Last Days

Originally Posted by Unregistered

So is this an indictment on the whole ERAC culture......the way Mgt brags about pay etc day in, day out? Or are you just an idiot?

Since I'm not with the company anymore, I can't attest to what management does day in and day out, but since anyone with a per unit analysis and a calculator can get a ball park estimate of what people are making each month, I wouldn't see a reason to whip out commission checks for anyone else to see.

While at ERAC, I couldn't control whether a certain person in management was bragging about pay. But I certainly had the choice to use it as motivation, since I saw myself capable of making the pay they were bragging about. If I felt it was something that was out of my reach, I guess I would have resented their bragging.

If the attitude of the person bragging about their check is "this is what I made last year/month/etc, and I'd love to help you get there too" that's definitely something I'd appreciate, because that would be them attempting to motivate me.

I'd be a little annoyed if they were saying "ha ha - look at this fat check you'll never get to experience," but again, as a competitive person, I'd use that as "I'll show them" motivation.

So, it most likely comes down to choosing to control what I can control - my reaction to the message. Steven Covey talks about being proactive, and that part of being proactive is choosing one's response - being "response-able". This is an example of that principle at work.

I still stand by the fact that I can't be convinced that someone has a better lot in life based on more money and less hours. there are too many other variables to factor in to that equation, the most important of which is: is your new job with more money and less hours a better gig for you? The ridiculous part of bringing that to the table on this discussion board is that that exact same job that is a good fit for you might be a bad fit for someone else, and that pay and hours are nothing more than 2 variables people use to evaluate their careers. I could be a 6-hour a day, $20 an hour shit-shoveler and make more than an ERAC MT. However, that job would stink.

I left ERAC and corporate america a few years ago, and I feel like I've learned a ton about work as it relates to life since then.

The bottom line on anyone's job is this: you are going to spend about 30% of your waking hours for the next 20 years (at ERAC, 33-35% - but close enough). You want to find something that you enjoy doing.

Maybe that is renting sleds.

Maybe it is sitting in doctor's offices for 2 hours playing solitaire on your laptop waiting for them to give you 20 seconds between appointments so you can drop off a sample and hope to collect on a quarterly bonus if you drop off enough of them and that 12-pack of bagels with assorted cream cheese.

Maybe it is doing credit checks, filling out paperwork, and giving people other people's money to fulfill their dreams.

Maybe it is cold-calling some guy you got off a list to see if they want some stock your boss tells you is going to be hot, and trying to convince those people to buy some.

Whatever you choose to do, if you look forward to doing it day in and day out, that is the important thing. Does it matter how much money you make? Does it matter how many hours you work or don't work? Does it matter what the grand purpose of the actual company is, whether it provides a product or a service, or both?

How glamorous or undesirable a job is, it's all relative. I'm happy to live in a nice subdivision. My neighborhood is mainly dominated by 4 vocations - retirees, doctors, lawyers, and business owners.

The retirees think all the working people have it rough because their wives plant flowers wearing silly little hats and do crosswords all day.The husbands golf all day in their white shorts, dark business socks, and tennis shoes.

The doctors think the retirees, lawyers, and business owners aren't worthy because the doctors spend all day diagnosing and fixing health problems that actually matter to society. We all think they have it rough because they work 12-14 hour days and are on call nights and weekends regularly.

The lawyers can't believe how much the doctors work and the nasty human bodies they have to deal with everyday for roughly the same money. Plus, they get to golf like the retirees, and they don't have the hassles that come with business ownership.

And we business owners are looking around at the retirees thinking - "what the heck would I do with all that time on my hands?" We look at the doctors and say - "I'd never have time for anything other than my patients". We look at the lawyers and say, "I may need to you write up a contract for me or sue this customer I did work for but they haven't paid me yet". All the while, we are thinking we've got it great because we get to make our own decisions, and live with the consequences of them.

Everyone, at least on the surface, is happy with their chosen field. We all think we have it better than the others. That's how it should be!

In the end, we are all going to look back and hope we didn't waste our time doing something we despised for 30% of our waking lives. If you don't like what you are doing, give it up. Find what you do like, and go after it with a passion.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I left ERAC and corporate america a few years ago, and I feel like I've learned a ton about work as it relates to life since then.

The bottom line on anyone's job is this: you are going to spend about 30% of your waking hours for the next 20 years (at ERAC, 33-35% - but close enough). You want to find something that you enjoy doing.

Maybe that is renting sleds.

Maybe it is sitting in doctor's offices for 2 hours playing solitaire on your laptop waiting for them to give you 20 seconds between appointments so you can drop off a sample and hope to collect on a quarterly bonus if you drop off enough of them and that 12-pack of bagels with assorted cream cheese.

Maybe it is doing credit checks, filling out paperwork, and giving people other people's money to fulfill their dreams.

Maybe it is cold-calling some guy you got off a list to see if they want some stock your boss tells you is going to be hot, and trying to convince those people to buy some.

Whatever you choose to do, if you look forward to doing it day in and day out, that is the important thing. Does it matter how much money you make? Does it matter how many hours you work or don't work? Does it matter what the grand purpose of the actual company is, whether it provides a product or a service, or both?

How glamorous or undesirable a job is, it's all relative. I'm happy to live in a nice subdivision. My neighborhood is mainly dominated by 4 vocations - retirees, doctors, lawyers, and business owners.

The retirees think all the working people have it rough because their wives plant flowers wearing silly little hats and do crosswords all day.The husbands golf all day in their white shorts, dark business socks, and tennis shoes.

The doctors think the retirees, lawyers, and business owners aren't worthy because the doctors spend all day diagnosing and fixing health problems that actually matter to society. We all think they have it rough because they work 12-14 hour days and are on call nights and weekends regularly.

The lawyers can't believe how much the doctors work and the nasty human bodies they have to deal with everyday for roughly the same money. Plus, they get to golf like the retirees, and they don't have the hassles that come with business ownership.

And we business owners are looking around at the retirees thinking - "what the heck would I do with all that time on my hands?" We look at the doctors and say - "I'd never have time for anything other than my patients". We look at the lawyers and say, "I may need to you write up a contract for me or sue this customer I did work for but they haven't paid me yet". All the while, we are thinking we've got it great because we get to make our own decisions, and live with the consequences of them.

Everyone, at least on the surface, is happy with their chosen field. We all think we have it better than the others. That's how it should be!

In the end, we are all going to look back and hope we didn't waste our time doing something we despised for 30% of our waking lives. If you don't like what you are doing, give it up. Find what you do like, and go after it with a passion.

I remember working for ERAC back in the day. Once in management, I enjoyed being able to actually make tangible changes in that produced positive results to my paycheck. Obviously, things fluctuated from month to month, but you learned to forecast.

One day, I was on a sales call to a local adjuster who started telling me there's no way he could ever work for anything but a salary. He had to know exactly what he was going to make every 2 weeks so he could stay on budget. I remember thinking how different that was than my thought process, but at least the guy was happy with his situation.

[FailingEnterpriseAdmin]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I remember working for ERAC back in the day. Once in management, I enjoyed being able to actually make tangible changes in that produced positive results to my paycheck. Obviously, things fluctuated from month to month, but you learned to forecast.

One day, I was on a sales call to a local adjuster who started telling me there's no way he could ever work for anything but a salary. He had to know exactly what he was going to make every 2 weeks so he could stay on budget. I remember thinking how different that was than my thought process, but at least the guy was happy with his situation.

I think there are a lot of people like that. They tend to spend every dollar they have plus every dollar they can borrow and then they need to know what their paycheck is going to be so they can make all the payments. If you live paycheck-to-paycheck, then you probably need a predictable paycheck.

If you can get away from that then all that matters is really your income over the longer haul, like yearly. Sometimes it takes a few months or years to put a project together and make it pay off; you have to have capital to get you through it.

Originally Posted by FailingEnterpriseAdmin

I think there are a lot of people like that. They tend to spend every dollar they have plus every dollar they can borrow and then they need to know what their paycheck is going to be so they can make all the payments. If you live paycheck-to-paycheck, then you probably need a predictable paycheck.

If you can get away from that then all that matters is really your income over the longer haul, like yearly. Sometimes it takes a few months or years to put a project together and make it pay off; you have to have capital to get you through it.

True. Even with ERAC employees that start doing well for themselves, they often step up their standard of living accordingly. When the market for used cars turns south, like it did in the mid-90's and after 9/11, they better have something in the bank to cover for the lean times.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

True. Even with ERAC employees that start doing well for themselves, they often step up their standard of living accordingly. When the market for used cars turns south, like it did in the mid-90's and after 9/11, they better have something in the bank to cover for the lean times.

The smart veterans based thier standard of living off of op commissions and flip was the icing on the cake. Not sure if the group makes op anymore... I have been gone a while.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

The smart veterans based thier standard of living off of op commissions and flip was the icing on the cake. Not sure if the group makes op anymore... I have been gone a while.

Yeah, not sure either, but that was definitely the way to plan.