Did you work crazy long hours as a young professional?

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Not really an AIBU. Posting here for traffic. I’ve worked past midnight twice in the last 2 weeks. My office hours are 9am - 5:30pm (working from home atm). On the nights I work late I tend to stop for an hour or two to spend time with my OH and eat but then get back to it.

I work in a professional job and have some project management responsibilities. I so often find that for me to get any of the actual work done I need to do it later as the project management takes up most of the working day.

I guess I want someone to tell me that they worked their balls off too when they were in their 20s and it was all worth it. Interested to hear the experiences of others.

Absolutely. As an early-career academic before they invented schemes to protect research time for junior staff, I was regularly writing lectures until the early hours, giving them next day, then sitting down to write more, while writing my first book and dealing with large numbers of personal tutees and whacking great amounts of admin.

I work harder and longers hours now and i'm 38.
I think it really depends on the sector tbh.

Let's see. I think my worst working pattern included the shift starting at 09:00 on the Friday morning and finishing 13:00 on the Monday lunchtime. Having worked the rest of the week before and after, naturally.

I’m a bit older but moved into this career later in life. I’ve just logged off.

Phaha good to know I’m not alone 🤣

Yes, crazy crazy hours to the point that I ended up with enough time in lieu one year that I could have gone part time the following year, just using up time owed. Instead HR arranged for me to be paid for the time and I was told to book holidays and not burn out.

Did my career the power of good though.

I reflected on this with some school contemporaries and those of us that gave it everything in our 20s started at the same level as everyone else but ended up way better off by 30s. It was at the expense of private and home lives but it’s only for a few years and if I had my time again, I’d do it and probably push even harder.

@SueEllenMishke Oh god, not sure I can sustain these hours for 10 years.

I wonder how much of it personality thing, not everyone works crazy hours where I work. But the people who get further do ...

Until they get high enough up in management that they pretend they’d never do late nights and berate anyone who does.

Oh gosh yes. The longest shift I did was 28 hours but there were many many close to that.

Project / programme management is long hours full stop. But it’s also flexible - I spent most of my 20s to early 30s working 7am to Midnight but hardly ever in the office.

Yes, I did. You can become more comfortable financially and in terms of your position and prospects in your 30s than some of your friends thanks to this. But you have to watch yourself not to get burnt out and not to miss out on life and meeting people completely. Striking the right balance can be difficult but it's important to remember that you have a life to live. Otherwise you can easily end up successful, but pretty miserable.

Oh hell yeah!

It hasn’t completely gone away for me (I finished work about 20 mins ago and I’m in my 30s) but when I was in my 20s I had a job I LOVED but required crazy hours.

My two mad highlights were spending 36 hours at my desk to complete a project before a holiday and on the summer solstice one year, I took the train to work in the dark and then worked on the train coming home, again in the dark.

I managed it for two mad/fun years, before my manager left the business. It wouldn’t have been as fun without, so I took a much steadier job closer to home (with a pay rise).

Yes in my late early 30's I worked long hours. Professional job, I felt like I needed to to earn my stripes.

As soon as I hit mid-senior level my working hours reverted to some sense of normality, now the late nights are rare (but still happen from time to time).

I spent a few years as a consultant. Lots of travel. Many, many all nighters. Tons of experience and rapid salary increase.

It got me the resume I needed to get my dream job that I am still doing 20 years later and that came with a much better work-life balance.

Investment Banker from early 20s to mid 30s. FX Trader working in London / New York.
12 hour days in the office were the norm plus 'work socialising' outside of that.
The pay was amazing and I saw the world. I loved the buzz to be honest. Plus I had the energy for it at the time. Had a ball and learnt a lot. At the time women in the industry at my level were few and far between. It was hell at times but it was also great. I don't regret it for a second. I learnt so much and made lifelong friends.
Do a bit of what makes you happy mixed with things that take you outside your comfort zone.

During my 20s and 30s.

Yes it’s worth it in the long term but hard at the time, with no work life balance.

I spent most of my twenties in a job that saw me regularly work 12 hour days, I averaged 50-55 hours a week and was progressing well.

Then I had a family. I now work 16 hours a week in a totally different field. I know which I prefer

@borisjohnsonsstylist a 16 hour week doesn’t sound too bad right now 😂

I guess that’s the end goal really, maybe.

I think personality does come into it but sector/role play a part.
I might work long hours but I have an enormous amount of flexibility which I've earned.
My employer knows I'll do the work and I'll do it well so they don't really care how or when I do it. That means WFH, being available for the school run, choosing my own hours to some extent.....

Bucking the trend here - I didn't.

I had my son young and so I had to get away from the office at a reasonable time. It hasn't held me back but I was always in house rather than professional services which could be the difference. Other colleagues did do crazy hours but I never did because I physically couldn't. But when I was working, it was head down and cracking on, 100% productivity.

I'm early 30s now and earn well. Not investment banker level but more than I ever thought I would, and after the next promotion will be comfortably into six figures.

Depends so much on the culture of your profession.
It is 'expected' in many roles, unfortunately, and not just for 'young' professionals.

I think it depends on the job/sector and the culture is key. When I was 22/23 in one job I was flat out, barely had time to eat lunch or even go the loo - often worked late and came in early. Everyone in the office was the same way, it was almost an unhealthy competition to see who was working the hardest.

But then I got made redundant and started a new job in a similar field when I was in my mid twenties. It was nowhere near the same level of madness. Yes I worked hard and my days were busy, but I left on time every day and always had time for a 30 min lunch break if not longer. The culture of that workplace was very much about work life balance, if you worked long hours with no breaks it actually reflected poorly on you as it suggested you were struggling to manage your workload. The complete opposite of my other job!

I don’t think it’s a one size fits all answer, really varies across different sectors and jobs.

Yes, big 4 consulting. I have just moved to a firm which should be much more family friendly but I must add while being hired I got emails midnight Friday from my new boss, and there were a number of people who started work at 3am earlier this week to meet month end deadlines. Husband and I balance the parenting obviously!

Yes big 4.. but only a couple years. I went in house and much better balance (though not as short or flexible as I'd like)

@parentofteen I wished I had children earlier. What do you do, if you dont mind me asking. Work life balance is the holy grail but it doesnt seem to gell with progression

I was in IT in the late 80s onwards and we worked hard, but it was a team of 24 and we were all very young and noone had kids/responsibilities.

Many all nighters, longest shift ever was 36hrs on site with no sleep. Thankfully we got paid overtime - time and a half until 9pm, then double time after or at weekends. Double time and day in lieu on bank holidays and money for being in call made it all worth it.

Most months we had at least 50+ hrs overtime (once x1.5 or x 2) and we were paid reasonably well too.

Brilliant days, I struggle to put in a 10hr day now!!!!!!