Reader Poll...
Okay, I think I am settled with the idea of being a manager at GM, when I receive a phone call from someone at the BSC Phoenix program. She tells me about a position that is opening on campus with this one lady that I am familiar with, and encourages me to call her. I call and have a nice chat with her (we have spoken very casually for a couple of years) and she gives me the details on the job. At first I do not really consider it a matter of choosing because the pay at GM is better, but then as we talk I realize that this office job would give me some other things that I want/need. So, here is what I am going to do, I am going to put before you the pros and cons of each position (including pay) and you give me your opinion on what you would choose if you were placed in my shoes. I am not going to make my decision based entirely on your opinions, but you might be able to give me some insight that has thus far remained in the dark to my mind. K? Keep in perspective my current sit. well, most of you know what that is...
GM Asst.Manager (9.00/hr(review for increase in 6 months) + no benefits; $50/month free food,drink; and more that I do not know yet)
Pros:
Flexibilty for vacations (because I have others to cover my absence)
Doing something I enjoy; working with customers on a one-to-one basis
Gaining managerial experience, thus increasing my earning potential in future jobs
Obtaining the title for my resume, " "
Free food :) and liquor :) :)
No child-care expense
Cons:
No consistent schedule (fluctuates based on others' needs, etc.)
Hours worked may easily exceed hours listed...you leave when the job is done
Probably no weekends off(I'll be the bottom-of-the-totem-pole asst.)
Working nights (no time for kids; particulary Noah, and no time for social)
M. will have to find childcare to cover his softball nights (if I have to work)
Could conflict with needed study time for school
"Babysitting" younger employees with lacking work ethics
Receptionist/Admin.Asst. to Dickinson State Distance Learning Admin. (8.50/hr (review in 6 months)+ full benefits; 100% health insurance, sick leave, vacation, etc.)
Pros:
Consistent Schedule
3 pd classes/year
Allowance to attend one class a semester during work hours (w/o pay deduction)
Will be home every night
Weekends off
Can create study time w/o conflicting with kids' (i.e after they go to bed and the weekends)
Can maintain a social life (for M. and his friends and/or for me and my friends)
Can attend N.M's scout meetings w/o having to take time off work
Cons:
Buy work outfits (but they can be bought for less than store price)
Pay childcare ($4/hr. while N.M is in school, and then over the summer it will be that PLUS his own care costs)
*This is the biggest thing, after I pay for childcare I am only making $4/hr and then in the summer it'll be more like $2/hr. So, is it really worth it? Granted with full coverage medical insurance from M and I, we won't be paying for any medical bills because whatever the primary doesn't cover, the secondary will. In a way that could compensate the lack of pay, BUT we also do not go to the doc much. At least not the kids and I. Grrrr, this is hard.
This decision comes to an ethics factor (in a sense); right vs. right. It is a short-term vs. long-term dilemma. On the short-term, GM is the best solution. It satisfies our immediate needs as they develop, and in the space of time I find I can attend to the long-term goals I have established, but then the family suffers. It frees us from the cost of childcare, which increases our available cash flow for the household. And having kids, that is nice. It also frees me to be able to take a longer weekend if I want for traveling with the kids. In other words, though it makes my life chaotic it supplements my short-term desires.
On the long-term, BSC/DSC is the better solution. It will create a stability in our lives that we have not had since we moved to ND. While the pay will not give us the finances we need, it will create more time to be a family. I.E I'll be home every evening, can attend evening functions with the kids, can predict my schedule and can give my kids a definite security about when I'll be around. With being home on weekends and evenings, I can place a lot more focus on my distance schooling, thereby increasing my chances of a high GPA, and maybe even being able to add one more class onto my load because I can organize study time with more predicability. After having chaos, I like the idea of not having it.
I have discussed this with only one other person, aside from M., and he works at GM. He is someone that I trust because he has been in the restaurant business for many years, and has even owned his own place. When I discussed this new development with him, he said that though GM may fix my short-term, if I keep fixing the short-term solution, I'll be stuck fixing the short-term. He speaks from personal knowledge. He says that because my career interests do not lie within the restaurant world, I should consider this other job very sincerely. If it were not for the concern about childcare cost, and thus the money, I think I would have already decided. But, it really is about...what is the best decision for my family? Short-term and long-term?
>What's your thought?<
posted by liveasyouchoose @ 7:43 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Which working environment is going to help you towards the professional role you hope to attain some day? Figure in the benefits from the college job- not just the medical which you already have. How much would you be borrowing to pay for those three classes the college gives as a benefit? What is the cost financially of taking an unpaid vacation in the summer? Granted, you won't have much time for a few years probably more than you will work this job. What is the benefit of network development in a college environment versus the hospitality industry? Where do you want references for college and graduate school to come from? They prefer a work recommendation, in addition to teacher recommendations. What has the emotional cost been of not having much time with your children and their father simultaneously? what about peers? Who do you want your peers to be? Which environment has people that challenge you and help you grow thoughtfully? How frustrated and cranky have you been with the kids because you are always multi-tasking work, homework, child raising and housework? Would it be possible for the kids who aren't in school to attend pre-school at the college? LBCC has their child development program with a day care center attached that staff can use. Does this college? Could Noah go home with a classmate until someone is home to get him?
Speaking from knowing several food service professionals- it is a time consuming job once you get into management. Seems that most of the ones i've known talked about 40 hour weeks that grew into 60-70 hr weeks.
Lizard breath you know I love you so very much. And I hold your opinion of myself and my family very dear. And yet you sit there frustrated with yourself because you aren't the mom I am. I am able to be the mom I am because I put them first (at other times pretty darn close to first). So take this opportunity to do it that way. Take this time to "get on the floor and play with your kids" so to speak. And it's not like you're not gaining from this. Way I see it, it's a win-win situation. It's like Grandpa George said in the new Willy Wonka,"Are you a dummy? They make new money everyday. But there are only 4 golden tickets in the whole world. Only a dummy would pass that up. So are you a dummy?" Or something like that. Well way I see it, your kids only have one mom. You are their golden ticket to a wonderful childhood. Don't pass that up for a little extra money. Don't be a dummy. No insult intended. I love you. And I believe in your heart you already know the right answer, you're just letting that brain get in the way. Besides you probably look way sexier in office attire than restaurant attire.
Good points, both of you. BSC does not have a childcare center (stupid of them since a large part of their students are moms), and the cost would be about $10/yr. While it is only a $17/yr job. Anyhow, I've decided to apply for the job and do the processes, and IF I get hired...I will work both jobs until I see how one or the other goes. This will also help pay off some medical debt and car payments, thus when it is only one job, the income is not paying out as much. My kids will suffer for a month, but I hope I can give them as much as I can in that time.
I have this same problem. I work to pay for daycare; however, I also work to stay sane. I'm not a stay-at-home mom...and I never will be unless I have to be. So, here's the thing. I know exactly which of these jobs I would take, but I'm not you. You need to factor in which job is going to move you closer to your goals and I think you know which one that is. And where the Hell do you live that you get paid $8.50 an hour as a Secretary...it's robbery I tell you, but way better than hospitality (personal opinion, obviously).
Your mother has some really great points and that is really what you want to look at...where do you want to be...what would propel you further in your career? What kind of arrangement are you comfortable with for the kids?
I work two jobs (one in an office and one in hospitality...hotel). My children are in daycare (child development center) all day. All three of them are under school age at this point so I pay $1560 a month for them to be in daycare. With both my jobs, I make about $2200 a month (after taxes). Is it worth it? Absolutely, to me. But think of this, I don't have a spouse that supports me monetarily. I can't ask for money from him to pay bills and I have college bills still. So, that is another factor.
You are an intelligent woman and I have no doubt that you will figure out what is going to be best for you and your family. Remember, too, your children are young and so are you...there's plenty of time to get into the career you want. Take baby steps, one at a time, and you'll reach your goal!
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