9-5. The only way to have a realistic job.

[coLLege kid07]

Just some background. I've seem to have been hit against the fence with this one. Both my parents seem to think this is the normal way in the working world. While my mom understands that working 40 hours a week is very hard on a person, my dad seems to be in denial of it...I can't help but think is it possible to have any flexibility in your job especially out of college? I'm not sure if I'll survive my job out of college (working 9-5) as I'm having a hard time now. Or should I look for alternate methods to start my own business? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

[James81]

I think that just about everybody goes through what you are going through.

The best thing I can tell you is this:

DO WHAT YOU LOVE.

Don't focus so much on the 9-5 aspect, because the truth is that pretty much anything you do will likely have you working those 40 hours a week.

The two most important things coming out of college:

1. Finding work that you like (whether it be your own business or it be a 9-5 job).
2. Find work that can support you and your family without overtaking your entire life.

That's the only two things you need to focus on. Sometimes you'll have to comprimise a little on number 1 to handle number 2. But always remember that your work is a combination of those two things, and the happiest you'll ever be in your career is finding a way to bring the two into balance as something you can live with.

[Daffy Duck]

9-5 is "normal" yes, but that doesn't mean you have to do it.

Some people work from 7am to 7pm!
Some people work from 2pm to 4pm!

It all depends. If you really love your career, then you might be the happiest person in the world and working 16 hours a day. If you hate your job, then you're going to hate it, even if you only work 2 hours a day.

Need to find something you're passionate about.

[coLLege kid07]

Originally Posted by Daffy Duck

9-5 is "normal" yes, but that doesn't mean you have to do it.

Some people work from 7am to 7pm!
Some people work from 2pm to 4pm!

It all depends. If you really love your career, then you might be the happiest person in the world and working 16 hours a day. If you hate your job, then you're going to hate it, even if you only work 2 hours a day.

Need to find something you're passionate about.

oh okay. thanks. Basically I'm just asking how flexible is the workplace. And by your answer would that be pretty flexible?

hehe I'm not sure if I'll really find an answer...but understanding always helps.

[James81]

Originally Posted by coLLege kid07

oh okay. thanks. Basically I'm just asking how flexible is the workplace. And by your answer would that be pretty flexible?

hehe I'm not sure if I'll really find an answer...but understanding always helps.

Oh, in that case, it depends on where you work.

Some places have flex time (which means you can choose withing a certain limit what time you come in and what time you leave....like you can decide what time you want to come in between the hours of like 7AM and 10AM--purely an example, not literal times--and based off that it determines what time you can leave).

Other places have rigid schedules. You show up at X o'clock and you leave at Y o'clock.

And even other places have rigid schedules, but have great vacation and sick leave that you can use at flexible hours (most goverment jobs are like this).

Some places have flex time and great vacation time.

Other places have shift work (you can choose to work Day, Evening, or Night shifts).

It really depends on where you work. There is a LOT of flexibility in hours out there, depending on what career you choose.

[Daffy Duck]

Exactly what James said. Some places even have their employees work from home! I do this on occasion although I'm more productive when I go to the office.

[aelle]

Who in the world still believes that? Even in very traditional workplaces one can work 70 hours a week 4-6 months a year, and close to none the rest of the time (auditing), or work only in the mornings (3x8 hour shifts), or work for 72 hours straight then get the rest of the week off (hospital staff). On top of these, many less traditional companies have been and still are implementing newer forms of work. Entrepreneurship is another option, although it will probably have you put in more hours to begin with than corporate work.

Keep in mind when choosing your career, that you are entirely free to set your own priorities. It may be to do something you're passionate about. It may be safety. It may be social recognition. It may be having few working hours. It may be achieving financial independence as soon as possible. It may be being able to retire in your 40s. You can pick.

[erego]

Yeah it's definitely possible, depending on what field and which company you work for.

Doing what you love is utmost important. For example, my girlfriend has worked in a five star hotel front office and has had insane hours, eg 3pm- 11pm and continued straight with 4am - 12pm. Two nights a week while regular-ish hours, 1 shift, the rest of the week, including weekends, I think. She loves it though so the hours never bothered her. Not saying it's not hard, but the passion for it makes it worthwhile.

It could be passion for money, for the work itself, etc.

For your question, you need to know what you want and don't want, and research research research. There must be a company that suits your needs. Whether or not you can get it is another matter :P

[TonyToneTone]

Originally Posted by coLLege kid07

Just some background. I've seem to have been hit against the fence with this one. Both my parents seem to think this is the normal way in the working world. While my mom understands that working 40 hours a week is very hard on a person, my dad seems to be in denial of it...I can't help but think is it possible to have any flexibility in your job especially out of college? I'm not sure if I'll survive my job out of college (working 9-5) as I'm having a hard time now. Or should I look for alternate methods to start my own business? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

Yes, you can have flexibility in your job and life. Just look at Tim Ferriss author of the 4 Hour Work Week. Also, at one point I use to make tens of thousands of dollars working only 5 hours a month when I had my prior business.

A great book on this subject is either Tim's book
Amazon.com: The 4-Hour work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich: Timothy Ferris: Books

or the E-Myth Revisited
Amazon.com: The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It: Michael E. Gerber: Books

When I read the E-Myth Revisisted, my income went WAY up while the amount of time I worked went way down.

[Bud921]

There is no reason you should EVER have a 9-5 job

[Talkofthatown919]

Why not start at the 9-5 and start your business as well. then when you business starts to gain momentum or you are at a level where you do not need your job anymore leave. Or if your fresh out of college start your business. but do not except to become a millionaire instantly.

[90802]

Originally Posted by TonyToneTone

Yes, you can have flexibility in your job and life. Just look at Tim Ferriss author of the 4 Hour Work Week. Also, at one point I use to make tens of thousands of dollars working only 5 hours a month when I had my prior business.

A great book on this subject is either Tim's book
Amazon.com: The 4-Hour work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich: Timothy Ferris: Books

or the E-Myth Revisited
Amazon.com: The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It: Michael E. Gerber: Books

When I read the E-Myth Revisisted, my income went WAY up while the amount of time I worked went way down.

Tony, do you think the E-Myth Revisited will benefit someone who's business is a website? Not a Facebook or Myspace style webpage, but something more along the lines of Steve's blog. The reason I ask is because the reviews seem to say that book is all about setting up operating manuals for each function of the business. But if you run a website right, it seems like you wouldn't need to be more than a one man operation.

Your thoughts?

[TonyToneTone]

Originally Posted by 90802

Tony, do you think the E-Myth Revisited will benefit someone who's business is a website? Not a Facebook or Myspace style webpage, but something more along the lines of Steve's blog. The reason I ask is because the reviews seem to say that book is all about setting up operating manuals for each function of the business. But if you run a website right, it seems like you wouldn't need to be more than a one man operation.

Your thoughts?

It could. I would check it out first at Barnes & Noble or a Borders and if it appeals to you, then pick it up.

Here's an example from my own life. When I first got that book it, I was partners in a website that sold thousands of dollars of martial arts merchandise every month. It was a lot of work; handling phone calls, customer emails, shipping the stuff, bookkeeping etc..

One of the things the book said is that if your business cannot run without you being there, you don't have a business, you have a JOB. After reading the book and looking at the business as its own separate entity I decided to outsource everything. The result was what I wrote before about only needing to work five hours a month and that was just me checking in to see everything was still running right.

[TonyToneTone]

I forgot to ask the ts an important question, do you like your job? If you don;t, why don't you leave it and find one that you will enjoy?

[Hyperchiller]

If I were you, these would be the decisions I would be making in your shoes:

1. Understand yourself at a deep level, at a soul level preferably. Get an Akashic Records reading by a Soul Realignment practitioner. Understand your soul strengths and an idea of your purpose and lessons in this lifetime. By doing this you gain an appreciation of who you are and what you enjoy and what you will be good at.

2. Focus on the abilities and skills that you are naturally good at. Focus on what you love. Spend time planning, visualizing what you love and doing what you love. Get better at it and then provide value to others.

3. Whether it's a job or your own business, you can provide this value to others and life will be fantastic. You will be fulfilled because you are getting money in exchange to what you love to do. You will be getting closer to doing your Life's work and eventually you will be doing your Life's work.

This is where I am heading and it's very exciting.

[ns123]

There are many ways to have a "job" - all life is flexible and abundant. There is no set formula. Sure, most people have a 9-5 job... but just because a lot of people are doing that doesn't mean you have to.

Me, I lacked creativity, so I chose the default solution of a 9-5 job. But you don't have to. You could tutor. You could consult. You could open an online business. You could mow lawns, clean houses, be an interior designer. You could be a very good software developer.

I don't work a 9-5, though I prefer it, mainly because I'm normally more productive in those hours. But I normally work from 11am-4pm... and only 3 days a week. I'm paid less... but I like it because the rest of the time is my own. I used to make LOTS of money... but that required lots of my time. Now, I make enough... and it requires less of my time.

If you want to make lots of money... well, you have to invest your time in it either now or later. You either invest a lot of time now (working lots of hours to build up your business so it will self sustain later), or you invest little time now, and keep investing little time... until you build it up. Be it a business or a skillset... you can't escape time investment.

So if you think you can sit around, watching tv, playing video games, or playing sports... and think that you'll be able to generate money from it... it won't work. But if you are willing to put in the work required - education, skills building, time investment... there are a million possible ways to generate money.

added later: I call it work - but to some people, they call what I do play. And so it's not like your "work" has to be a form of drudgery. You can have meaningful work that you enjoy that brings in income.

[tbc32]

Originally Posted by coLLege kid07

Basically I'm just asking how flexible is the workplace.

I think the good news is that the workplace is becoming more and more flexible. It used to be that 9-5 was pretty standard for just about everyone. Now many industries are looking at more efficient ways of making money and that sometimes means four day work weeks, flexible hours, working from home, etc. I love working in academia because besides the set times I teach my courses I can work when and where I want to (which means I come into the office very early so I can be home with my kids in the late afternoon). I agree with the previous posts, the most important thing is to find a job that you like and then you can play around with the hours.

[TonyToneTone]

Believe or not, I would think most employers would want you there as little as possible. If you can do most of your work in 4hrs instead of 8, that's 4 less hours they have to pay you for.

I read (don't remember where) that a goverment study showed that something like 50% of people could do the amount of work they do in half the time. They're basically doing other things; checking email, talking to friends, etc... to kill time.

[babygirlt2]

I was doing some research about soul realignment and the akashic records again ( I have come across some info some years ago) I have always been attracted to learning in the spirit and bringing back with me all I could to help myself and others. I believe I am ready to move in a little deeper in my growth. I was a massage therapist for 15 years, I also did a lot of healing and light work, I just felt like I was still missing something.. Even when I was young I always had an attachment to my higher source and still do. Since I have gotten married a couple of years ago I have been taken care of my family and have put myself on hold, I know I am ready to get back in the grove again. It is nice to know that I can share with others again, it's been a long time and as I keep writing when I can I will open up more and more.
Thanks for letting me ramble.

God Bless

[Andrew Brunelle]

Perhaps get a night shift job where there is less to do and more autonomy to work on your passions or even get a night job working on your passion(s). 9-5 isn't the only way, and it's dangerous to think that you even need a 9-5 job. If you have genuine value to provide, then you can start your own business and be successful, but it has to be value that other people want. Or you can sever your love from your income, and do what you love on your time off and work to make ends meet. It's up to you.

[pjhaggerty]

9-5 isn't even optimal. I don't know the exact stats, but I remember hearing that most 9-5 office workers only actually work about 75% of the time. So, they're really only there, doing work from 9-3, max, anyway! yeah, you can find flexibility. Especially if you're really friggin good at what you choose to do and are really passionate about it. Then employers are more likely to give you leeway.

[Thekla]

I'll echo what others have said - workplace flexibility depends on the industry and the company, and even your manager. I wouldn't let this concern stop you from looking for a job if that's the only thing that makes you not want to. I would recommend that you get very clear about what kind of schedule you are looking for and research companies beforehand if you can, and make sure that you bring up expectations and flexibility about hours during the later stages of the interview process before you accept an offer. As an entry level employee you may have less clout, but it can't hurt to try. If you find the right match, it may work just fine.

The other possibility you could look into might be having a part-time job while you work on your business?

Good luck!

[ar81]

Starting your own business is a high risk task.
You need enough money to withstand at least 2 years of losses, plus the cost of any mistake you make along the way.
Get a job, save some money for your own business.
Start your own business in your spare time.

[run_fly]

If your looking for flexibility maybe you should look for a job that is comission based income. That way they are not always around making sure your working.

You could always start by building a website on site build it? Maybe you could teach college students some tips since you just graduated from college

[positivethinking]

Depending on what you do...it may not be necessary to work 9 - 5. I have worked with both employees and consultants that work alternative schedules. Don't let the people you know (family/friends) dictate what your experience of work is. Results may vary .

[blossom]

Everyone here has given some really good feedback and relayed various different lifestyle choices for you to choose from...it's up to you to work out what you want...that's obvious.

I am in the same boat as far as wanting to work out what sort small business I want to start up in my spare time, as I am currently in a pretty ideal situation...being both time AND money rich. I work 2.5 days a week (9-5) and make the same salary as most who work 5 days, 9-5! The job is boring, but it affords me the life I want with PLENTY of spare time to paint and create and do what I want. That suits me down to the ground...what would be your ideal?