I'm 18 & studying history, & recently I've been thinking a lot about different types of work. I've read a lot of posts on here where people have high-paying jobs but the money seems to be the only positive. Obvs not a negligible one! I'd thought before that the intellectual stimulation & challenge of a high-paying job would count at least someway as positives. But for many I've read, they seem to be heavily outweighed by bullying & micromanaging, frustration w incompetency & wasted time in organisation, & impossibility of a work-life balance w time constantly intruded on. Many say they cut back hours bc the stress wasn't worth it, esp when taxes mean a 60k salary isn't as much as it sounds on the surface.
I'm thinking more of business here, esp finance, but also corporate law.
I was thinking that perhaps in the past work was less stressful bc there wasn't a global economy, so companies under less pressure. I think a key thing is also that tech means we can be contacted by employers at any time, whereas before that would have been more difficult in most jobs, & probs less common. I've read that the constant notifications activate our flight or fight system, as we weren't designed for constant bursts of stress.
Would people say that often managers are promoted less bc their forte is managing, & more bc that's the expected path if you're advancing in your career? In some sectors, such as corporations, would you say sometimes people can be quite cut throat & less keen on providing a supportive work environment than getting ahead?
I always assumed that attaining a high position would give you more control over your work. But ofc greater responsibility for what others are doing means greater calls on your time & more jobs to complete, so often may outweigh the benefits?
I've also read about people who feel pressure to share personal details in work & feel this is way of their bosses trying to blur the lines between work & personal life.
Do people also think maybe sometimes people feel under pressure to earn a high salary to keep up an expected lifestyle esp of they have children? My grandparents, a teacher & engineer, didn't earn a huge amount, & v rarely went on holidays (I think only twice) or family days out, plus their 3 kids didn't do v many extra activities. My mum made sure that I did a lot of extra stuff & took me to a lot of places (often free museums etc which luckily I enjoyed) which I'm grateful for, but likewise we couldn't afford holidays abroad (she's a single parent & her job doesn't pay much). I'm v happy w how things were. Obvs it's nice to have holidays & days out, but from what I've read & heard from people I know, it seems childhood in my grandmother's (1930s) or mother's (1970s) time less often involved structured activities & holidays, & more often playing outside freely etc. Obvs this sometimes went too far w children not kept an eye on properly. But it does seem that the expectations on the average family now are much higher, leading to increased financial pressure.
Do any of my ideas sound at all likely? I realise I don't know much about the working world & they could be totally off! I'm asking partly bc I'm still trying to decide on a career. I really want to be a criminal lawyer, but I worry mainly about the atrocious hours that have been complained about recently. I want to have time where I know I'll not be on call. Ultimately though I think it will be worth it, & should pay enough to live comfortably. For the first few years my mum has offered to house me rent free, so this should help save.