Um, this is for those of you that hold a full time job/career.
How do you deal with all the pressures from your work? Currently I hold a full time job as a marketing consultant, at an investment banking conglomerate, and the job pays very well. On top of that my current job is providing me with a corporate housing, complete with air conditioning and a T3 connection to the internet, at a monthly rent of $40.
But it turns out that, as is with everything in modern life, everything good comes with an equally negative cost. Our marketing consultant department only has 10 staffs to handle all of our clients, who generated over 90 million dollars in revenue last year. Consequently, I feel that our office is WAY understaffed, and that too much is expected out of each one of us to keep the business rolling.
This nagging problem of not having enough people to work for us results in ridiculous work hours that are demanded from everybody at the office. Every morning Ifm at the office by 8am, and Ifm usually in office until 10-11pm. During the office hours it gets so hectic 3 hours seem like 1. And there is a general air of hostility at our office because everybodyfs at an extremely tense state of mentality. Itfs a competitive job to work for, and every one of my colleague is always on the lookout for something to bitch at, somebody to look down upon. Itfs such a race throughout the whole day by the time I get back home Ifm completely drained.
Ifve tried to stay strong through 3 years of this, and experience Ifve gained from working here has definitely made me stronger. But Ifve come to a point where Ifm really starting to wonder if this is all worth it. Ifm tired of battling my way through a hostile bureaucracy of this company just to get a simple point across. Ifve overdosed. I want to quit. But I canft. I need to get my bills paid, and to be honest, I donft want to disappoint my parents. I know this sounds ridiculous but for me itfs a reality. When I first landed on this job my parents were so joyous they went on to brag about it all to my relatives and neighbors, and I canft even begin to imagine what it would mean to them if I just called it quits.
I am wondering if anybody out there on this forumfs been through a similar situation with workc how do you deal with the stress? Any help or thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.
mazznyc
03-25-2003, 09:52 AM
Welcome to the world of work. This is the reality of the situation. All across corporate America, people are being asked to work more for less $$$. Thats a result of the bad economy we've had for a while.
Its fine for u to feel that way. Alot of people do. Its only natural. At this stage of the game, you just gotta keep ur head down and keep on going. Just be glad for what u got and look forward to better days ahead. Thats my advice.
kimberly
03-25-2003, 10:31 AM
i put in some pretty insane hours but....i'm a wacko cuz i thrive on stress.
my advice? get urself a few hours of dancing each week and take it out on the dancefloor :D works for me usually. just don't give up hope.....have u tried talking to ur bosses? are ur hours liek this all year? or only during certain busy seasons? and where do u work anyway?
DeeJayJazz
03-25-2003, 11:02 AM
thanks mazzy, I try to stay positive but the truth is that my situation is swallowing me alive...Everyone at the office is just so driven and thorny. I feel as though at my workplace everyone's working against each other when in reality we're supposed to be working as a team. It's such a battle to stay on top of my shit and not let them diss me, if that makes any sesnse.
At this point I have so little time for myself it feels like I'm making money not to make a living, but to live so I can return to the office next morning. bah
Doge
03-25-2003, 11:16 AM
i work for a consulting firm too and i definitely feel your pain. they dangle that carrot in front of you expecting you to give your life up so that "one day" you'll be set. in the meantime, you're missing out on what's left of your young adult life. it's just another example of the grass being greener. i'm sure everyone has their friends who are out all the time partying, but chances are they feel like they should be doing something more productive when they hear about people working 60 and 70 hour weeks.
it sux that people w/in your company battle constantly, b/c as greuling as my job is, it's the people i work with that keep me here. is there anything you can personally do to improve the moral there?.. or is it just too nasty b/c people are just trying to get by and don't have the energy to even be civil to one another?..
DeeJayJazz
03-25-2003, 11:29 AM
Originally posted by kimberly
i put in some pretty insane hours but....i'm a wacko cuz i thrive on stress.
my advice? get urself a few hours of dancing each week and take it out on the dancefloor :D works for me usually. just don't give up hope.....have u tried talking to ur bosses? are ur hours liek this all year? or only during certain busy seasons? and where do u work anyway?
Yeah i thought i was the type that thrived on stress back in the days of college... I double majored and during junior and senior year I lived on 5-6 hour sleeps and got my shit done.
I enjoy (or used to anyways) dancing and goin out to bars on weekends but nowadays I'm busy catching up with my g/f and sleep.
Talk to my boss? I don't think so...He's DEFINITELY not the type to understand. If there's ONE thing that all of my colleagues agree upon, is that my boss is full of shit. He's our common enemy.
My hours are like that 80% of the time. I'd consider myself EXTREMELY lucky if I got to leave the office before 9, cause it doesn't happen much. On busy seasons when I'm handling more then 4 projects I leave the office around 1am.
I just don't feel comfortable stating the name of the company I work for, just cause I'm bitching about it on this thread. But in terms of what we do here's a quote from our annual statement " The firm is a leader in investment banking, asset management,private equity, custody and transaction services, middle market financial services, and e-finance." Our company's total (consolidated world wide) revenue for the fiscal year of 2002 = 29,614 million.
Andrew Thomas
03-25-2003, 11:34 AM
i dont work but if u have a nice job for me ill start lololol
mazznyc
03-25-2003, 11:46 AM
Originally posted by DeeJayJazz
thanks mazzy, I try to stay positive but the truth is that my situation is swallowing me alive...Everyone at the office is just so driven and thorny. I feel as though at my workplace everyone's working against each other when in reality we're supposed to be working as a team. It's such a battle to stay on top of my shit and not let them diss me, if that makes any sesnse.
At this point I have so little time for myself it feels like I'm making money not to make a living, but to live so I can return to the office next morning. bah
rent the movie Officespace. that should help u greatly. Im assuming that you just graduated from school recently. just keep ur shit together. Pay Attention!!! Iknow exactly what ur talkin about. right now it feels like work is killing you, and maybe it is. it gets easier with time.
The best advice I can give you is, always admit when ur wrong. and always ask questions. And as hard as it is sometimes...you just gotta let the BS bounce off of you.
Laugh at people and thier pettiness.
mazznyc
03-25-2003, 11:53 AM
Originally posted by DeeJayJazz
I just don't feel comfortable stating the name of the company I work for, just cause I'm bitching about it on this thread. But in terms of what we do here's a quote from our annual statement " The firm is a leader in investment banking, asset management,private equity, custody and transaction services, middle market financial services, and e-finance." Our company's total (consolidated world wide) revenue for the fiscal year of 2002 = 29,614 million.
Im gonna guess CSFB.
DeeJayJazz
03-25-2003, 11:53 AM
Originally posted by dogekid
i work for a consulting firm too and i definitely feel your pain. they dangle that carrot in front of you expecting you to give your life up so that "one day" you'll be set. in the meantime, you're missing out on what's left of your young adult life. it's just another example of the grass being greener. i'm sure everyone has their friends who are out all the time partying, but chances are they feel like they should be doing something more productive when they hear about people working 60 and 70 hour weeks.
it sux that people w/in your company battle constantly, b/c as greuling as my job is, it's the people i work with that keep me here. is there anything you can personally do to improve the moral there?.. or is it just too nasty b/c people are just trying to get by and don't have the energy to even be civil to one another?..
Yeah I couldn't have said it better myself about them dangling that carrot.
In terms of me being able to do something to boost the moral of the workplace, I've given up. Back in the days of college whenever my classmates and I had to get into groups and get shit done (ie presentation) humor has always been an integral part of an accomplishment.
But at my job it's more a sarcasm then a humor, and everybody's so busy looking out for themselves the idea of teamwork exists among very few of us. There are ALOT of jealous people here too and I've been chewed out by my boss once when a colleague of mine saw me asking for a help to my female colleague with my report...he told on my boss! will you believe that?!?
DeeJayJazz
03-25-2003, 12:05 PM
Originally posted by mazznyc
Im gonna guess CSFB.
naw naw naw man quit guessin! :embarasse
btw thanks for the suggestion on Officespace, I'll look into it. Thanks for your advice too, I try but it's alot easier said then done.
Regarding about when I finished school, I graduated from university 3 years ago, so this is my third year working. Not that recent, but out of the 10 marketing consultants that work in my dept I'm the youngest.
kimberly
03-25-2003, 12:24 PM
Originally posted by mazznyc
Im gonna guess CSFB.
i used to work for them :D
deejayjazz......u actually got me beat on the hours u put in! congrats dude :silly: it sux but, does it pay off? financially? emotionally(rewarding)? mentally(challenging!)?
i know for me, the 2 most important things are that my mind is kept busy and constantly challenged. i'm prone to migraines and i know why...i liek to werq til my head is ready to explode! seriuosly....but, wacko that i am, i love it.
i feel u on the trying to catch up with ur girl and regain some sanity on weekends....it's rough. i won't try and guess who u work for but i have some ideas in my head. names aren't necessary, i can relate. i work for a small investment advisor. we deal with 'high not worth individuals', i'll leave it at that.
it does sound like u've got a good rapport with ur coworkers and that makes a world of difference. i guess u've gotta weigh out the good vs bad and see what, if anything, u can alter to make the good side heavier?
and, definitely keep that head up. i know how it feels to feel like u're being crushed by what's on ur desk and sometimes i just wanna walk away but, then i think of how bored i'd be with just a mundane 9-5(no offense to anyone, just not my stylo). for some people, overwhelming is a way of life... :TEETH
kimberly
03-25-2003, 12:25 PM
ps, the only reason i didn't finish grad school is cuz i keep taking jobs that require too much of my time and working is just too fun. i think i need to be medicated :flickTong
oh, and nevermind my typos, it's tax season dammiT!
SMOKEE
03-25-2003, 12:48 PM
If you're not happy...get a new job! You can't concern yourself with what others are going to think (friends, family). The ONLY person in this life that can make you happy is YOU!!!
Corporate america is stressful...always will be...but when the stress outweighs the positives, it's time to move on.
SMOKEE
PS - The average person has 3 major career moves in his/her life.
DeeJayJazz
03-25-2003, 12:56 PM
Originally posted by kimberly
i used to work for them :D
deejayjazz......u actually got me beat on the hours u put in! congrats dude :silly: it sux but, does it pay off? financially? emotionally(rewarding)? mentally(challenging!)?
i know for me, the 2 most important things are that my mind is kept busy and constantly challenged. i'm prone to migraines and i know why...i liek to werq til my head is ready to explode! seriuosly....but, wacko that i am, i love it.
i feel u on the trying to catch up with ur girl and regain some sanity on weekends....it's rough. i won't try and guess who u work for but i have some ideas in my head. names aren't necessary, i can relate. i work for a small investment advisor. we deal with 'high not worth individuals', i'll leave it at that.
it does sound like u've got a good rapport with ur coworkers and that makes a world of difference. i guess u've gotta weigh out the good vs bad and see what, if anything, u can alter to make the good side heavier?
yeah the work in it of itself is great. it's challenging, and when I pursue an idea and it ends up wowing the client it's a grand feeling. Another great thing about working here is that, as much as much as I despise some of the colleagues for their sheer inability to carry on a normal working relationship, they ALL are talented one way or the other.
It's certainly stimulating to see their skills put in action, wether it be seeing them do flawless presentations or seeing them do an on-the-fly analysis/breakdowns. They all have skills in areas that I could learn from, and working with them/hearing their thoughts gives me an insight to their thought processes... it's definitely a positive learning experience.
But like I said, it's the stress that comes as a result of my work. It's an overload, and right now I'm lost as what I could do to improve this situation...I can't go on like this much longer.
kimberly
03-25-2003, 02:39 PM
Originally posted by DeeJayJazz
yeah the work in it of itself is great. it's challenging, and when I pursue an idea and it ends up wowing the client it's a grand feeling. Another great thing about working here is that, as much as much as I despise some of the colleagues for their sheer inability to carry on a normal working relationship, they ALL are talented one way or the other.
It's certainly stimulating to see their skills put in action, wether it be seeing them do flawless presentations or seeing them do an on-the-fly analysis/breakdowns. They all have skills in areas that I could learn from, and working with them/hearing their thoughts gives me an insight to their thought processes... it's definitely a positive learning experience.
But like I said, it's the stress that comes as a result of my work. It's an overload, and right now I'm lost as what I could do to improve this situation...I can't go on like this much longer.
one thing u gotta try and keep in mind? u can't do it all in one shot. u can try but u'll only burn urself out. sometimes, even if it seems unfathomable, u need to take a step back for a few minutes. ;) like telepopmusik says 'just breathe'!
the work will be there in 5 minutes. something so insignificant as a literal 5 minute walk around the block can make a world of difference and it'll wake up ur brain while clearing ur mind. try it, it's worth a shot.
no matter what, try not to be ur worst enemy if u know what i mean. i find i put more pressure on me than my boss does a lot of times...erf!