Wednesday, November 12, 2008

So much to say....

Yet, I don't know what I can say. See, I want to talk about the place I spend more than 8 hours a day. And how things are drastically changing. It is leaving me a bit anxious.

See my the environment is changing. Angry emails. Tert phonecalls. Drill sargeants for supervisors. At least they aren't my "direct" supervisors. But, the problem is shortly, I will be under the same roof as these people and it scares me, since I will not be shielded by the computer or the phone. Instead they will be able to see me and I them.

Which leads me to my anxiety over wearing the right thing. Shallow I know. But lets face it people, appearances matter. I've bought several new pants, tops, and a new coat. Seriously, spent money on clothing. Something I haven't had to do in 4 years in my casual environment. Can't wait to see the dry cleaning bills. I've actually bought Dr*ell to see if that is an option.

Which only antagonizes the fact that my pay is less than the lowest average. S*lary dot com is not always helpful. It makes you very aware of what you should be getting paid. But in this economy, who is to say what you should be getting paid? Oh did I mention that I barely get 10 days for vacation and the insurance and 4*1K matching is a joke.

My commute will be about 3 hours a day. Less time actually at home. And more money used to buy gas and audio books (bought several last night -- they were all on sale!). Will need to hire a cleaning person, since I will be home to sleep.

But what to do. The end of the day, I like what I do. Which is important. And I can't easily find another place that I would do what I am doing. I could go back to a firm. And I've started to think that might be the right option. Since I don't want to make a move unless I get a significant pay increase.

Suggestions? Thoughts?

7 comments:

Susan said...

That's a catch-22 - damned if you do, damned if you don't. I've been there...I did that long commute for 2 years and finally I just couldn't do it anymore and found a new job. It made my quality of life much better.

Alacrity said...

The thing with a long commute is that you never realize just how much it is taking out of you until you stop doing it.

Given that the conditions of your work are changing drastically, it is a good time to put your resume out there - if you are asked why you are applying for a job, you have a ready answer - the commute - which carries no negativity.

Me said...

I think salary dot com is a lot of BS. Seriously. I think they inflate all salaries so that people like what they see and continue to go there. So they can make money from selling ads based their website's traffic. JMHO.

Anonymous said...

Well seeing as how I am currently stuck at a job I love but with people and bosses I hate, I would say to find something that makes you happy. If you will be happy here then do it, if not look around for something else. Life is too short!

loribeth said...

Dh & I also spend 2-3 hours commuting every day (door to door). Fortunately, most of ours is on a train. Still, it does take up a big chunk of your time & energy during the day. Is there any way you could set up a home office & work from there a couple of days a week? (This is what my mother keeps telling me I should do... of course, do I listen...??)

Kir said...

Oh sweetie, that's a hard one. We commute an hour each way every day and it takes A LOT out of us, but we make better money in NJ than we would in PA, so to us it's worth it. However, I am bone tired, all the time and I think it's takes a toll on so much of your life, your marriage, your sanity.
I wish you luck with deciding and if you find a way to balance it all, doing what you love, please let me know.

*hugs*

JJ said...

Whew, I have no solid assvice--its tough either way. Hmmm, definitely hoping it works out the best for you--commutes do suck--Im an hour each way.