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What do you classify as "working hard"?

clubbyjones

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Now that I'm in my mid-20s, there seems to be a huge difference between what people think is "working hard". I am trying to give this thought but I would like more input first.

Compare:

Case 1: Construction worker - physical labor, 8-10 hour days, grueling conditions of weather, physical energy required, etc.

Case 2: Aggressive salesman - spends 10 hours a day trying to push sales, follow leads, lots of personal contact and communication. Focus is not constant

Case 3: Surgeon - spends 12 hours a day working, first 4-6 are in surgery (intense focus, mentally draining, extreme liability) and the rest are done in follow-ups, emergencies, or treatment planning

Case 4: Investment banker - spends 90-110 hours a week churning out excel spreadsheets and data for higher-ups

Case 5: CEO - big-time decisions with 10-1000 people affected by each of those decisions.



It may be impossible to compare one's strife to another, but I can't help but think that the mental focus required for doctors and upper-level management may be the most challenging of all. Many people I have asked disagree with me, saying physical labor is the worst. Others say that long hours are the worst. What do YOU think is classified as working hard? Is it quality over quantity?
 

JohnnyLaw

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Is this a good place to make a "hardly working" joke? Damn! I messed up the delivery.

Carry on. This thread holds great promise.
 

Hombre Secreto

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You work hard? My father, he worked like an elephant pushing electrical supplies and he dropped dead at 49 with a heart attack and tax bills.

Wake up, will ya pal? If you're not inside, you're outside, OK? And I'm not talking a $400,000 a year working Wall Street stiff flying first class and being comfortable, I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars buddy. A player, or nothing.
 

XeF4

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1, 2 and 3.

4 and 5 can kiss ****** if they think they work hard.
 

TM79

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Originally Posted by kwilkinson
I think all 5 of those guys work hard.

+1. You can't compare any one of those directly to the other and say one is working harder than the other. What's it even matter, anyway? Who wants to "work hard"? I just want lots of money.
 

Cotillion

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"what is work? Work is of two kinds: first, altering the position of matter at or near the earth's surface relatively to other such matter; second, telling other people to do so. The first kind is unpleasant and ill paid; the second is pleasant and highly paid. The second kind is capable of indefinite extension: there are not only those who give orders, but those who give advice as to what orders should be given. Usually two opposite kinds of advice are given simultaneously by two organized bodies of men; this is called politics. The skill required for this kind of work is not knowledge of the subjects as to which advice is given, but knowledge of the art of persuasive speaking and writing, i.e. of advertising. "


-Bertrand Russell
 

GQgeek

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The thing about the first guy is that his job sucks, but at least it ends when he goes home his free time is his alone. This is what a lot of lower paid people don't get about people that make more (in some cases). These days, highly paid people are on-call pretty much 24/7. I got reamed by the owner of the company b/c I didn't check my blackberry 5 minutes after getting out of the shower once and didn't see the flashing light before it moved from my table to my pocket, so i didn't get back to him for 30 minutes because i dropped into the subway system. Not only that sort of thing, but professionals have to keep their skills/knowledge current, whatever that means, so on top of being on-call basically all the time, they have homework to do to keep up their skills or stay current in their chosen field. Depending on field, this homework can eat a big chunk of time out of your week.
 

scientific

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Give me guys that are poor, smart, hungry - and no feelings...

1: in the US it's a joke. look how many of these 'laborer' types are fat - they're not working too hard. now if we're talking someone in dubai or a foxconn factory...
2: one of the easiest jobs. just bs with people all day.
3: pretty tough
4: hard hours, but anyone using excel heavily is working dumb
5: some work super hard, most are just random guys whose dad worked hard. decisions typically affect millions not 10-1000, but almost always will only consider the impact on #1.

id add programmer to the list, it's tiring mentally
 

scientific

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Originally Posted by GQgeek
The thing about the first guy is that his job sucks, but at least it ends when he goes home his free time is his alone.

this is true. when im done with work i start working on advancing my career
 

Da Luis Vuitton Don

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everything that i do.the opposite of what my wife does...

she considers it a fulltime job to troll me in real life
ffffuuuu.gif
 

Harold falcon

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12+ hours a day dealing with kid touchers and drug dealers and abusive parents. Plus, I get to visit prison once or twice a week. And last week I got to look at child pornography in preparation for a case. I'm also pretty sure I got a murderer off and he's back on the streets.

Only thing that keeps me together is booze.


And the pay is pretty good, too.
 

MrG

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Originally Posted by clubbyjones
...

It may be impossible to compare one's strife to another

...


You answered your own question here. Each job you list, and many you didn't, has its own challenges. I find it hard to believe your average CEO could hang Sheetrock all day, but, similarly, your average drywall hanger probably doesn't have the skills he'd need to run an organization.
 

imageWIS

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Originally Posted by harvey_birdman
12+ hours a day dealing with kid touchers and drug dealers and abusive parents. Plus, I get to visit prison once or twice a week. And last week I got to look at child pornography in preparation for a case. I'm also pretty sure I got a murderer off and he's back on the streets.

Only thing that keeps me together is booze.


And the pay is pretty good, too.


Lawyer?
 

imageWIS

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Originally Posted by MrG
You answered your own question here. Each job you list, and many you didn't, has its own challenges. I find it hard to believe your average CEO could hang Sheetrock all day, but, similarly, your average drywall hanger probably doesn't have the skills he'd need to run an organization.

Playing golf is a skill?
 

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