I guess I'm lucky. 40 hours a week for 30 years. I couldn't even imagine working those kind of hours. I really respect you guys for putting in those type of hours.
I don't care about the hours right now I live alone and due to both of our busy schedules me and my fiance only see each other on weekends. The extra money is helping us build our modest house loan free. And paying wedding expenses. Once the wedding is over ill try to cut down to 60 hrs. With weekends off. I don't like banks and credit so I work hard till I can buy something big then take a break to enjoy it lol
Back when I was a PA up in Michigan I used to run a health clinic for the homeless. Between my patients, writing government grant proposals, taking care of the day to day stuff, and community out reach I usually ended up working 12 to 16 hour days 6 to 7 days per week. I was so toasted after doing that for three years that I left medicine altogether.
You are lucky to be able to make that choice. There are some individuals who work very long hours because they want a lot of money. For many others, the choice is to work long hours or have no job at all. It is not that they want to work long hours, they simply have no choice.
I don't count myself as lucky, because it's just a normal everyday job. I do want a lot of money, but I also want to enjoy my life to the maximum. Once in a while I take a few extra hours, but it's not very often. Had I got a bigger house and fancier car I would have to do that every day. And what choice do I have the day Boss says: Sorry son, but our costumers have failed us recently, so we can't afford to let you take all those hours all the time. Then I'm stuck with a fancy house and fancy car that I can't pay for, because my budget was set for a larger income. That's why my budget is set for the 37 hours - so I don't have to work more. I get that some have to choose between job with many hours or no job at all. That's one thing. But some do have a choice but think of the many hours as something with a lot of pride. I once had a friend of mine who took all the hours he could get and bragged about it as something pristine. To him, many hours was a sign of commitment to the job. I just thought he maybe didn't like his girlfriend, friends and family at all... His paycheck was larger than mine, but none of us saw him very often. Maybe my oppinion is the way it is because I once had a job where 50+ was the norm every week. I really really hated it. Couldn't do much on weekdays and the weekends was also pretty much ruined. So I made a career change and have never looked back.
Yea I really don't have a choice in the oilfield either you hit your deadline or you don't. In my case I have no degree and a long criminal record from when I was younger so im very fortunate to even have a great paying job lol
I guess I could have chosen many other jobs were I could have worked more hours and made much more money but IMHO being wealthy and having a big house and fancy cars means nothing compared to spending quality time with my wife and children. I do think your doing the right thing paying cash for your big ticket items allowing you to start without much debt when you marry. Money problems can end a marriage quickly. But once the knots tied I suggest cutting back your hours as much as possible and spending as much time with your wife as you can. Your marriage will grow stronger and stronger. Life is very very short so spend it wisely. Best of luck with your job and your future marriage.
Hang in there hopefully it will get better. I'm glad that the long hours is over me permanently, that's great thing about retirement.
I'm a trumpet player....For many years I practiced 10-12 hours a day...People always said, if they dropped by my house and didn't hear the trumpet they didn't need to park, cause I wasn't home...They were right most of the time.....I played most nights when possible....My wife said I scat sang in my sleep and moved my fingers like I was playing.....If I wasn't gigging at night I would go sit in on someone else's gig.... This was most my adult life....just now things are slowing up....the Jazz scene is in such danger now of just disappearing.... I always said I got paid for wearing a suit and showing up on time...the actual playing was what I believe in...could be almost spiritual... This was true MOST of the time...ha,ha....of course commercial gigs are just that...but luckily I was so pegged as a Jazz player early on, that I usually didn't get called for other things...
My favorite jazz usually involves trumpet. Thanks for sharing that. I've been listening to Bix Biederbecke lately, everyday almost. Also love Bunny Berigan and Louse Armstrong.
