Stop and Smell the Roses.

Recently, a friend of mine was inquiring about the IT profession and if I enjoyed what I do. I was quickly able to unleash a plethera of reasons why I love what I do, and the benefits to working in IT. He never did inquire about the things I don't like about my job, but I got to thinking about it later on.

IT is extremely time demanding. I work beyond my scheduled hours on a daily basis and put a fair amount of time in on the weekends as well. The stress from deadlines, system failures, projects, managment, and end-users is extremely physically and mentally exhausting as well.

I have to remind myself once in a while that I work to live and don't live to work. Do something, anything! To keep yourself in balance (and avoid burnout), be it spend time with the kids, take a 3 day weekend trip, read a book, see a movie. I myself get lost in work often, and bring it home with me.

Kind of a pointless post, I know....but basically this is just a friendly reminder to my fellow IT brethren to occasionally stop and smell the roses!

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Comments

veritas_libertas

Not pointless at all.

I've decided to put a pause on my CCNA:Security studies for maybe a month for this reason. I've been feeling very drained by IT and I just need to sleep, calm down and spend time with family.

TheNewITGuy

I been there for 10 years bud..

SteveFT

As someone who is trying to break into this field, I will need to remember this going forward. I don't have an aversion to work, but it seems like a lot of departments will take advantage of their IT people. From what I have read, a lot of software and hardware problems are fixed with man hours (off the clock), rather than having equipment/software that actually works.

Overall, what would you all say that your quality of life is like? Are you happy? How many hours per week do you work? How often are you on call?

I'm a fairly active person and I enjoy hiking every other weekend or so. I'm hoping that I can land myself is a large enough department so that I will only be on call every 2-4 weeks.

tpatt100

Probably a good reason to not just focus on dollar amounts when interviewing but look at the work environment and see if it is family friendly. It's rare if anybody works late where I work but when it happens they cover for each other and take turns to make sure it's not the same person getting hit with extra work.

Some work environments would rather save money and pay overtime than hire extra bodies and help reduce the chance of work burnout.

cyberguypr

tpatt100 touches on a very important subject: flexibility. I rather take a $75,000 flexible job instead of a $100k that provides no flexibility. To put it into perspective, my previous employer required a normal amount of extra hours for maintenance, emergencies, etc. No issues with that. Problem is they never compensated you in any way, shape, or form for that time. I use "compensate" loosely meaning letting you leave an hour earlier or arrive an hour later here and there if you have to do something, etc. It was a very big brother "trust no one, they are all stealing company time" mentality. They accounted for every minute and made everyone punch in and out keeping track of everything. If you needed to work from home because you were a little sick, had to wait for a repair man, or something else they would always complain. Your decisions were usually wrong, no matter how much empirical data you had to prove your case. Why would you pay an engineer and then override their recommendations with stuff that makes no sense and is simply wrong is beyond me. You get the picture.

My new employer is the complete opposite. They trust IT and value our contributions. Work/life balance is very good. We have monthly off hours maintenance but they are very flexible when you need to work from home or take off early. In my book that offsets those late nights.

Definitely try to see the big picture rather than the dollar amount.

Akaricloud

It's true that IT can be very demanding, stressful and time consuming when compared to most other career choices and people who aren't passionate about technology often don't handle this very well.

You're very right though, we all need to take some time and enjoy what we've made for ourselves. Personally I'm a "work hard, play hard" type of guy that is willing to deal with a lot of stress in my career to do a lot of unwinding when I can. Being able to live a lifestyle where I can go buy a new car to take to the track, or spend a 3-day weekend hitting cliffs at Whistler makes the day to day stress well worth it to me! Everyone needs to find the balance that works for them and remember they need to reward themselves a bit more than those in less stressful career fields.

datgirl

I agree, IT can be a "cruel Mistress" demanding all or much of your time. There is always a fire to put out, a problem to solve, as such IT doesn't tend to be a 9 - 5 job. Then there is the need to stay current with the field and to keep up or obtain new certs, and / or otherwise further your education. I have often had my handlers admonish me to pace myself, have other interests and to take time to smell the roses, as the OP suggests. Problem is that most of my other interests photography, videography, creating music will also involve computers, so it becomes a vicious cycle. I joke that if computer addiction goes into the DSM -V, that I will be the poster-child for it ;(

Plantwiz

I cannot think of a single career that doesn't have some serious time requirements. It is not only IT that has long hours or lots of weekends or off-hour work.

Horticulture- the plants are living...and when they die... They cannot be sold. Huge profit lost. Likewise, some crops can be replanted, most cannot due to the time the plant needs to finish and be in the store. You miss the window, you are out.

Corporate Attorney - several I know work 7-7 most days. Longer if there are new policies being written and very common when the reach of the organization touches multiple continents.

Sales - if you are not selling product and closing deals, you are not making money. You may have made your goals for the month, but what about next month? Most sales are about more than one attempt..it takes a relationship. Works in retail as well as higher end sales. Though in retail, you likely earn a wage, but who will get the hours? the employee who always needs time off and doesn't sell much or the one who can sell to anyone and has a great personality and can be at work?

Truck driving (over-the-road) - even when one follows the log book rules, you need to take loads when available or you do not make money.

Dispatching - if you are not selling loads, you are not making money. Likewise, if the driver needs you, you need to be available for the duration of that load because you are their lifeblood. Calls come in all hours of the night and morning.

advertising/marketing - if your not conveying your ideas or not getting that next account with some cool promotion - your co-worker is or another firm is.

There is need for a balance between work and fun. Without work to generate some revenue, there is little 'fun' to be had. And no, that should not be read that money is everything..,it is not. However, without it, you do not have as many opportunities and will find you need even more time to accomplish things.

It is good to take a break from time to time, but there is always opportunity costs involved. Similar to working all the time. The opportunity cost of being with family cannot be replaced. Likewise, my dad worked his butt off. Took OT when he could and made a fair living. I would not say I missed out because he worked. If he did not work, we would not have had food, house and a car. I may not have learned the value of being employee if he was always off. Likewise, my father-in-law was an engineer, but was required to travel frequently during the week, his children did not see him all the time, and they are all well adjusted adults with families, and no one is angry with him for working. They too had a house, food and car.

Breaks are good. But I always find that the prep before the break and the work after the break negates the whole break and the rest I was supposed to receive. Where if I could simply take a day here and there, things keep running, no both work and myself benefit.

I do find listing out the pros and cons every once in a while is good for some perspective.

Techguy, I think it sounds like you are right on track though! Small breaks of normal things to be able to keep going is IMO a good to do that. So long as you enjoy what you are doing and work with a good group of people, your plan seems solid!

Cpl.Klinger

cyberguypr wrote: »

tpatt100 touches on a very important subject: flexibility. I rather take a $75,000 flexible job instead of a $100k that provides no flexibility.

How well this covers my philosophy. When I left retail management, I was making pretty good money. Since my wife got her RN job, she outearns what we both did by herself, so I could afford to take a huge cut. But even with that, the flexibility provided makes it worth the cut. My gas stretches further in my vehicle, since it sits a lot more often. My lunch costs have dropped. No more uniforms/special clothing. No more trying to finagle a schedule around the family. I'm no longer at the mercy of my employer because some VP decided to stop in town, or because an employee decided to call in sick and I can't replace them with straight time (district manager was very specifc - no OT, period).

Granted I have had to make a major shift in terms of how the house works, who does what, but it's working out great. I haven't felt this mentally good in years. IT takes balance and sometimes it has to be forced.

TechGuy215

Great posts everyone! It's always interesting to see other's perspectives and how they balance life w/ work.

neo9006

You just like you said enjoy life, I use to work on average about 75-80 hours a week usually for like 5 or 6 years, it was worse when I worked overnights on Friday and Saturday night, I was at my second job like 6 days a week accept on Thursday nights, which was my only day I was off. You have to learn to enjoy life, thank god my wife (who i was just dating at the time) told me reduce your hours, I finally did which hurt me money wise for awhile, you adjust to it, I finally dropped that second job 2 years ago this month, I miss the money, but I have more time with my wife and enjoy my weekends, I can go out of town without having to request time off, I am finishing up my bachelors degree, have my last 4 classes this next semester, but I find myself loving life more, at least from work, my current job blows but whose doesn't at some point and I know for me I just need to get out of this job and hope that happens in this next year. We live one time, might as well go and live it up and I plan to do that. Good luck guys and enjoy it

dehgrah

I always find it just a little difficult to balance life and work because of I just don't know when tell myself "I just need a break". I've been studying three years straight for certifications and I'm currently studying for my 70-646 but after I pass that exam I'll be doing 70-642,70-647, and 70-680 after I pass all those I will be taking a long break (6 months at most) before jumping into my CCNA/CCNP.

FloOz

Monday through Thursday is nothing but work/study for me. I usually give myself Fridays off to hangout with friends/girlfriend. Saturday and Sunday I try to get in some light studying. Honestly though if I wasn't studying I would probably be playing video games or wasting time some other way. I don't have a wife/kids yet so my responsibilities are limited

tpatt100

I remember a long time ago the first job I got out of the Marines was laying cable for AT&T which was manually digging ditches. Pay was decent at the time and 4 ten hour shifts, problem was I hated the job so much that when the weekend came I was at the club drinking it up because I was dreading Monday.

I quit a few months later and took a job making pizzas and signed up for college classes.

kohr-ah

This is what I am trying to go for. What everyone here is talking about. My current work life is a nightmare.
I am trying to find something closer to home but so far no luck. Will keep my hopes up though.

As for what I do is when I am not at work I spend every waking moment I can with my kiddo and the Mrs. I dont study or do anything until the little one goes to bed. Then I will study or relax, watch a movie with the Mrs. etc.

neo9006

Just have to learn to balance it, I know its hard, thank god my wife understands with me going finishing up my degree, and she is working on finishing her associate degree in HR, so for us it is just going to get tougher, we want to start a family, but that is another story, we will see what happens.

paul78

cyberguypr wrote: »

I rather take a $75,000 flexible job instead of a $100k that provides no flexibility.

Oddlys enough - I have just the opposite philopsophy. If that 100k job is going to take me where I want to go, then I would rather make the sacrifice in my younger years. An extra 25K buys a lot more roses.

Plantwiz

That plan works out fine, right up until your health suffers because of the extra stress and you die without ever enjoying the things that were put off to 'later' or even if not as dramatic as death, inability to enjoy your retirement because the stress of the job caused you to over eat, or drink, or smoke and you develop diabetes or heart disease, and perhaps begin having TIAs to the point where dementia is now identified and you need nursing care or institutional care because you cannot take care of yourself...so that extra money is going for your medical care rather than sharing found golden memories with your spouse or watching the grandkids.

Balance is definitely key!

I have no issue with someone wanting to work hard (and smart) while young, go for things. I did and have no regrets. Worked multiple jobs (non-conflicting industries), Picked up a couple additional degrees while working seven days a week for years. Then there is (or was) a point to rein that in and start thinking longer term.

As I see friends age, and watch them really falling apart, it puts into perspective how quickly it is not all about the money. And I know when I thought, "eh, have a crap job that pays a boatload and I can have fun on the weekend." Did not work as planned, I was so hating going into work and dreaded the next day, every day, hated Monday and really hated Friday (because in two days I would have to be back)...after a very short time I had to find something else, anything, and I did and I worked my way back up in pay in a couple years doing something I enjoyed much more...took some time.

We do not get time back. So, finding what works for ourselves and family is a little more of a personal journey. Not so cut-and-dry. $25k is not enough difference in pay to jeopardize my health...though when I was young I thought differently. Wiser, I know better now (for me anyway).

paul78

Dementia? Oh my, that's certainly quite dramatic

While I agree that balance is the key, I would propose that balance is highly subjective. And for some people, if they are able to take that chance and leap into a job that may be stressful and demanding while they are young, it can be an investment in their career's future. I'm not necessarily suggesting that people have multiple jobs or constantly chase degrees and certs. But instead take that leap and be the best at it.

I'm not sure about your age but I'm in my late 40's and I still think about the next 20 years of my career and I wonder where my career will lead me.

Because I did push myself in my early twenties, I am now as you said one of those people that make a boatload of money. While I allowed my career to follow it's natural path instead of picking/forcing a path, I always focused at being the best at my current job (not planning for my next job). And consequently, that meant a lot of hours and some level of sacrifice. Where that has paid off is that my current roles, I have the seniority to have the flexibility that gives me the "balance" that everyone talks about. Yes - I still have to get on a plane on short notice to meet with important clients and if something bad happens at 2am, I may not get to sleep for 24 hours. But conversely, I make my own hours - when I go on vacation, I don't ask my management, I inform them. And if I decide to work at home as I did yesterday so I can spend a few hours with my daughter, I just do it.

You are correct of course - it's really not so cut-and-dry. It's such an individualistic matter. I do really do think however that work-ethic is one of the dimensions that separates someone that ends up as a CIO versus the typical IT support staff.

neo9006

You are right Plant, I did that for a while, I am diabetic, which blows, but it is something that I manage pretty well thank god, and just need to exercise more is about it, but other than that, your right you have to take care of yourself, something I try to do a lot more now than I was younger, money helps, but to a degree money is not everything, you could be the richest person in the world and be miserable at the same time, I rather be in love or happy than rich, but of course the money would help. I also agree with Paul, take that time to enjoy with your daughter, I say about the work ethic, well that depends on who you work for, some jobs that does count and your work ethic at other jobs does not mean jack squat. I had 2 jobs for 10 years, one job I moved up 4 times, the other job 1 promotion in 18 years. As I have figured out, time to move on awhile back and fixing too. Just keep the balance and the sanity.

wallpaper_01

I'm feeling the same, I took my degree from 21-24, got a demanding IT job at 25 and at 27 started to do certifications and a Masters Degree. In 2 years I will have finished that degree, have a ton of certifications and 'hopefully' a job that pays off!

I'm so stressed at the moment, juggling everything. Struggling to strike the balance. BUT I'm just thinking, in 10 years time my old self will be grateful to my 20's self for getting it all done!

dave330i

I'm with paul78. You may not be able to buy happiness, but a lot of stress/tension in life comes from lack of money.

wes allen

It is all a personal perspective for sure. I spent the first few years of my IT career working crazy hours and studying on the side. Then started doing contracting / self employment so I could work less. Worked well, but I let myself get kinda dated with my skills, so the last year I have had to study more and back to a full time job. Hope to be able to go back to contract work by the spring though. My goal is more like ~50/60k a year for ave of 20 or so hours of work a week, though it will hopefully be in bursts of 3-4 weeks of work, followed by a couple three weeks off. I may not have much in the way of stuff, but at 43, I have had more vacation days then probably 4 people combined do their whole life. Life is what you make it, and I know a few people that love what they do for work and put in those crazy hours, but I know more people that live off pretty low income, but don't work very much. Both groups are equally happy, or at least seem to be. Not sure of the source of the quote, but "At either end of the economic spectrum lies a leisure class." So, I would rather be on the poorer, but more free time end of the spectrum.

tpatt100

Yeah balance is key, if you are in a financial/family position where you can go up or down in salary in order to accept jobs that improve your life then you found a pretty good balance.

gunbunnysoulja

dave330i wrote: »

I'm with paul78. You may not be able to buy happiness, but a lot of stress/tension in life comes from lack of money.

It depends on the person. I know many that make far more money than me, but also have far more debt. It comes down to not living beyond your means.

People tend to spend more when they earn more. So that raise could also mean more spending (more expensive house, car, eating habits, etc).

My quality of life is amazing, and I only make $40k a year for a family of 3 (soon to be family of 4). We have no financial stress.

CCNTrainee

Same thing goes on in the Military life as well. Just like anything else in this world, it is not for everybody. Thou this isn't the reason why I am getting out, I am just sick of being underutilized and having my learned skills go to waste. I don't mind the stress of late nights and figuring out what the cause of the issues is, this would actually be a rewarding experience for me. I like the feeling that I have made a difference and I get that kind of satisfaction from the Career field, when I am actually doing a job in my career field. The whole I have been in so far, I have been tasked to additional duties, details and bunch of paper-pushing tasks that doesn't make a difference. Sometimes it feels like it is a bonus when I can spend one day actually doing something technical and when I actually do the job. I would get more satisfaction out of my Military career if I felt I like I had a purpose on the day to day basis, but majority of the time it feels like I am there to hold a space in the office, just waiting for the moment to deploy. This is the main reason why I am getting out, I am a hands-on person, I am a do'er and sometimes an overachiever... sitting behind a desk filling out useless and mindless paperwork is not my scene.

dave330i

gunbunnysoulja wrote: »

It depends on the person. I know many that make far more money than me, but also have far more debt. It comes down to not living beyond your means.

People tend to spend more when they earn more. So that raise could also mean more spending (more expensive house, car, eating habits, etc).

My quality of life is amazing, and I only make $40k a year for a family of 3 (soon to be family of 4). We have no financial stress.

How's your retirement fund? Children's college fund? Vacation fund?

Plantwiz

It is possible to have a healthy retirement and education with $40k a year and a family. One can also set aside money for vacations if that blows your hair back.

I have to support gunbunny here, debt free living is amazing. It is possible. And it really is not difficult.

neo9006

I agree Plant and Gunbunny, the wife and I have no kids yet, but both cars are payed for and we are staying at my inlaws house since they are in el salvador, and we have our house rented out as well, so its nice, plus almost done with bachelors myself and wife has a few years yet to go, but your right, its about balance and live with in your means, i had 2 jobs and was struggling, now I did a little budget thanks to the wife, and we are making it pretty decent, we both have money saved up. I look at any raise I get is more money in retirement or savings. I think they only worry I worry is about is what will the renter want done next lol.

Polynomial

Plantwiz wrote: »

It is possible to have a healthy retirement and education with $40k a year and a family.

I really have difficulty believing this anywhere in the US.