# Job/Lifestyle benefits you take for granted **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 3, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977 "2013-01-03T17:33:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/21 "2013-01-05T02:31:36Z")
I’ve worked some really crappy jobs before, so I don’t take any of this for granted: [ul] [li]Two months off in the summer, two weeks off at Christmas, a week in the spring, and many days here and there throughout the year. [/li] [li]A reserved parking spot.[/li] [li]Wonderful health insurance, including dental, and life insurance for myself and my spouse.[/li] [li]A supervisor who really isn’t picky about when I come in and doesn’t micromanage how I do my work. She knows I work hard, and I don’t need to make a show of it.[/li][/ul] The only downsides are the crappy pay and low status, but that’s a fair trade-off for me. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/22 "2013-01-05T04:54:24Z")
> [@CatherineZeta](#): > > I don’t intend to pry into your friends’ personal lives, but I’m curious, what is it that your friends are doing that they have to justify? Maybe it’s just the people I know, but I feel like for people in their 20s working low paying or multiple jobs is the new norm because of the way the job market is. But if they’re doing what they want to do and are able to earn a living, what’s the big deal? They range, and it’s often more reflective of the ignorance of their audience. A couple are actors (“like you’ll ever make a living at that!”), a few are teachers (“you get paid too much to take summers and weekends off!”), others are home-makers (“like taking care of children is work!”). Even my friends who are doing PhDs in the Humanities get the “why would you waste your time doing that? It’s not like you’re bettering humanity” a lot, let alone the “you’ll never get a job!” ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/23 "2013-01-05T04:56:07Z")
I own my own practice. Lots of wonderful things about that, but one of the ones I never thought about is getting to run out on quick errands when I have an hour free. It’s a nice perk and breaks up the day. ---
**Author:** ![Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/db5fbb/32.png) [@Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirka_T_Bawa)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/24 "2013-01-05T07:05:47Z")
I’m salary, yet get paid for every hour I work over my minimum. I have a scheduled 77 hours for 2 weeks, if I work less, I get paid the minimum 77 hours… If I work more, I get paid for every hour I work (though no overtime). Also, since I’m salary (and don’t get time and a half), the company doesn’t care how much extra I work. I made 1/3 more last year then my quoted “Salary” since I wanted too… And I was NEVER forced (guilted, begged, but never forced) to take a shift I didn’t want. I tell them I can’t work, they say OK. I have never been told how to do my job, by my boss or anyone else. Heck, in the 2500 + hours I worked last year, I probably saw and heard from my boss less then 20 hours all year. I had two complaints by customers in the past year, each time my boss backed me 100%. I currently feel like I have all the benefits of working for myself, and the benefits of working for a major corporation… Not to say my job isn’t full of stress, and that I don’t have bad days or weeks… But never anything I have to take home. My time is my time. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/25 "2013-01-05T10:52:36Z")
I can write out my gadgets as a business expense, and my job(s) take me to many different locations I get to know at a more “how do people here live” level than I would in a tourist trip. And either the clients pay for the traveling… or it’s a business expense 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ChickaPicosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@ChickaPicosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChickaPicosa)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/26 "2013-01-06T15:11:41Z")
My job provides a nice pension, I can make my own hours, and for the amount of seniority I have I get a good amount of vacation & sick time. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/27 "2013-01-06T16:23:11Z")
> [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](#): > > They range, and it’s often more reflective of the ignorance of their audience. A couple are actors (“like you’ll ever make a living at that!”), a few are teachers (“you get paid too much to take summers and weekends off!”), others are home-makers (“like taking care of children is work!”). Even my friends who are doing PhDs in the Humanities get the “why would you waste your time doing that? It’s not like you’re bettering humanity” a lot, let alone the “you’ll never get a job!” It sounds to me like the problem isn’t your friends’ jobs, it’s the asshat busybodies they associate with. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/28 "2013-01-06T19:56:35Z")
At my company, white collar calendar is aligned with the union contract. They get a large Christmas break (Dec 24th to Jan 2nd) as paid holiday, so we do as well. Adding in the 9/80 Fridays\* and a couple of vacation days usually nets me a full 2 weeks at Christmas. It’s easy to forget that most people go right back to work on the 26th. If my math is right, we get a total of 53 paid days off each year (incl vacation). Most jobs don’t offer this much and it’s easy to take for granted. \*for those who don’t know the term, it refers to spreading 2 weeks (80 hours) across 9 workdays instead of ten. Every other weekend is a 3-day (friday off). ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/29 "2013-01-06T20:38:32Z")
Ubiquitous internet access. Right before I left to go up to my mom’s for Christmas, I dropped my iPhone in the toilet. It had to spend some time turned off in a bag of rice before I could use it. I didn’t do much that day–just a few hours of work, some light shopping, and a three hour drive–but I found myself constantly wishing I had my phone. I’d want to look up something in the store, or check my email, and I couldn’t. It was weird how dependent I realized I’d become. ---
**Author:** ![andrewbub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@andrewbub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewbub)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/30 "2013-01-06T22:14:00Z")
free meals at work. one of the benefits of working in a kitchen. i had one job at a pizza place that only gave you 50% off. that was a huge shock to me, but at least the job was only temporary. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/31 "2013-01-06T23:06:41Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Well, I work in a library. Wonder if my holds have come in yet? Shall I check my account or just go downstairs? Forget just checking holds… I want to be the first reserve on every book/movie/music CD I want to read/watch/listen to for the entire year. Wait, I already am! Also, I never have to wonder “Will the library order this book/movie/music CD I want?” because three seconds after I wonder I can be sure the library buys it. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/32 "2013-01-06T23:22:17Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I like having an office rather than cubicle. An office means I can close the door when hallway noise gets to be too loud or when I want to turn my office into a workout studio. I can listen to music and talk on the phone as loud as I want. Having a window means I can keep a little garden. I don’t have to worry about snoops and busybodies looking at my monitor. I have private bitchfests with people. An office is terrific. I just got upgraded to an office a few weeks ago. I swear, I will NEVER go back. Ok, maybe I shouldn’t say that for fear of jinxing myself, but…I can make a private phone call from my desk (I could always wander away and make one on my iphone, but I usually want to be looking at my calendar. I can close the door and go head-down-total-focus when I have a project that I want to give my all to. I have better/more surfaces to hang pictures and whatever I want. And yes, sadly, the other day when I was feeling stupid depressed, I could close my door and have a private cry. I also have a lot of latitude with how I spend my days on those days when I’m not training. I’m allowed to do some meandering research about things I am curious about, as long as I meet other project deadlines. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/33 "2013-01-06T23:39:23Z")
I have a job I enjoy, and I earn a good living. I live right in the middle of the mountains of Vermont, with a truly spectacular view. I could probably double or triple my salary if I lived in Silicon Valley or one of the other high-tech areas in the country, but I wouldn’t be able to strap on my snowshoes and head out my back door. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/34 "2013-01-06T23:47:47Z")
I live right on a train line and take the train to work every day, so I never have to deal with rush hour traffic. Even better, you can bring beer on the train. My train mates and I take advantage once or twice a week on average. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/35 "2013-01-07T00:00:52Z")
I haven’t bought a cell phone in over a decade - I get to (actually, have to) carry the latest stuff before it’s released. Also, my boss really trusts me to get my job done. He knows that I’ll put in the time as needed. Like last Thursday, when I worked 13 hours to try to nudge people towards a deadline. The flip side is I don’t need to ‘make up’ time missed. This is great, since I’m coming in late two or three days a week due to physical therapy right now. Through an odd group of events, I have 42 vacation days that I can take in 2013. For living in the USA, that’s a ton. I have no idea what (or if) I’ll do with them. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/36 "2013-01-07T01:14:20Z")
4 days on 4 days off work schedule. Actually it 4 and 3 in my current position but most of us get to work 4 and 4. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/37 "2013-01-07T02:03:31Z")
I also live very close to numerous public transit options. Commuting from my neighborhood to work is easy. I work overnights now and I’m only working with one person. It is feast or famine as far as the workload. On the slow nights, I can surf the web and play games on my phone without having to pretend to do something if others were around. I also don’t have to deal with a lot of the typical office bullshit since no one else is around. I get a paid sabbatical every 5 years, this is my 5th year! ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/38 "2013-01-07T02:25:38Z")
Having a gym at work & being a commutable distance. I can ride to work some days. It saves gas & time because my commute isn’t ‘wasted time’. I greatly appreciate having it but don’t take it for granted because I’ve had jobs without. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977/39 "2013-01-07T14:13:28Z")
Having a job in a field that I know I will never be laid off/unemployed is a significant plus. Also, working just three days a week while earning a good living is nice. I consciously remind myself of these factors periodically, so I don’t exactly take them for granted. mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-lifestyle-benefits-you-take-for-granted/645977.md?page=1)