Rising to Your Level of Misery at Work

[ChillyMcFreeze]

This is why I support DH not getting his M.Ed. He loves teaching. As soon as he gets that graduate degree, they're going to want to put him in administration. He'd hate it there, no matter what they paid him.

[jinkies]

This happened to my H to some degree, although he's in a trade.

He reached about as high as he could go as an employee, so the next logical step seemed to be to start his own business. Because PROGRESS.

He's really, really good at his trade. He's smart and honest and hardworking. His customers loved him-- word of mouth was so good that he never really advertised at all. He was really successful.

But. Being a business owner brought on all kinds of new work that he HATED. Chasing down customers for money, answering endless phone calls, bidding jobs, dealing with those customers who are just never happy, negotiating with supply houses all made him miserable.

He reached a point where in order to continue, he would have had to hire employees, which would have brought its own sort of misery.

He opted to close his business and return to working as an employee of another company, doing just the work he's good at and enjoys.

It felt awkward to explain, though, and I know I sounded defensive trying to explain that he really was successful, it just wasn't for him.

[penguingrrl]

One of the biggest things that appealed t H about his new company is that they don't have a policy of either be promoted to manager and not do what you love or stagnate. They let people find their niche and you will continue getting reasonable raises and progressing in your field without necessarily having to move away from the work you enjoy and excel at. He is very happy about that.

Although I'm curious about the fact that wealthier drinking more is brought in. I wonder how much of that is due to stress and how much is related to having or not having a disposable income to spend on alcohol. I was a glass of wine a night drinker until H was in Grad school and we couldn't afford it. I didn't get to do that again until last year when H got the visiting prof job and we finally had income we could spend that way.

[marriedfilingjoint]

This is a huge problem in public accounting. Once you make senior manager, you're no longer an accountant, you're a salesman /woman.

I went to high school with a girl who is now a mermaid in Vegas. I don't know if mermaids get promoted.

[marriedfilingjoint]

Sept 14, 2015 14:42:09 GMT -5 penguingrrl said:

One of the biggest things that appealed t H about his new company is that they don't have a policy of either be promoted to manager and not do what you love or stagnate. They let people find their niche and you will continue getting reasonable raises and progressing in your field without necessarily having to move away from the work you enjoy and excel at. He is very happy about that.

Although I'm curious about the fact that wealthier drinking more is brought in. I wonder how much of that is due to stress and how much is related to having or not having a disposable income to spend on alcohol. I was a glass of wine a night drinker until H was in Grad school and we couldn't afford it. I didn't get to do that again until last year when H got the visiting prof job and we finally had income we could spend that way.

This

[marriedfilingjoint]

Sept 14, 2015 14:48:49 GMT -5 @vicmo said:

Sept 14, 2015 14:43:27 GMT -5 marriedfilingjoint said:

This is a huge problem in public accounting. Once you make senior manager, you're no longer an accountant, you're a salesman /woman.

Yes. I know a lot of very capable accountants who were pushed out of firms because they were really good at doing the work but mediocre at selling. It seems crazy to me because you need to DO the work you've pitched, but maybe that's why I'm in industry now.

Preach.  I left the Big 4 for a smaller firm.  There is still some selling but my day to day work is 80-90% technical.

[pitta12]

Sept 14, 2015 14:48:49 GMT -5 @vicmo said:

Sept 14, 2015 14:43:27 GMT -5 marriedfilingjoint said:

This is a huge problem in public accounting. Once you make senior manager, you're no longer an accountant, you're a salesman /woman.

Yes. I know a lot of very capable accountants who were pushed out of firms because they were really good at doing the work but mediocre at selling. It seems crazy to me because you need to DO the work you've pitched, but maybe that's why I'm in industry now.

This is true in consulting as well and I'm currently stuck in this conundrum.  If I move to the next level I will be basically sales and very little hands-on client work and that means doing more of what I don't like and virtually none of what I do like so....trying to figure out what's next for me.

[summer]

Aaand everyone shouldn't be a manager. Actually, a LOT of people should never be managers. I never understood why you couldn't just give someone a raise for good work instead of always needing to promote people.

I really really have a thing against the constant need for progress in all areas of life. Sometimes things are fine. Let's just stay here and be fine.

[bugandbibs]

I have constantly turned down promotions for the last five years. I have no desire to give up patient care and increase my paperwork and meetings. I would burnout.

It's something MH and I fight about in regards to his job. He thinks he has to continually climb the ladder even if he doesn't want the end "goal" job.

[ttt]

Sept 14, 2015 15:09:08 GMT -5 summer said:

Aaand everyone shouldn't be a manager. Actually, a LOT of people should never be managers. I never understood why you couldn't just give someone a raise for good work instead of always needing to promote people.

I really really have a thing against the constant need for progress in all areas of life. Sometimes things are fine. Let's just stay here and be fine.

YES. Managing is its own separate skill. Just because you're good at something doesn't mean you're a good manager of people who do that thing.

It's like teaching - just because you're good at X doesn't mean you're a good teacher of X. Teaching is its own skill.

[zoidberg]

I am in my bliss zone, but I also drink a lot. Drinking is both fun and delicious.

[mrspez07]

This is exactly why I left a company after 12 years. I loved the people I worked with, but I had/have no interest in rainmaking for the company and ending up like my boss who worked all the time and didn't see much of her kids. I tried doing my own thing and had decent luck, except for promoting my services.
I am starting a new job soon where I hope I can just be a good solid employee and do work I enjoy enough. That is until/if I feel like moving up in status and management.
I was so frustrated with my job search this summer, because I had too many years of experience for any jobs (and I'm guessing companies saw $ signs). I was often lamenting that I just wanted to be a good, solid, reliable employee for someone.

[Deleted]

I have been with my company for 12 years. They have asked me before if I have any interest in head office work.
No way. Nobody likes the people at head office. Not even the other people at head office. It's all sales and numbers. I work in health care. No thanks.
Also the higher up that you are, the more pressure. And definitely the more firings.
I have seen 3-4 pharmacists go to head office and after 1-2 years are back in stores because they were miserable.