My career: I’ve been doing it all wrong

[Anonymous]

Similar to another poster: 20 years into my career and I’m feeling like the grind is pointless.

My “bare-minimum” colleagues have it all figured out:
- take twice as long as necessary to do any task (so you’re not asked to take on more)
- take sick leave liberally
- keep HR on speed-dial if anything pushes your buttons
- no working outside of work hours

They get paid the same as I do, yet their work is pushed to me while they take leave. Not hating on them - just mad at myself for not setting boundaries and thinking there is payoff in being a model employee.

Wish I’d received this advice sooner!

[Anonymous]

Well, I've been doing a lot wrong, too, but for totally different reasons. My regrets are not networking enough.

I would be miserable being a bare minimum performer, but YMMV.

[Anonymous]

You mean you thought your hard work would be rewarded?

I was fed this lie too growing up - that we live in a meritocracy. Now I'm one of your colleagues. And for the record, I don't stick my kids on that rat wheel of nonsense either. Most people have their kids tying themselves in knots to get into the top whatever - it won't payoff with anything more than anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You mean you thought your hard work would be rewarded?

I was fed this lie too growing up - that we live in a meritocracy. Now I'm one of your colleagues. And for the record, I don't stick my kids on that rat wheel of nonsense either. Most people have their kids tying themselves in knots to get into the top whatever - it won't payoff with anything more than anxiety.

Yep. It took me 40 years and a large therapy bill for anxiety to figure this out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Similar to another poster: 20 years into my career and I’m feeling like the grind is pointless.

My “bare-minimum” colleagues have it all figured out:
- take twice as long as necessary to do any task (so you’re not asked to take on more)
- take sick leave liberally
- keep HR on speed-dial if anything pushes your buttons
- no working outside of work hours

They get paid the same as I do, yet their work is pushed to me while they take leave. Not hating on them - just mad at myself for not setting boundaries and thinking there is payoff in being a model employee.

Wish I’d received this advice sooner!

Depends on your career. You don’t make partner doing the minimum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar to another poster: 20 years into my career and I’m feeling like the grind is pointless.

My “bare-minimum” colleagues have it all figured out:
- take twice as long as necessary to do any task (so you’re not asked to take on more)
- take sick leave liberally
- keep HR on speed-dial if anything pushes your buttons
- no working outside of work hours

They get paid the same as I do, yet their work is pushed to me while they take leave. Not hating on them - just mad at myself for not setting boundaries and thinking there is payoff in being a model employee.

Wish I’d received this advice sooner!

Depends on your career. You don’t make partner doing the minimum.

You don’t make partner grinding away alone either; you make partner cultivating relationships with other partners and clients.

[Anonymous]

Partner here. My other partners are totally phoning it in for the most part. Just sayin’…

[Anonymous]

OP, I was you until I reached my limit and quit my job a year and a half ago.

Suddenly, my negligent former managers had surprised pikachu face when the department , in their own words, went to hell. They failed to establish the necessary staffing infrastructure, Over relying on a couple of key people instead. When we had enough and left at he same time , NOTHING, got done and the managers got heat from their higher ups and peers.

OP Please quit, trust me, it feels amazing watching the world burn behind you 👹.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar to another poster: 20 years into my career and I’m feeling like the grind is pointless.

My “bare-minimum” colleagues have it all figured out:
- take twice as long as necessary to do any task (so you’re not asked to take on more)
- take sick leave liberally
- keep HR on speed-dial if anything pushes your buttons
- no working outside of work hours

They get paid the same as I do, yet their work is pushed to me while they take leave. Not hating on them - just mad at myself for not setting boundaries and thinking there is payoff in being a model employee.

Wish I’d received this advice sooner!

Depends on your career. You don’t make partner doing the minimum.

You don’t make partner by doing a lot either.
You have to be a tall white man.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar to another poster: 20 years into my career and I’m feeling like the grind is pointless.

My “bare-minimum” colleagues have it all figured out:
- take twice as long as necessary to do any task (so you’re not asked to take on more)
- take sick leave liberally
- keep HR on speed-dial if anything pushes your buttons
- no working outside of work hours

They get paid the same as I do, yet their work is pushed to me while they take leave. Not hating on them - just mad at myself for not setting boundaries and thinking there is payoff in being a model employee.

Wish I’d received this advice sooner!

Depends on your career. You don’t make partner doing the minimum.

You don’t make partner grinding away alone either; you make partner cultivating relationships with other partners and clients.

Which does not happen when you behave as OP advocates in the OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Partner here. My other partners are totally phoning it in for the most part. Just sayin’…

Sure they are … now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar to another poster: 20 years into my career and I’m feeling like the grind is pointless.

My “bare-minimum” colleagues have it all figured out:
- take twice as long as necessary to do any task (so you’re not asked to take on more)
- take sick leave liberally
- keep HR on speed-dial if anything pushes your buttons
- no working outside of work hours

They get paid the same as I do, yet their work is pushed to me while they take leave. Not hating on them - just mad at myself for not setting boundaries and thinking there is payoff in being a model employee.

Wish I’d received this advice sooner!

Depends on your career. You don’t make partner doing the minimum.

You don’t make partner by doing a lot either.
You have to be a tall white man.

Tall white men who take forever to finish tasks, use all of their sick leave and wander out the door at 5pm don’t make partner.

Y’all aren’t lawyers, are you?

[Anonymous]

That’s why I loved sales. I couldn’t stand having an hourly rate and knowing I worked harder. In sales I got rewarded for being better than those around me. In salaried roles those who work hard do more for the same pay as the slackers.

[Anonymous]

Like everything else, it is about balance. I want to have pride that I am doing a good job. That means I take my work seriously and produce good output. But I am never going to go above and beyond (unless I am inspired to on a particular project, temporarily). And I am never going to be in a situation where I regularly and frequently work evenings or weekends. F- that.

[Anonymous]

I love working for myself. I get what I put into it. No more BS in terms of writing flowery reports about why I deserve a raise when I worked twice as hard as most of my former colleagues. It was not easy to get here, but I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it, and I get the credit.