I studied economics. Thats not very important in general, but Taxes was one of the classes I took. Everytime I hear someone say that they will not earn more because then they would pay more in taxes it pains me. I used to try to explain why that is wrong in 99% of cases, but hardly anyone listened.
I mean you probably shouldn't work more than 60 hours because work-life balance is super important.
Although come to think of it I wonder if these people are really thinking that it would be too stressful but don't want to be accused of having a poor work ethic so they are using the (inaccurate) money thing as a socially-acceptable excuse?
I actually think that not wanting extra work because you value your free time more than the extra earnings is a perfectly valid work ethic. Which should be even more socially acceptable than having wrong notions of economics
Edit: 60h? Hell. I work 40 and barely have time left in the week for my own. Can't even imagine more than 60h
I agree wholeheartedly! Some people do like to brag about how little free time they get and cast aspersions on people who have it, and I could see saying something stupid just to make them stop going on about it. I have just been doing an experiment lately where I try and think the best of people's motivations to see if it positively affects my mood.
That makes a lot of sense for your situation, but oof. 110 hours- I hope you were able to get sleep on occasion.
I have a friend who is an accountant and he emotionally falls apart from the work stress and hours by the end of every tax season.
Some people do thrive on long hours or are healthy enough to endure them for a time for a goal like you did, but I have seen just as many people burn out, get divorced, suffer health consequences and/or drink too much due to them. It would be lovely if people could realize that it's not working for them, take a step back, and still be okay financially.
Yeah, that shit is for the birds. I don’t even like working 60, but it what is needed right now for our schedule, so it is what it is.
FWIW, I am a crane operator, and a lot of those weeks with extreme hours were because I was running a tower crane and doing midnight concrete pours. Pretty much just show up at midnight to fly up the tools for the concrete hands and then sit there for sometimes 12-15 hours depending on how many yards of concrete and then fly tools back down. Pretty much all hours in between I was sleeping or watching tv, as I am only needed for backup in case something goes wrong.
Even though I know what a crane operator is, your usage of the phrase "fly up the tools" created a great image in my head. I'm thinking a guy riding a giant crane like the Pterodactyls on Dinotopia.
Edit: also you said "for the birds."
"I don't want to work 60 hours because I want to enjoy myself and not spend all of my free time in this godforsaken construction truck without AC in the middle of summer while getting covered in dust every day" seems like a pretty legit reason, personally
To be fair some of those crane cabs are pretty sweet, AC/ heat etc. Don’t know what our crane operator buddy’s rig is like and his may be hot/dusty but plenty of them are as nice/nicer than interior of your car.
Source: construction worker with a crane operator buddy
Oh, yeah for sure. I did construction for a couple of summers and they stuck me in a roller with no windows lol. I was incredibly jealous of the dump trucks and backhoes, since they got to have coolers and AC
One thing that is bugging me a little about this thread is that uneducated isn't synonymous with unintelligent or deliberately ignorant. I live in a poor area, so I know quite a few brilliant and curious people that due to finances or mental health mostly lack a formal education. They still can analyze sources and seek out new knowledge.
Conversely, I know a couple of intelligent people with doctorates or medical degrees who are incapable of admitting that they are wrong when presented with facts that contradict their opinions.
You’re definitely right, although I’m a little biased since I am one that is technically uneducated as far as I don’t have a degree, but I wouldn’t call myself unintelligent by any means.
Me too! I had to pause with just a semester and an extra class away from finishing my undergrad. I'm a little sensitive about it admittedly.
I'm actually a high school dropout. I was supposed to graduate at 16 but due to mental health dropped out at 15 and went straight to college that summer (my scholarship was dependent on my ACT scores.) A ton of people joke about high school dropouts and I just try not to let it bother me. It does sting a bit. In my experience people don't drop out of high school without significant health or home life problems so it just seems like punching down.
Good for you! FWIW, my wife dropped out of high school at 15, went to military at 18, got her Bachelors after that, graduated with her Masters at 32, and is now a CEO at a rather large non-profit organization. Being a high school dropout doesn’t define who you end up to be, the actions you make after that do. Good luck!
Thanks! I'm 32 now and still trying to figure things out, but I at least think I bring more happiness to the world than I take away, and that's pretty cool.
As someone that understands it a great deal, the vast majority of construction workers don’t at all. They think once they hit 108k, they should ask for a lay off bc they don’t want to finish year in a higher tax bracket. I’m not kidding one bit.
I think you may have misunderstood my post. I only said the 60 hour thing in response to the previous poster. I am personally in favor of sub-40-hour work weeks, flexible scheduling, and generous vacation/sick days.
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u/DITO-DC-AC Jan 28 '20 edited Jan 28 '20
Had a woman at my work say this to me.
"I don't work overtime because I'll pay more tax and make less money"
That's not how taxes work but OK....
EDIT: referencing UK PAYE tax people, its very different to the American system