Labour job, my office job is a joke compared to the guys that slave away outside in the hot and cold. Imagine working for a paving crew in 30 degree weather.
I did the paving crew thing. Currently in a desk job, which I think is harder. I would kill to be back outside again.
I find labour jobs are easier because I would have a set task/goal, then set out to accomplish it. With a desk job, it's managed chaos as there is not one simple task to do, the multi-tasking is brutal when overwhelmed with 10 projects going on at the same time.
On top of that, labour jobs kept me fit. While I was more physically tired, I was happier as it felt like I accomplished more and being fit just felt better. Sitting in front of a screen for 8-10 hours with minimal physical activity and feeling completely bummed when I get home doesn't help much in that regard.
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Last edited by BlackArcher101; 08-25-2011 at 04:53 PM.
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Desk jobs are easier for sure. One reason why is pay.
In an everyday office job, would your boss ever hold back some of your pay because he/she doesn't think you did enough work to earn it? We get held back hours of work all the time, on a whim of the boss.
Some construction companies don't pay proper overtime and vacation/holdiday pay. And it's easy to say, report them and go find another company to work for, but there is not much choice right now with the economy. Would this happen in an office job? No.
To your first point, not all desk jobs are high paying, and you usually have to put in a lot of years at a desk job to get anywhere near what you would think of as high paying.
In a desk job, if your not hitting precise metrics in terms of production, they usually don't dock pay, you're usually replaced.
And overtime, forget about it, in a desk job your usually on a fixed monthly salary, so if a project looms you work for free until it gets done.
I've been doing desk jobs for about 20 years, and absolutely I get paid well now, but thats because I established my credibility in my role, but the last time I ever saw overtime was when I paved for a summer a couple of decades ago.
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I've done both. And i'm in a unique job right now. It requires some physical labour but nothing huge.
The hard labour job I had was irrigation. 12 hour days digging trenches and holes. Boss was a yeller. It was tough, and i'd never do it again.
The main desk job I had was at a call centre stuck in a cubicle.
I'd rather dig ditches then ever work in the cubicle again. The only time in my life that i've ever gotten so angry that I was physically see'ing double was at my desk job. It wasn't the customers I dealt with that got me that angry, I actually liked them. They entertained me with their computer issues. The layers of management and being stuck in that cubicle infuriated me.
Now I work at a pawnshop. So I spend enough time on the computer and I have to move stuff around in the back. Clean stuff. And we are constantly renovating this old building. Moving shelving around. Installed flooring one year. Gotta do more again this year on another section of the store. So I get a nice balance of monkey work combined with desk work.
My current job, by definition, is easy but I know a large majority of the population could not handle this job. Its not for everyone. And I think that goes for the hard labour vs desk job discussion. Not everyone can handle either type of job.
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I did the paving crew thing. Currently in a desk job, which I think is harder. I would kill to be back outside again.
I find labour jobs are easier because I would have a set task/goal, then set out to accomplish it. With a desk job, it's managed chaos as there is not one simple task to do, the multi-tasking is brutal when overwhelmed with 10 projects going on at the same time.
On top of that, labour jobs kept me fit. While I was more physically tired, I was happier as it felt like I accomplished more and being fit just felt better. Sitting in front of a screen for 8-10 hours with minimal physical activity and feeling completely bummed when I get home doesn't help much in that regard.
what about when you're 50+
It's funny when guys did hard work after school and still think it's that easy when they are reaching retirement.
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Lol...try working in IT.
So true. My best friend does IT for Telus and is given days off instead of OT. Problem is it's always busy in his department and getting those days off is like pulling teeth.
Not really. Office workers tend to be compensated more because they (in general), have a higher level of education and more specialized skills. It has nothing to do with the hardship of the work. As I said above, I made a paltry $6/hr at the hardest job I ever worked.
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Originally Posted by Hanna Sniper
what about when you're 50+
It's funny when guys did hard work after school and still think it's that easy when they are reaching retirement.
If that's the line of work you've done all your life you're going to be in a heck of a lot better shape than a male of a similar age who has had a desk job all his life. Just because your 50+ doesn't mean people can't do labour intensive jobs.
So true. My best friend does IT for Telus and is given days off instead of OT. Problem is it's always busy in his department and getting those days off is like pulling teeth.
Time off in lieu? That must be nice. Most IT workers I know receive neither paid overtime nor time off.
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I've worked hard labour jobs, labour jobs and briefly some 'desk' jobs.
I've also taught/worked with children with disabilities.
Hard Labour is hardest. Hauling sheets of drywall or handcarts of bricks all day is both physically and mentally taxing. It kills your body, and you have nothing to distract you from it mentally.
I agree with what Rathji said above. There is labour, and hard labour. Hard Labour gives you no reprieve, either physical or mental, from the task at hand.
However, I've watched my brother work deskjobs for the last 4 years, and even though they are otherwise good placements, I can tell the life of a cubicle/office employee is extremely taxing on a persons overall health, both physical and mental.
Give me a custom construction project or a goofy kid any day.
never said that, that people that remember doing hard labour when they were young and did it without much trouble wouldn't have the same easy time in their later years regardless of fitness.
as we get older our bodies don't recover as easily.
I have a respect for those old guys you see working harder then I do and I'm not foolish enough to think that I have a harder job them them
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If that's the line of work you've done all your life you're going to be in a heck of a lot better shape than a male of a similar age who has had a desk job all his life. Just because your 50+ doesn't mean people can't do labour intensive jobs.
I question how many guys you've worked with over the age of 40 in a field of labour employment.
Give me a 40 year old office worker over a 40 year old tile setter any day of the week for any kind of physical competition that doesn't involve pain threshold.
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Originally Posted by Flash Walken
I question how many guys you've worked with over the age of 40 in a field of labour employment.
Give me a 40 year old office worker over a 40 year old tile setter any day of the week for any kind of physical competition that doesn't involve pain threshold.
I know someone that does and he is in way better shape than me. The guy is a fitness freak who does triathlons and climbs mountains in the summer with his nephew.
I question how many guys you've worked with over the age of 40 in a field of labour employment.
Give me a 40 year old office worker over a 40 year old tile setter any day of the week for any kind of physical competition that doesn't involve pain threshold.
My father is over 55 years old and a lobster fisherman. He's like the captain from Jaws. He would destroy your 40 year old office worker.
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Depends on the labor job and it depends on the desk job
Running your own landscaping company vs. manager of a branch in an international company that involves golfing, beer and burgers frequently = not even close
Mowing Lawns vs. being CEO of a small business that involves large amounts of capital = not even close
Some construction companies don't pay proper overtime and vacation/holdiday pay. And it's easy to say, report them and go find another company to work for, but there is not much choice right now with the economy. Would this happen in an office job? No.
Ever worked Salary?
Get paid for 40 hours a week. Every week. Even if you work more like 60. If your boss is feeling nice, maybe you get an extra day off here or there.
I think it is far too easy to classify as "desk vs. labour" - plenty of people I know that are in desk jobs are complete tools, don't have to critically think in their job and have a pretty easy schedule.
Other "desk" jobs are mentally taxing and draining - dealing with a multitude of problems, deadlines and projects causing far more stress than your average construction dude.
On the whole, most people in labour are there because they don't have the brains / willpower to work at a desk. Yep, I know that's a pretty DB comment, but it's pretty true.
Probably different than it should be. My definition is a job where you have to carry heavy crap around and you have to work outside. Maybe that's just labour and not hard labour.
I just figure framing is a hekuva lot harder than being an electrician or plumber.
