Compensation Vs Time [modified]
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I quit my job so I could start my own company. In order not to be completely destitute while building the company, I obtained contract work. However, as soon as the previous employer realized that they couldn't do without me, they begged me to stay on as a contractor. I could set my own hours, work from home, and work on my new company while still supporting my family (7 kids). It worked out quite well, continuing to contract for them for the next 6 years.
SS => Qualified in Submarines "We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm". Winston Churchill "Real programmers can write FORTRAN in any language". Unknown
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Not today. But in the past, before kids, before wife stopped working, I would have gladly worked less hours per week. Too bad it's never gonna happen. Management expense grows with the number of workers, not the amount of work, because each worker must be coordinated. Using the minimum number of workers makes the most sense, so you want them working as many productive hours per workweek as possible. We have known for years that something like 40-45 hours per week is the maximum productive hours. I believe Henry Ford studied it, and laid the foundation for our modern workweek.
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Would you take half your salary to work half the hours you currently do? I actually get jealous when I see government workers forced to take furlough days (unpaid time off). I'm going to clarify, my rationale is that it is nearly impossible to make the move to consulting or teaching while still being employed full-time, but I would never want to leave my position completely because of both the pay and experience it provides.
"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. " — Hunter S. Thompson
modified on Monday, June 27, 2011 10:47 AM
wizardzz wrote:
Would you take half your salary to work half the hours you currently do? I actually get jealous when I see government workers forced to take furlough days (unpaid time off).
Yes I would. Half-time for half-pay would seem a rather convenient compromise for us at the moment. You see, I've actually done 6 months with no work & no pay. It's been quite an equitable arrangement I'd argue. Sure, the savings have dwindled drastically, however like you wizardzz, I live like I did in college. Sure, $60,000 a year sure beats $0 - but with the number of people close to me that are sick/dying at the moment and the vast list of things to do/experience/fix has left me very happy with my descision. You know, I started learning OpenGL a week ago and have already accomplished more in that time than I have in the past 15 years when I started investigating 3d-programming as a topic of interest at night after high-school. But that joy is absurdly minuscule in comparison to the quality time I've been able to spend with loved ones. :) :) :) :) :) For me, the stress caused by time constraints imposed by working far, far, far outweigh the small concern that living on savings has caused me. If you can afford it, I'd not recommend against it.:thumbsup: Besides, just how much is life worth?
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digital man wrote:
I take it that money doesn't mean very much to you?
I don't borrow and I'm quite the anti-consumerist so it's not a big issue. I live like I did in college. For me it would be about having the time to pursue some ideas.
"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. " — Hunter S. Thompson
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wizardzz wrote:
I don't borrow and I'm quite the anti-consumerist so it's not a big issue. I live like I did in college. For me it would be about having the time to pursue some ideas.
Spoken like a man without kids! ;P
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My parents are amazing, when I was young they were tight in cash. Now they are doing very well, which my younger brothers did take advantage of. No complaints there, I think I actually am a harder worker because of this situation.
No complaints about mine. they were and still are tight. My brother, one sister, and I all have taken the lessons to heart. My other sister remains at home remora like, virtually unemployed, living off Moms softheartedness. :sigh:
3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18
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In reality it's not just about how much you need to live on today: things happen in life for which money is required. The boiler needs replacing, your daughter gets married, you retire and try living on the state pension. Nothing is quite as simple as it first appears.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
digital man wrote:
In reality it's not just about how much you need to live on today: things happen in life for which money is required
*shrug* In my book, these costs belong to the "what you need" part. If you have a bit more than you need, it's easy to get some saving to straighten out the randomness.
FILETIME to time_t
| FoldWithUs! | sighist | WhoIncludes - Analyzing C++ include file hierarchy -
digital man wrote:
wait till you meet someone. She wants kids: you'll want kids
I was exactly like that until my Dad sat down for a pint with me and pointed out that if we did have kids, we'd be close to retirement age before we got them out of the house for good. I went off the idea pretty quickly then. :-D
Pete
Peter Mulholland wrote:
if we did have kids, we'd be close to retirement age before we got them out of the house for good.
So you were 20 years old? :laugh:
_____________________________ Give a man a mug, he drinks for a day. Teach a man to mug...
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Would you take half your salary to work half the hours you currently do? I actually get jealous when I see government workers forced to take furlough days (unpaid time off). I'm going to clarify, my rationale is that it is nearly impossible to make the move to consulting or teaching while still being employed full-time, but I would never want to leave my position completely because of both the pay and experience it provides.
"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. " — Hunter S. Thompson
modified on Monday, June 27, 2011 10:47 AM
Depends upon for how long. My current contract just ended but they had more work so I'm back doing whatever hours I like (and paid hourly). I've been there 9 months and must now look for a job. Since this is during business hours I just clock out when I'm doing phone calls or whatever. I also hadn't had a vacation in a while so some of my off-time is sitting in my head as vacation. I find myself weirdly comfortable with this but I have until July 7 to do whatever then the work really is over and I must go whether gainfully employed or not. And I do have a family so the money has to start up again soon. So this week I'm calm. Next week I imagine I'll be back to the stress. Tons of recruiter contacts and a half-dozen interviews do not a job make, even though it's better than the alternative.
wizardzz wrote:
I'm going to clarify, my rationale is that it is nearly impossible to make the move to consulting or teaching while still being employed full-time, but I would never want to leave my position completely because of both the pay and experience it provides.
Always a judgement call, although I'd say it really depends upon how much you think you'd get out of consulting/teaching. I agree since I never had time in the day to do a full time and do the necessary work to find more work. Usually I find new gigs after the current work is done. Still doing this after 11 years and I haven't found a better way yet. I have a limit of 40 to 45 hours of mental work in me for a week and then my head turns into a pumpkin. When I have to push past that I usually pay hard.
_____________________________ Give a man a mug, he drinks for a day. Teach a man to mug...
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I've been with Ms. Wizardz for almost 10 years, we don't want kids.
"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. " — Hunter S. Thompson
you're weird if that's gonna continue, I mean, really, no kids? what's the point. I come from a different culture, don't get me wrong, it's just weird there's no point for me to go on without some kind of descendants, in the long run i don't wanna end up dying somewhere without a mark, and a true mark is your own blood.... so on and so forth. stupid philosophy s$#@.
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you're weird if that's gonna continue, I mean, really, no kids? what's the point. I come from a different culture, don't get me wrong, it's just weird there's no point for me to go on without some kind of descendants, in the long run i don't wanna end up dying somewhere without a mark, and a true mark is your own blood.... so on and so forth. stupid philosophy s$#@.
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