Extreme jobs are jobs that require more than fifty hours a week to do. They are quickly becoming more popular. I feel that I will at least one time in my life work an extreme job, as this type of phenomenon is rising and affecting almost all industries (Military.com 2012). With so many industries starting to have workers, both white collar and blue collar, work over fifty hours a week, I would not be surprised if I were to work at least one, if not two, extreme jobs during my lifetime because it will not matter what I choose as a profession- it is affecting everybody.
One of the reasons that I think extreme jobs has risen is the falling economy. Now with organizations trying to save money, they are hiring less workers and having workers work more hours; in other words, more and more workers are doing the job of two. Also, another reason for the rise in extreme jobs is related to it being "glamorized" by society (Military.com 2012). When someone gives his/her all at work, by working long hours, he/she is admired and respected as a good worker.
I feel that it is not healthy working an extreme job. People need to rest and spend time with their families. In this day and age, as it has been for quite some time, most families are a two-income family, i.e. both the husband and wife work. If both have extreme jobs, this means that their children will not have as much contact with their parents. This can have a negative impact on families, as children need their parents, especially when they are young. Therefore, I feel that companies should avoid having their workers work extreme jobs. Instead, they should hire more workers, thus giving the economy a boost. Also, by hiring more workers to complete work needed, organizations would be lowering unemployment. If unemployment is lowered, this would create more consumers, which would make the economy grow.
I feel that most people take extreme jobs for either two reasons. One reason is that extreme jobs are typical in their industry. For example, the health care, legal profession, and manufacturing are known for working longer than fifty hours a week (Military.com 2012). So, it is not surprising that people who want to work in these industries take extreme jobs. Also, another reason that an employee might take an extreme job is that he/she needs an income. With today's unemployment rate being quite high, and has been for a long time, workers feel more pressure to take jobs, despite difficult work situations. Therefore, extreme jobs are on the rise, affecting the majority of the work force.
References
Military.com. (2012). Extreme Jobs—Are You Willing to Work More Than 50 hours a Week? Retrieved from http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/career-advice/job-hunting/extreme-jobs-working-long-hours.html
