Getting a good job

From: Richard Erlacher <richard_at_idcomm.com>
Date: Mon Jul 3 02:03:01 2000

I don't know where this business of a 32-40 hour work week comes from. The
only time I got away with 40 or fewer hours was when I was in the military
or when I worked for the government at various levels.

Other than that, my work week more often than not ranged between 80 and 120
hours, and longer if I was consulting for several clients at once.
Moreover, even when I was on a relatively stabile project in the aerospace
industry, I had only to wait until 1/4 of my allotted time had passed, for
the "powers that be" to pull half my budget for use in a proposal (since R&D
and proposals both came out of the same "new business acquisition
expenditures" account. That meant that, having burned 1/4 of my personnel
budget. I had to dismiss all my help and do the technical and some of the
management work myself, keeping only one other fellow, usually a sharp
dresser, so he could attend all the meetings and allow me to do effectively
all the useful work.

Since I took some math in college, I quickly learned that, while it was fun
to work on the IR&D, I could get an extra $80 per hour consulting on the
outside after everybody was gone from the plant. That compared favorably
with the $00 per hour I got for spending my nights working on the IR&D.
That's gone up some, I guess, but those were the numbers in '89.

Dick

----- Original Message -----

From: Marvin <marvin_at_rain.org>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 02, 2000 9:58 PM
Subject: Re: Getting a good job


>
>
> Sean 'Captain Napalm' Conner wrote:
> >
> > It was thus said that the Great Marvin once stated:
> > >
> > > "R. D. Davis" wrote:
> > > >
> > > > outside of the paid workplace, and to expect people to work more
than
> > > > somewhere between 32 to 40 hours per week, not counting the time it
> > > > takes to drive to and from the workplace, is greed and
inconsideration
> > > > on the employers' behalf.
> > >
> > > It is really hard for me to take your comment seriously; I would
*really*
> > > hope you are jesting here!!!!!
> >
> > Why do you hope he is jesting? Unless you actually *enjoy* slaving
away
> > for an employer who forces 60+ hour weeks ...
>
> 32 to 40 hours would be a joke for every professional I've ever met as
well
> and anyone else who takes their play (work) seriously. "Slaving away" is a
> choice, believe it or not, and at least to me would indicate a job change
> would be in order regardless of the hours worked.
>
>
Received on Mon Jul 03 2000 - 02:03:01 BST