~Today was my first day back @ work...ugh. It was not stressful but I just don't want to be there. I want to be home w/Ethan.
I have a dilemma and want to post the options/scenarios here for your input...they are all job-related.
Job Option 1
Continue to work current position which is contract, no benefits, no paid time off but pays a healthy wage. This job is during the day 7am-3:30pm and would require daycare for Ethan. The contract supposed to be for 6 months (June) at which time I would only continue if they made the position full time with benefits...but ultimately I just don't want to work during the day. In my opinion, 4-5 hours with Ethan per day is NOT enough and that's all I get by working during the day.
Job Option 2
Leave contract job and work FT at Starbucks for a measly wage. This job comes with full health benefits for Ethan and I (cost $140/month). In addition, I would earn approx $40-50 in tips/week. I would work ONLY evenings, for example from 5:30-close and between 35-40 hrs/wk. I would NOT need daycare for Ethan and would be able to be home with him all day.
Ultimately I need to run numbers and really see if this is even feasable (sp?). I don't have much debt, it would just be a matter of making the regular bills.
My mom is not keen on me leaving a good paying FT job for SBUX, but she does not feel the distress that I do over taking E to daycare. It bothers me that I don't have her support.
Also, while working @ SBUX (if that's the option I choose), I would continue to pursue the hospital job. I discovered today that I am not a 'qualifying candidate' because they REQUIRE a particular certification for the job. I have already begun to study for this on my own and I will need to take the exam - hopefully I can do that soon and become eligible for hire. There job postings did not clearly specify the certification is a Requirement and I wish I knew this 1 month ago as I could have begun studying long ago.
It seems that this should be an easy decision and I guess if I take out the emotional piece, it is an easy decision. I told O today, I just want to be happy and by taking Ethan to daycare, rushing to work, back to pick up E and having so few hours w/him...I am not happy.
The job change situation is a temporary thing...I just want to be around for as much of the 1st year of his life as I can - more would be better - but he'll only be this little for a short time. Daycare is a different story when kids are mobile and able to play and interact with others -then I think there are some positive aspects of daycare....just not so much as an infant.
What would YOU do?
5 comments:
if it were me, it would depend on how much O is contributing to everything. If you can do option 2 and still pay all the needed bills, I think that's your best bet. and still persue other opprtunities. If you can't pay the bills, then I would say stick w/option 1 and work to pay the bills down. Not that you need to tell us all this - it's just the way I would think thru making the decision.
I was thinking about the night job and I think it's doable (you hear about couples doing this all the time) but when would you sleep?
hope that helps! good luck!
Krystyn, I would take option 2, E needs his mom and not some stranger looking after him. It will be tight for awhile but at the end of the day, it is the right thing for you and E. You will manage financially even it you have to eat ramen soup every day. When E gets older, you can go back to making more money with no regrets. I think it is feasible.
I'm for option two as well... then you won't feel so restenful when you go to work every day... just tired. We get over tired, but not so much over resentful.
...that is, of course, if it is monitarily feasible.
Krystyn, you have to do what is right for you. It would be nice if your mom supported your decision, but you know what? You are the mom now & only you know what works for your family. Not to be mean, but everyone else can take their opinions on a long walk off a short pier. If you can financially go with the option that makes you happier, then that's what you do. Let me ask you this: When you factor in what you would pay out of pocket for health insurance & daycare to stay at your current job, are you *really* making that much more in take home pay? Because you might make less in take home at SBux but you are also spending less as well. All of that factors in, you know? And it wouldn't be a forever solution anyway, if you are actively pursuing the Certificate that would get you the hospital job.
And as for when would you sleep: You would sleep when you got home til whenever E wakes up & if you are tired enough, you'll nap when he does. Heather is caring for two kids while working third shift, and she just naps when they do, and then when her husband gets home in the evening, they eat dinner & he spends time with the kids, while she sleeps til it's time for her to go in. She says it works just fine for her, even though everyone tried to tell her it was not possible. Bottom line is, you do what's right for you because no one can get in your shoes & feel what you feel. (((HUGS)))
You have to do what works for you and your family. With us and having twins, I tried really hard to go back to work - it lasted all of 3 weeks before I quit - I stayed home for nearly 7 years. Believe me though, it was very tough going from two incomes down to one and he was mostly commission and we had a mortgage. We made it somehow and I have NEVER regreted the time I had for my boys. I never missed any firsts. I may have missed out on a nice car, nice clothes or even adult conversation from time to time, but I will always cherish the time I had with my babies. If it's at all possible, be with your baby as much as you can. Each family is different - different financial needs and commitments. Sometimes it's not about how it looks on paper...God knows your heart.
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