80,000 Hours, by doing the minimum

I recently saw a notice, through an email from my Alma Mater, about a career assistance service. They help soon-to-be and recent graduates find “a fulfilling career that does good”. A noble effort indeed, and they call themselves 80,000 Hours.  They arrived at that name by multiplying 40 hours per week, by 50 weeks (gotta take vacation), by 40 years, (40X50X40 = 80,000). Interestingly enough, it was started by two students that were graduating and did not know what to do for careers. Also meaning they had not yet had normal full time professional jobs yet.

My first reaction to 80,000 was it being a fairly large number, but looking at its derivation, thought, “how often in my career have I only worked 40 hours in a week?”

It was a rhetorical question as I already knew the answer, very little. There was that period in my early 30’s, when I was a single father. I switched positions from quality engineering to manufacturing engineering, because quality included supplier work and as such travel. But still often worked through or had a minimal lunch and typically was one of the first to drop off my boys and then last to pick them up from daycare. Later in life, I traveled extensively for work and then ran and eventually took over a small company that needed a lot of fixing. Hence not having stopped at 40 hours for quite some time all these many years. I am pretty certain I hit 80,000 hours in my early 50’s.

I remember in those early years, having a discussion with our Human Resources Director, where she said that their (the company’s) expectation was that engineers “put in” 50-55 hours per week. Truth be told I had been doing that at this company in the years prior, and the four companies prior to that. All based on being paid the same salary I had been offered, with no increase for the extra hours.

I think that today’s youth would think that I was taken advantage of, or perhaps just gullible to work more hours than I was getting paid for. I, and most of my peers, looked at it as working the hours necessary to get the work I had been assigned, done.

Also, a significant part of that equation was  that I spent all those early years of my career at start-up or just past start-up level companies. The company’s success translated to my success, and I had a vested interest. I also loved my work and the responsibilities I had to make things work and get things done. I would say that my successes, especially later in my career, are the result of all the efforts, learning and exposure. I was able to accomplish so much, by going that extra mile, or more accurately, working those “past 40” hours. It contributed to my being successful.

So, my email today gave me a little more insight into what I am seeing in today’s workplace. That younger workers, whether hourly or salaried, look at their career in a 40 hour per week window. Yes, they want to make a difference and know that their company is trying to make things better in the world and making a difference. Can you accomplish that by quitting at the 8-hour (or less) mark of each workday? Probably, but on your schedule not on the problems’ schedule.