Help me make a decision...LONG
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| Wed, 07-14-2004 - 5:01pm |
Since you've all been so wonderfully supportive on all my other issues, I was wondering if you could weigh in on a decision I have to make.
I currently work full-time for a non-profit organization. I push paper all day and I like my job. I make about $14.50/hour (no overtime), and all my benefits are paid for by my office, so I don't pay for anything. I have a pretty flexible schedule, generous vacation, and in all, a pretty good place to work.
I also teach at a local community college - which is one of my passions! I LOVE teaching!!!!!!!!!!! I make $28/contact hour (credit hour), so teaching 2 classes that are worth 4 credits each would make me $224/week (before taxes and deductions). No benefits.
I also run a home business with The Body Shop at Home (direct sales), and it's really starting to take off. I have a few potential recruits, I love the products and the discount, I am getting more parties scheduled...
My ultimate goal is to be a stay at home mommie (I don't have any children yet, nor do I have any buns in the oven...probably won't for a year or so.) Being a stay at home mommie is VERY important to me, so I'm trying to look to the future and get other sources of income besides a full-time job. I want to keep teaching and doing The Body Shop at Home even after I have kids!
My hubby was laid off for 17 months and he's just finished school and has been working full-time for about two months now. We're starting to get back current on our bills, too!
So...here's where you come in! Sorry this was so long, but I wanted to be thorough!
This working so much is just killing me! I work Mon-Thur at my day job from 7am-5pm. Then, I drive to school (fifteen minutes away) and teach two classes on Tue/Wed/Thur from 5:30-8:15pm. I get home usually by 8:45pm, and have enough time to eat some dinner, pet my puppy, talk with my hubby, and then I go to bed. I can't grade papers during the week, because I want to give some time to my hubby, too! So, I have Fridays off from work, and I use that day to make some phone calls, clean the house, play with the puppy, do some advertising...and then I usually have one-two parties scheduled for the weekend. The parties take me an hour or two to get ready for, and then usually a total of 3 hours for the party (some time for me to prepare before the guests arrive). I also have LOTS of grading to do on the weekends!!!!
My dilemma (if you've read this far, bless your heart!!!!!):
I wanted to quit my fulltime job earlier in the summer, but my hubby had just started working, so I pushed it back to August. I want to keep teaching and I want to keep doing my biz... I've also gotten my substitute teacher certification, so I can register with local schools to be on their sub-list (usually between $60-$80/day).
My dept chair for the college just emailed me and wants me for at least two classes in the fall, probably more.
What should I do???????
Did I mention that I really do like my fulltime job? I do, but once you've found something that you're passionate about and that you care about and that you're good at........ I LOVE TEACHING!!!!!!!!!
Help me!!!!!!
I can certainly answer any questions that you may have......
Oh, and if I quit, I would need to pay for my insurance through my hubby's work (~$50/week).
Thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tracie

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Now, although others may give you solid advice, I want you to go get a quarter. yep, a 25 cent piece, year/state doesn't matter. Assign one of the sides 'stay like it is' and the other 'quit day job to teach'. Now flip it, and best 3 out of 5 wins.
Now, before you start thinking, "That Lisa. She is such a dork..." I'll tell you why I do this! My mom used to tell me that ALL decisions are usually made BEFORE the question is asked, but sometimes with all the internal chatter and the "Oh I *should's*", the answer gets lost in the shuffle. By flipping 3 out of 5, you will get a clearer reading of where your heart stands. If, say, "stay like it is" wins, and you find yourself going, "Man! That sucks!", then you know that your inner self is all but jumping up and down yelling, "DUDE!! Change is good!!!" and that then is your path.
It seems too easy, and you may feel like the answer that comes up isn't right. But, I'll tell you this-when I have done this (I still do this, lol)and then try to rationalize the answer away, I have nearly ALWAYS regretted it.
So there you go. That's my advice. hey-it's either that or the Magic 8 Ball, ROFL!!
Congratulations on being offered more classes, BTW. I think it is so cool how the universe will start opening doors, windows, and walls when you're doing what is right for you!
~Lisa :)
I'm going through a similar situation myself (minus the 2 extra jobs). I make a paltry $11.50 an hour at my job (did I mention I hate the job??), and I pay half my benefits. If I quit the job, my BF (who is legally a common-law spouse - we've lived together long enough), could put me on his benefits, for an extra charge (but probably no more than what I am paying now). I want to be a stay-at-home mommy myself - it is very important to me too! But I don't have kids yet either.
My plan (sort of), is to take a distance ed course in Daycare Management. The course is offered through an accredited institution, and would cost me about $800 (there is an option to do it in monthly payments). Then, when I have kids of my own, I can stay at home, and look after other people's children too. The purpose of the course would be to make me more marketable (everyone and their grandmother offers childcare). I would make probably the same amount of money I make at my current job, or potentially a little more, since it doesn't pay much in the first place. It would be more financially sound than keeping my job and paying for daycare myself, obviously!
During those years, I could take another distance ed course to become certified as a Teaching Assistant. That way I could get a job, that I would enjoy, outside of the house once my kids went to school. I know that is a lot to think about, and things very rarely go the way I plan them (LOL), so only time will tell if this actually works out for me.
I think that if you are passionate about something, and you know you are good at it, then you should pursue it. Offerring your own in-home daycare during your childrens' toddler years could be a great way to make extra money, while still pursuing your other dreams. In the meantime, I say go for those other teaching opportunities!
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My lack of planning had nothing to do with not working hard enough. I worked my butt off until the very end (I went into labor with my first in the middle of teaching a class, which I had gone to after a full day of work at my "day job"--sound familiar?). I continued teaching the classes, and eventually also did some writing work in the evenings (which I still do). My husband lost his job shortly after ds #1 was born, and I ultimately went back to work waiting tables to make ends meet (after digging ourselves a nice, ugly debt hole which is why I'm here). Ugh. That sucked. Thank goodness I don't have to do that any more.
Here's the thing. All that hard work, but the money didn't pay off. What would have paid off, and what works for us now, is if I had #1 been organized enough ahead of time to have a "post-baby" budget worked out to show exactly *how* we were going to survive on dh's income and #2 if I had developed the skills I would later learn for saving money--cooking from scratch, smart grocery shopping (see my post below on grocery savings), efficient household management, and so on. It seemed to me at the time that these things would just happen--how hard can it be, to stay at home, watch kids, and run the house? How much can you save by being skilled at it, anyway?
Well, it turns out you can save *a lot* if you're good at household management. That's why they call it "home economics."
So, here's what I would do if I could do it again. I would sit down with dh's income (and any other income I expected to continue after the baby was born) and work out a real budget. I would keep working a bit and put some money in the bank as a cushion. Then I would quit my day job and start learning to "keep house." And by "keep house" I mean all the things that go into running a household well, efficiently, and inexpensively.
I would probably go on teaching the classes (though if I had it to do over again, I would take a few months off right after the baby was born--pumping breastmilk and being away from him for hours at a time was just too much, imo, at that age), and working on any other side business I thought I wanted to continue post-baby. But I'd quit the day job, even if it does seem counter-intuitive.
Besides, you'll be happier and your so will be happier. And when it is time to have a baby, the adjustment will be *so* much smoother.
But of course only you know what's best for you, so do what makes you happy (and makes sense).
Blessings,
Heather
You sound EXACTLY like me!!!!!!
First, I actually keep a Magic 8 ball on my desk at work!!! (Magic 8 ball says that I will not be quitting my job in August...) :(
Second, when I was in college I was dating this guy, and then I started kind of flirting with this other guy. I couldn't decide so I drove home (2 hours) and talked to my dad. He said, "Tracie, it sounds like you've already made your decision and now you just need to act on it." As soon as he said that, I saw the lightbulb shine brightly over my head!
You're right, my decision is MADE! I know exactly where I want to end up, I just don't know about my timeline! Plus, I really do like my boss a lot and her boss, and I can only imagine what it would be like if I quit. Now, my hubby says that I shouldn't worry about them, and that I should only be concerned about myself...but that's sooo much easier said than done! I feel a sense of obligation to my employers..........I probably should have grown up in the '40s & '50s!!
I think that's what I am struggling with...that and the budget...
I feel so guilty about even thinking about quitting my day job!!!! I feel like everyone here can read it on my face and maybe even read my mind...
Tracie
You're soooo right! I need to sit down with hubby and try to project our income into the future with all the different scenarios!
I'm already learning more about running an efficient household...always MORE to learn, but I'm getting there!
My problem is that I want it all to happen NOW!!!!
Oh, and I didn't mention why I needed to make a decision now....
My fulltime job has a major meeting every year, and the planning is really intense. To be fair to my employer (but should I be fair to me, first???) is to not leave anytime between September and March... Our meeting is in February, and the planning is just soooooo stressful that I just think it wouldn't be fair to my employer to quit during a busy time...
Oh well...thanks for the responses so far!!!! I really, REALLY appreciate a 3rd party perspective on the issue!!!! You're all just awesome!!!
Tracie
Tracie - I recognize that you have terrific work relationships, and that is really and truly great.
All my best,
Danni
After getting rid of the debt last month I recently decided to quit my day job as a Credit Administrator and I enjoyed working with my colleagues and bosses and they are still trying to find ways to get me to stay. The reason I quit is that I am going back to University full-time - my dream was always to pursue my education to the highest levels but I had to postpone it to pay off the debts. I just completed a H.R. Mgmt certificate and I'm currently enrolled as a Psychology Specialization undergrad.
But my passion is History sooooo, my plan is to amass enough credits to transfer at the end of April 2005 into the Honours History program (so far my GPA is over 4.00). My ultimate goal is to go on to complete my Ph.D in History and become a professor - I love to teach and see people get excited or at least interested in learning.
My humble advice to you is that you need to follow what your inner voice keeps trying to tell you, in spite of the potential drawbacks. Sometimes the timeline will be pushed back but it will happen.
I agree with the other poster who said when you've made a concrete honest decision that honours your values, the universe rewards you and opens doors and helps you to even create opportunities, sometime seemingly without effort.
Don't worry about how your decision will affect your employer, this is solely about your needs and wants. They will find someone to take over your responsibilities...don't allow their concerns to worry or stress you. Focus your energy rather on your goals and what you can do to achieve them faster.
Good luck!
Kassandra
"It is said that life has its peaks and valleys. The challenge is to accept them equally and experience them
You know Tracie - I know exactly what you are talking about!!!
Becky
CL of 4th, 5th & 6th grade Scoliosis
I would look into the insurance policies - You might want to see what you insurance and your DH's insurance covers for pregnancy. It might be that your full-time job is better than dh's for the birth - or that is doesn't make a difference.
You should like someone else suggested make a post baby budget - don't forget to factor in things like diapers and formula - even if you plan on breastfeeding - you never know what can happen and I like to err on the side of caution. It's been so long since my kids were babies, I can't think of what other baby expenses there are.
I (that is me lol) would take that post baby budget and try (seems like you are in the position to do this) and save 3 months of your budget before quitting the day job. Your home job and the college job sounds as though they are going great right now and that is awesome - but s*!! happens as I am sure you already now.
Just one other thought - is it at all possible that your day job coudl let you work from home????
I might have to look into that one!
Tracie
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