It is Okay to Hate Your Job

Rant / Thoughts

A survey conducted in 2017 showed that 85% of the people in the world hate their jobs. 94% of Japanese workers hate their work, while 70% of American workers are not engaged. Why is this number so high? Do you also hate your job? Answer honestly to yourself!

It is okay to hate your job. There is no need to feel guilty about it! I love to code, and as far as I remember, I am working as a developer for many years. But I hate doing my job to the core because I am not getting to work on what I want. Instead, I have to work on what the management wants. It's not wrong on their part. And it's not that I don't want to work. But work should be fun while corporate life is a chore. Me loving to code has nothing to do with me hating my job. Doing the same thing for 30-40 hours a week is gonna result in me hating to do that thing! I like to write as well - the main reason to start this blog. But if I try to do that every day, I am not gonna be enthusiastic about it after some time. I write at my own schedule by expressing my thoughts. That's what makes me love it - it's not a chore with a deadline.

We tend to equate our lives with our job. I see many of my colleagues work day and night for 50-60 hours a week at the same job to be eventually fired without a bonus or any references. Never ever consider your job to be the most crucial part of your life. It is a contract with your employer to help them make a profit and get monetary benefits in return. Do not forget that. Ever!

Why does Corporate Job Suck?

It's not the work that sucks so much but the unhealthy corporate environment that makes us hate it to the core! Here's a typical day of our corporate job:

Get up early
Send kids to school
Commute in a train/cab OR drive to our office (~2 hours daily)
Attend unnecessary meetings when ultimately you have to do what your boss tells you
Coffee / Tea / Lunch / Gossip Breaks
Reverse Commute to home
Engage in conversations if anybody comes to your desk and lose your focus

50% of our energy and focus is lost in unproductive corporate things. This robs us of our limited time in this life. Imagine if you can save that 50% time to read a book, or watch a beautiful film, even talk to your partner or have a conversation with your old friend? Heck, maybe just have a good sleep! Those things will make you happier than gossiping or an unproductive meeting.

All of Us are Stuck in Corporate Shackles

Spending time in a corporate workplace from age 25 to retire at 60 and waiting for death is not the life I envision. Corporate shackles bind us because of our greed. We want bigger houses in prime localities and branded cars to show-off. The unsatisfying urge to spend lavishly on many of our needs leads us to be stuck in this scenario forever. Time goes, we grow old, and our life passes by!

A typical tenure for a home loan is 30 years because they want us to be stuck in this rat race. They want us to buy a house out of our budget on a hefty EMI so that we can be trapped and pay these loans for our lives. They need us to buy bigger cars and spend on brands. Ultimately it is up to us to decide what is enough for ourselves. Finally, the decision is between two questions - do I want to run behind this never-ending materialistic wheel OR is freedom more important to me?

How to Get Out?

Solution One: Build a Business

This is harder than it seems. If you have the capability and avenues to generate income through a business, go for it. Business doesn't necessarily mean the traditional setup of big corporations with employees. There are many examples of simple one-person companies like a blogger, or online teacher or small SaaS companies, even smaller e-commerce stores, etc. This is the best option if it is possible for you!

Solution Two: Financial Independence Retire Early

This is the most common solution, even for the people who want to do business because we don't know the future or how much time we will be interested in running a company. Pursuing financial independence should be a goal for each and every one of us, irrespective of our careers. Financial freedom can be achieved in 10-15 years if planned and executed correctly. It is not for someone who lives an expensive life, but it does not mean that we need to be very frugal. It needs to be a life with an "enough" mindset. "Enough" can be different for everyone. What I consider as enough for myself might be an expensive lifestyle for you. Decide your enough and work towards it. My goal is to retire before 38, and here is my enough mindset as of today:

I need a car but not an expensive one like a BMW or an Audi
I need to own my house eventually
I don't want to stay in a big city because of the stress, traffic, crowd, pollution and high expenses. I am going to shift to a smaller city
Eating out once a week
Want to spend on healthy food
Need a Netflix, Prime & Hotstar subscription
Go out for international trips once a year
Travel domestically using travel hacks

Now, this might come off as luxurious for many of you. But the decision to shift to a smaller city enables me to opt for other expenses. This is in no way frugal. But that's what enough means for me. My goal is to have enough money in financial assets by the time I am 38 to enable me to retire and sustain this lifestyle for the rest of my days. How am I doing that? I am currently saving more than 50% of my income. I have opted to not buy a house or a car right now and get stuck into EMIs hell-hole. I avoid any long-term debt so that I can invest money to help me retire early.