It only took me a few years working 9-5 to realize that I wouldn’t be able to work in the corporate world forever. I’m a good employee but I just don’t see the incentive in busting my ass to make more money for a bunch of shareholders and board members. That doesn’t mean I don’t try but I definitely don’t go above and beyond when it comes to my day job. I do just enough to get by and make sure that everyone has a good impression of me. That’s really all that matters.
There are a lot of things I don’t like about working in the corporate environment but it does have its benefits as long as you know how to take advantage of them. One of the big things I missed when I took a 3 month day job hiatus to work online full time was the interaction with my fellow co-workers. Even though I worked at an engineering firm, I actually liked a lot of the people I worked with and got a long with almost everyone. I didn’t hang out with a bunch of them outside of work but there were definitely a few that I liked seeing on the weekends.
My new job is like that too. It took a little longer to find people that I liked since the average age in my group is around 55, but now that I have found some friends, work is a lot more enjoyable. It’s nice being able to stop by your buddy’s desk and shoot the shit with them when you get bored. And trust me, I get bored a lot.
Don’t Take Interaction for Granted
I like doing all different sorts of things by myself. I’ll go to the beach and snorkel, surf or even go to museums all by myself if there’s no one to go with. In fact, my fiancee actually got mad at me once since I went and saw a movie without her, apparently this is weird, or in her words creepy. But even though I like doing things by myself, at the end of the day all of these activities are much more fun when you have someone to share them with.
I kind of feel the same way about work: I could sit at my desk and keep to myself but what’s the point? Work is a lot more enjoyable when you’re talking to your co-workers, joking around and just having some fun. It can get lonely when you’re working from home so you might as well take advantage of the interaction while it lasts.
You Don’t Have to Work Hard
If you’ve ever worked for a large corporation, you know that it’s pretty tough to get fired. One wrongful termination lawsuit can cost a company millions so most of them would rather just not fire anyone(unless you blatantly break the rules). That way they can avoid a lawsuit. People at my work often joke around that they have to come in early or stay late because they don’t want to get fired but I don’t think that’s something you really need to worry about.
I’m actually at the opposite end of the spectrum since I would rather do just enough to not get fired. Here are all the things I enjoy about my job:
- Coming in late and leaving early once in a while
- Taking long lunch breaks
- Never working more than 8 hours a day
- Never working more than 40 hours a week
- Not having to come in to work on weekends
The nice thing about all of these benefits is that they really won’t affect my career all that much in the long run. When it comes time for performance reviews at the end of the year, I probably won’t be at the top of the food chain but I won’t be at the bottom either. Obviously you’re never going to get to the top using this strategy but you can live a pretty good life with this type of philosophy. Trust me, I know.
A Good Philosophy for Life?
Half-assing your way through life probably isn’t the best strategy for success but I think it can work really well in the corporate environment. Personally, I just don’t see the incentive in working so hard for someone else. No matter how much money they pay you, there’s always money leftover to provide profits for the owners of your business. And if you’re successful enough to get to the top of the pyramid and start getting paid the big bucks, you’ve definitely got the skills to succeed on your own.
Since I don’t plan on staying at my day job forever, I don’t see the point in even trying to get to the top(frankly, I wouldn’t see the point even if I did want to stay there forever). When I get home from work every day, I work on my own businesses and hustle as hard as I can to build my empire. Even though I’m at work for around 8 hours a day, my laissez-faire attitude enables me to do another few hours of work every night when I get home – I love it.
There are some real nice benefits to working the corporate lifestyle yet so many people don’t take advantage of them. Right now, I’m getting the best of both worlds since I’m essentially working a corporate day job and an online night job. And although I prefer the latter, when the time comes I don’t know if I’m going to want to leave my day job. It’s not something I love but when you have a carefree attitude and a determined but efficient approach, work can be a lot of fun.
When I’m at work, I work hard and get my work done on time but I never worry about things that are beyond my control. When the clock hits 4 pm, I drop what I’m doing and I go home and I don’t even think about work until the next morning at 7:30. That’s a pretty good feeling if you ask me.
Readers, what do you think about my attitude towards my day job? Do you think it’s ok to just be average at your job or do you think you should go above and beyond? I’m all for going above and beyond when it comes to side hustles and entrepreneur-type activities but I just don’t see the point when it comes to doing that at your day job.
-Mr. 4HWD
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This was a great read and something I think about all the time. I get to telecommute when I want. 8 hours a day of work and when the clock hits 3pm, I’m out.
Sounds like the good life brotha..
Nice article dude, this is what I am aiming for.
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Thanks brotha 🙂