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EastCoastMojo
EastCoastMojo Mod Squad
1/9/14 12:34 p.m.

In reply to willie:

For me what works is two-fold. First, I have to get some things off my radar. This may sometimes be as simple as making lists and prioritizing plans or goals. Sometimes it has more to do with accomplishing things that have been building up and hanging over my head. They are usually little things individually, but they accumulate and take focus away from what's in front of me at the moment. Second, there has to be some path or plan to move forward, in a direction that is beneficial to me. This could be exercise, learning new skills, or planning for that new job direction. Actively taking part in moving away from the stressful place and toward the place I want to be. Even if it's only a half-step a day, it is progress and it keeps me from falling into the depressive state that comes from being stagnant. Take time for yourself and invest time in yourself. You are the only one who can. :)

Billy_Bottle_Caps
Billy_Bottle_Caps Dork
1/9/14 12:58 p.m.

I feel for you. I will echo what some of the others have said, get out. Life is short, there is no need for it to be miserable as well. Find something you like to do, and you will he a lot happier in the long run. The money will take care of itself. Money isn't everything, and if it is for some people, they are doing it wrong.

BBC

HiTempguy
HiTempguy UltraDork
1/9/14 12:59 p.m.
eastsidemav wrote: That reminds me of another thing that is getting to me right now. When I switched job titles, things were pretty chaotic, and I did not get a raise, even though the new job title should have paid more (plus I was underpaid for the average in my old job). I specifically pushed for a raise at the end of the year when they were figuring out the pay increases for the new year. I got the generic raise, nothing based on my new position. I'm not overly happy about that.

Squeeky wheel gets the grease, especially in any form of "medium to large" business. If you don't act like you care, they aren't going to do it for you.

Essentially, bitch until you get what you want, but not enough for them to want to fire you. Its a tough line to not cross.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker
Giant Purple Snorklewacker MegaDork
1/9/14 1:20 p.m.

I hear a lot of my own issues in your wall of text and I'll just relate how I cope with it without trying to answer why these work... they just do.

1) I race stuff. When you do something that risks your well being in a way that commands every bit of your skill and attention you don't think about your job, your portfolio or if that mole on your back is turning into cancer. You don't think about anything except those little nuances and opportunities that present themselves when you execute well. For me it's racing cars, karts... whatever. Some guys ski, some rock climb and I dabble in those too but I'm not good enough at them to get the same feeling of accomplishment. There is something therapeutic in skillfully executing when there is something REAL at stake.

2) I run... one to two hours of hard exercise clears out the poison that stress pumps in. Hike/bike/swim... whatever but sweat for an hour or two every day.

3) I fabricate things. My job is not as challenging as I'd like but I am good at it and it pays well so I don't want to confuse myself into thinking I need a new one. I spent some money on welders and tools ... and I put my creative energy into my own pursuits. Right now, I'm looking forward to getting the crap I'm working on done so I can go finish threading (lathe fun!) a shifter rod I'm making for my race car.

Thats it - find some risk to defeat, exercise a lot and make stuff with your own hands. The secret to happiness.

z31maniac
z31maniac UltimaDork
1/9/14 1:31 p.m.

/thread

The
The Reader
1/9/14 1:37 p.m.

in my IT world our company figures it will cost them 150% of our current salary to replace us, so they have employed a "Stay Program" actually pretty good deal, our group gets to work from home 3 days a week because of it.....

Ashyukun
Ashyukun HalfDork
1/9/14 1:37 p.m.
z31maniac wrote: /thread

I'd think eastsidemav would have to be the one to declare that... and I'm kind of guessing that isn't quite the cure-all it's being made out to be given I know he does at least two of those already (1 & 3) and is apparently working more on #2 (on the list... ) and is still looking for more input/help.

Unfortunately I don't have any particularly good answers myself- work concerns are a nagging spectre for me as well (though currently taking a back seat to my house not selling...).

Giant Purple Snorklewacker
Giant Purple Snorklewacker MegaDork
1/9/14 2:04 p.m.
Ashyukun wrote:
z31maniac wrote: /thread
I'd think eastsidemav would have to be the one to declare that... and I'm kind of guessing that isn't quite the cure-all it's being made out to be given I know he does at least two of those already (1 & 3) and is apparently working more on #2 (on the list... ) and is still looking for more input/help. Unfortunately I don't have any particularly good answers myself- work concerns are a nagging spectre for me as well (though currently taking a back seat to my house not selling...).

I wasn't really trying to help anyway... just thinking out loud about how awesome I am

4) Be an arsehole when it suits you.

mndsm
mndsm UltimaDork
1/9/14 2:21 p.m.

In reply to z31maniac:

You'd think being broke would be more miserable, and so did I. I was the guy that was used to buying precisely whatever the hell I wanted when I wanted it. Gaming, going out to eat, etc. I haven't done a damn thing close to that in a year. I'm still better off. Spend time with the kid, go for walks, drink a booze, it's really not that bad.

foxtrapper
foxtrapper PowerDork
1/9/14 3:12 p.m.

Eastsidemav,

When was the last time you took a vacation? I'm not talking about a few days or even a week, or spending time visiting family. I'm talking a real vacation. A long cruise, a few weeks on a Hawaii beach. Something like that.

If I may be so bold, it sounds like you really need one.

orphancars
orphancars Reader
1/9/14 3:52 p.m.

I read through this waiting to put in my $0.02...........and then I got to GPS' first note (the one before he was thinking out loud about how awesome he is ) He kinda nailed it.....it was pretty much what I was going to say.

Seriously, how many folks really really REALLY jump out of bed anxious to get to work, aside from someone the likes of Chip Foose? Aside from those who are the rock stars in their given field?? Not sure where I got the idea, but for me, work has really always been a means to an end. It's something that I do well, get comped really well for, and affords me the $$$ to do the things I want to do. I don't have to put in much more than an 8 hour day, the commute is extremely favorable, and at the end of the week there is a lot of cash going towards retirement as well as cash for the car projects. House is paid off, car is paid off in less than 2 years of ownership. We're doing well enough that I told my wife to retire early......working for lawyers was really taking a toll on her health, physically and emotionally.

Do I 100% love what I do? Nope. I'm good at it, but I don't haz a sad at the end of the day because I have to go home. Work is a job, a vocation that pays for my avocation. This line of thinking probably doesn't work for everyone, but it does work for me.........might work for you, too.

Things to think about:

  • Take a vacation -- your wall of rant sounds like someone who does need a break -- amazing what a 2 week vacation can do to your psyche.

  • What do you like to do as an avocation? Given the board you're posting this on (har) I can only presume it's something car related -- car projects can even stall and get the best of you -- might be time to take a different direction. Maybe you need a Miata! Already have one? Sell it and get something else

  • It's easy to say "take this job and shove it" -- it's harder to take stock in what a good paying job provides, not let the grind of it all get the best of you, and work at adjusting things in your current gig in order to make it more to your liking. I know because I've been in and around this point recently. I just turned down an opportunity internally that would have had me move out of state and move out of a position that I thought was going a bit stale. After a lot of reflection, I decided that it'd be best to keep the current gig despite the bump in pay and relo expenses and look at possibly moving or picking up some vacation property. And yes, a vacation is also in my immediate future!

  • Work on that retirement plan. Talk to a retirement planner and see exactly when you can retire. Once you have that nailed down, start making plans for that second act, so to speak. Me, I'm gathering up tools that I think I'll need once I retire -- planning on doing custom fabrication for folks -- not everyone can cut/weld/fabricate and I know in the past I've paid folks to do stuff that I can do now on my own.

Good luck! You'll get through this.......

z31maniac
z31maniac UltimaDork
1/9/14 4:11 p.m.
foxtrapper wrote: Eastsidemav, When was the last time you took a vacation? I'm not talking about a few days or even a week, or spending time visiting family. I'm talking a real vacation. A long cruise, a few weeks on a Hawaii beach. Something like that. If I may be so bold, it sounds like you really need one.

Yes, this too!

I've been on at least 1 big (1 week at least) vacation per year for the last 5 years. I didn't really go on vacations until I got serious with my now wife. A few of those years there were 2 big vacations.

It does wonders for your mental health.

Much like HPDE's.

eastsidemav
eastsidemav Dork
1/9/14 4:50 p.m.

I re-read my original post, and looking at it now, I feel like its a little incomplete. I'm still more unhappy about my job than anything else, but the last year has also had some other stressors that, had they not happened, my job would not be so bad. I've had some family issues (that started shortly after my father's passing) that have gotten worse. I've been working at minimizing their effect on my life, but its not something I can ever have complete control over, since I'm not the source of the problem. For several months late last year, I've had a sick pet that required a lot more care and attention than he usually does, and he's only now getting back to what passes for usual for him. And, my racing season last year was pretty much an unmitigated disaster. I took down what was a reasonably competent car for a well-proven engine swap in order to move up to a different class, and despite an attention to detail, and following a beaten path, ran into enough problems that I managed to be driving my own car at only three events, so probably a total of 25-30 minutes of competition time for more hundreds of hours of work. And its still not sorted.

But back to the job, a bit more detail on one of the negatives:

The new company set us up in an Agile environment, which to the uninitiated, means small semi-permanent teams working together, with the project possibly changing focus every few weeks. For me, instead of working with everyone in the department, I have a smaller group to work with. One member of the team gets very passive-aggressive when trying to get their way, and another has no ability to be succinct. They cannot describe a problem or ask a question without it getting into a long monolog, and they are unable to pick up on social cues that they need to wrap it up and get to the point. I could work with either (or both) of these people better when I knew I'd be working with them on a project, then quite likely working with someone else in the department on the next project. Now, I'm stuck with them every day. We're also a small enough office that we only have two teams, so getting myself reassigned while keeping my job is pretty much impossible.

However, there are some pretty significant positives I either didn't mention or glossed over. We get catered lunches three days a week, and there is fresh fruit, nuts, and granola bars available all day. The soda machine is also free, but that’s not really a bonus for me. Because of the time I have in, I get 4 weeks of paid vacation a year. This is really important to me, and I know if I start over somewhere else, I'll lose half of that, at best. The commute is 5 miles/10 minutes on suburban/rural backroads. This is huge for me, as it means I can get home relatively early, and get things done before my wife gets home. I'm a morning person, and am allowed to start at 7:30 AM, and unlike a lot of tech companies, this one doesn't really push you to work over 40 hours a week, they just want to make sure you are getting your work done. Rumor is, when we move offices this spring, they will likely be setting up a gym and a rec room. Oh, and there is talk of an IPO, and the possibility of employees getting shares on the ground floor.

Its kind of nice knowing that others are in similar situations, misery loves company and all, I guess. GPS, you especially sound eerily familiar. I know exactly what you mean about everything else getting pushed out of your mind. Its wonderful, isn't it? I guess the question I'd have for y'all, is if you knew you only needed to hang on for another 10-12 years, then could drop out into the slow life, would you stick with it? I do know that if I ditch this job, and end up making half (or less) of what I'm making now, I would likely kiss early retirement good-bye.

So, I could try to find a similar job, but it might be worse than where I am now, and I'd likely lose the perks mentioned above. I could jump to a whole other field, but I'm just not sure what. Or, I could do the bum thing, and probably end up getting killed by my wife I'd really like to take a couple of months off, and see if that helps clear my head, but that would mean not having a job to go back to, and in this economy, since I can't move, my choices for a new job would be limited.

Reading the posts, I think I've gathered some coping strategies, for now. I've never been in great shape, but I started exercising again in the last few weeks, mostly aerobic, but I will start in on some strength training. I have been trying (with varying degrees of success) to eliminate caffeine. My wife and I are trying to plan meals a bit better, so I can start something up when I get home, so we can at least eat a bit healthier, and save some money. I still need to work more on the eating healthier part of that. If by some miracle, I can get the Neon sorted, maybe I'll have more fun rallycrossing this year. Also, since I am expanding my scooter racing, I may see about renting or buying a van/minivan for trips, as the racing is fun, but pulling a trailer with my rallycross car is stressful enough, that any relaxation benefit I get racing is gone by the time I get home.

I will try not to make any major financial decisions for a bit, and try to figure out what I could get into. In school, I really like machining, and programming PLCs. I have a tendency to try to make multiple contingency plans for the most likely outcomes (part of the reason I'm where I am now), and like working in some isolation from others. I most assuredly do not have the salesman gene. I've thought about accounting, since its just one really big rules based system, but feel like a bit of a fool for even thinking of going back to school for another bachelor's degree, especially if I'm not sure I'd like it any better than what I'm doing now. When I was younger, I was sharp enough to count cards, but I've tried that more recently, and I just can't keep up. I may still try my hand at poker, and see if any of my analytical skills translate over.

So, for now, I will slog on, and try to take advice given regarding dealing with my situation as it is, but I need to come up with and execute on some sort of plan. I really don't want to leave the safe situation, and jump into the unknown without at least some assurance it'll be alright. I'll start reading up on careers, but if anyone has any suggestions for a new path, based on what I've mentioned of my personality and skills, please let me know. Maybe I could check some of the vocational schools, and take a class or two to see if any particular trade calls to me. I may also see if I can schedule some of that vacation time this spring, and just take off for parts unknown, for a week or so. Maybe a complete change to my routine will reveal something to me.

Sorry for rambling again. Thanks to everyone who's replied so far, though.

eastsidemav
eastsidemav Dork
1/9/14 4:56 p.m.

Oh, regarding the vacation suggestions. I hear you. The last big vacation I was on, was a trip to London last May. My wife and I had been saving for it since we got married, and did it as an early 10th anniversary trip. While it was fun, it was certainly not relaxing.

I think I could benefit from a more relaxing vacation, but to do so would probably require leaving my wife behind for it. I get anxious leaving the house alone, and leaving my pets in the care of someone else. Its kind of sad, the last time I remember being totally calm and relaxed, was the Wednesday before the $2006 Challenge, after I'd been down in Florida for a few days hanging out with family, and not having anything on my to do list. I've been somewhat relaxed other times since then, but in all honesty, if I could come up with a way to feel like I did that day, I'd be extremely happy.

wae
wae Reader
1/9/14 4:58 p.m.

I subscribe to the Office Space Jennifer Aniston theory of (to paraphrase) it's called work because sometimes it sucks but you find something you can tolerate that doesn't suck your soul every single day and make the best of it.

You're in a great position to make a career switch, I think. You're ahead of the curve on retirement and you dont really have anyone depending on your income, so you can take something more entry level in another field without the cut in pay forcing you to sell your house or take your kids out of school. You could certainly take the opportunity to become your own boss, but as rewarding as that is, it can come with a lot of stress, too.

Is there a call for independent contractors in your field? You might not like doing it for your current employer, but maybe the challenge of flying around the country/world being the star problem solver for companies can be lucrative and get you a lot of name recognition.

If you want to make it more tolerable to keep your current job, maybe look to volunteering with some worthwhile organization? I know that it can really reduce my stress level and put things into perspective to help out with something at church or my kids school where somebody else is in charge and I get to be an Indian instead of having to be a chief.

Something else to consider: would there be another position in the company that you currently work for that might be available to you? I know of a number of people that have made career switches by staying at their own company. You might not be an expert at the new job, but most companies like to have someone they know is a good employee more than an unknown outsider that might not need as much training.

singleslammer
singleslammer Dork
1/9/14 4:58 p.m.

I have done the "you can take this job and shove it" move before and felt great for it. However, I had another OK job that was like ZERO stress within a month and a half. Pay wasn't great but it was tolerable. Now I am 4 days into a new job in a completely different field (went from private manufacturing to State Government) and think that I am going to really like this job. It is still a job though.

My thoughts are:

Care less - thats right, dont tell your boss to shove it but also take it down a notch and know that people are going to try and ride your ass. Turn into Peter from Office Space. Let it slide off your back and you will be good.

Take up something physical - I am not an athletic person but even though I am terrible about starting to exercise, I always feel better after.

Take up a fun hobby - Any of the above are great. I like to play video games, on top of motorcycles and Cars.

Lastly, talk to a counselor.

Swank Force One
Swank Force One MegaDork
1/9/14 5:00 p.m.

Regarding vacation time, i'm not sure you'd be dumped all the way back down to half what you currently get if you start over.

Even my company, whom i have no real love for at this point, starts you off with 18 days a year. You accrue it per pay period, and extra carries over year to year.

After 5 years, you get 5 weeks a year, still accrued, still able to carry over.

The trick is finding time to actually take the damn days.

I think this is somewhat normal these days in a career-based company. Or maybe i'm having more "First World Problems" than i thought.

z31maniac
z31maniac UltimaDork
1/9/14 5:24 p.m.

And you can negotiate for vacation as part of your starting package.

After your last few posts.

You're killing it on retirement, maybe back off a touch a have a bit more fun with it. Get the car sorted, take a trip to the Caribbean with the wife.......buy yourself a really expensive bottle of Bourbon, sit on the back porch and realize it could be a lot worse.

z31maniac
z31maniac UltimaDork
1/9/14 5:26 p.m.
Swank Force One wrote: Regarding vacation time, i'm not sure you'd be dumped all the way back down to half what you currently get if you start over. Even my company, whom i have no real love for at this point, starts you off with 18 days a year. You accrue it per pay period, and extra carries over year to year. After 5 years, you get 5 weeks a year, still accrued, still able to carry over. The trick is finding time to actually take the damn days. I think this is somewhat normal these days in a career-based company. Or maybe i'm having more "First World Problems" than i thought.

We can't roll it over or sell it back, so this past year toward the end of the year, all the employees basically said "Berk you, we're taking our time off, learn to schedule projects better" to management.

JThw8
JThw8 PowerDork
1/9/14 5:27 p.m.
eastsidemav wrote: Oh, regarding the vacation suggestions. I hear you. The last big vacation I was on, was a trip to London last May. My wife and I had been saving for it since we got married, and did it as an early 10th anniversary trip. While it was fun, it was certainly not relaxing. I think I could benefit from a more relaxing vacation, but to do so would probably require leaving my wife behind for it. I get anxious leaving the house alone, and leaving my pets in the care of someone else. Its kind of sad, the last time I remember being totally calm and relaxed, was the Wednesday before the $2006 Challenge, after I'd been down in Florida for a few days hanging out with family, and not having anything on my to do list. I've been somewhat relaxed other times since then, but in all honesty, if I could come up with a way to feel like I did that day, I'd be extremely happy.

This is why I count myself lucky to have one more week of vacation than my wife. For the past 8 years I used that week to go on the BABE rally. I love my wife but we have different ideas of what makes a relaxing vacation. Veging on a beach is not relaxing to me, I sit there and think about all the things I could be getting done. Oddly enough the most relaxing vacation I had in awhile was spending a week renovating a rental house this fall. Just me, my thoughts and things that needed fixing, my kind of week :) I'll miss the BABE rally for that reason alone (if not many others), it was a great getaway for me and really helped me de-stress. Now that I have to run the asylum it won't be a vacation anymore :(

Swank Force One
Swank Force One MegaDork
1/9/14 5:35 p.m.
z31maniac wrote:
Swank Force One wrote: Regarding vacation time, i'm not sure you'd be dumped all the way back down to half what you currently get if you start over. Even my company, whom i have no real love for at this point, starts you off with 18 days a year. You accrue it per pay period, and extra carries over year to year. After 5 years, you get 5 weeks a year, still accrued, still able to carry over. The trick is finding time to actually take the damn days. I think this is somewhat normal these days in a career-based company. Or maybe i'm having more "First World Problems" than i thought.
We can't roll it over or sell it back, so this past year toward the end of the year, all the employees basically said "Berk you, we're taking our time off, learn to schedule projects better" to management.

Well... that does bring me to a "beef." Our "unit" accrues PTO faster than we're allowed to take it, due to rather asinine rules about how many people are allowed to be off work a day.

Which includes holidays. I haven't had any extra days off around Christmas or New Years since i started working here. This means that this last time, i had two Wednesdays off in a row, only. WEDNESDAYS.

And then the max you can accrue is 240 hours, then you start just losing it. I've gotten close to that.

I've already had the holidays denied for 2014, so i ended up just scheduling a week for MATG in advance, and a week and a half for GRM $2014. No idea when i'll take the rest of it, or if i even will. I'll probably just whittle through some of the rest of it with "Anal Glaucoma" days.

aussiesmg
aussiesmg MegaDork
1/9/14 6:21 p.m.

In reply to Swank Force One:

A week and a half for $2014, hmmmm, plans are afoot

Ojala
Ojala HalfDork
1/9/14 7:10 p.m.

In reply to eastsidemav:

You put half your income into retirement, and you are stressed out?

I cant believe there are no hookers and blow where you live.

eastsidemav
eastsidemav Dork
1/9/14 7:29 p.m.
Ojala wrote: In reply to eastsidemav: You put half your income into retirement, and you are stressed out? I cant believe there are no hookers and blow where you live.

Well, there is meth and a shut down strip club...

carbon
carbon HalfDork
1/9/14 7:32 p.m.

Teach

It was the best decision I have ever made, I was completely miserable, so stressed that I had migraines every day, just melting down. The old job, I'd have days so bad that I'd come home just sit in private and weep. The new job, a good day and I do the same, but it's that I've been so moved and overwhelmed by the goodness and strength of these kids. I never did anything that wasn't relatively selfish until this, it's changed my life.

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