Is anyone else not ambitious
Discussion
I'm happy with my work/life balance, that's not the same as lacking ambition.
I've seen peers climb the ladder higher then I have, the majority look miserable and stressed at all times, yes they may have a bigger salary than me, but the extra hours they put in and taking work home etc, just doesn't seem worth the trade off to me. Good luck to them, but that's not the life to me, I'm a hippy deep down I think.
I've seen peers climb the ladder higher then I have, the majority look miserable and stressed at all times, yes they may have a bigger salary than me, but the extra hours they put in and taking work home etc, just doesn't seem worth the trade off to me. Good luck to them, but that's not the life to me, I'm a hippy deep down I think.
What put me off going for the promotion is due to a new pay scale coming in next year, it would take me 6 years to gain an extra 300 pound a month compared to my current salary.
I can make 275 of that 300 by doing one 12 hour shift at another site as a bank shift, so its so much easier to do that than it is to take on way more stress and responsibilities.
I can make 275 of that 300 by doing one 12 hour shift at another site as a bank shift, so its so much easier to do that than it is to take on way more stress and responsibilities.
I'm still on the same grade as when I started my present job 19 years ago :-)
I'm cruising really with the occasional mighty effort when there's a big job on.
I don't dislike what I do (Civil Eng Technician ie. CAD Monkey) but I would finish tomorrow if I could.
I'm probably 6-8 years from being able to jack it in (I'm 54) but I'll probably have to take a part time job close to home to make my living comfortable which I don't mind.
My wife was destined for big things in Accountancy and was very ambitious but 3 kids put a halt to that :-)
She was offered a senior role which would have meant me giving up work to become a house husband but she couldn't take it.
She has a pretty good job in the NHS now and would progress higher now the kids have grown up if it wasn't full of complete numpties at Senior Management Level (her words).
I'm cruising really with the occasional mighty effort when there's a big job on.
I don't dislike what I do (Civil Eng Technician ie. CAD Monkey) but I would finish tomorrow if I could.
I'm probably 6-8 years from being able to jack it in (I'm 54) but I'll probably have to take a part time job close to home to make my living comfortable which I don't mind.
My wife was destined for big things in Accountancy and was very ambitious but 3 kids put a halt to that :-)
She was offered a senior role which would have meant me giving up work to become a house husband but she couldn't take it.
She has a pretty good job in the NHS now and would progress higher now the kids have grown up if it wasn't full of complete numpties at Senior Management Level (her words).
I'm about to leave my job at Tesco after nearly 12 years. I've not enjoyed it for most of it. I've moved departments when its been bad (driving for the last five years, and if it wasn't for getting a new area at the start of the year (used to do 40 miles a shift with 34 drops, now do 150 miles with maybe 20 drops, and just a nicer area to be driving around (no traffic!)) I would have looked at somewhere else (I did actually get offered another job but turned it down for a number of reasons).
I'm actually jealous of some of the people at work. They are happy doing their job, always have a smile on their face. I've got no desire to work my way up the ladder as such.
Start of July I start my new job. Wanted it for nearly 10 years. And whilst at the moment I've got no intention of working my way up, I know what department(s) I would like to get to, so ambitious to a degree I guess.
Guess I'll finally be one of those people who enjoys going to work!
I'm actually jealous of some of the people at work. They are happy doing their job, always have a smile on their face. I've got no desire to work my way up the ladder as such.
Start of July I start my new job. Wanted it for nearly 10 years. And whilst at the moment I've got no intention of working my way up, I know what department(s) I would like to get to, so ambitious to a degree I guess.
Guess I'll finally be one of those people who enjoys going to work!
I feel the vibe of this thread...
I have my own business - it's ticking along, I'd like to grow it another 50% in revenue terms which would mean we could afford mortgage, school fees and cars without relying on my wife's commissions. More than that though and I'd be happy to hire a general manager and do 2.5 days a week and start another smaller business to go alongside.
I don't work massive hours but it is stressful. My ambition is really to get the business as good as it could be in terms of customer and employee feedback and some recognition within the sector.
My wife earns quite a bit more than me and is very sales orientated so she's currently well-suited to her role. I get fed up with her working late and frequent business trips but she enjoys the challenge so I just try to be supportive. She's overseas next weekend so I'll pile the lads in the car and go off somewhere for us to have some fun.
I have my own business - it's ticking along, I'd like to grow it another 50% in revenue terms which would mean we could afford mortgage, school fees and cars without relying on my wife's commissions. More than that though and I'd be happy to hire a general manager and do 2.5 days a week and start another smaller business to go alongside.
I don't work massive hours but it is stressful. My ambition is really to get the business as good as it could be in terms of customer and employee feedback and some recognition within the sector.
My wife earns quite a bit more than me and is very sales orientated so she's currently well-suited to her role. I get fed up with her working late and frequent business trips but she enjoys the challenge so I just try to be supportive. She's overseas next weekend so I'll pile the lads in the car and go off somewhere for us to have some fun.
I have always been financially ambitious, but have never sought any sort of rank or the perceived social status that comes with it. I have made it a mission in my working life to earn as much as I can whilst having as little responsibility as possible.
When I was in a staff role (mechanical design engineer) I could see that to earn more money I had to get promoted, and therefore take on a lot more responsibility, or move company. I used to move companies a lot.
Once I had got to a pay level where I knew I could earn no more in a staff role then I became a contractor, keeping the same level (or possibly lower) of responsibility but earning more. I have worked for plenty of clients who have apologised because they think the work may be a bit mundane. I say “bring it on”. I have never had a promotion. I just earn a lot more than I did when I started doing this.
I have just spent the last year building a house. Whilst building it, the 4 of us lived in a tiny flat. Overseeing the building work was hugely stressful and I now have a much bigger mortgage than I would like. Financially it will almost certainly pay off but am I much happier now than when I was in the flat? I don’t know. Was all of the stress worth it? Again, I don’t know. It is a nicer place to live but I have more pressure to keep the money coming in than I did a few years ago when I had a very small mortgage.
My next ambition, once I get the house finished, is retirement. I am only in my early 40s so it is some time away but I hope that I can stop work in my mid-50s. Living in the flat whilst doing the build made me completely re-evaluate things. As much as I like stuff (Danish furniture, old motorbikes and retro stereo equipment mainly) I have realised how little difference it makes to your overall level of contentment.
When I was in a staff role (mechanical design engineer) I could see that to earn more money I had to get promoted, and therefore take on a lot more responsibility, or move company. I used to move companies a lot.
Once I had got to a pay level where I knew I could earn no more in a staff role then I became a contractor, keeping the same level (or possibly lower) of responsibility but earning more. I have worked for plenty of clients who have apologised because they think the work may be a bit mundane. I say “bring it on”. I have never had a promotion. I just earn a lot more than I did when I started doing this.
I have just spent the last year building a house. Whilst building it, the 4 of us lived in a tiny flat. Overseeing the building work was hugely stressful and I now have a much bigger mortgage than I would like. Financially it will almost certainly pay off but am I much happier now than when I was in the flat? I don’t know. Was all of the stress worth it? Again, I don’t know. It is a nicer place to live but I have more pressure to keep the money coming in than I did a few years ago when I had a very small mortgage.
My next ambition, once I get the house finished, is retirement. I am only in my early 40s so it is some time away but I hope that I can stop work in my mid-50s. Living in the flat whilst doing the build made me completely re-evaluate things. As much as I like stuff (Danish furniture, old motorbikes and retro stereo equipment mainly) I have realised how little difference it makes to your overall level of contentment.
BIG MOLE said:
I have always been financially ambitious, but have never sought any sort of rank or the perceived social status that comes with it.
Yeah, status and rank doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I went from a head of IT role to my current post, an IT Consultant for the Europe Region. It pays well and I'm in a position, after many years of stress and responsibility, to be able to work from home, travel a lot and not have to put in the extra hours. In terms of status, I'd happily give up my fancy title to pack shelves in Asda or serve drinks in a local coffee shop. If only low ranking/low social status type jobs paid well enough for me to clear about £3k per month I could afford to give up my career all together. interesting thread TBH.
I learned a lesson from my uncle - poor b
d worked like a slave (his own business) cost him his marriage (divorce), his daughter (hated him), his health (total and utter stresshead). That was not going to be me! Tragically he had a massive stroke several years ago and died about 2 yearsago - nothing left of the business, his ex never came to the funeral (though to be fair the daughter did). He's now pretty much forgotten 
I remember being at work and people looking at me weirdly when I stated that I really didn't care about titles (call me a tea-lady for all I care, just pay me what I'm worth!) and I was happy collecting my wages and going home. Like others on here never learned to 'play politics', loathed the 'we work hard, play hard' bullst that the Yanks are fond of and never understood the stay at your desk for an extra 30/60 minutes even if you're not busy (just look busy!). Nope if I'm not busy and I can't help anyone else then I'm outta here.
Found that I enjoyed working for smaller companies more responsibility, flat(ish) reporting structure and less B/S. Unfortunately in the city it seems that bigger is better (except for my belly!) so the boutiquey places I enjoyed working for got swallowed up. Now after redundancy I work locally - leave for work @ 08.20 get home most evenings @ 17:35 so a lot more time with the mrs (great for me, hopefully her too!).
Do I miss it? Only the money - but my quality of life is immeasurably better. I'm happy
I learned a lesson from my uncle - poor b
d worked like a slave (his own business) cost him his marriage (divorce), his daughter (hated him), his health (total and utter stresshead). That was not going to be me! Tragically he had a massive stroke several years ago and died about 2 yearsago - nothing left of the business, his ex never came to the funeral (though to be fair the daughter did). He's now pretty much forgotten I remember being at work and people looking at me weirdly when I stated that I really didn't care about titles (call me a tea-lady for all I care, just pay me what I'm worth!) and I was happy collecting my wages and going home. Like others on here never learned to 'play politics', loathed the 'we work hard, play hard' bulls
t that the Yanks are fond of and never understood the stay at your desk for an extra 30/60 minutes even if you're not busy (just look busy!). Nope if I'm not busy and I can't help anyone else then I'm outta here.Found that I enjoyed working for smaller companies more responsibility, flat(ish) reporting structure and less B/S. Unfortunately in the city it seems that bigger is better (except for my belly!) so the boutiquey places I enjoyed working for got swallowed up. Now after redundancy I work locally - leave for work @ 08.20 get home most evenings @ 17:35 so a lot more time with the mrs (great for me, hopefully her too!).
Do I miss it? Only the money - but my quality of life is immeasurably better. I'm happy
great thread, i thought i was the only one !
Worked in IT for over 20 years and as said before if you didn't want to progress your looked down on, I'm happy to earn what i earn and go home, i honestly couldn't care anymore about moving up the pole.. i dont knock anyone that does tho, some people love it and relish the challenge but now I'm the wrong end of my 40's i just cant be arsed anymore, happy to do good work when I'm there (and these days i get more satisfaction from that) but have no ambition to earn more or move up the ladder, i just dont see the point, your only working hard for the owner to get a nice car or bigger house, enrich yourself i say.
hopefully within 5 years i can pay off the mortgage and take up something part time and less technical.
Worked in IT for over 20 years and as said before if you didn't want to progress your looked down on, I'm happy to earn what i earn and go home, i honestly couldn't care anymore about moving up the pole.. i dont knock anyone that does tho, some people love it and relish the challenge but now I'm the wrong end of my 40's i just cant be arsed anymore, happy to do good work when I'm there (and these days i get more satisfaction from that) but have no ambition to earn more or move up the ladder, i just dont see the point, your only working hard for the owner to get a nice car or bigger house, enrich yourself i say.
hopefully within 5 years i can pay off the mortgage and take up something part time and less technical.
I once turned down a promotion to an office based senior management role that would have nearly doubled my existing gross earnings plus a posh executive car. . It was offered by a kindly director who was a anxious for me to maximise my income prior to retirement - there was talk of a pension based on final salary.
Anyway it was of no interest as I would have been tied to working 9-5, accountable for every hour & taxed so much my net income would have barely increased. To my surprise in an unguarded moment a few weeks later the director expressed envy at my freedom to make such a decision. No wonder as he was a stressed as hell despite a mega-salary & with no time for hobbies.
I in the meantime over a period of 10 years I was achieving & mostly exceeding my employers expectations yet working the hours that suited me often only 4 days a week, the 5th day mostly spent at a local flying club getting my PPL. I also had time & money to engage in other hobbies & pastimes. The job was enormously enjoyable with little stress, I had no mortgage & no kids (I thought with my brain not my groin).
No ambition? You bet. A lovely life & job? You bet.
Anyway it was of no interest as I would have been tied to working 9-5, accountable for every hour & taxed so much my net income would have barely increased. To my surprise in an unguarded moment a few weeks later the director expressed envy at my freedom to make such a decision. No wonder as he was a stressed as hell despite a mega-salary & with no time for hobbies.
I in the meantime over a period of 10 years I was achieving & mostly exceeding my employers expectations yet working the hours that suited me often only 4 days a week, the 5th day mostly spent at a local flying club getting my PPL. I also had time & money to engage in other hobbies & pastimes. The job was enormously enjoyable with little stress, I had no mortgage & no kids (I thought with my brain not my groin).
No ambition? You bet. A lovely life & job? You bet.
toon10 said:
Yeah, status and rank doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I went from a head of IT role to my current post, an IT Consultant for the Europe Region. It pays well and I'm in a position, after many years of stress and responsibility, to be able to work from home, travel a lot and not have to put in the extra hours. In terms of status, I'd happily give up my fancy title to pack shelves in Asda or serve drinks in a local coffee shop. If only low ranking/low social status type jobs paid well enough for me to clear about £3k per month I could afford to give up my career all together.
It's because they don't that people are ambitious.ntiz said:
......it woke up to just how much I was scraping by at work. Being honest I can’t even say I was doing a good job because I wasn’t. Fortunately my father owns the company so when I started to really put the work it was appreciated and encouraged. Promotions came quickly as you would expect...
I can't think of anything worse than working for a business that also employs the owners lazy, spoiled, preferred (regardless of talent) offspring. Just sayin'.....
bucksmanuk said:
Good topic OP…
One of my last contract roles was as an engineering manager reporting to the technical director.
He started work at 07:10, never left before 18:00, the owners were American so he was answering emails most evenings. He spent Sunday evening preparing nonsense spreadsheets for the corporate Yank-wks, and looked his 62 years… Probably cracking £80-85K
He was talking to one of the machine setters on the shop floor, who he’d known for ages – they were the same age... The guy started work at the same time, yet went at 16:15 - on the button. His evenings were free, he had hobbies, and he could take the dog for a walk, and looked a genuine 10 years younger than the director. Probably earning £35k and another £8K of OT if he wanted it.
The technical director said the only thing he really had better than the other guy was that he drove a nicer car and lived in a bigger house.
I’m early 50’s and contract and have been for 7 years. The thought of climbing a corporate ladder is now a total anathema to me.
Great post and sums it up perfectly for me. Personally I've got no desire to progress to the next natural level in the company I work for. I know my boss would like to progress and I'm the obvious back fill to his role but I'm really struggling to think of a positive to progress. More money obviously but that much more. It's a few years away yet but I'm currently working out the best way to break it to him. I love my current job and it's definitely in the sweet spot that someone mentioned earlier.One of my last contract roles was as an engineering manager reporting to the technical director.
He started work at 07:10, never left before 18:00, the owners were American so he was answering emails most evenings. He spent Sunday evening preparing nonsense spreadsheets for the corporate Yank-w
ks, and looked his 62 years… Probably cracking £80-85KHe was talking to one of the machine setters on the shop floor, who he’d known for ages – they were the same age... The guy started work at the same time, yet went at 16:15 - on the button. His evenings were free, he had hobbies, and he could take the dog for a walk, and looked a genuine 10 years younger than the director. Probably earning £35k and another £8K of OT if he wanted it.
The technical director said the only thing he really had better than the other guy was that he drove a nicer car and lived in a bigger house.
I’m early 50’s and contract and have been for 7 years. The thought of climbing a corporate ladder is now a total anathema to me.
I used to be when I was younger and ended up running a department of 15 which was a total ball ache, managing people.
Now I have none whatsoever, and whilst financially should stay at my present job until retirement, I really can't be bothered and plan to jack it in in a few years time at 54. Can't wait.
Now I have none whatsoever, and whilst financially should stay at my present job until retirement, I really can't be bothered and plan to jack it in in a few years time at 54. Can't wait.
jakesmith said:
I got promoted last year & had started pressing for another promotion to director level
As such I got marked really harshly at my performance review as my manager & his boss realised they can get another 3-4 years out of me giving it 110% if they make me work really hard for a promotion
I have just realised that I can't be bothered to do that for a job title change promotion & and just going to do my job really well and leave it at that
That'd be 3 of you at management level who don't understand percentages, then?As such I got marked really harshly at my performance review as my manager & his boss realised they can get another 3-4 years out of me giving it 110% if they make me work really hard for a promotion
I have just realised that I can't be bothered to do that for a job title change promotion & and just going to do my job really well and leave it at that
this sums it up....
An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, “only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.” The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”
To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”
“But what then?” Asked the Mexican.
The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”
“Millions – then what?”
The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”
An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, “only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.” The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”
To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”
“But what then?” Asked the Mexican.
The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”
“Millions – then what?”
The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”
BIG MOLE said:
I have always been financially ambitious, but have never sought any sort of rank or the perceived social status that comes with it. I have made it a mission in my working life to earn as much as I can whilst having as little responsibility as possible.
When I was in a staff role (mechanical design engineer) I could see that to earn more money I had to get promoted, and therefore take on a lot more responsibility, or move company. I used to move companies a lot.
Made me smile reading this, it's pretty similar to my own ethos. I've also had the benefit of moving around a handful of times and my type of role being in demand that each move has increased my pay without necessarily increasing responsibility. I seem to have ended up £8-10k pa higher than my peers. My problem is I often get promoted without actively seeking it - fairly young (33), face that fits etc - but in all honesty I've come to realise I get far more satisfaction from having (and continuously improving upon) the technical knowledge I need for the non-managerial client-facing side of my role than I do from managing people. It's a shame that in many companies, managing people = more money, as opposed to more knowledge = more money. When I was in a staff role (mechanical design engineer) I could see that to earn more money I had to get promoted, and therefore take on a lot more responsibility, or move company. I used to move companies a lot.
Edited by T1547 on Monday 17th June 22:54
Interesting thread. I'm self employed so have an outside looking in view on all this promotion and corporate climbing lark. I have worked for a long time in companies but these days my observations are more through friends.
I have one particular pal that's spent 10 years on a seemingly endless carrot dangling chase for mythical "director" status within his company. He's been duped/exploited more times than I can remember and he's still stuck in the same middle management position he was a decade ago. He has to travel extensively and is on call to his team all the time. This is not a 6 figure position.
I've often tried to point ot to him that if he'd spent 10 years of time and effort working on his own business he would probably be significantly better off than he is now financially and in quality of life terms. No doubt at some point he'll get made redundant and will realise what a waste the last 10 years and more have been.
It was very eloquently pointed out earlier in the thread that toiling for an employerwill reap you a fraction of the rewards generated. Nobody will thank you or remember your efforts and no matter what your position or how irreplaceable you think you are you are an easily replaceable and instantly forgotten cog in a machine.
Not everyone is Richard Branson and this constant theme of self development makes me want to vomit. Yes if the individual is so minded why not go on that course or get that incremental pay rise. But there's nothing wrong with being a "plodder" it's certainly not a term in using here in a derogatory way.
My father in law was one when he was working. He was at the same pay grade when he retired (at 56!) That he was at 20. Very chilled guy enjoys a frugal but comfortable lifestyle. He is and was always content. Lots of people are happy I'm one of them but contentment is the holy grail. I don't reckon I've met more than half a dozen truly contented people in my life it seems to be something that's absent completely in anyone under the age of 60 now.
I have one particular pal that's spent 10 years on a seemingly endless carrot dangling chase for mythical "director" status within his company. He's been duped/exploited more times than I can remember and he's still stuck in the same middle management position he was a decade ago. He has to travel extensively and is on call to his team all the time. This is not a 6 figure position.
I've often tried to point ot to him that if he'd spent 10 years of time and effort working on his own business he would probably be significantly better off than he is now financially and in quality of life terms. No doubt at some point he'll get made redundant and will realise what a waste the last 10 years and more have been.
It was very eloquently pointed out earlier in the thread that toiling for an employerwill reap you a fraction of the rewards generated. Nobody will thank you or remember your efforts and no matter what your position or how irreplaceable you think you are you are an easily replaceable and instantly forgotten cog in a machine.
Not everyone is Richard Branson and this constant theme of self development makes me want to vomit. Yes if the individual is so minded why not go on that course or get that incremental pay rise. But there's nothing wrong with being a "plodder" it's certainly not a term in using here in a derogatory way.
My father in law was one when he was working. He was at the same pay grade when he retired (at 56!) That he was at 20. Very chilled guy enjoys a frugal but comfortable lifestyle. He is and was always content. Lots of people are happy I'm one of them but contentment is the holy grail. I don't reckon I've met more than half a dozen truly contented people in my life it seems to be something that's absent completely in anyone under the age of 60 now.
Edited by fridaypassion on Tuesday 18th June 06:20
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