Thank You, Recession

I would like to say thank you to this horrible recession. It's due to this recession that it's looking like I'll likely go two years with no bonus or raise (as will almost all of my co-workers). But you know what? That's okay. My wife and I are able to live more comfortably than many people in the United States. And we're grateful for that. Could we live with less? I'm sure we could. We were blessed to be born into the families and means we were, but we've also worked hard to get to where we are.

The fact that I'll likely go two years without a raise or bonus has made me question the value of putting in extra effort and time at work (*gasp* - will potential future employers see this!?). Two years ago I was happy to stay 2+ hours late most nights of the week. I was happy to come in a few hours on Saturday or Sunday. Or take my laptop home for the weekend and spend a few hours working. Now? Screw you, corporate America. I'll work my hours through the week. I'll do my best to produce a quality product. But my evenings and weekends are for me, my wife, our family, and our friends. As I've heard a fellow employee say (who heard it from another fellow employee): "[insert name of employer here] will not be coming to my funeral".

Do I love my job? Definitely not. I find my field interesting, and I work with engines, which I've wanted to do since I was a pimple-faced kid in the late '90s driving a '67 Dodge Dart GT (pretty hot 360 small block with 727 TorqueFlite and 3.55 Sure Grip, for those who care) with a non-functional fuel gauge and laundry list of electrical demons. So, I'm grateful to be doing what I am - you could say it's my "dream job", but every day is not fun.

I saw an article a few months ago detailing results of a survey that indicates 55% of Americans are not satisfied with their current job (read article here). At the time I read this article I was considering seeking employment with other companies (because living 3 hours away from your wife is not cool). But according to this study, I have roughly a 50/50 chance that I would be satisfied in a different job with a different employer. Personally, I interpreted this as proof that indeed the grass is often greener on the other side of the fence, and perhaps a large portion of the 55% who are not satisfied with their jobs just need to work on their attitude.

Then a few weeks ago I came across this article (read article here and scroll down to "$60K a year can make you happy") that referenced a psychological survey/study (I think this is the report from the study here) which indicates that happiness increases with annual income, up to ~$60,000/year. Above that, it's diminishing returns. And people who are happy have time with family and friends to thank for that.

So, thank you recession. And my message to corporate America: I'll work hard enough to get my paycheck (and maybe even a tad beyond that), but I will not give you my soul. I'll give my soul to my family and friends, who are my true source of happiness. My elders probably could have told me that, but would I have listened without going through the past year?