well....as some of you are aware...I hate my job. I love the folks I work with. I don't like what they've got me doing. I don't like anything about it right now except that it's so easy I can get my work done in a couple hours and spend the rest of the time here or elsewhere or like yesterday...sleeping. That's about all I like...but that is no way to exist. this job is killing me. I've gained around 60 pounds. my commute is about 3 hours a day. The pay is decent. benefits were great but they're getting worse and worse like everywhere else...etc...etc.

Well.....I am moving to San Juan Batista/watsonville for the next few months to save money. That means I drive from there to gilroy. ride the caltrain from gilroy to sf. then ride a mile and a half on my bike to the office. But I save $550 on my rent plus utilities plus other stuff for the time being. It will also allow me to job search in santa cruz which is the place I love.

Well...I applied at one place. Only job openning I found so far for graphic work. I got an interview. now I have a second interview.

In short..my percentages of getting offered this job are getting higher.

It's off rio del mar in aptos. I wouldn't have to touch the freeway from the house I'll be staying at for the time being. it's just up the road from my folks house. It's just around the corner of where I used to ride my mountain bike all the time. it's a cool little place.


The scary deal is this....how much of a paycut can I take and still live ok? How secure is this place. I've only ever had one graphics job and I've had it for over 7 years. I've talked about moving back to SC for years but I've been gone for 10 years. I'm honestly pretty freaked out. All this change.

My good buddy justin is moving out to tracy. I'll be apart from the only friends I have as they live inbetween sf and santa clara. No more UCKK. no more sf.

it's pretty damn scary. I was raised to be practicle and this stuff is tough for me. I have to shut down my 401k. I have to take less pay...I'm pretty sure this small firm can't afford to pay me what i make now or what I feel I'm worth. retirement. etc. It's all crazy.

is it normal to freak out like this? I'm nervous as hell.

 

it's normal... expecially you have been 'stable' for the past few years and now the sudden change. You don't know what is going to happen next. Now, your job sucks, but you know it's there and you can sustain with it. Anyhow... Good luck with your second interview and hope things work out for you.

 

Good luck finding work. When you are in the Santa Cruz area, you can help us set up more regular meets here.

By the way, I've got that exhaust, and I'm still getting a rattle even though I used a long hanger below the floor pan. Any suggestions?

~Michael

 

where's the rattle? Where'd you use the hanger?

Might need to pick up at least one more or just move things around.

how bad is it? Did you escape with no exhaust leaks?

you liking it otherwise?

I'll be in the SC area starting friday.

 

Dude.. Change is good. Not just for the sake of change, but.. I just left a geat job, great life blah blah blah to completely change everything around and come back home to Hawaii. I left 10 years ago for the Bay Area. I was pretty wigged out about the change, leaving a nice steady paycheck every 2 weeks for uncertainty... ETC. I came back home mostly because my pops is getting older and possibly not doing well, but other reasons too. I read your thing about how your current job has affected you, and I know what you mean. Sometimes it takes a complete 'shakeup' to point you back in the right direction. It's strange, but just about everyone in my life is going through some big fundamental change right now. It's in the air...

 

thanks for this post. I appreciate it.

Yeah it's weird. my 10 year high school reunion is next month. things are changing. I know if I move back to SC it's gonna step things up for me and my girlfriend so that's another scary thing. I mean it's gettin to the marriage or end time frame. 3 years.

my 28th bday is coming up in august.

my job has really effected me recently with all the bad changes. The director is a bit pissed at me right now and my standing with the company isn't the best right now. Long story but it has nothing to do with my work. They can't fire me. I'm attendance is good. My work is on time and top notch. it's a money thing/personal thing. But I'm doing less and less design work. Things are just getting worse and worse. I get nailed if I'm 6 minutes late. corporate america just isn't for guys like me.

Just lots of change and I'm a guy that's all about stability. I started my 401k as soon as I turned 21...work policy. i work hard when I need to work hard. I take it seriously. etc etc.

I really think this change could be good for me. Be happier. Be back home. Be closer to family and girlfriend. Maybe be able to go back to school. Maybe start riding my mtb again and loose some weight...maybe talk my little brother into moving back to SC. Move in with me in october or something. Lots of ups.

But you know how it is...scary as hell.






How are things going for you? Happy you moved back?

 

Absolutely, go ahead and continue to freak out, but don't let it paralyze you. Just keep doing the next thing on your list to get you from where you are to where you want to go.

You should keep applying for other jobs and doing the WOM thing in SC and nearby areas. Don't figure on getting this one or assuiming that you'll be any happier working there. Its obvious that SC appeal for you has little to do with the job. I don't know exactly what you do, but you should start learning how to adjust your life-style towards a lower income AND broadening your skill-set.

Once you have a 'worse case scenario' firmly in mind and it creates 'no fear' you will have a VERY VALUABLE ace up your sleeve. It will create a type of confidence that others will notice.

Too many job slaves in the world. I walked away from a golden hand-cuffs job in 1997 just down the road.
I learned to live on less. I took a hit, but there's less stress now and I am glad I wasn't afraid to make big changes. Remember - life is short and a good life isn't built on materialism or notions of security.

Good luck.

 

i'll be your friend

 

i love your 'i hate job' posts. its great. i just got a new job also and i love the change. more real work, less busy work. but the fear you are feeling will only turn into relief and motivation to do and learn more in your new life so to speak. go live out there, have things be different for a while. you will learn alot about yourself and others around you. in this situation, fright is a positive thing. it means you know you want change, but of course you just dont know how its going to turn out.

 

speaking of I hate work posts..haaa.

I just got a "tardy" for being about 10 minutes late yesterday. Crappy thing is..I was in front of the building 7 minutes early. I couldn't shake this homeless guy. Told me that he was rich and if I helped him out he'd give me $10 million dollars. Even went in to restrictions. Have to give 10% to homeless funds, can't name him in book deals..etc. Smart guy...crazy bastard. I finally gave him money just so I could get to work. He told me to meet him for lunch today at 12:30 at starbucks......in short...he was not there..haaaaaaaaa.

one thing I will miss about the city...my love/hate relationship with the homeless..haaa.

Damn tardies. Fell like I"m in 8th grade again. Oh...you're 6 minutes late raymond. I begin class at 9. Another tardy and you'll have to see the principle. BAH!!!

but hay..I just got my second quarter attendance review and I'm all good.


I hate these new cubicles. I can't consintrate for ****. Have johnny smash the keyboard next to me. Miss chatty pants in tagalog next to him and miss talk in spanish next to me on the other side. people come up behind me all the time...feels like someones....watchin me..e.e..eeee. (the song).

anyways. Bah. I'll give you another hate work post before I'm gone...I"m sure of that.

 

sweet!!!!!!!

I got one new santa cruz friend.

 

 

that kicks ****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Here is my 2 cents:

If you can live off what they will pay you, and still save a little bit of money, then make the change purely for quality of life reasons. Nothing is worse for your soul than being handcuffed to a job where you are crapped on all the time. The money can only ease the soul bleeding for so long.

I hope the second interview goes well. Good luck

Huck--you are a talented dude.

lndbrusr

 

I say go with the new job if it comes your way. It will only make things better. Good luck with it man. And even though I'll be in tracy, I'll still be around and down to hang out. No more working at Molly's, so I'll be able to go drinking more.