I was talking just walking in and out of the gym…
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Yes. The ones who willingly enlist would tank that shit like they did back on D-Day.
But if you just pulled 10% of the military age men (and women now too!), it would be a shitshow.
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I think a lot of younger people have lost the belief that working harder gets you ahead. You could do that, or just job hop every couple years. On average the latter will make more money. Work culture has changed. It isn’t likely that a young person will retire at the company they work at currently.
Many of the hardest workers are actually not very well off. When I mean hardest workers, I mean the actual work, not using a skill. I am sitting on my ass in my office typing shit into a box on T-Nation, and make way more than a fast food worker, or factory worker (both of which I’ve done). I have to do some things that they can’t do, while I am capable of working fast food or factory work. I still think when I worked in a factory or fast food, it was harder work than what I do now. It sucked a lot more, that is for sure.
A lot of people do the out work everyone else to get that promotion thing. IDK, it just doesn’t make much sense to me. You could get that promotion just by hiring a good resume writer and practicing interviewing. You also will not start that next level up with the expectation of working way more than 40 hours a week, which the one who worked extra for the promotion will be expected to do, since that is what they were doing.
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I get it. I was enlisted, cooked while in college, pumped gas, and UPS was the worst of all.
What they will find, as I look back from the other side, is that the job hopping is a early to mid career move, once you reach a certain point it slows down. Benefits start playing a bigger role, so you may stay public sector vs private for the benefits even though less cash. It is a cycle. Most younger people don’t get the timeframes the boomers talk about. Like taking a decade of gaining industry experience before getting a shot (may be several companies, was for me). It could take 20 years to get to 6 figures. 25 to get a leadership role. In the Trades, it may take 10 years of apprenticing and 15 to get Seniority. Of course there are exceptions that hit the lottery and cash out. I found people today do not want to put in the time and effort to get what they think they should have and seem to expect what it took boomers decades to achieve in 3 to 5 years. Expectations are not aligned with reality for many.
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Same but… I spent the first two working decades busting my ass doing the hard work. The past 5 more have been easier sure. The fast food worker can’t do the management job I do even though it does work in reverse.
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Not only that, alot of time the differentiator are non-quantifiable skills. Such as in my field, others can do my job but not really. Most have to be told what to do, what is expected of them and what the vision is. They are very competent. What they aren’t is creative, visionary and have the ability to connect. They have no idea what the future looks like. So, why pay them? I want to pay the person that can see where we are going, come up with new ideas and take the initiative. You don’t find that person laughing at their phone or worrying their life/work balance is off. People want to go to the top, you have to be able to perform, either more or more creative. That is what get’s paid. Not seeing alot of them nowadays. I think the Financial world is getting them…
This is a really good thread. Lots of good usable information. Life is more than the gym. That is why I love this site.
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I am kinda there at 35. I don’t have a desire to manage others, I like my actual engineering work. I am at a company I really like that gives me lots of autonomy. I could make more money, but I’d like the work far less, and it wouldn’t be significantly more money.
I do understand your point about sacrifice too. Some people do seem to forget that some of the things people do now weren’t that normal a few generations ago. My grandparents had it very rough. Sometimes not having enough to eat. My parents had it much better than them, but still they had one family car, didn’t go out to eat, and just didn’t have a whole lot of money for things other than the necessities.
I’ve been financially successful, because I see that most people (within the middle class) kinda self sabotage themselves with poor decisions. I’ve heard people driving F-150s they bought new, saying they are scraping by. They also are living in 3000 sqft houses. So they have an F-150 and and SUV for the missus both bought new, a 3000 sqft house, and make over 6 figures combined and they think they are just surviving. Their issues are self chosen. I live in a 1200 sqft house, and drive a $5000 car. I buy every big purchase used. I am just kinda frugal. I max my 401K, and I owe $70K on my house. I am able to be in this position because I see that a few small changes that don’t really impact my happiness can save me a ton of money.
At the same time, there are people out there that are really struggling. They maybe don’t have the same gifts and opportunities as I do. I feel for those people. I was expected to go to college. Even just my timing which seemed shitty at the time (entering the work force during the recovery from 07/08 recession). I thought that was tough luck at the time, but it also allowed me to buy a house at a price / interest rate that makes everything much easier for me than my younger peers that are paying much more for housing.
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I feel attacked
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I think this is a fairly narrow view accounting for specific work environment/business models.
For example, I have friends earning very healthy six figures in the oil industry and primarily on the production side. So rigs. The actual labor. They have dog ass jobs even in supervisory roles with 12 hour day, 14-21 day straight rotations.
I have lots of friends in software sales with base salaries in the low six figures and on target commissions that double their base. They have unlimited PTO/flex hours et cetera. Basically “here’s your quota. Meet it and do whatever the fuck you want, we won’t ask. Miss it and we will have a conversation.” They’re pretty successful and take a lot of time for themselves. Compare this to a production line guy or something. Company loyal to a fault and will take ten grinding years to earn the same as one annual income. Who has the right mind set?
I own a financial services company. Primarily an insurance brokerage and also 6 series licensing level financial brokering. I am willing to hire base + commission with hard quotas and I also hire 1099 contract level commission override agents. Their choice. The straight commission guys grind it out for a year, build a renewal base and literally do whatever the fuck they want once they’ve built up a portfolio while my quota guys are 9-5 on the hook.
I feel like the “boomers” would love the old fashioned m-f, 9-5 with overtime to show initiative for a back pat when they’re really just idiots for not having more faith in themselves, especially after success over time.
Work smart, not hard plays in to the younger generations thinking around work life balance more so than justifying laziness in my observation.
Fair point, but do you believe there are more gay men and /or trannies now than in the past? Or are people just more open now?
Birth control in the water supply or what?
My stepson is 23 and has been under my care for nearly two decades now. I’m late gen X, being born in 1980.
My biggest regret in child rearing is allowing too much device access too soon. I believe protecting your children from the internet and device addiction should be a priority. Boredom pushes us to all kinds of good things. I wouldn’t have ever bothered to ride my bike to the library a few times each month if I had an iPhone in my teens.
My second biggest regret is not raising my stepson as a Catholic. I was a pretty adamant atheist back then but I should have at least seen the benefit of indoctrination, CCD classes and the moral framework, especially since it is now easy for me to understand what a benefit it has been for me to have been raised that way.
My third biggest regret is not putting him into hockey sooner. I also wish we put him into a higher level of youth hockey sooner. He still had a great run with the sport from ages 8 to 16. His love of hockey was a great parenting lever to pull when needed.
Otherwise this Gen X parent will tell any Millennial and Zoomer the same things I tell my kid.
Take accountability for your mistakes and continue to work on self improvement. And for Pete’s sake, stop blaming other people for outcomes that are firmly within your control.
We should also stop voting for woke jokes, but that’s not exactly something I can control.
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Don’t disagree with anything you said. You basically said there is a price to be paid. Oil roughneck in tough hours and conditions. Software, no margin for error. Finance, high stress and little control. Different than engineering, but same concept. Nobody gets a nice hours, high paying job with no accountability. There is a price be it oil, software, football coaches, engineers, project managers, etc.
Question I have for you, do you want no accountability and no say for massive money? After the initial bills are paid, still? Why do people with more money than Caribbean island nations still work on projects? The personality is to want to build something. You don’t start your own form without a desire to take reigns and build something. I am not working to 73 building roads because I want easy. That is in-born. No onw worth their salt wants reward without price. You are in TNation, you just want a six pack through a Dr shot? Hell no…
Gay demon possession?
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They will if Normandy doesn’t use They/Their pronouns for sure.
Not to like fight or anything, just to complain at them feverishly.
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It’s a short one.
Same question though. And to add, I would be curious what polling criteria was back then. I would imagine it was the “lg” movement. Maybe “lgb”.
Then came the acknowledgment of B, followed by T et cetera. Of course the footprint is expanding with the qualification criteria, in addition to people being generally more open now. It’s still a causation vs. correlation question of sorts.
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The only piece I’m challenging is that the millennial generation is using “work life” balance as an excuse to not work, which I disagree with as a sweeping comment. There are lazy people in the mix of course, and there always have been.
I don’t have more money than a Caribbean nation but I could retire right now and live comfortably with assets to pass down. I disagree that I’m doing it just to build. This was part of my initial thought process of spinning off on my own early on, but really I knew I could make more money with direct contracts to carriers and without a company filtering it first. And I’m still “working” because I want more money. I do get to happily delegate at this point though, and chose this industry because of its renewal commission and vesting contracts specifically. It’s a disgusting cash cow and my work/life balance is significant. It did take sacrifice as you suggest though, not contending that.
Was thinking more the hedge fund guys I see that are now developers. Congrats on your business, it is an accomplishment to be proud. Those of us that don’t make disgusting cash cow money tell ourselves we build stuff! Work/life is what you make it. Just trying to get across to make the life you want, no one else will…
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