Money or Happiness?

scottalanmiller

I talked to my GM and he has told him that if he wants me as Expert, I want $12/hour, as well as he understood that in the next 1-2 years, I want to work towards sales manager. He agreed and said that'd work. The current Expert's last day is April 11. So my first day will be April 12.

Excellent. You picked a high number, but a reasonable one (a verified reasonable one which is great!) and did the right thing. That's a 9% raise over what was already offered. That's a huge score. I think that you are going to be very happy having decided on this. Congrats.

Dominica

Wise, mature decision, A.J.. Congrats, and well done.

thanksajdotcom

@Dominica said:

Wise, mature decision, A.J.. Congrats, and well done.

Thanks Dominica.

StrongBad

Sounds like you are making a sound decision. Not a fancy or flashy one, but a sound one.

thanksajdotcom

If I decide I do want to get into management, the Expert job will be a perfect segway. It's a keyholder position, leadership position, etc. I do well at this for awhile and I don't doubt the other will just happen at the right time.

Huw3481

@thanksajdotcom said:

If I decide I do want to get into management, the Expert job will be a perfect segway. It's a keyholder position, leadership position, etc. I do well at this for awhile and I don't doubt the other will just happen at the right time.
a] Congrats.
b] Segue. Just sayin' Segway is a personal transport device

thanksajdotcom

@Huw3481 said:

@thanksajdotcom said:
If I decide I do want to get into management, the Expert job will be a perfect segway. It's a keyholder position, leadership position, etc. I do well at this for awhile and I don't doubt the other will just happen at the right time.
a] Congrats.
b] Segue. Just sayin' Segway is a personal transport device

Ah, good to know. Learn something new every day. Thanks!

thanksajdotcom

Right now I'm looking into a way to possibly work both jobs full-time...you know, because who needs sleep?

scottalanmiller

@thanksajdotcom said:

Right now I'm looking into a way to possibly work both jobs full-time...you know, because who needs sleep?

Probably a bad idea, but I appreciate the reasoning behind this.

scottalanmiller

I did spend most of my career doing more than one full time job at a time. It is exhausting and dangerous (career wise) but it also allows you to gain experience, exposure and skills at a pace that you can't easily do otherwise. Plus, obviously, you earn more money this way.

thanksajdotcom

@scottalanmiller said:

I did spend most of my career doing more than one full time job at a time. It is exhausting and dangerous (career wise) but it also allows you to gain experience, exposure and skills at a pace that you can't easily do otherwise. Plus, obviously, you earn more money this way.

I'm trying to find a way to do this for my friend. I won't be able to keep it up forever, but if I can do it for at least six months, we'll see what happens...

thanksajdotcom

So an update on this: being the person I am who can't ever stop debating with myself about things, I've changed my mind about the Expert job. I've decided that maybe my first week of two jobs was just rough, as it has been in the past, and I'm going to stay on at my full-time gig full-time and stay at Staples part-time. The GM isn't real happy with me for changing my mind, but he's got 31 days still to find a replacement for the Expert position.

I had a convo with my friend who got me in here yesterday, who told me that he figures I can make L2 Engineer in about 1.5 years. Only one person to date has ever done that, and it was another friend of his, who got him hired on at this job, among a couple others. It's gonna involve getting a lot of Cisco certs, but I know I'm capable, it's just whether I can buckle down and do it.

This was not a decision I made lightly, or easily, but I really enjoy my new job, but I know I need Staples, so I'm gonna do what I can to do both. We'll see how that works out. If six months from now it's proving to be too much, I'll reevaluate from there.

Anyways, as my father loves to say, "ain't nothin' left to it but to do it".

Thanks,
A.J.

@thanksajdotcom said:

@scottalanmiller said:

I did spend most of my career doing more than one full time job at a time. It is exhausting and dangerous (career wise) but it also allows you to gain experience, exposure and skills at a pace that you can't easily do otherwise. Plus, obviously, you earn more money this way.

I'm trying to find a way to do this for my friend. I won't be able to keep it up forever, but if I can do it for at least six months, we'll see what happens...

This usually ends up with people doing a bad job at both job and either losing both or at least burning bridges. I'd focus on one and to a good job at it.

scottalanmiller

@thecreativeone91 said:

This usually ends up with people doing a bad job at both job and either losing both or at least burning bridges. I'd focus on one and to a good job at it.

I totally agree with this generally but there is some behind the scenes stuff going on that AJ has shared with me and I support his logic on this. Not sure he can pull it off, but he's not doing it for the extra money, that's for sure.

@thanksajdotcom said:

The GM isn't real happy with me for changing my mind

I wouldn't be either. People like it when you stick to your word.

thanksajdotcom

@thecreativeone91 said:

@thanksajdotcom said:

The GM isn't real happy with me for changing my mind

I wouldn't be either. People like it when you stick to your word.

Well he's still got 31 days before the current Expert leaves. I didn't leave him high and dry at the last minute.

thanksajdotcom

@scottalanmiller said:

@thecreativeone91 said:

This usually ends up with people doing a bad job at both job and either losing both or at least burning bridges. I'd focus on one and to a good job at it.

I totally agree with this generally but there is some behind the scenes stuff going on that AJ has shared with me and I support his logic on this. Not sure he can pull it off, but he's not doing it for the extra money, that's for sure.

I do need the money, as I couldn't make it right now on either job alone, but I have a supplemental source that could offset that. No, the reason I'm doing this is because one is a good long-term prospect (ShoreGroup), but the other I most definitely need now for a variety of reasons (Staples), mostly emotional. I told my GM I'm not going anywhere, and I can still kick some pretty serious ass as a part-timer. I did for years.

IRJ

I can't believe how low the pay is at Shore Group. You have a decent amount of experience, you should be making at least $18/hr.

IRJ

@thanksajdotcom instead of playing around VPS Servers, you should train for certifications in your free time. Sure playing around with VPS servers gives you knowledge, but it doesn't help your resume.

@IRJ said:

I can't believe how low the pay is at Shore Group. You have a decent amount of experience, you should be making at least $18/hr.

I only made about a quarter more than than even at my last job being the Network Admin. Technician jobs pay $10-11.40 around here. About the same as a retail job would be (unless it's walmart). I actually took a pay cut going into my first IT job from a non-it job, that only needed a highschool degree. was a temp job (though I stay for 3 years as a temp employee - at the same pay though)