Do You Work for The Money or Do You Love Your Job?

Trying2SaveABuck on 25/04/2020 - 01:21
Last edited 25/04/2020 - 06:04

So another lucky individual won around 23.6 million on Thursday night - now i shamefully admit i pay the 'idiot' tax that is the lotto in the hope that one day i can quit my job knowing financial security awaits

So this poll is a simple question do you only work your (current) job for the money or do you love what you do? - i hand on heart can say i DONT love my job and i loath my workplace and its toxic work culture but I appreciate in this economy im lucky to have a job but i cant help but feel like im simply going to spend the rest of the best years of my life working never really being able to break free of the 40+ hour week that consumes my life…

Poll Options

  • 126
    Yes - i work for the money if i had the financial freedom i would of quit
  • 55
    On the fence - i dont love my job, but there are parts of it i like i dont just work for the money
  • 23
    No - I love my job leave even if i won the lotto i'd work there
Education & Work

Comments

  • trustnoone on 25/04/2020 - 01:56
    +6

    Apologies for being a stickler mate, but your poll nearly tricked me, the header question is:

    Do you love your job?

    And then when you click in, you expect to click yes or no, but instead, your yes or no feels the opposite? Still though interested to hear the replies, because by gawd if I won the lotto right now I honestly don't think I'll be back on Monday. I definitely echo what you have above, it legit is how I feel right now.

    • Mechz on 25/04/2020 - 02:46
      +3

      Yeah those poll options are flat out bait and switch.

  • Gnostikos on 25/04/2020 - 03:00
    +25

    It's rarely the job itself that makes or breaks my opinion of it; it's the people around you.

    I've worked menial, manual labour jobs that were filthy and physically-gruelling but I was surrounded by teams that were nothing but down-to-earth, free of petty politics or massive insecurities/egos and above all else, laid back. I have nothing but good memories about those roles.

    On the other hand, the white-collar roles like the one I'm in now are rife with high school-level cliques, feuds, backstabbing and popularity contests to the point that I'm genuinely amazed at how the corporate world ever manages to turn a profit with so much wasted productivity and bureaucracy.

    No job exists in a vacuum that's free of other's perceptions, judgements and competition. You could be the next Clapton, Jordan, Senna or Spielberg; you're going to be under a mountain of pressure to perform, far more so than Frank from accounting who has a pile of invoices to get through.

    This idea of a "dream job" that the average 9-5 worker aspires to one day find, is just another trap to condition ourselves to accept suffering in the present for some kind of salvation in the future. It's very similiar to the premise the Abrahamic religions are founded upon: pain and suffering now, reward in the afterlife; trust me, I'm God the boss. Of course, when we're retired and/or dead, it's a little too late to realise we were being duped all along.

    • Trying2SaveABuck on 25/04/2020 - 06:14
      +4

      I do agree with this my 1st ever hob I had stacking selves at Coles was rightfully boring and not well paid but i was 15 and working with a group of boys I had a laugh with and of course a few cute girls made it a fun job.

      I now I'm in a white collar job in a female dominated work space (which I'm not sure if it is because it is female dominated) but is almost like high school gossip, bitching, cliques etc I think the thing I hate most about my work place is the toxic culture and it is essential a popularity contest to get promoted it has nothing to do with actually being a good worker.. prob doesn't help our management team could be replaced by monkeys and you wouldn't tell the difference

      I do agree it is the ppl that make the place

  • tomleonhart on 25/04/2020 - 03:08
    +2

    I love my job. However I no longer have a job. Sigh.

  • Nugs on 25/04/2020 - 07:26
    +1

    As a home husband, I absolutely love my job.
    I also enjoyed my previous paid employment, but a windfall would see me not working.
    .

  • Muzeeb on 25/04/2020 - 07:30
    -2

    Need another poll option:

    I don't like all the lower case I's in the other poll options.

  • TheBilly on 25/04/2020 - 07:46
    +1

    I loved my job, then I hated it for a while, then I started to love it again. I have met alot of very wealthy people and rarely have I seen somebody just up and stop doing something because they have alot of money. The wealthier people tend to work more and have alot more stress. For example; once you employ people you have to keep your business moving because it's not just about you now, you will affect others lives as well if your business fails.

    If I became wealthy I would just do what I do but maybe take 2 months off scattered throughout the year to travel a bit and spend time with my kids. Financial wealth would just change when I travel, instead of looking for a deal, I'll just pay the asking price in peak season and go when I want.

  • onetwothreefour on 25/04/2020 - 07:52
    +3

    As far as places to wotk go mines pretty good and I'm glad I work there, however if I won the lotto I'd be out of there pretty quickly because life is short and it's about more than work.

  • [Deactivated] on 25/04/2020 - 08:24

    Both.

    I love my job but I won't do it for free.

    If I needed money, I wouldn't do anything else for it.

    (And as an alternative philosophy to more to life than work, I'd keep working even though I have all the money I could ever want. There is more to life than enjoyment.)

    • Trying2SaveABuck on 25/04/2020 - 11:37

      Well that is kind of the point of what im saying if you won big money would you do your current job still?

      Because i and on heart would be out as soon as the money hit my account.

      • [Deactivated] on 25/04/2020 - 12:03

        Well that is kind of the point of what im saying if you won big money would you do your current job still?

        Yes.

        Life without purpose is sad. Life without function is boring.

        • Trying2SaveABuck on 25/04/2020 - 12:06

          Once again the idea isnt you 'wouldnt work' it is just would you do your current roll because you can afford to take risks or retrain, start a business etc

          • [Deactivated] on 25/04/2020 - 12:19

            @Trying2SaveABuck: I'd do what I do because I'm good at it and I enjoy it but I'll do so in a smaller capacity.

            I'll use the time I've freed up to retrain in a few other fields I think are essential to life.

  • pegaxs on 25/04/2020 - 09:24

    I do my job because I love doing it. I tend to find that throughout my live, I have enjoyed every job I have had, it’s the employer that can be the real issue. Can have a job you love and a boss you hate and that will end up making you hate your job. But I’ve had jobs I hate but a fantastic boss, and that has made all the difference in wanting to continue doing something that I didn’t really like doing.

    And FWIW, if you did win the lottery, the chances are that you would be back to who you were pre-lottery is pretty high. A lot of lottery winners end up right back where they started prior to winning the massive pot of money.

  • Quantumcat on 25/04/2020 - 10:05

    I absolutely love my job, all the people are lovely and there's always something new and challenging to do, projects only last a few months then you're doing something new and learning a new technology and with a different client, and sometimes you're doing two or three projects at once. My work looks after us with random gifts, amazing Christmas parties, overseas trips. If I won the lottery I would keep working definitely, except maybe after each project take an unpaid leave break and travel, or work on a personal side project. So maybe like work 3 - 6 months take a month or two off kind of thing. I'd probably try to keep it secret, pay off mine and my family's and partner's family's mortgages and stick the rest in some kind of very safe investment to dip into the profits of only occasionally.

  • nubzy on 25/04/2020 - 10:30

    You make choices in life, if you decide to have children and want to own a house etc then you will be locked into 9 to 5 life, likely working for someone else, for the next 40 years. For me I can't imagine anything worse. I've always been self employed and whilst I don't earn much I have my freedom, and you cant put a price on that. Spend your money wisely, invest and you can still live a fulfilling life without slaving away 5 days a week for a paycheck.

  • JimmyF on 25/04/2020 - 10:45
    +1

    The old saying of "Do something you love and you will never have to work a day in your life" does apply to some people.

    • Trying2SaveABuck on 25/04/2020 - 11:35

      Of course but in practice it isnt so easy - when your 16-17 and picking what you are going to study or apprenticeship your going to undertake you are basing the decision on your very limited life experience.

      I am a much different person to the one i was when i was 17 (my 1st year of uni) my interests are similar but they have changed and my responsibility is great 100 fold
      I have a large home loan, a wife a child, bills coming etc

      Sure we could always go back study something else I might enjoy more but financially this isnt an option i cant simply stop working to change careers

      I feel like it is a similar sentiment to a number of people in Australia you set your self up for a career and perhaps at first you might even like it as time goes on or the industry changes, the work culture changes or you simply train to do a job and when you get into the job itself it isnt what you thought it was. - however you end up stuck but well like in my case life gets in the way and you essentially 'work for the money'

      • JimmyF on 25/04/2020 - 13:06
        +1

        Of course but in practice it isnt so easy - when your 16-17 and picking what you are going to study or apprenticeship your going to undertake you are basing the decision on your very limited life experience.

        Generally whatever you 'love' to do when your 16-17 is what you'll to love to do when you're older. Or at least for me that was the case.

        You even said so yourself

        when i was 17 (my 1st year of uni) my interests are similar

        So why didn't you follow these similar interests?

        my responsibility is great 100 fold. I have a large home loan, a wife a child, bills coming etc

        and? just because you like something, doesn't mean it doesn't pay well. My responsibility at work is massive, we all need a place to sleep, have bills and rugrats to feed.

        however you end up stuck but well like in my case life gets in the way and you essentially 'work for the money'

        I've seen endless threads on here and WP about people wanting to change career to xyz as that pays really well, they have no interest in that line of work, other than the money. Then there is always the endless threads about people who have become accountants for example and hate the work and want to change to something else, again that they have no interest in, but pays well.

        All I can say, is it is a bloody long day in a 8 hour job when you hate every second of it, vs a job you enjoy, it just flies by.

        • Trying2SaveABuck on 25/04/2020 - 14:00
          +1

          That is fair enough and it good to hear that there are people that love there job!

          • JimmyF on 25/04/2020 - 14:37

            @Trying2SaveABuck: yeah I'm guessing I'm not the norm, but the dream of doing what you enjoy can be found for some.

            I guess my point was, if you're going to change careers because you don't like your current one, pick one you semi like at least, otherwise you'll be doing it all over again in 5 years time.

  • CyberMurning on 25/04/2020 - 10:51
    +2

    Q: Do You Work for the money or do you love your job?

    A: i work for the job because i love money.

  • fossilfuel on 25/04/2020 - 11:40
    +1

    I think it mostly depends on your workplace culture. Regardless of what job you do, if it's a supportive and fun environment, then you'll love it. If it's toxic, whether it be management or the people, then you'll hate it.

    I love my current job. Most of my workplaces have been really good so far. But I've also worked at places where I dreaded going in.

  • jeeby on 25/04/2020 - 11:58

    As a teacher, I love my job. I love being in the classroom and watching the kids grow. However, a teacher's work is never 9-3. There is a lot of admin paperwork to the job, which we take home. With that being said, we do get paid during our holidays so it balances out in a way. If i won the lottery, I would still keep my job. However, I would be interested in finding other means of income which could take the pressure off working. For example, starting a small business or real estate. I would love to have an income without having to physically work every day.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 25/04/2020 - 12:07
    +2

    My first career was for the money, the industry paid well, my employer paid very well, I was very good at it, but I hated my employer and despised the industry as a whole.

    I jumped ship and started my current career in an industry I'm very passionate about. Money is no longer a real factor. It's just a bonus that after some time I've managed to now be paid more than my first career.

  • AmandaG on 25/04/2020 - 12:26
    +1

    If i won <5 million dollars i would tell my boss to go jump the day the money hits my account but until then im am slave to the system

    • Quantumcat on 26/04/2020 - 11:02

      So if you won $1 you would tell your boss to go jump? That is than 5 million dollars :-p

      • AmandaG on 28/04/2020 - 18:59

        It was meant to be >5million

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 25/04/2020 - 12:51
    +1

    I have been taught that a JOB means Just Over Broke. This is where you trade your very precious time for money. Most of us have to trade our time for money but the more reliant we are in money, the less living we do. There are thousands of people out there that would love (y)our life yet most of us hate (y)our lives. I am moving away from wanting things to needing things but it is hard in a world dominated by spending and who has what. I have had a blessed 39 years so far, travelled the world many times over, lived amazing, enjoyed lots of experiences, visited places where many just dream of and have it on their bucket list. Is my current job trading my precious time for money? I think it is. Do I like my job enough? It has it's pros and cons but I do know that I am making a difference. Is that difference enough for me to stay if I had a spare $10M? Probably not.

    • ihbh on 26/04/2020 - 14:14

      Be careful of the Just Over Broke crowd, telling you to use your credit card even if you have no money to upbuy their $50k bootcamp to become wealthier, healthier, happier, etc.

      • TheMindsetTraveller on 26/04/2020 - 20:13

        Indeed, lots of caveats spending $50k out there - and before anyone does, go do a tonne of FREE self development first.

        I think I am alluding to the fact that many of us do things for pursuit of money, if that's one's ultimate goal - great, but there will come a point in life where many will realise time is way more important than money, and that money isn't all that important if one really digs deep and think about it.

        For me, the quickest way to a wealthier, healthier happier life … is just changing how you look at things, and that's free and simple to action today and every day moving forward.

        • ihbh on 26/04/2020 - 20:17

          Agree all points. I had experience with free self devt in my 20s. :)

          • TheMindsetTraveller on 26/04/2020 - 20:54

            @ihbh: Cool, my first self development was seeing Tony Robbins in Sydney for a three day course back in 1997. I was only 17 and I still remember the course cost $695 - that was a decent amount of money for any teenager then. My father thought this course was some weird cult.

  • OldBugger on 25/04/2020 - 14:18
    +2

    I won the lotto, the day I married my beautiful wife.

    Which is why I love my job irrespective of it's long hours away from home.

    • [Deactivated] on 25/04/2020 - 17:41
      +1

      I won the lotto, the day I married my beautiful wife.
      Which is why I love my job because of it's long hours away from home.

      Here you go, I've fixed it for you ;)

      p.s: Congrats on the marital bliss :)

      • OldBugger on 25/04/2020 - 17:56
        +1

        Yes, it is bliss… well for now at least. My work tried to force me into early retirement recently due to company budget constraints. Said I can then spend more time at home. I now work for them unpaid full time.

  • Geekomatic on 25/04/2020 - 16:22

    "Yes - i work for the money if i had the financial freedom i would of quit"

    "…would have quit".

    ;)

  • [Deactivated] on 25/04/2020 - 17:32
    +1

    My job is a little boy's dream come true ; my dream come true :D I have always felt the stars pulling at my hair and I would look up and wonder about them. I got paid to get up close and personal with them- what more could I want? I also got to travel the world, learned to fly, made new discoveries, picked up several languages and made lifelong friends. I took a round-about way to get to where I am today but I can genuinely say that I've enjoyed almost every minute of it. I work with like-minded individuals, some of whom have helped me so much on my journey that I consider them more like family than just colleagues or mentors. I also get paid well , more than the 20 year old me could have ever wrapped his head around, but I can honestly say , that I would still go to work everyday even if I wasn't getting paid for it.

    I did sign a deal with the devil to get that job though. My employment contract comes with an iron-clad restraint of trade clause. In effect, it means that if I leave my employer, I won't be able to work in my current field for up to 48 months. And I'm leaving my employer :( I'm leaving to move to Paradise Island. So I'm going back to uni to retrain and I'm sad that chapter of my life is almost over.

    • Trying2SaveABuck on 25/04/2020 - 17:47
      +1

      If you being serious i honestly im happy to hear it sounds like you chased your dreams and hit the target i envy you but am happy for you, good on you Jar Jar :)

    • ihbh on 26/04/2020 - 14:19

      JJB, do you need to go back to uni to retrain or can you do MOOCs etc? Is it a significant change in direction?

      • [Deactivated] on 26/04/2020 - 14:54

        Is it a significant change in direction?

        From space science to either music therapy (18 mths to 2 years) or physio ( possibly 2 yrs , more likely 2.5 years). They both have placement components but I was hoping I can complete some of it online. I would enjoy one more than the other but it doesn't pay as well as the other.

        My employer is subsidising my retraining.I'll only be out-of-pocket if I go the physio way which was never a serious option until COVID hit us.

  • miwahni on 25/04/2020 - 22:58
    +1

    I love my job but it really is the company / management and the people that make it. My previous job was very similar to my current role, in the same industry, and while I loved the work I did, my frustrations with management grew to the point that if I'd stayed a day longer I'd have stabbed someone in the eye with a fork. Possibly a customer. Probably my boss.

    Atmosphere is entirely different at current job. Very forward thinking top management, great people in most managerial roles, and I think I'd continue to work on a part time basis if the lotto win came my way.

  • ihbh on 26/04/2020 - 14:24
    +1

    Thoughts:

    • If you're a bit of a polymath, then just one job is hard get excited about for a long time.
    • Learn and start to invest at an early age and you won't need to win the lottery to achieve early retirement.
    • Trying2SaveABuck on 04/05/2020 - 20:43

      Yes/No - the word investing as ambiguous and the idea of 'early retirement' more so….

      Besides leaving money in the bank no 'investment' is full proof

      I am assuming you mean shares/EFTs/LIC by 'investing' or otherwise 'property'

      i've been investing in shares for almost 8 years and property for 6 i have always thought like you did until COVID19 hit and realise that there is no full proof way to get rich without luck you

      I know people who are in there early 60s late 50s were ready to 'throw in the towel' spend the next decade of there life travelling via caravan, cruise ships and fly off around the world these people had north of a million in shares and with a dividend return of over 100k a year (usually between ea couple) ….then COVID19 hit there north of a million is now just south of that - now sure it will bounce back but when? it took 10 years for the share market to get back to pre-GFC levels and if you ask me COVID19 is worse then the GFC for our economy….. If you are in your 60s ready for that sweet retirement 10 years takes you to your 70s you might not be in such a sweet position….

      Your principle is correct but i often hear people talking about investing in xyz and think you only ever hear from people that have invested that made 'big money' never the ones who have lost….

      As for early retirement i dont want to retire i just want financial freedom there is a massive difference

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