REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

RollingStone · 05-03-2010, 04:22 PM

Hey guys,

Have any of you guys worked 7 days a week or 60+ hour weeks continuously? What was your experience like? Is it possible to have a healthy social life working this much? Thanks!

chinesespareribs · 05-03-2010, 04:46 PM

I've done this when I was 22 years old for about a year and half, after that I bought my first condo where my friends where still living at home. Didn't have a life but didn't care as I had my own place and invited any girl I wanted to come over...

jackmeister · 05-03-2010, 04:55 PM

if you're young, you should be busting your ass off 24/7 to make money and try to advance your career in any way possible.

what kind of job are you looking at?

bcrdukes · 05-03-2010, 05:09 PM

I used to work 7 days a week, 12 to 16 hours a day for an entire year and a half. There were times where I would work for 36 hours straight with maybe a 2 hour nap in between.

You have to weigh out the pros and cons and at the same time, figure out whether or not if this will be good for your career (inside or outside of the compnay) while at the same time, protecting yourself from employer abuse whether you are young or not.

Will I ever do it again? Nope.
Was it worth it? Nope.

YMMV.

barcode · 05-03-2010, 05:18 PM

its a norm to work 7 days a week. i do it and have been doing it for 4 years now.

RollingStone · 05-03-2010, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackmeister

if you're young, you should be busting your ass off 24/7 to make money and try to advance your career in any way possible.

what kind of job are you looking at?

Thanks for the reply guys!

I am in the process of starting my first business. I am not sure if scared is the right word but I don't know if I can work this much (7 day work week is a must for my chosen vocation) without losing my sanity. I also feel that there won't be any time left to meet new people, which is really important to me. But I also feel its something I really need to do.

Does it get easier over time? Or do you just become a robot?

barcode · 05-03-2010, 06:10 PM

well its different when you own your business. it will be harder for you and yes you will work longer hours

RunningFree · 05-03-2010, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RollingStone

Thanks for the reply guys!

I am in the process of starting my first business. I am not sure if scared is the right word but I don't know if I can work this much (7 day work week is a must for my chosen vocation) without losing my sanity. I also feel that there won't be any time left to meet new people, which is really important to me. But I also feel its something I really need to do.

Does it get easier over time? Or do you just become a robot?

Interesting thread... here's what I've learned from my experience:

- Working insane hours can be both a rewarding/enriching experience and also the worst time of your life.

It's partly a matter of perspective, but beyond that, it's dependent on what you're doing. Working for someone else for that many hours takes a specific person to be able to do it... the type that can just not think about it and do it... incidentally, it's also the type of person that makes a good soldier.

Working at those hours for yourself could be both depressing as well as rewarding; again, matter of perspective. The danger's of entrepreneurship is that unlike school or being employed, there's no one breathing down your neck to ensure that what you need to do, gets done. As much most people hate that, it keeps them in-line/motivated (however you see it)... when you work for yourself, it's way too easy to spiral out of control or end up in the deep end with no one to help or a way out.

What I would suggest for you is to find someone to act as a mentor (if you haven't done so already). People who have entrepreneurial experience are priceless, and if you're already friends with them, they'll divulge what sort of situations you're likely to encounter, and how they overcame the problem. More importantly, they'll act as a sounding board and a source of support and encouragement.

I'm also exploring the idea of "becoming your own boss", and I can tell you, it's not as easy as one would think. You're going to work terrible hours, even if you're not at your business, you'll be constantly thinking about your business, so make sure it's something you want to commit to f/t for a very long time.

If you'd like, drop me a PM and we can trade notes or I'll try my best to give some outside advice on what it is you're going for.

Ulic Qel-Droma · 05-04-2010, 10:54 AM

lol work smart, not hard. but sometimes you have to work hard, to know how to work smart.

LiquidTurbo · 05-04-2010, 11:56 AM

Try your best to stop trading your time for money.. and instead, using your money to help you make money.. (while supplementing with a little trading time for money.)

Z3guy · 05-04-2010, 12:59 PM

you only work crazy hours when you are young...once family sets in, your priorities will shift....if you don't come from an affluent family, you gotta work hard and long....nothing replaces smart hard work.....only work long hard hrs if there is a carrot at the end....

InvisibleSoul · 05-04-2010, 01:38 PM

Work to live.

Don't live to work.

waddy41 · 05-07-2010, 06:53 AM

Hey how old are you? Did you find a place to open your store?

I used to work 6 days a week - avg 10-12 hours a day + taking 2-3 courses...and I was fine...
But as I got older I noticed that I couldn't handle that amount as well...
Also, as I got older other things became more important than making money...ie. health, knowledge, personal down time...
However it's different if you have your own business...you're more motivated to work I guess..

TheSalesman · 05-07-2010, 11:45 AM

I used to work monday - friday 7am - 6pm and then saturday 9am - 6pm.
It was fine. It really depends on the work it is but those are pretty decent hours. After work, I can still go out but just not too late. I did have some freedom at work though because I could run errands at work.

twitchyzero · 05-07-2010, 08:44 PM

anything over 6 days a week over 60 hours a week is excessive imo

Alby · 05-09-2010, 11:50 PM

I work on average 55 hours a week from 2 jobs. I work a 7.5 hour shift on mon tues and fri. I pull 12.5 hour shifts on weds and thurs and sun can vary from 4 to 7 hours. I do what I need to do on mon tues and fri after work and chill and meet up with buds on the saturday where I am truly off. I'm used it it as I have been doing this a while now. Social life suffers a bit but you have to weigh the pros and cons for yourself. I compromise here and there to make the best out of it.
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tool001 · 05-10-2010, 10:49 AM

3-4 years ago, i had a full time job, and 2 part time jobs, 5 days i was working 2 jobs, and rest i was at my part time job... eventually decided fuck this, quit all 3 jobs and got
1 job that paid me more.

instead of working so much, put effort in developing your career, that would be more fruitfull...

Gh0stRider · 05-10-2010, 11:19 AM

Just finished from working out of town for 10 days. Even after that i didnt think it was worth it. I cant imagine doing that consistently.

q0192837465 · 05-10-2010, 04:00 PM

As you age you simply can't do it anymore.

Instead of working at a warehouse for 7 days at $14/hr, find a career that lets you work 5 days at $20/hr. You'll end up making more & working less.

FerrariEnzo · 05-10-2010, 07:06 PM

but becareful.. all your hard work will just get taken away by the government...

just make sure you have money at the end of the year to buy RRSP, so you dnt have to give it all to the government without getting anything back

tool001 · 05-10-2010, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FerrariEnzo

but becareful.. all your hard work will just get taken away by the government...

just make sure you have money at the end of the year to buy RRSP, so you dnt have to give it all to the government without getting anything back

meh, gov. takes it regardless. if not now, when u cash in those RRSP.
but yeh, save tax for now.