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| Storm clouds. 2.8.13 |
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| Activity for the day: Reading "Satanic Verses" by Salman Rushdie |
A common stereotype of Americans is that while we are very successful (monetarily), many of us are still dissatisfied with the quality of our lives. Many think this is the product from an American work culture. While putting in long hours into your job is a good thing, the American work culture puts this act on a pedestal (in my opinion). Yes, putting in long hours shows that you are dedicated and ambitious, but the typical American work culture seems to positively correlate the number of work hours to value creation linearly. I've talked to several people who have mentioned to me that they sometimes feel guilty for not working as many hours as some of their work peers, even when they got their tasks done. They fear that they may not be recognized for their work. These statements show that typical work places don't factor in efficiency. Work places may not also recognize that at a certain point, working long hours leads to stress and burnout, which ultimately can lead anyone to think less clearly, make poor decisions, and even develop health issues in the long run- all of which ironically affect career performance. Moreover, the work place also does not really factor in societal values. What if you are a woman, and you were thinking about starting a family? You would have to start putting in less hours, but does that mean women want their jobs any less than men do? Absolutely not. But in today's working culture, many of us, especially women, seem to have to choose which one we want more: a highly successful, demanding (yet rewarding!) career or a satisfactory career with a personal life.
I will take a moment here to mention that certain work places are becoming more aware of the importance of personal happiness for the efficiency of its employees (ie., Google). However, certain work cultures can only change so much. Medicine is one of them, and it will probably not change its work culture in the near future. Like many demanding jobs, the medical field is competitive and traditional, so if you don't put in your time you will be run over by another person who wants it just as badly as you do. I understand it takes lots of studying and training to be a good doctor (you don't want to cause more harm to a patient!), but you are still left with little time to yourself. Plus, many physicians' hours are dictated by their patients' needs. I'd like paint a realistic picture for what is to come for any aspiring / future doctor :
- After you finish medical school, you will have (on average) ~$200,000 worth of debt, which will accrue interest during your residency training
- You have to go through additional residency training after medical school, which lasts anywhere from ~3-8 years
- 1st-year residents get paid ~$50,000 (depending on specialty, could be + / -). Over the years, this salary will grow, but not by much. 8th-year residents get paid ~$67,000. As a point of reference, my first salary from consulting was worth more than an 8th-year resident's salary... (please don't take this as me bragging, just giving y'all a point of reference!)
- Residency training means long work hours. Officially, the AAMC and ACGME/AMA have put work limits an average of 80 hours / week over two week periods. However, certain training programs are allowed to increase these hours by 5-10% . I'm curious if most residency programs even follow these guidelines...
So now I end with questions that I have been wrestling with for the past couple of years- does wanting to have a personal life outside of my career make me selfish? Is wanting to have a personal life outside of my career a sign that this is not the right career choice? How do I be successful in my career while maintaining an enjoyable personal life?
Do you guys have similar thoughts? or advice?
I like my job. I like what I do. But I also define myself by a host of other things I put time into besides work, like dancing, teaching, and coaching. Work-life balance is a pretty big thing at Microsoft, for much the same reasons you listed: overworking leads to stress and focus issues, lowering productivity. Happy employees work better. Sure, there are people who put in 50-60+ hour weeks regularly (and sure, it might happen to me depending on where we are in the cycle), but I would much prefer to work even less than I do now (normally ~40). If I could work 30 hour weeks (and take a proportionate cut in pay, of course), I'd totally do it. Because that'd be 10 more hours to myself, to do whatever I want. And if that means I have to work a few years longer, that's fine, because I'd have lived a more balanced life.
ReplyDeleteAnd for what it's worth, veterinary medicine is even more abysmal on their 10 year ROI. Making six figures is rare for DVMs, and their debt is about equal to that of hooman doctors.
I enjoyed this post -- this is a topic I think about a lot. A few of my friends are working 60+ hour weeks and I would never do it.
Didn't realize you were still blogging! This is a topic that I think about all the time, especially in the context of having a family. I'm so ambitious that I wonder if I'll ever be willing to slow my career trajectory in favor of other aspects of my life. Every partner at my project either is not married & has no kids, or they have a stay at home partner. These role models don't seem promising for my future. At the end of the day, its impossible to think that we can do everything under the sun, so we all have to prioritize our time & energy. I think some years I will be purely career focused, but if something becomes a priority, like a family or another hobby/activity, then inevitably I will have to cut back on my job. For now, I'm ok with putting in 50-60 hours a week since I am satisfied by the work I'm doing.
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