Why do Americans work so much?

[dvh]

Surprise, I am American. Some background:I am a late 30's male, college educated doing a job I love. I am a PGA Professional and the Facility GM for a golf course/hotel combo. I easily work 60 hours a week and have 2 children that I spend almost all of my free time with.

My wife and I often have small arguments about the hours professional people put in. My thought is if you are going to be successful you have to strive to be the best. To me the hours are a byproduct of working to achieve that goal. I tell her 60 is reasonable for professional/salaried people.

The average household income in the region I live in is, I believe, around $50k annually. Hard to break that as an hourly worker and to double that number (which is still a small amount to many Balla poker players) takes a certain amount of dedication and time committment.

Just curious how many share my thoughts, or am I a chump?

[bogey1]

I work 40-45 hours a week and make nearly $100k.

I'd never work 60 hours a week for more than a very short duration. My stomach goes to acid reflux hell, I'm exhausted, I miss my wife and kids, they hate me because I'm never there, I get flabby because there's no time for the gym...

[kerowo]

If you got a boss to convince you that working 60s was standard for a 40 hour a week salary then you are a chump.

[vbm]

I make $90k and work a MAX of 35 hours a week. Usually less.

I also get 28 days paid holiday a year.

No idea why you work so hard

[CharlieDontSurf]

I work 10 hours a day 5 days a week...and make 31K [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
Surprise, I am American. Some background:I am a late 30's male, college educated doing a job I love. I am a PGA Professional and the Facility GM for a golf course/hotel combo. I easily work 60 hours a week and have 2 children that I spend almost all of my free time with.

My wife and I often have small arguments about the hours professional people put in. My thought is if you are going to be successful you have to strive to be the best. To me the hours are a byproduct of working to achieve that goal. I tell her 60 is reasonable for professional/salaried people.

The average household income in the region I live in is, I believe, around $50k annually. Hard to break that as an hourly worker and to double that number (which is still a small amount to many Balla poker players) takes a certain amount of dedication and time committment.

Just curious how many share my thoughts, or am I a chump?

[/ QUOTE ]

I've worked as a GM before. Your wife is out of line and she needs to wise up. It's a typical wife complaint, but complaining how many hours a man is working is among the worst and most damaging to a relationship.

GM jobs often are very demanding of time. And you can bet that while your wife may let you know she doesn't like you working 60 hours a week, if she's like most, she'd quickly make clear to you, one way or the next, that she didn't like the diminished money and status getting a lower-level job would stick you with. You're essentially being asked to choose your poison, not to eliminate the poisoning.

Some people just like to complain. Is your wife a housewife? If so, that's not a job that is as fulfilling as people like to say it is. It keeps you out of adult contact too much, and while it provides many emotional challenges and learning opportunities, it doesn't challenge the brain on a high-operating, adult level much. It can feel very stultifying. The result of a spouse's unhappiness with his or her own life is very often directly or indirectly blaming their partner, or taking it out on them. This kind of situation is very hard for lots of people to break out of. Especially since doing so takes extra work.

If your wife is a housewife, and your situation is anything near what I'm describing, she needs adult interests. Not just raising kids; it's not stimulating enough. She needs interests she can share with other high-functioning adults who are also in the process of constantly learning intellectually difficult new things. Going to classes of some sort, developing compelling hobbies or intellectual interests, working toward a degree -- these are probably necessary for most adults to be happy. They need adult-level mental participation in society, and adult-level intellectual or career-based goals. All respect for motherhood aside, helping Johnny grow up full of self-esteem is a wonderful thing, and may be demanding in its own way, but it is far from hard core mental stimulus. Despite its rewards, it can be a very emotionally and spiritually stressful dead-end for a lot of women.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
I make $90k and work a MAX of 35 hours a week. Usually less.

I also get 28 days paid holiday a year.

No idea why you work so hard

[/ QUOTE ]

28, wow that's very nice.

Your situation is very nice all around. Not many people can match that.

[Rootabager]

You here teachers really are underpaid but my mom makes around 75k and works 186 days a year.

She has been teaching for along time with a rank 1 but that is still alot of money for only working half the year.

[vbm]

While I agree that my situation is quite nice. 35 hours and 20+ days holiday is fairly standard for UK/Europe.

The Brits are supposed to be the hardest workers in Western Europe. God knows what the averages are for the French and Germans. I assume 35 hour week is standard but I gather they get more holidays [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

[ZeTurd]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I make $90k and work a MAX of 35 hours a week. Usually less.

I also get 28 days paid holiday a year.

No idea why you work so hard

[/ QUOTE ]

28, wow that's very nice.

Your situation is very nice all around. Not many people can match that.

[/ QUOTE ]
Actually, that's pretty standard if you hail from a Scandinavian country and are decently educated / entrepreneurial.