And what’s your routine like?
I’m the kind of worker who prioritizes life over work. So that means I care about having light schedules if I know when it’s suitable and if my expenses can still be met which currently, I’m in the hole on that. If I can get away with using as much PPTO/PTO/Sick days as possible, I’ll do it. If I can afford to take points while balancing my expenses, I’ll do that too and have done that.
I typically work nights and I like working nights in nearly all of the jobs I’ve been in when available. I can’t stand morning and day shifts because it takes me a little longer to get warmed up during the morning and day. I actually used to have burned through mornings by sleeping through them.
But on my off days I do try to make up for some sleep at nights.
I value:
Interesting work, good pay, flexible hours.
Don’t care about:
Moving up a ladder, job title, other recognition or appreciation except in the sense of keeping my job.
I am scattered and more creative than organized in most ways but like the work of accounting and systems much more than “creative” careers. Generally speaking at any job I evolve into the universal backup and people come to me for help with their work, can often see solutions others can’t.
I am literally incapable of doing something I don’t understand, so sometimes slow at the start.
And if I didn’t have to work for money, could live a full and happy life without a job. It’s not something I need, but I don’t mind working either.
ETA: also, most productive and also physically strongest from about 14:00 to 19:00. Not an early bird or a night owl, an afternoon person.
The terminally unemployable type
It took me 15 years to position myself in my dream job: 35 hours a week, 42 days of paid vacation I have to take, unlimited sick days, flexible schedule, WFH possible, and a very relaxed work environment with no time stress, regular nerf gun battles and an office dog. Pay is good enough so I can save up about 1000€ per month. Employer is a family business I feel good about supporting with my work (liberal-leaning newspaper).
I’ll stay in that job for as long as I can.It gives my day structure and lets me actually prioritize more important things in life. I have absolutely no ambition to climb a career ladder or change the world in my job.
Save some job pussy (jossy?) for the rest of us, dang
I don’t know where you stand in life, but I do know what it means to be hungry and literally have no money to buy food.
I was unemployed without any visible path forward long enough to think it’d be permanent.
I cleaned dishes in a restaurant, worked as ranch hand for a bed in a tent and whatever meat I could hunt, cleared the trash out of houses whose owners had died, delivered packages and mail on my own bicycle for less than minimum wage, and literally wiped old people’s asses in a nursing home.
5 years ago, I was just a day away from becoming homeless.
1 year ago, I still couldn’t make ends meet, while living in a moldy apartment, with no car, and wearing thrifted clothes.Believe me, I know what it means to be where I am now, and I’m paying it forward best I can.
You have an office dog. What could possibly be a more important career goal!?
I work hard at whatever I’m doing, deriving satisfaction from a job well done. That attitude has driven me forward at almost every job. If it doesn’t, or management is abusive, I’m out. Hell, if management annoys me enough I’m out. In any case, management has never ignored me. That mobility drove my pay to triple over 6 years.
Out of IT for the moment, not sure I want back in, but I have to get back to work if I’m to overcome the depression of sitting around for months on end. So I’m taking a shit, part-time job at a hardware store. Kinda was looking to retire into that sort of thing to keep me busy and fit, little early for that.
Know what? I’ll still work hard. Even if the pay sucks, hard work gets you bonuses. Management respects you, gives you better jobs and schedules, cuts you slack when you fuck up. For example; In two customer service jobs I quickly got sick of taking calls, basically moved myself up to training incoming classes, 6-months or less each time. Love training!
I call it “The Hawkeye Pierce Theory of Work”. Be too damned good to get fired, coworkers and “officers” respect you, and you can get away with murder.
Lots of ADHD so have no real control over it. I work on what interests me. Luckily in a position where I don’t have hours or anyone who checks up on me. No schedules or planning I just run between new shiny ideas or putting out fires.
Generally end up working ~12hr days anyway. But doesn’t really feel like work because I enjoy doing the same kinda things in my spare time.
Haven’t been in an office since 2016 or so and hated every minute of it prior. Could never make it on time, opted out of the dress code, automated a lot of my work with macros and just messed around on the web.
I’m gonna quibble a bit here: You, OP, did not talk at all about what kind of worker you are. You talked about what kind of schedule you like. You gave us no information about how you behave when you’re on shift.
For me, I try to maximize the amount I’m earning within ethical constraints. I treat other people, including management, with respect and trust unless they’ve shown me they won’t reciprocate, in which case they get nothing but the minimum. I cannot abide people who draw a box around their role and say anything else is “not their job”, especially when they’re wrong or making more work for someone else. I work fast, I work clean, and I don’t tolerate disrespect (towards me or my team) or attacks on my dignity. I’ve been described as very professional but also as mercenary.
I didn’t because it doesn’t matter what I do whether it’s bare minimum or working my ass off, I get the same results from my job - shit.
I like my job, I like my patients, I do my job, but sometimes when a patient is ranting in my ear about the same confabulated complaints they call with every week, am I playing a video game on my phone and not listening? Yes. But I do a good job.
I always work as hard as a ceo.
(aka: lazy as fuck)
I try to prioritize doing the least work as possible. This has shockingly helped my career as my laziness means I’m efficient at work.
Unemployed
NEET draft dodger type. I prioritize life and wellbeing over nation-state things. Living off savings, never leaving apartment, and waiting for opportunity to sneak out of country after ceasefire or defeat.
I try to be invisible. I’m only able to do low income jobs and hate them. I do the minimal expected and go back to my room and sleep. Repeat.
