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by phphphphp 1298 days ago
IT is very broad, but if we are talking about people who have the skills to build something themselves, then they’re probably not front-line IT support workers, they’re probably software engineers or some other high-demand profession.

There are definitely companies with toxic high-stress engineering environments, but workers with valued skills have the employment capital to just… opt out. If all you care about is coasting at an average salary, you can either refuse to engage with the stressful parts of the job, or get another job. You get fired? Oh well, on to the next job.

I’ve worked in jobs where I had stressed co-workers who felt like the future of the company was on their shoulders… and co-workers, on the same team, who didn’t have a care in the world, because they understood that the success of the company was not linked to how stressed they were or how many hours they worked. Their value to the company was equal, their quality of life was vastly different.

If all you want is $100k/year, and you have the skill set to build your own company, you have the skill set to get a job where you don’t have to break a sweat. There are lots of companies out there who know how to realise >$100k value from an employee in 30 hours of low-stress work per week.

The whole notion of needing a career is self imposed, it’s a choice, if you’re happy making an average salary you don’t need to be in a high stress environment.

2 comments

I was just talking to my friend about this the other day. Screw getting promoted. I want to sit tight at my mid level position and make sure that I get my job done stress free. The company's success doesn't hinge on me worrying about my job after 5PM, and I highly doubt it hinges on any of the employees working/worrying past normal working hours. Honestly, how much does it benefit the company if you work your butt off every night? It's probably a drop in the bucket, it's just not worth it.

In other words, I see my company spend millions a month on AWS fees. If they wanna bump my salary considerably, then I would consider putting in more hours. But until that day comes, work life balance is my number one priority.

How many jobs have you worked in the It field ? Were they mostly in management? I ask because I disagree
individual contributor, not management. 6 companies, Europe and US. If you are in a high demand profession, there is no reason to accept mistreatment: we have the luxury of being able to vote with our feet, use it.
Exactly.