Is anyone else sick and tired of working for corporate America?

I currently work for an IT company and I make decent money but I'm really unhappy with what I do.

I'm sick and tired of corporate America, I'm tired of the greed and short sightedness, I'm tired of the constant pressure to sell more and more services each year, I despise and roll my eyes at the greedy clueless executives (most of whom are old, fat, balding, terribly dressed, arrogant overpaid white guys), I'm just tired of all the same BS I would encounter even if I went to another company. The problem is that I make decent money but I don't like what I do, I have no confidence in the senior leadership, and again, none of this would change if I got another job doing the same thing (different company, same BS).

I have very little debt, I have enough money saved up to go without a job for 2 years, and I fantasize about quitting on the spot and finding something else to do but the common sense part of my brain prevents me from walking out.

HELP!!!!!

You need a holiday....

Don't quit. Sit down and figure out what your options are based on your geography, from there choose a path to pursue that you feel you would be happier with, and financially secure enough to do and try to get a job doing that. Don't quit though, it's easier to get a job while you have a job (because that makes sense) than to get one while you are unemployed.

You might be suprized what working for a company that has good leadership can do. I suggest you try somewhere else.

I completely hear you on corporate greed. It just seems to be getting more prevalent, especially considering recent events. Makes me remember that I agreed with Occupy Wall Street's core reason for existing, although their methods were absolutely wrong.

I work in IT too, but for the public sector. Workplace politics still exist here (probably more prevalent too), but there's no notion of greed because the higher-ups aren't in it for the money.

I would say find another job or maybe start your own business.

and this

Vote the current regime out and reboot the government.

I sat down with a friend about a small internet sales business I just officially started. She went on to say that entrepreneurship, is really the only way to get rich. As oppose to working for someone else and making them rich.

I have to agree that in order to get wealthier beyond what a job's salary provides. You have to as TD Jakes said. Have multiple streams of income. Becoming an entrepreneur, and assuming all the risk and rewards that come from running your own business. Really could provide those means. But you need quite the blessing from the Lord. To give you the drive to be passionate about working for yourself, and prosper your business. As there's no one to tell you what to do and the deadlines for said assignments. And there's so much stuff (tax and legal things), that's generally automatically done by an employer, which you have to assume control of. So entrepreneurship is not for everyone. But there are some means out there where you can become less dependent on an employer. To provide you with a livable salary.

Weren't you the one who admitted you're extremely shallow and fake? You fit right in.

weigh up the pros and cons of getting out. i wouldnt just quit your job but maybe try and find a lower pressure job with a better work/life balance even if it comes with a financial hit.

• are you thinking of trying to get into a different sector of IT or do you just want out? do you like the work you do (setting aside the office politics and such like)?
• how much of a hair cut can you take to your finances?
• what kind of lifestyle do you wish? would you be willing to give up holidays, new phones, nice car etc? do you want a family?
• what kind of future will you be looking at? will you be able to get a mortage and buy a house? will you be stuck renting? how much of a bump in rent could you take before you get into trouble?
• do you have kids and/or a partner that depends on you?

i used to work in IT too but i burned out (self inflicted wound). luckily the company i work for had another role which is a lot less stressful and it generally stays under the radar of office politics and gamesmanship. i still get to work with nice people which is also a major plus.. but it came with a financial hit (which is fair enough).

I can completely relate. I also work in IT and I've been on both sides of the equation: in-house IT and IT Services. I work for one of the big Managed IT Services companies (think offshore outsourcing) and I know how you feel.

I don't have to sell products, but I have to worry about my apps having enough in-flight and pipeline projects or I face the prospect of going to the bench for reassignment to another client. Spend a certain period of time on the bench, and you're terminated. It puts me in a compromised position because when our client asks for project estimates, I feel compelled, out of self-preservation, to overestimate to ensure that my resources (mostly offshore) and fully allocated for as long as possible.

Take a vacation. I've come to the conclusion that I'll likely never love something that I'm required to get up in the morning and do 5 days a week for the rest of my life...it's a job. It sounds like you're similar to me financially, and what keeps me going is the idea that I save so much money in retirement accounts that I'll be able to retire early.

Well IT is considered one of the most boring and stressful jobs, having a bad day then printer doesn't work HULK SMASH.

Sell everything, and go work at a farm

I actually like the company I work for. They treat their employees better than anywhere I've ever worked.

Plus, we're the industry leader in semiconductors, which makes me feel better than everyone else. :)

I don't work for "corporate America" directly, but in a sense we all sort of do since they are the ones that can buy politicians, send in lobbyists, and essentially fight to pass laws that benefit them and not us.

So yes I am sick of it.

As for you specifically @GalvatronType_R, don't quit any job until you have another one lined up. It's still a damn competitive job market out there (I heard IT especially so), so maybe bide your time, pad your resume a bit more, and look for that sweet job.

And take a vacation!

I agree with your sentiment. It would be much better to work for a bureaucratic government agency.

It's alright. I'm good at what I do and I'm a good fit for the environment. The only thing that really bugs me is the continual creeping away of compensation/benefits.

"You've done great! Here's a raise. Note, however, that your pension is being removed, the company 401(k) contribution is being reduced, and we're getting rid of the PPO1 plan in lieu of a high deductible plan/HSA combination. Oh, and it looks Congress is looking to remove the tax advantaged status of your healthcare costs in the coming year. Congratulations!"

yes working sucks but being homeless would be even worse i think. you just have to tough it out and try to retire early to do a less stressful job were you dont need as much money to get by by down sizing on your lifestyle.

This is my office.

Perhaps a change of career is in order if your current one dissatisfies you that much?

corporate cog #3304922591 checking in...

there are pluses and minuses as far as working for a large, soul-sucking corporation. where i work at least there is plenty of opportunity to try different things. i recently got tied of an old assignment and was able to move to a different role pretty easily. those kinds of moves may be difficult in a smaller environment because people are pinched for resources. plus i get to work on some cool stuff that only a handful of companies in the world are doing.

i'm with you on the short shortsightedness though. i think that's a common attribute of most mature publicly traded companies. the pressure to deliver results for the next quarter or two far outweighs long-term objectives. the way the company is structured just breeds that way of thinking and there are very few out there that do a good job resisting it ( amazon is one i can think of that does seem to somewhat )

OP right now.

Work for corporate China instead

i don't work. i'm a house dad.

Find a new job.

If you do not love what you do, then go find another job if that is important to you.

I can relate to a certain degree. I worked for seven years in a university sponsored lab researching climate change. We ran out of money last year and I moved over to industry to a large company calibrating instruments. On the one hand the salary jump and opportunity for promotions is great. On the other hand, I'm coming close to being at this place for a year and the ugliness of industry is becoming more and more obvious. Managers and those above don't care about anything other than the bottom line and that machines make it out the door. But, they try to give the illusion that they do care by hosting parties and sending out "thank you" emails and such. It's totally bread and circus here and the rest of the employees eat it up (literally, as long as people are fed, they seem to be happily distracted).

I realize now that those seven years were a blissful period of my working life that I'll probably never get to experience again. With my student loans in full repayment mode, I cannot afford to take a huge pay step back. I miss my small lab team and how everyone in the building were working together for a common goal, not just a bottom line or a pay check.

Could you be more specific about exactly what it is at your current job that has you dissatisfied? Greed, cluelessness, etc are great abstract concepts but what is the actual problem? Also, what is it that you do, specifically?

I also work in corporate IT. In my role, there are pros and cons but I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else. But then again, "corporate IT" can mean a lot of different things.

-Byshop

Take a long vacation overseas somewhere... I hear Australia got really nice vacation spots. That will give you time to think about it, then come back.. Or not.

I'm tired of people at work but my job is just standard, enough for bills.

If you think the pastures abroad are greener, give it a shot. I know a few who actually tried it. They eventually came back here. There are also those who are doing well such as federal workers who have jobs at US bases. One who got a job at Misawa AB Japan, said it was heaven.

If you have so much money, why don't you start your own thing or do a sabbatical?

Account created today, first post is a necro, good job lol

Also, relevant

Spambot necro bump.

-Byshop