Maybe I just had a bad day, But I am always thinking with more or less seriousness
WHY DO WE DO IT?????
With the headaches of clients, sales, billings, payroll, workers, Change Orders and a million other reasons
With the backaches, neckaches, sore muscles, beat up bodies from banging, lugging, bending, stooping, lugging and a million other body beating activities
WHY DO WE DO IT?????
Is the satisfaction of a job well done worth it? Seeing a job go up? Is that enough? I can do that else where? But I keep going…
Probably just a bad day, but why do the rest of you guys do it?
Replies
I think we all wonder that from time to time. A good job needs no answer, a bad one forces you to ask it too often.
Hopefully your reasons why balance out the why nots. But I tend to wonder a lot myself lately.
Mostly, we don't like being bossed around?
Hi Mad Dog! I think about giving it up a lot. I went into business for myself at the age of 19, I'm now 49, and I still get the urge to chuck it all.
In many ways it would be kind of tough to start taking orders instead of giving them. Although I do take plenty of orders (and change orders) from the customer.
I rarely take a day off (although in the last five years, I have cut back to 5 days per week). But when I do, I don't have to ask permission. If I want to knock off early to catch my son's track meet or my nephew's baseball game I do it.
We don't take many vacations, but when we do I don't have to kiss my supervisor's a$$ to clear my time slot.
There are benefits, but only if you don't mind hanging out there naked in front of the world with no net, hoping that a sudden gale doesn't blow your bare a$$ down.John Svenson, Builder, Remodeler, NE Ohio (Formerly posted as JRS)
I couldn't agree more. We've all been out there with our cheese hanging in the wind, as Clay says, from time to time.
Good staying power Svenny! Where'd your boy end up playing football? Hopefully Wisconsin or Penn State?
He ended up at Baldwin Wallace, a D3 school here in NE Ohio. Their claim to fame is a bunch of national championships under Lee Tressel. That would be Jim Tressel's father (coach of the D1 national champs Ohio State)
They are the only team that gives Mount Union a run for their money. Mount Union has been the D3 champs for something like 9 out of the last 10 years.
He also throws shot and discus for them too, and earned a letter this year in track. Did I also mention he got Freshman Academic Athlete of the Year at BW? 4.0 as a Math major no less. Am I bragging too much?
Thanks for asking!
John Svenson, Builder, Remodeler, NE Ohio (Formerly posted as JRS)
That's awesome JRS! I hope he keeps up this head of steam. My first year of college, shoot I don't think they have a number low enough for my grade point. It just got easier after that.
Good to see you,
MD
JOBYG5-- After beating my head against the wall for too long, I decided to give up my business and just work for someone. I had a remodeling business and got tired of fighting with homeowner and subs, and trying to justify my prices against the guy who buys a truck and a hammer and calls himself a contractor. I have close to 30 years experience and worked as a carpenter over 15 years before I went into business. Maybe I just don't have the proper temperament to be the owner and boss, but I'm much happier now that I can just go to work, do a good job, and not worry about the business end. I know its not for everyone, but its right for me.
Shep
I did the same, couldnt deal with all the customers BS, I just couldnt handle the buisness end of things, not saying that that is what your prob was. I feel so much better, go do my work, do a great job, be proud of it and go my own way at the end of the day. Its nice not worrying about all the extra crap.
Doug
I just think about what my dad always said. "You can quit your job if you don't like it, but not until you've found another one."Where there's A wheel there's a way, got any wheels?
I lived the first forty years of my life by your dads advice, and then took a huge leap of faith a little over four years ago. Bought a second home, did not have job here or first house sold, went back home and quit the job, and hoped all would work out. It has gone pretty well for such a shaky start, almost like we planned it. Not really a gambler, but sometimes you just have to jump.
It is said that the meek shall inherit the Earth, I guess that means the rest of us are dead.
Dan
A question much on my mind of late. My "whys" all seem to arrive in the mail--"I Owe, I Owe; It's Off to Work I go . . . "
Why not be my own boss? I was, and I made many mistakes doing so, mistakes I'd rather not repeat. Like being under capitalized, mostly. Not being "smart" about how to operate a small business, was another reason. So, off back to the world of being the employee not the employer--no real sweat. Nice, too--it let me learn while moonlighting. Selling my free time (moonlighting) also let be pickier about the projects I worked on--and how much I worked.
Downsides, they are a few. Like working on a crummy job, or for a rotten boss; or just in a messed-up situation.
It could be worse. I need to do inside-the-office work tomorrow. So, around 3 this afternoon, the boss calls and says, "I've scheduled some 'laborers' for tomorrow." The boss is a neatnik. He wants all of the trash and stray materials collected off of the site, ought to take three hands 8 hours to do that. Of course, he also wants them to chip spilled concrete off of the beams and stairs to pretty them up (oh, and we are not painting for 22-24 more weeks). Chipping all three staircases and about half the columns ought to be 8 hours work for three hands, too. Oh, and in the 'other' 8 hours of the day, we are to police up all of the trash in the building--at least that's only about 16 man hours. Per the boss, "They'll need constant supervision." How nice. That means they'll be under motivated, underpaid, and under-fluent in English.
Man, I hope that other job I interviewed for the other day pans out . . .
Apologies for my own rant, but it does feel good to have vented now.