And... it worked.
Job "Bird in the Hand":
The top boss in arm Y is awesome. She knew exactly why I applied to return (predictable hours + job I already knew well = pretty darn family friendly position in the law). She liked my work. So, she took me back. I was ecstatic, overjoyed, grateful and relieved to know what I'm doing this fall. Plus, I'll have August off (unpaid, but the timing works out for various family/childcare/military reasons.) Y Boss can only commit to hiring me for a one year term, but there are rare (really rare) opportunities for permanent positions in the Y arm, and my odds of securing such a position increase substantially if I'm already there.
If not, well, I had another year, and I will be eligible in that year to apply for anything else that might open up in the agency. Regardless of what happens "In the Bush," I'm ok. Which is awesome.
Job "In the Bush":
I wrote this post about how I am a f**king idiot because I did not apply for a permanent position that opened up in arm A. There is a possibility another position will open up unexpectedly, and if it does, it will open soon. Potential boss in arm A asked me if I would hypothetically be interested in such a position if it opened. Hypothetically, I am interested. Hypothetically, if the position opened and I was chosen, I'd have to have an answer pretty damn quickly. So, here are the problems.
Problem 1: Summer. If that position opened, I might have to start August 1. Daycare, plus I'll have to try to enroll Clownfish in camp or something and compel my mom to commit to yet another month of driving up to help out on the days I don't have care for Angelfish -- in short, its do-able, but sucky. I was frank about this concern with potential boss since we were speaking hypothetically, but there probably isn't much they could do about delaying the start date. But ... it would only be sucky for a month. Then, I'd have a JOB. A real permanent job - job. Well, as permanent as anything is in this climate.
Problem 2: Bridges. Its the same agency, and people move within it all the time. Boss Y is awesome and would be understanding if a permanent opportunity came up and I took it. But, it would leave Boss Y, who has been nothing but awesome to me, in a bit of a lurch. As far as she knows, I haven't applied for anything else. I haven't given her a heads up because, technically, I haven't actually applied for anything else. This hypothetical job may never materialize. Or, if it does, I may apply and not get it.
Problem 3: Distance. Its a longer drive and harder to leave if anything comes up with the kids, and Bullshark works too far away to be a viable alternative before 3 p.m.
For comparison sake:
- Salary/benefits: close enough to not make a difference in my determinations.
- Family friendly: Both are about as "mommy track" as you can get as far as regularity of hours (45/ week), but neither are flexible regarding working from home, or arriving earlier or staying later to make up hours.
- Commute: Hand is much shorter, by at least 30 minutes in the evening, 15 in the morning most days.
- Coffee: Available in both offices for a modest fee, but cheaper at Bush.
- Personnel: Each environment has its characters, nutjobs, whackadoos, and assholes. Probably a draw.
- Physical work environment: Bush is literally in a basement. Advantage Hand.
- Neighborhood: Bush is near an awesome city park, great for the occasional lunchtime "I need fresh air" stroll with lots of options for grabbing quick, healthy meals if you forget your lunch. Hand could be one of several locations, and may be in the kind of neighborhood in which you don't walk outside without a mace. (Not like pepper spray, I mean the medieval instrument used for bludgeoning.)
- Potential for growth: More opportunities for advancement in Arm X. Advantage Bush.
- Courtroom exposure: about equal, but for different purposes.
- Law: Hard to say which I'd like more. Like most law jobs, attention to detail, research and writing are the hallmarks of both positions.
- Hand: wide variety of different areas of law, new stuff just about every day, frustration and flying by the seat of pants is the norm. More likely to "feel like I've made a difference."
- Bush: very specific and quirky area of law, lots of legal brain work and analysis in that sphere, the little that I know of the work is that it can be somewhat more routine, but with maybe higher stakes.
If Bush materializes, what should I do?
Crowd sourcing.
Go.
My only advice is to really think about the commute differences. This is a huge quality of life issue for me. My lengthy commute not only sucks away up to 3 hours of my life every single day, but creates challenges when something comes up with the kids, or I need a teacher conference in the middle of the day, or there is bad weather. And nasty traffic really impacts my mood and tends to set the tone for the day.
ReplyDeleteThe commute difference is a real issue. I haven't minded having the commute this year, because I could tell myself its just this year. Taking on that commute forever... its seriously a factor.
ReplyDeleteMy commute on most days is forty-five minutes each way. I actually like it--it gives me some time to clear my head and psych myself up in the morning and it gives me some time to reflect and think things through in the evening. Plus I listen to NPR the whole time, so I'm way more well-informed now. Of course, my commute is on rural roads where there isn't much traffic, so it's not at all aggravating. Maybe I'd feel differently if I had to drive through traffic. My advice, though, is that an additional 45 minutes on the road each day is an acceptable trade-off for the security of a permanent gig in a field you know and like.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's my advice generally: a one-year position is great, especially if you like it, but a permanent position is . . . a permanent position. As you pointed out, those are hard enough to come by given our current situation. If you were single and didn't have kids, then I would say that there's not as much urgency to securing a permanent gig. But given that your family just grew and that you're going to have who knows what kind of expenses in the future, I think it would be really hard to justify passing up steady permanent income when the opportunity presents itself, especially if it's a job that you'll at least tolerate. Given that it sounds like you might actually like the bush job, that seems to me like a no-brainer.
And as far as burning your bridges, your awesome boss sounds understanding, and if that's the case, then she'll understand that you quitting before your year expires in order to secure a permanent gig is just what you have to do for yourself and your family. Plus, if she's gotten herself into the position of being in charge, she knows that you have to jump at opportunities when they arise.
That's my input.
So, OK.
ReplyDelete1) I totally agree with legally certifiable about the commute issue. It should be more of a con than your post suggests it is. (And that may be because you're currently willing to deal with it so it doesn't seem so bad...but it will.)
2) Permanence is nice and all, but it can also be nice to have a built-in exit strategy if, after some period of time, you're just burnt out on it all.
3) Don't feel bad about having choices! If job Bush materializes, well, it does, and you can explain to Boss Y then. There are any number of other things that could happen to you between now and September that would prevent you from starting that job. A lead on a maybe-job is not something to tie yourself in knots over.
no real advice - just wishing you good luck! you'll figure it out.
ReplyDeletejust trust your gut... you know what's best for you/your career/your family.