I've been asking these questions for such a long time and I think the answer is more like door #3. I think the "efficiency" focus is what takes all the joy out of so many jobs. The idea that we always need to do more, faster, with less absolutely kills the enjoyment of anything. I've been thinking about how I do my job for the past year and a half a LOT and experimenting with how I can do it differently. I quit my job 2 years ago - and then they convinced me to stay by letting me work 4 day weeks. I keep thinking if I could work 4, 6 hour days it would be better, but the less I work the less I want to. Yet I actually do enjoy the creative challenges in my job and I have seen that I can be very stressed on my three days off too. I have no choice - I don't have a pension and thanks to some twists and turns in my life I'm nowhere near having a retirement savings at 55.
I think this is definitely an endorsement for quitting--that they let you cut down to 4 days a week! I think you're spot-on about the power of efficiency to make every job miserable. I certainly think that's part of what's happening in medicine. How can a doctor enjoy their job when they're being judged by how many patients they see in a day? I see efficiency creeping into higher education through assessment and it's terrifying. Teaching should be the exact opposite of efficient.
I am hoping and praying that we really do have the financial ability for me to retire so early. It all feels like a very scary gamble.
Sorry to hear the news about Joey, Robyn. I feel your pain, but 17 years was a good run. As for Cubs fans, folks in the Midwest may think they're bad, but I suspect they don't hold a candle to Phillies and Yankees fans. Yankees fans, well, I don't have to explain that. But Phillies fans are worse in some ways because they act like their team now is God's gift to baseball . . . but they still haven't won anything yet. And yes, I am still pissed that they built their current team by overpaying former Nationals. Well, the ghost of Ryan Howard will come around to haunt them and those long-term contracts with aging players soon enough. DJB
I've not yet seen a baseball team successfully buy their way to a championship and yet they keep trying. Wrigley Field is a lovely place and Cubs fans are not as bad as, say, Pittsburgh Steelers fans. But, boy, is there a bandwagon and a lot of "Cubs" fans are on it now.
It was a good run for Joey and, who knows, anything could happen. Wishing him the best, but, clearly, not if he goes to the Cubs, who could use a first basemen.
Sorry to be the poop in the punch bowl, but I cherished every moment of my active career. Often it felt maddeningly difficult and unappreciated, but I saw glimpses of the impact from time to time that showed me that my efforts were worthwhile. I was paid with a deep sense of satisfaction.
I honestly don’t remember my income, other than I started out at 200 Malawi kwacha per month (a box of cornflakes cost 8 kwacha), but we had enough for our personal needs and enough leftover to pay schools fees for a local kid. Throughout my career, we always had enough and some leftover.
I am sad that Karl Marx is part of this discussion. There is nothing admirable about his personal life. He didn’t provide for his family, depended on a stipend from his parents, he was a racist (read his comments about his son-in-law), and two of his daughters and a son-in-law committed suicide.
Political revolutions based on his ideas resulted in the deaths of between 100 million and 160 million people. There is not a single example of his ideology ever succeeding in creating a just, free, and prosperous country.
Glad you loved your work and it allowed you to live a good life. That's a good situation to be in.
Marx was a problematic person, no doubt. I also think he formulated one of the best critiques of capitalism we have. I am not a fan of capitalism. I believe it is an inherently exploitative (and environmentally destructive) system. I have less faith in Marx's formulation of communism as a solution and, certainly, so far in the real world, communism has fallen far short of what Marx envisioned. I still think we can do better than capitalism.
Of course we can do better. I am a fan of free markets but ours certainly isn’t free. It’s not possible to shop for health care, as an example, because of regulations, opaqueness, and far too much greed. So many special interests distort markets and our politicians are mostly corrupt because we are divided amongst ourselves and do not hold them accountable. I suppose we get what we deserve.
Based on my personal experience from living in former socialist and communist countries, the environmental damage in those places far exceeds anything I know about in the Western democracies. For example, I lived for several years in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic. The Absheron Peninsula, where Baku is located, is considered one of the most polluted places in the world. It was a manufacturing hub for the former Soviet Union, as well as the major petrochemical and oil production center.
Is there anything in the West that is comparable to the Aral Sea catastrophe? Even with our dysfunctional government and economy, we still are able to prevent comparable disasters.
We probably should be grateful that our country, for all it’s failings, comes nowhere near the failure of countries that have tried to create a Marxist workers’ paradise on earth.
Yep -- I’m at a community college, and out of my 20 years here I’ve taken off a handful of summers (9-month contract). It’s so blissful. I’m gonna be such a happy retired person!
Oh, man, not even having summers off sucks. For a long time, we had no summer classes, so it wasn't even an option, which was lovely. Here's to happy retired people!
A.) If you had asked me in March of 2023 if I was satisfied with my job I would have emphatically said yes, and explained how and why. Now, since old rich dudes with sociopathic tendencies found they couldn’t live without a command and control system in place I am deeply, irrevocably satisfied.
Fuck those old rich dudes, for real. It is part of what makes work alienating--you don't have control over how you do it or, you know, where you do it. Like in your house with your dog and within walking distance of the coffee shop and your lovely neighbors.
I have thought about that. And I have a friend who took an advance and signed a book contract for three books that had not yet been written and the pressure of it almost destroyed her. But I think if people wanted to pay me to write for real, it's a risk I'd be willing to take!
I retired earlier than intended because of the increased pressures of my job and the threat of being sent back to the office. I worked for state government, and almost all of us were sent to work from home at the start of the pandemic (some people chose to stay in their offices in part because there were so few people there at the time). During that time I took a promotion, but when the pressure started to have people return to work, I balked. Well, my husband did too. He was already retired and didn't want me back in the office.
It was a struggle--mentally and emotionally--to retire, though, because in this society we are hardwired to believe that our worth as human beings can be (and should be) measured in a paycheck. I don't have a problem with working. I work all the time now that I'm retired. I just don't get paid for it. I write, knit, weave, clean house, garden, tend to my cats, and cook. All these things are work. The difference is I don't get paid to do any of them but they all (frankly) give me more meaning in my life than my jobs ever did.
I'm not an economist, but I think capitalism is here to stay. I just don't think the system has to be as demeaning and dehumanizing as it currently is.
Yes, exactly, the "work" we do for ourselves is so much more satisfying and meaningful. My "job" is a college professor. I "work" very hard at this writing thing, but it's not my job and I don't have to depend on it for a living, which means it all belongs to me. I wonder if we need a better word for that sort of "work." I mean, is it play? Or does that sound too frivolous? On the other hand, play is sort of capitalism's kryptonite, isn't it?
Certainly capitalism is less demeaning and dehumanizing in other parts of the world. We could do better and I wish we would.
"Working sucks because selling your labor in order to survive, friends, is alienating!" -This, and degrading. And exhausting. And depressing?? Also, though, I think conditions of late-stage capitalism have made it so that most people, no matter how much they work, can't really afford to pay their bills and have much if any leftover...and who can buy a home anymore with just regular job money? So it feels like work is rigged--which is not great for morale! I have a job that I mostly like and still would quit in two seconds if I could, and just enjoy my life and my child and my partner and my family and do projects on the side...
This is absolutely true. Most of us, no matter how hard we work, just keep losing ground. I was lucky enough to buy my house 15 years ago, but there's no way I could afford it now. Every year, our insurance premiums at work go up and up. It is such a rigged system and I wonder what exactly the breaking point is.
I was lucky enough to buy my house (after saving for 20+ years) when the interest rates went down. And if I hadn't pulled every plug to pull that Hail Mary, I honestly don't know if I would own for another 20 years (by which time I would be getting ready to retire). Work is much more rewarding when we have realistic rewards and goals that we can work toward--and you're right, I think we are hitting that breaking point. Of course everyone hates work when it yields little but more work!
Really feeling this, Robyn. I left my last position working intensely and directly for someone else (alongside my self-employed work) last February. I was a college dean and, especially coming after teaching college since 2016, it did me in. So much dread. So underpaid and under appreciated for the all-hours nature of the work 7 days a week. In leaving that position, I left behind financial stability. Part of me feels that was a colossal mistake. Part of me, on a body-and-soul level, can never choose such a job again.
I feel for you. Moving into administration in higher ed always looks to me like leaving behind the best parts of the job--the classroom--and exchanging it for a really stressful, full-time, year-round job. Especially in the current climate of higher ed, where everyone is trying desperately to figure out how to stay afloat. Congrats on your escape. I think a lot about that trade-off, financial stability versus the well-being of my body and soul. Still too afraid to make that leap.
I wouldn't return to full time work even if I was offered $1,000,000 a year. I LOVE retirement.
I am not at all surprised to hear this. You were born to be retired.
I've been asking these questions for such a long time and I think the answer is more like door #3. I think the "efficiency" focus is what takes all the joy out of so many jobs. The idea that we always need to do more, faster, with less absolutely kills the enjoyment of anything. I've been thinking about how I do my job for the past year and a half a LOT and experimenting with how I can do it differently. I quit my job 2 years ago - and then they convinced me to stay by letting me work 4 day weeks. I keep thinking if I could work 4, 6 hour days it would be better, but the less I work the less I want to. Yet I actually do enjoy the creative challenges in my job and I have seen that I can be very stressed on my three days off too. I have no choice - I don't have a pension and thanks to some twists and turns in my life I'm nowhere near having a retirement savings at 55.
I think this is definitely an endorsement for quitting--that they let you cut down to 4 days a week! I think you're spot-on about the power of efficiency to make every job miserable. I certainly think that's part of what's happening in medicine. How can a doctor enjoy their job when they're being judged by how many patients they see in a day? I see efficiency creeping into higher education through assessment and it's terrifying. Teaching should be the exact opposite of efficient.
I am hoping and praying that we really do have the financial ability for me to retire so early. It all feels like a very scary gamble.
Sorry to hear the news about Joey, Robyn. I feel your pain, but 17 years was a good run. As for Cubs fans, folks in the Midwest may think they're bad, but I suspect they don't hold a candle to Phillies and Yankees fans. Yankees fans, well, I don't have to explain that. But Phillies fans are worse in some ways because they act like their team now is God's gift to baseball . . . but they still haven't won anything yet. And yes, I am still pissed that they built their current team by overpaying former Nationals. Well, the ghost of Ryan Howard will come around to haunt them and those long-term contracts with aging players soon enough. DJB
I've not yet seen a baseball team successfully buy their way to a championship and yet they keep trying. Wrigley Field is a lovely place and Cubs fans are not as bad as, say, Pittsburgh Steelers fans. But, boy, is there a bandwagon and a lot of "Cubs" fans are on it now.
It was a good run for Joey and, who knows, anything could happen. Wishing him the best, but, clearly, not if he goes to the Cubs, who could use a first basemen.
Sorry to be the poop in the punch bowl, but I cherished every moment of my active career. Often it felt maddeningly difficult and unappreciated, but I saw glimpses of the impact from time to time that showed me that my efforts were worthwhile. I was paid with a deep sense of satisfaction.
I honestly don’t remember my income, other than I started out at 200 Malawi kwacha per month (a box of cornflakes cost 8 kwacha), but we had enough for our personal needs and enough leftover to pay schools fees for a local kid. Throughout my career, we always had enough and some leftover.
I am sad that Karl Marx is part of this discussion. There is nothing admirable about his personal life. He didn’t provide for his family, depended on a stipend from his parents, he was a racist (read his comments about his son-in-law), and two of his daughters and a son-in-law committed suicide.
Political revolutions based on his ideas resulted in the deaths of between 100 million and 160 million people. There is not a single example of his ideology ever succeeding in creating a just, free, and prosperous country.
Glad you loved your work and it allowed you to live a good life. That's a good situation to be in.
Marx was a problematic person, no doubt. I also think he formulated one of the best critiques of capitalism we have. I am not a fan of capitalism. I believe it is an inherently exploitative (and environmentally destructive) system. I have less faith in Marx's formulation of communism as a solution and, certainly, so far in the real world, communism has fallen far short of what Marx envisioned. I still think we can do better than capitalism.
Of course we can do better. I am a fan of free markets but ours certainly isn’t free. It’s not possible to shop for health care, as an example, because of regulations, opaqueness, and far too much greed. So many special interests distort markets and our politicians are mostly corrupt because we are divided amongst ourselves and do not hold them accountable. I suppose we get what we deserve.
Based on my personal experience from living in former socialist and communist countries, the environmental damage in those places far exceeds anything I know about in the Western democracies. For example, I lived for several years in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic. The Absheron Peninsula, where Baku is located, is considered one of the most polluted places in the world. It was a manufacturing hub for the former Soviet Union, as well as the major petrochemical and oil production center.
Is there anything in the West that is comparable to the Aral Sea catastrophe? Even with our dysfunctional government and economy, we still are able to prevent comparable disasters.
We probably should be grateful that our country, for all it’s failings, comes nowhere near the failure of countries that have tried to create a Marxist workers’ paradise on earth.
Yep -- I’m at a community college, and out of my 20 years here I’ve taken off a handful of summers (9-month contract). It’s so blissful. I’m gonna be such a happy retired person!
Oh, man, not even having summers off sucks. For a long time, we had no summer classes, so it wasn't even an option, which was lovely. Here's to happy retired people!
A.) If you had asked me in March of 2023 if I was satisfied with my job I would have emphatically said yes, and explained how and why. Now, since old rich dudes with sociopathic tendencies found they couldn’t live without a command and control system in place I am deeply, irrevocably satisfied.
B.) GO CUBS, GO!
C.) I know you love me anyway.
Fuck those old rich dudes, for real. It is part of what makes work alienating--you don't have control over how you do it or, you know, where you do it. Like in your house with your dog and within walking distance of the coffee shop and your lovely neighbors.
I do still love you. The Cubs still suck.
Sometimes I even consider if being a full time writer would make me hate it eventually. Work sucks, especially on a Monday. Good timing.
I have thought about that. And I have a friend who took an advance and signed a book contract for three books that had not yet been written and the pressure of it almost destroyed her. But I think if people wanted to pay me to write for real, it's a risk I'd be willing to take!
I retired earlier than intended because of the increased pressures of my job and the threat of being sent back to the office. I worked for state government, and almost all of us were sent to work from home at the start of the pandemic (some people chose to stay in their offices in part because there were so few people there at the time). During that time I took a promotion, but when the pressure started to have people return to work, I balked. Well, my husband did too. He was already retired and didn't want me back in the office.
It was a struggle--mentally and emotionally--to retire, though, because in this society we are hardwired to believe that our worth as human beings can be (and should be) measured in a paycheck. I don't have a problem with working. I work all the time now that I'm retired. I just don't get paid for it. I write, knit, weave, clean house, garden, tend to my cats, and cook. All these things are work. The difference is I don't get paid to do any of them but they all (frankly) give me more meaning in my life than my jobs ever did.
I'm not an economist, but I think capitalism is here to stay. I just don't think the system has to be as demeaning and dehumanizing as it currently is.
Yes, exactly, the "work" we do for ourselves is so much more satisfying and meaningful. My "job" is a college professor. I "work" very hard at this writing thing, but it's not my job and I don't have to depend on it for a living, which means it all belongs to me. I wonder if we need a better word for that sort of "work." I mean, is it play? Or does that sound too frivolous? On the other hand, play is sort of capitalism's kryptonite, isn't it?
Certainly capitalism is less demeaning and dehumanizing in other parts of the world. We could do better and I wish we would.
"Working sucks because selling your labor in order to survive, friends, is alienating!" -This, and degrading. And exhausting. And depressing?? Also, though, I think conditions of late-stage capitalism have made it so that most people, no matter how much they work, can't really afford to pay their bills and have much if any leftover...and who can buy a home anymore with just regular job money? So it feels like work is rigged--which is not great for morale! I have a job that I mostly like and still would quit in two seconds if I could, and just enjoy my life and my child and my partner and my family and do projects on the side...
This is absolutely true. Most of us, no matter how hard we work, just keep losing ground. I was lucky enough to buy my house 15 years ago, but there's no way I could afford it now. Every year, our insurance premiums at work go up and up. It is such a rigged system and I wonder what exactly the breaking point is.
I was lucky enough to buy my house (after saving for 20+ years) when the interest rates went down. And if I hadn't pulled every plug to pull that Hail Mary, I honestly don't know if I would own for another 20 years (by which time I would be getting ready to retire). Work is much more rewarding when we have realistic rewards and goals that we can work toward--and you're right, I think we are hitting that breaking point. Of course everyone hates work when it yields little but more work!
Really feeling this, Robyn. I left my last position working intensely and directly for someone else (alongside my self-employed work) last February. I was a college dean and, especially coming after teaching college since 2016, it did me in. So much dread. So underpaid and under appreciated for the all-hours nature of the work 7 days a week. In leaving that position, I left behind financial stability. Part of me feels that was a colossal mistake. Part of me, on a body-and-soul level, can never choose such a job again.
I feel for you. Moving into administration in higher ed always looks to me like leaving behind the best parts of the job--the classroom--and exchanging it for a really stressful, full-time, year-round job. Especially in the current climate of higher ed, where everyone is trying desperately to figure out how to stay afloat. Congrats on your escape. I think a lot about that trade-off, financial stability versus the well-being of my body and soul. Still too afraid to make that leap.