55 hours is the new 40 hours..and this doesn't include commute!

I remember working for this great company years ago as a Contract Quality Consultant. Anyway, they had employed a young accountant who couldn’t make it into work until 9:30AM and always left at 3:30PM. As far as he was concern, the company didn’t factor in his hr plus, one-way, commute. Huh?!?! Obviously, this was before the present day “depression.” He was a by-product of MTV, DVD’s and CD’s. Clueless to records, cassettes, and phone booths. Incidentally, he got fired and still couldn't understand why. Well, I thought that maybe this was just a naive young guy…wrong! Later on, chit-chatting with my younger cousin, he informed me of how he got his wife to quit her job because since it took her an hour to get to work, he believed her work hours started when she left the house and returned home. Huh?!?!. Not the time she arrived at work. My answer...nothing; I figured…maybe I’m just old.

Word to-the-wise, start time does not factor in commute too and from work.

Another thing, when you are getting paid a salary, you are basically at the mercy of the company. Meaning, if you have to be at work at 6AM and work until 10PM, they have that power. You could be at work from 6AM and be scheduled to jump on a plane by 7PM that evening to represent the company. Your check-in at the Marriott can be around 11PM, and still have to be at the customer by 8AM the next morning. I remember having to fly to Asia on a Saturday morning, get there around "late o'clock" on Sunday, and still arrive in the factory by 7AM the next morning....Asia time (talk about walking around like a zombie around 2PM because of the time difference)??? There is no overtime pay, extra day off, fireworks, cake and candles, parade, pat-on-the-back...that's what you do. So, for all the newbies coming out of college...welcome to the corporate world. Enjoy you time in school. Cos like-it, lump-it…this is what it is.