I can't pinpoint a specific timeframe when it happened, but some period in my last job made it so that when I finally left it last fall I was paid out more than three months in leftover vacation days and overtime. I'm still struggling with the effects on my mental and physical health. Hindsight, I wish I had quit sooner.
The most overworked I've ever been physically was when I was still an apprentice at a datacenter facility. Because of mismanagement there was a situation that required the 'evacuation' of a part of the datacenter within 72h. That meant scheduling, planing and moving roughly fifty customer-owned server-racks with the least amount of downtime possible. Did I mention that it was me (just to remind you, an apprentice) and a coworker? That's it. Luckily we were able to utilize the help of an electrician we had friendly ties with, so at least the electrical wiring was something we did not have to take care of. Still.
I don't remember exactly how much, or how little, I slept, but in those 72h it was probably less than eight hours. By the end of it my coworker and I didn't even make it home, we slept in the office for an hour first.
I learned a lot in those three days, not just knowledge-wise, but about my own limits, about working as a team under immense pressure, and that if I ever reach a role that involves "management" that I'll never let my people experience the same thing.
Also I'm not ever doing such a thing again, I'd rather quit.
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
I can't pinpoint a specific timeframe when it happened, but some period in my last job made it so that when I finally left it last fall I was paid out more than three months in leftover vacation days and overtime. I'm still struggling with the effects on my mental and physical health. Hindsight, I wish I had quit sooner.
The most overworked I've ever been physically was when I was still an apprentice at a datacenter facility. Because of mismanagement there was a situation that required the 'evacuation' of a part of the datacenter within 72h. That meant scheduling, planing and moving roughly fifty customer-owned server-racks with the least amount of downtime possible. Did I mention that it was me (just to remind you, an apprentice) and a coworker? That's it. Luckily we were able to utilize the help of an electrician we had friendly ties with, so at least the electrical wiring was something we did not have to take care of. Still.
I don't remember exactly how much, or how little, I slept, but in those 72h it was probably less than eight hours. By the end of it my coworker and I didn't even make it home, we slept in the office for an hour first.
I learned a lot in those three days, not just knowledge-wise, but about my own limits, about working as a team under immense pressure, and that if I ever reach a role that involves "management" that I'll never let my people experience the same thing.
Also I'm not ever doing such a thing again, I'd rather quit.