Are We the “No Vacation” Nation?

[scagnt83]

That's a good idea - I'll post another poll before long about how many hours agents on the forum are REALLY working each week. Not sure people will be too forthcoming about what they are really pulling in each year though...

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Thanks for all the insight in the posts so far. And glad to see that many forum members are not afraid to take some decent time off.

There have been some threads on this (not all of it combined) in the past to some extent. If you make the poll anonymous I would think that most will be fairly honest.

One problem is what exactly do you define as work? Obviously selling and processing apps and stuff. But what about professional development? If so, what types of professional development... would reading articles in industry publications count? would studying for a professional designation or license count? would researching a particular topic on the forum that is case related count?

Then you have stuff like networking. I meet with plenty of people for coffee or lunch or a drink, etc. and often it is half work and half personal. So having lunch with an attorney who is a referral source, but is also a friend; that is not exactly work in the traditional sense that most people think of. But 2-3 times per year one of those lunches with him lands me anywhere from a few grand to ten or twenty grand.


If you count only time spent prospecting, selling, processing,etc. then I work less than the average person. If you count professional development and networking then I probably work about the same or slightly more than the average person.

 

[TampaHound]

Due to circumstances I've already had to use up 3 vacation days this year so far. I'm not sure if I'll be going anywhere soon because of that.

 

[indienoise]

My situation is very different from most folks. My agency is but one endeavor I'm involved in. I work 60+ hour weeks, often including Saturdays, and normally enjoy my work. I try not to take time off if it's not necessary, because I will get behind, plus if you want something done right, you do it yourself, right?

Still, I have a lot more flexibility to take off than the average person, 20+ days I'd guess. 2015, I took 2 5 day jaunts (both centered around major holidays), one full 7 day trip, and a couple of long weekends.

 

[Chazm]

5 people with no vacation days? Wonder if that's because of no money or just flat out working ballstothewall

 

[MW Agent]

5 people with no vacation days? Wonder if that's because of no money or just flat out working ballstothewall

I believe in sharpening the saw. But if you are broke, it's hard to relax even with time off. Been there, done that, never want to do it again. This business is a beast the first few years.

 

[Poseidon]

Sman:

"Then there are the days of golf throughout the spring, summer, and fall". .. I love it!

And here in Charleston, SC I played through the "winter" too