · 24 June, 2006, 03:53:10 AM

...being called at 2pm and told to work all Friday night, all Saturday and all Sunday is shit. (Quote: "Maybe finish at 4 and get some sleep so we can start at 9 in the morning").

The fact my clients are up with me is the only silver lining.

Anyone else got a crummy aspect to their job they want to share? Or facing the prospect of working 60 hours in three days?

Bico · 24 June, 2006, 04:04:55 AM

If you let yourself get talked into working these hours, I've no sympathy at all. Work to live, not the other way around.

House of Usher · 24 June, 2006, 04:09:56 AM

My instincts are with Skeletor on this one. Presumably your salary this week is a bit more than ?300?

Dog Deever · 24 June, 2006, 04:10:27 AM

I agree with Bumsex.
er...
anyway, tell them to fuck off.
What I hate about my job? Well, i like it.
Junkies can be bams, though. And one or two of the "client group" can be a bit disconcerting.

Buttonman · 24 June, 2006, 04:10:31 AM

I've not had a job for three months and it's been fecking marvellous. No moany punters, no slacking workmate and no pissy drinks machine coffee. I do miss the stationery, (or will when the haul is exhausted!) some of the piss ups and of course the pay cheque but in general do it for yourself if you can - only yourself to blame when it goes tits up!

House of Usher · 24 June, 2006, 04:11:49 AM

...and just for the record, I don't love my 9 to 5 job in the least. But then it does tend to occupy my thoughts 16 hours a day, which I suppose is the nature of project work.

The Enigmatic Dr X · 24 June, 2006, 04:12:00 AM

Thanks for the sympathy. Being self employed, and this being my biggest client, I can't say "no".

Bico · 24 June, 2006, 04:30:50 AM

I think you'll find you can. Don't get suckered into the idea that you're beholden to the job and those you work for. There is always flexibility, if only you'll look for it. It might sound harsh, but I'm afraid it's true.
Never be afraid to tell someone you work for to go fuck themselves. The day you can't do that, you may as well tattoo 'Welcome' on your back.

Floyd-the-k · 24 June, 2006, 04:50:28 AM

I'm not working now. The crummy aspects of that are that I don't have much money and it's difficult to organise my time.
when I work, I'm usually teaching. The crummiest aspect of that job is occasionally having students who have no interest in the study. For example, I had a bunch who were just doing it for visa requirements and spent all their time trying to not be in classes whilst being counted as present (favourite trick was to arrive on time then disapear for two hours).
Sorry to hear about the awful hours there. I hope the rest of the job compensates for it

skurvy · 24 June, 2006, 05:18:09 AM

With a bit of luck you might even miss the England match - or at the very least the whole country will be feeling as tired, emotional and gutted as you come Sunday evening. Seriously though, tough luck on a crummy weekend but don't worry it'll soon be Monday.

Jim_Campbell · 24 June, 2006, 05:32:01 AM

"Or facing the prospect of working 60 hours in three days?"

One of things that got me out of design work was the job where I did 35 hours straight, early Thursday morning through to late Friday afternon, after which my boss told me that I could have 'a couple of days off' as compensation.

Foolishly, I didn't think he was referring to the weekend which followed. A 19 hour day ensued on the following Monday.

"Anyone else got a crummy aspect to their job they want to share?"

The above experience was central to my decision to get out of the graphic design business.

This has left me working in customer service, two years of which has led me to understand that the great British public can be the most unreasonable, unpleasant, whinging bunch of fuckers on the face of the planet.

I am thus considering re-training as a plumber and wondering why my careers advisor at school never counselled this as an option.

Bah!

Jim

skurvy · 24 June, 2006, 05:43:27 AM

I've already decided that my two boys (1.5 years and 3.5 years) are going to have proper jobs, eg plumber or electrician, and not some useless media type job like their parents.

BALLCOCKS!

House of Usher · 24 June, 2006, 05:44:12 AM

With my three university degrees I was thinking of going from academic researcher to handyman, but I've found a couple of jobs to apply for, so I'll put that off at least until I know the outcome of my latest efforts to continue my existing career (so-called).

Jim_Campbell · 24 June, 2006, 04:08:00 PM

"BALLCOCKS!"

Indeed! There's money in them thar drains ...

Of all my contemporaries, by far the most successful, by any measure I can fathom, is the one who didn't waste several years at university and went off to set himself up as builder and plumber.

?250K house[1], two cars, two kids, works for himself, generally seems very conent with his lot.

Cheers

Jim

[1] In Nottingham, 250K still buys you quite a lot of house ...

Darryl · 24 June, 2006, 04:09:10 PM

I love my job.

I really do. Every time we have a little old lady who is delighted with the new kitchen, bathroom, windows and doors we fit, and make the wiring in her house safe instead of being the same that moses used on the PA system on the Ark, I feel that my job is worthwhile.

HOWEVER. When I get some dirty, scummy, scrounging, never done a days work in their life wanker who thinks that he deserves MORE than what we can offer, and decides to go to the local 'crusading' paper and tells them that we have left his house like a bombsite when in fact we've all come out of his house stinking of rancid cooking fat and covered in fleas and have had to have shots 'just in case' I lose my rag. And for every nice person who's grateful, there's 10 of the wankers!
Makes me wonder why I travel 160 miles a day to go to work.