I get paid well to do almost nothing.

[Lobsang]

I get paid well to do almost nothing for eight hours a day, five days a week.

That's not as good as it sounds. It means I am in a suicidally boring job and I won't find another one because I'd have to take a pay cut.

In April I might get a pay rise (my new position is probationary with a 'pay review' after six months. I'm in the fifth month) so the wage trap gets worse (Only I, the supreme master of the universe in the art of pesimism, could focus on the downside of earning lots of money)

The lack of anything to do is my own... well... doing. I built the system to run itself and I earned my title of 'Manager' partly for that.

Sometimes I wish I would rather be walking the streets as a beat-bobby, or (more recently since I've aquired a car) become a taxi-driver.

[AHunter3]

I sympathize completely. For the 18 months preceding this last December, I was in the same boat, having built a solid and reliable FileMaker Pro database to run the printing company on, and which to an ever-increasing extent didn't require any additional attention.

I've never been so bored or felt so sidelined in all my employed life.

Finally got a job fo somewhat commensurate pay and took it and now I'm kept busy again.

Do what you need to do, and get out of there.

[Quiddity Glomfuster]

Do what other people do - devote your days to figuring out what your next brilliant idea/business plan will be.

[stretch]

I get paid okay to do work that 3 people used to do (me and two others). Sounds horrible, right? Unfortunately, it only further cements my opinion that most of my co-workers are not necessary because I am doing this work with ample time to lurk on the Dope.

[Hi, Jack]

The thing I'm really bitter about is two of those jobs used to be higher paid. Apparently when those two people were there, we needed a ES3 to do data work and an ES4 to do public involvement. Now that I've picked up the work so nicely, my boss has decided that it really didn't take people in those job classes after all...I can stay a ES2. Granted, I started out as a over-qualifed secretary, and he has re-classed my position three times--but dammit, when I picked up the public involvement work, I should have been re-classed again. Especially since all the other people with my data and public involvement responsibilities in other regions are ES3 or higher. I could definitely use the extra money.

[Bye, Jack]

[HazelNutCoffee]

I used to get paid extremely well to teach 6 hours a day, 4 days a week. I hated it. I taught the same material over and over again, I felt like my brain was seeping out of my ears, and the administrators were only interested in making money, not in education. But the pay was higher than any other job I could find, so I stuck it out until I quit to go to grad school.

After living the life of a poor grad student, I am extremely tempted to go back to that job after I graduate. I have to keep reminding myself how miserable I was at the time. I'm happier now than I was then, but I do miss the money part, I must admit.

[Autolycus]

Lobsang, do you have any artistic talent? This could be a very good opportunity to practice whilst not starving.

[Lobsang]

Do what other people do - devote your days to figuring out what your next brilliant idea/business plan will be.


I already know what my next brilliant idea is...

Write a game, probably a puzzle, probably highly abstract in nature, probably 3d, which people can't put down, will gladly pay good money for, may or may not solve all the world's problems, is better than sex/drugs/things that are better than sex and drugs.


But I have the attention span of a toddler who has somehow ended up learning accounting and the motivation of a person who's lost the use of his legs, arms, eyes, ears, and before losing the use of his ears was told he has about seven minutes to live.

[Lobsang]

Lobsang, do you have any artistic talent? This could be a very good opportunity to practice whilst not starving.

I have a talent for programming but I am the ultimate pesimist (I tell myself every single useful piece of software has, or will be, written by someone else) and see my last post.

I had an interest in 3D art for a while, and the interest is still there somewhere lurking in my brain, but the lack of motivation keeps it lurking. However I'm convinced that there's part of me that can create the most amazing and original thoughtful 3d art. If only I could switch that part on at the right/crucial time.


Also, I feel like there's a novel inside me (but then doesn't everyone)

Or a series of Novels.

[Quiddity Glomfuster]

I already know what my next brilliant idea is...

Write a game, probably a puzzle, probably highly abstract in nature, probably 3d, which people can't put down, will gladly pay good money for, may or may not solve all the world's problems, is better than sex/drugs/things that are better than sex and drugs.


But I have the attention span of a toddler who has somehow ended up learning accounting and the motivation of a person who's lost the use of his legs, arms, eyes, ears, and before losing the use of his ears was told he has about seven minutes to live.
If the latter is true, go get assessed for ADHD. And stay in your job because you'll not fare well many other places.

[Lobsang]

If the latter is true, go get assessed for ADHD. And stay in your job because you'll not fare well many other places.


Normally I'd play down any meanings people would take from my words as an over-reaction to them. The words being meant for effect rather than truth. But in this case I will say that you may have hit the nail on the head.


I have always believed that if I had myself assessed by a psychologist or psychiatrist (a head shrinker) that he would likely be able to pigeon-hole me into one of those well-known 'conditions' such as ADHAD or 'Manic-Depresive' or, just plain 'Depression'

[Revtim]

Also, I feel like there's a novel inside me (but then doesn't everyone)

Or a series of Novels.If you have interest in writing, you don't have to jump into writing a novel. Write short stories, and try to sell them. I recommend reading Stephen King's "On Writing" to hear how beginners go about it.

That's sure as hell what I'd do if I had a lot of free time.

[Vinyl Turnip]

Maybe you should spend your work hours composing a journal on much you hate your job, how stupid your employers are, and how hilarious it is that they pay you for doing so little.

Then when they discover it and fire you, we can have a multi-page thread debating whether your firing was justified and whether your undiagnosed ADD was to blame. It might even make the news!

[Caffeine.addict]

Congratulations. You have found the perfect job. It is a means to an end. If you have hobbies that you are interested in, focus on them. Save your money and go on vacation. Do something fun with the money.

[Tapioca Dextrin]

I get paid well to do almost nothing for eight hours a day, five days a week.

Me too. Except I work 12 hours a day, seven days a week, plus

six months holiday a year

[kaylasdad99]

Sometimes I wish I would rather be walking the streets as a beat-bobby, or (more recently since I've aquired a car) become a taxi-driver.So get yourself a laptop with a reliable Wi-Fi connection, arrange to handle your well-paid duties on a telecommuting basis, get in your car, and start picking up fares...

[Cisco]

I was in a very similar situation for the last 6 months of my last job.

I was a well paid Account Manager working for a firm that had figuratively no business, on an account that had literally no business. From July, 2006-January, 2007 I arrived at work at 7:00, surfed the web until 11:00am, sat in my car and read a book from 11:00am until Noon, went back to my desk and surfed the web from Noon until 4:00pm and then went home. My post count would've been positively Guinastasiaesque had the dope not been blocked at work.

The downside is, well, take a wild guess how that joyride ended (hint: I'm still out of work.)

[Nancarrow]

But I have the attention span of a toddler who has somehow ended up learning accounting and the motivation of a person who's lost the use of his legs, arms, eyes, ears, and before losing the use of his ears was told he has about seven minutes to live.

I have a talent for programming but I am the ultimate pesimist (I tell myself every single useful piece of software has, or will be, written by someone else)


Wow. Excuse the personal question but...

Are you me?



Seriously dude, you have it sweet. You've got the machines to do all the work. I haven't yet reached that stage, but I think the next coupla months will nail it. So unlike me, you can surf the Dope without falling behind in your work! :cool:

[fluiddruid]

I am in pretty much the same position. Boy, is it ever sweet.

At first, I struggled with it, I was bored and restless. I'm about six months in now and I quite like it.

I'm basically the Lonely Maytag Repairman of technical support. I figure that the company is doing something right if I have the easiest job in the house. I come in, respond to a few tickets, check my voice mail, and basically kill time for the rest of the day. Sure, tickets come in, and I respond quickly to them, but basically I have a lot of free time on my hands. If we have an issue generating a lot of support tickets... they fix it. Nice, no?

I feel that I have pretty good job security. They've had someone in this job for years (the last person certainly left of their own accord), they seem to love me, and everyone with the company has been here for quite awhile or has been hired into growth positions recently. It's a tiny company and nobody ever seems to quit. There are great perks, it's a friendly atmosphere, and frankly nobody else wants to deal with customers directly, so I don't think I'm going anywhere. Plus, every so often my job does get very, very busy - albeit for a short time - but most of the time it's pretty mellow.

Fortunately, I have a very easygoing boss, so he puts few restrictions on me as to what I can do with the rest of my time. I read the 'Dope, browse the 'Net, read books, draw, play games ... pretty much whatever.

At first I felt kinda guilty about it. My last job kept me busy... well, beyond busy. It was impossible to get the job done. Here, as long as I get my work done, nobody really seems to mind as long as I don't disturb other people. I also freely take on whatever tasks they ask me to do -- heck, I have the time -- and try to ask if I can take on responsibility for things when possible.

So, I guess everyone kind of wins. Customers get really fast, quality support from a happy tech, I get a job that makes me happy, and the rest of the company keeps getting to do all the things that they do without dealing with support issues. The company is pretty successful and is privately owned, so hopefully I'll be here for a good long while. :)

[picker]

I've got 2.5 jobs that do the exact same thing. The main job is as a touring musician, and we get paid pretty darn well to live out every musicians dream - great road time, big stages, free booze and all the women we could want (were we not all in serious relationships)

My secondary job is as a part time graphic designer/web guy/IT guy for a sign design and fabrication firm here in Madison. I'm part time, and thus can work as little as I need to for touring, but at the same time have the opportunity to work up to 40-50 hours a week if I like. Doesn't hurt that my boss is a big fan of the band...

Most of my time there is alternating between knocking out design requests, updating web pages and tweaking network settings. And surfing the dope.

The .5 of a job is a little bit of freelance design work that I do on my laptop while we're traveling. I'm a pretty strong designer with a good rep, so I get to pick and choose my jobs and I generally only take stuff that really gets me off, aesthetically speaking. It's pretty nice to be able to work on really cool artwork and bill it out while you're stuck in the van heading to the next gig.


All told, I'm pretty happy with my income/workload ratio these days.....

[Khadaji]

I am in a similar situation. I am the manager of a software team. But it rarely requires much management from me.

Any one of my guys would tell you that I'm the best developer on the team. My management knows too that any project I architect and implement will be done more quickly and be more solid than the others.

But my management prefers that I spend my time on managing. They don't want me to be on a critical-path project because I could be called away at any moment to manage.

Mostly I'm there to be the fall-guy on big decisions. My guys mostly know what the right choice is, they just come to me so that someone owns it. If it goes well, I see that they get credit for the choice. If it goes badly, I take ownership. I'm also there as a buffer between my boss and my people. He is a good man but manic and so is pursuing 100 things at once. So I keep him from bothering them so that they can finish one thing at a time.

I'm bored out my mind. Unlike the OP though, I am looking for a job. I can afford to take a 20% pay cut and still be making decent money. I'm actively looking.

[jsgoddess]

It's a tiny company and nobody ever seems to quit. There are great perks, it's a friendly atmosphere, and frankly nobody else wants to deal with customers directly, so I don't think I'm going anywhere. Plus, every so often my job does get very, very busy - albeit for a short time - but most of the time it's pretty mellow.

Wow. This is my life.

If anything goes wrong, it's 100% my responsibility and I'll be the one catching hell, but it happens so rarely that I feel incredibly lucky in my job.

I still don't *like* it, though. It has no fulfillment to it, no challenge, no real potential for learning or growing. Meh.

[SailBunny]

Could you figure out a way to do some sort of free-lance consulting BS from your current job? (No ones gotta know) Then perhaps you could be on the clock doubletime, or at least supplementing your income, while keeping yourself active and engaged.

[Uzi]

Me too. Except I work 12 hours a day, seven days a week, plus

six months holiday a year


Same deal here. Tapioca and I are pretty much neighbours. I spend quite a bit of time twiddling my thumbs waiting to solve the next management issue usually cause by upper level managers who 'know better' and ignore the culture or the circumstances under which we work. Other than acting as this interface (now if I could only figure out a way to apply my cultural learnings to my next job), I spend my time doing some minor administrative stuff, studying, and occasionally teaching (this function will increase quite a bit in the next while).

[TroubleAgain]

That's not as good as it sounds. It means I am in a suicidally boring job and I won't find another one because I'd have to take a pay cut.

In April I might get a pay rise (my new position is probationary with a 'pay review' after six months. I'm in the fifth month) so the wage trap gets worse (Only I, the supreme master of the universe in the art of pesimism, could focus on the downside of earning lots of money)

Where I work, we call this the "Golden Handcuff".

[fluiddruid]

I still don't *like* it, though. It has no fulfillment to it, no challenge, no real potential for learning or growing. Meh.I guess that's the difference. While I have a great deal of time on my hands, I am still learning quite a bit in my job. If it were too easy and I wasn't learning, I'd probably be less motivated. As it is, tickets vary greatly in difficulty so I get to learn more pretty much every day. Just... only for a few minutes a day. ;)

[choie]

Hm. Yeah, I'm sure this is rough. But I must say this thread kinda reminds me of a bit of dialogue from Broadcast News, between William Hurt's sleek newsreader Tom Grunick and Albert Brooks's smart correspondent Aaron Altman:

Tom: What do you do when your life exceeds your dreams?
Aaron: Keep it to yourself.

Anyway, perhaps this thread would be better placed in MPSIMS, rather than the Pit?

[fluiddruid]

Anyway, perhaps this thread would be better placed in MPSIMS, rather than the Pit?Yes, the way things are going, that would seem to be the case. Moved.

[jsgoddess]

Hm. Yeah, I'm sure this is rough.

I've got a job I hate that I can't afford to quit, a job that uses none of my strengths, exposes all of my weaknesses, and bores the shit out of me. I'm swimming in debt from medical expenses (not my own), I hate my house, and I live in a cultural backwater.

I can't be unemployed and I can't start over in a field I actually give a damn about because I have a disabled dependent who needs all the cash I can rake in.

Rough? I don't know. But it's not where I wanted to be, that's for certain.

[Dinsdale]

Congratulations. You have found the perfect job. It is a means to an end. If you have hobbies that you are interested in, focus on them. Save your money and go on vacation. Do something fun with the money.

I agree pretty much with this. I guess most folks would love to have jobs that not only paid well, but that were fun, exciting, stimulating, rewarding, etc. But I don't know all that many people who find themselves in such positions. Hell, not too many people are able to find jobs like that that pay poorly!

Before you complain too much, think about how much worse things could be, instead of simply just complaining that things are not better. I know my attitude towards work often improves when I see laborers working, and I see how hard they bust their asses to make a fraction of what I make to sit on mine...

You might find your perspective improves if you examine your priorities and consider what you expect from your job. If you want your job to provide you considerable personal growth and fulfillment, then you are likely going to remain disappointed in your present position. However, if you view it as a means to an end, and think how your pay (and other possible amenities such as job security, benefits, vacation, flexible schedule, etc.) permit you to pursue other interests at home, with friends and family, wrt hobbies, you might appreciate what you've got.

It takes a degree of discipline (which I lack) to use downtime while at work productively. Depending on your work station you could read, journal, teach yourself a foreign language, exercise - the possibilities are considerable. Or you could hang out here with us!

[choie]

I've got a job I hate that I can't afford to quit, a job that uses none of my strengths, exposes all of my weaknesses, and bores the shit out of me. I'm swimming in debt from medical expenses (not my own), I hate my house, and I live in a cultural backwater.

Just FYI, jsgoddess, my comment was directed only at Lobsang. Your complaints don't sound minor to me -- they're about more than just doing nothing and being paid 'too well'. Not saying people in his shoes can't complain, but those working their asses off for too little pay are probably gonna want to slap him upside his head.

In a totally nonviolent and nonPitworthy way, of course. ;)

And on preview, I agree with those recommending finding outlets at work. I wrote a novel and an online drama series at one job back in the late 1990s, and despite that extra stuff kept getting promoted. Ah, those were the days!

[jsgoddess]

Just FYI, jsgoddess, my comment was directed only at Lobsang. Your complaints don't sound minor to me -- they're about more than just doing nothing and being paid 'too well'. Not saying people in his shoes can't complain, but those working their asses off for too little pay are probably gonna want to slap him upside his head.

You know, I'd completely understand if someone wanted to whap me upside the head, too.

It is a luxury to hate your job. I'm lucky to have mine.

[Full Metal Lotus]

I once had a job in a store in a mall that was going through a legally nasty bankruptcy. It was owned by a group of lawyers.

Several partners all owned the store, and all had different ideas of how the bankruptcy should procede. One INSISTED that the store stay open, another INSISTED that the stock be returned, or sold by sherriff's auction, still another partner wanted to just close it down and let the auditors sort it out.

Other partners had waivering opinions.

The outcome was. I sat for 8 hrs a day in a store, that had no stock, no telephone and no electrical service, but WAS open. It was interesting when the odd curious person wondered in, and asked what we sold. "Nothing!" I would happily reply"Can I wrap that up for you?"


I wasn't paid all that well, but it gave me plenty of time to study.

This lasted for nearly 4 moinths

Once in a LONG while, you just gotta love lawyers...

Regards
FML