Thursday, January 28, 2010

Weighing the Odds


With almost two weeks on the job safely tucked away under my belt, I can now make that list that I've been dying to post for a while. As was expected, the new job is a challenge. I'm not wholly convinced that this is how I'd like to spend my days, but there's the very practical aspect of rent and a fast depleting bank balance to consider. I'm confused right now. So I thought I'd post the pros and cons both and have you, the readers weight in with your opinions. See, that's how much I value your comments and feedback!


I always like to end on a positive note, so with that in mind let's start with the not-so-great aspects of the new job.
  • It is a long ass commute! Really Long. About an hour and 20 minutes in the am. In the evenings jumps to an hour and 30, 40, 50.... The buses are infrequent and often operate independent to the prescribed bus schedule. Someone once mentioned that one of the best Scottish pieces of fiction is the bus timetable. I used to laugh at that. Not any more.

  • Boss Man is not very organised very disorganised. Which is perhaps why he wanted to hire me and my list making and organisational skills in the first place. But in order for me to get going, I need him to give me some ground rules. Hell, I need him to be in the office for about 5 minutes running so that I can ask him a bunch of questions that have been piling up since last Monday.

  • The work is pure admin. Filing, invoicing, billing, answering phones and the likes. Not a whole lot to do either, so very long periods of silence and drumming around to find something to keep me occupied.

  • The pay reflects the work. Scant on a good day.

  • I am on my own. Literally. It is I, me and myself in the office every hour of every day. The work men filter in about twice a day; to pick up jobs in the morning and return completed lines in the afternoon. Sometimes, they don't return them until the next day, so that's just one outsider visit for me. The community centre where the office is located has a steady stream of people (mostly kids and disabled adults) coming in to use the meeting rooms and facilities, but there's not a whole lot of chance for interaction with anyone other than the receptionist in the morning when I get in and the cafeteria lady at lunch time.
  • The neighbourhood is not the best. In fact, it could be said that it is one of the worst in the G Town area. As Beans puts it, they have a lot of "clients" who live around here. This means not much chance of getting out during lunch and having a wander around and perhaps getting some errands done. The less walking around here, the better!


Still, it is not totally grey skies and rain clouds. There are some very nice points to this job and they are:
  • It is a JOB! Something that will pay me and help inflate that sad sad bank statement of mine. Regular pay however scanty is infinitely better than no pay at all.

  • Boss Man is a nice man. He's easy going, generous and wants desperately to help me out. In many ways, I am unqualified for the job as he initially wanted someone who could run the office and also manage the books; something that I know nothing about. Still, instead of turning me down flat, he's given me a chance and for that, I am truly grateful.

  • There is the distinct possibility that my job role might change dramatically after April if Boss Man is awarded a particular contract that will keep the business very busy for at least the next year. In addition, there seem to be some other things a-brewing at this point which Boss Man would like me to be a part of at a later stage.

  • The people here at the community centre are really quite nice and friendly. They've gone out of their way to make me feel welcome. There is a small cafeteria here that sells simple but discounted meals so at least I don't have to worry about wandering around the neighbourhood looking for lunch. The cafeteria lady has even told me that she'll heat up any packed lunch that I bring. How nice is that?
The next time Boss Man is in the office (which I hope will be this afternoon), I'm going to talk to him about potentially coming in only 3 days a week to do all the work. That will give me time for a) classes to learn how to use the accounting and payroll systems (which will give me more money) and b) another p/t job so that I can supplement my income. There's no way I'm going to be able to continue on just what's he's paying me. Not if I want to flit off to Paris and Rome and Madrid every now and then. And really, the lure of all those places just a cheap flight away is what is making me stick it out here.
Still, even if he says nay, what option do I have? I'll just have to stick it out here until I find something else. In that, I have little choice. I'm hoping that won't happen. I really do not want to let him down after a few months. Not after he took a risk with hiring me and basically set me back on the path to self redemption!
Reader, what do you think?

4 comments:

Wandering Wynie said...

I appreciate that you wouldn't want to let someone down by quitting your job only a few months after hiring you- but, in my honest opinion, the cons of your job seem to outweigh the pros. So, if it were me, I would stick it out for a while and find ways to augment my CV within the remit of the job description (admin and clerical skills are always valuable) and then, say after 8-12 months I'd think about moving up or out, which is reasonable in terms of your own career projection. You could look for some really interesting jobs in the meantime, while still earning dosh. Working part time sounds like a good plan though. Is that sensible advice/helpful? I tend to spend most of my time thinking about career options these days! Wynie :)

The Bride said...

I'd say give the job your best but keep looking out. I don't think the boss man will be too upset if you leave as long as you've worked sincerely while you were there - after all, you do have valid reasons and he already knows your kind of overqualified. In the meantime, the three day option sounds perfect. Even if you don't land another pt, you're saving yourselve a tiring and (expensive?) commute.

laurie said...

sounds like there are things you can learn on this job that will be valuable for your next job. i think the three-day-a-week plan is brilliant. i'd do that.

use those two days to study and job hunt.

Timorous Beastie said...

I think it's not the job for you (unless things pick up and you get busier, though even then, it doesn't sound ideal). So you should continue searching for something else - he'll understand that if something better paying and more appropriate comes up, you'd need to take it. That's life. As long as you're nice about it and give him a month or so's notice, he'll be OK about it. I don't think there's any reason to feel guilty about that.

But... any job is better than nothing, so if I were you, I'd stick with it until you find something else. By the time something else comes up and you work a notice period, it'll end up being that you've worked for him for at least a couple of months most likely, which would seem like you gave it a fair chance.

I think you might as well ask him about the 3 days, and see what he says. He might say yes. If he doesn't, well, maybe you just need to accept it (until something better comes along).

On the bright side, being in a ghetto all day means you'll save money, since there's nowhere to go and nothing to spend money on (aside from heroine) or a nice used handgun.

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