I hate making decisions...
October 7, 2007 8:54 AM Subscribe
Help me with my job problems!
This is going to be big, but you'll probably want all the detail!
About a week ago I was working a Temp -> Permanent job as a lab technician installing rackmount computers in a relatively large test environment (700+ computers). These computers, once installed, were used by company engineers to test their software on. The job was probably 50% very light labour installing the PCs, running cabling, etc, in a datacenter, and another 50% troubleshooting/repairing issues with them in a FreeBSD software environment.
The work environment was very nice, a lot of pre dot-bomb perks, like free drinks, occasional free food, arcade machine, flex hours, not a lot of crazy rules. They company's product is likely to continue to have a big demand, although I suppose certain huge companies using it could switch to a competitor. It's mostly a hardware/software solution for controlling P2P traffic. While this goes a bit against my moral fibre, it wasn't a serious issue.
While the job made me quite happy and finally gave me an opportunity to work on UNIX systems, and might have given me the future opportunity to program in Tcl, I had previously been looking for work as an electrician apprentice. That opportunity came up after I had been working in this job for a month.
I had invested a lot of time in money and schooling regarding being an electrician, about $10,000 - $15,000 over the past few months in a pre-apprenticeship course and associated costs. It seemed like a great career at the time that would provide stability without the need to constantly retrain (not that I'm against learning, but it would be nice to take a break at some point), something that is missing from computer careers. And. of course, it pays incredibly well, likely 30% - 50% more than I would ever make working in the computer careers I'm likely to enjoy.
So, back to getting the new job as an electrician. I've been working as a Construction Maintenance Apprentice Electrician (first year, of course) for a week. The job, while somewhat satisfying, has some drawbacks that I really didn't consider when I left the other job (oh, doesn't everything). It's very physically demanding, much more than I've ever done before, to the point it made me physically ill. I'm incredibly out of shape, so it's not so much that it's unreasonable, it's that I need to fix my body to continue in this job. It also made me realise my fear of heights again, as I've been working installing conduit on 30 foot high ceilings on a skyjack, something that over the past week I've made headway into overcoming.
And it's not exactly what I expected, since I wanted to be an Industrial Electrician working on wiring up PLCs and associated parts, not installing wiring from panels to them. Unfortunately, apprenticeships are virtually impossible to get here--this alone took me getting my parents to grease wheels with people they know that know top management in the company. Nobody in the class I was in has an apprenticeship yet (3 months later), so I know I can't be choosy.
The big pros to working as an electrician are that I'll get paid to be shape, I'll still get to work (eventually) on things that I enjoy (after a while I can transfer to being an Industrial Electrician in this company easily, it's very big), it's stable work that I could continue doing for the rest of my life, and it pays far better than anything I've ever done before. Also, you get a license at the end of it all. Plus, they have set regular day shift hours, no afternoon/night shift work (a rare luxury in a factory).
My Fiance helped me figure out something very silly that, unfortunately, also scares me at this job: I enjoy doing nothing too much! I got to goof off a LOT in my past careers and, in this one, there's really zero time not to have all hands at the pumps.
Now, there's cons (for me) to being an electrician: I will have to spend some time doing electrical work that's not interesting, I will have to work on getting into shape, I'll continue to feel sick until I finally get into shape, and, related to that, I'm scared of going to work (being sick from work, scared of heights). And the co-workers share few to no interests. And I am working, constantly, with only the usual breaks in between work (no goofing off). Also, at this time I end up at home with only 4 hours to spare and completely drained of all physical energy. Factory work environment.
Pros in my previous job: Not physically demanding, enjoyed using skills I had developed, had future opportunity to develop more computer skills, free pre-dot-bomb stuff, got to goof off plenty. Nice work environment, great co-workers.
Cons in my previous job: Left me mentally drained when I came home, left me bored and unsatisfied, as with all tech companies, they'll probably go bust in under a decade, lower pay, less future career development, no government approved license.
I wouldn't be posting this if I didn't feel there was a good chance of me getting my old job back, my old boss emailed me a few days ago asking if I could fit some part time work into my schedule, which is probably a good indicator that I could just quit being an electrician and go back to my last job.
The fiance would rather me stay as an electrician, but would be happy either way. My parents would, after having given me a car to go to work in, be incredibly angry, but eventually would come to terms with a decision either way.
What do I do? *ARGH*! Thanks for any ideas you bounce around, anything will help. Honestly, though, I think I'd be equally happy either way if I were just fit enough to feel okay as an electrician, and had no fear of heights.
Sorry for the ridiculously long question. And thanks for reading!
This is going to be big, but you'll probably want all the detail!
About a week ago I was working a Temp -> Permanent job as a lab technician installing rackmount computers in a relatively large test environment (700+ computers). These computers, once installed, were used by company engineers to test their software on. The job was probably 50% very light labour installing the PCs, running cabling, etc, in a datacenter, and another 50% troubleshooting/repairing issues with them in a FreeBSD software environment.
The work environment was very nice, a lot of pre dot-bomb perks, like free drinks, occasional free food, arcade machine, flex hours, not a lot of crazy rules. They company's product is likely to continue to have a big demand, although I suppose certain huge companies using it could switch to a competitor. It's mostly a hardware/software solution for controlling P2P traffic. While this goes a bit against my moral fibre, it wasn't a serious issue.
While the job made me quite happy and finally gave me an opportunity to work on UNIX systems, and might have given me the future opportunity to program in Tcl, I had previously been looking for work as an electrician apprentice. That opportunity came up after I had been working in this job for a month.
I had invested a lot of time in money and schooling regarding being an electrician, about $10,000 - $15,000 over the past few months in a pre-apprenticeship course and associated costs. It seemed like a great career at the time that would provide stability without the need to constantly retrain (not that I'm against learning, but it would be nice to take a break at some point), something that is missing from computer careers. And. of course, it pays incredibly well, likely 30% - 50% more than I would ever make working in the computer careers I'm likely to enjoy.
So, back to getting the new job as an electrician. I've been working as a Construction Maintenance Apprentice Electrician (first year, of course) for a week. The job, while somewhat satisfying, has some drawbacks that I really didn't consider when I left the other job (oh, doesn't everything). It's very physically demanding, much more than I've ever done before, to the point it made me physically ill. I'm incredibly out of shape, so it's not so much that it's unreasonable, it's that I need to fix my body to continue in this job. It also made me realise my fear of heights again, as I've been working installing conduit on 30 foot high ceilings on a skyjack, something that over the past week I've made headway into overcoming.
And it's not exactly what I expected, since I wanted to be an Industrial Electrician working on wiring up PLCs and associated parts, not installing wiring from panels to them. Unfortunately, apprenticeships are virtually impossible to get here--this alone took me getting my parents to grease wheels with people they know that know top management in the company. Nobody in the class I was in has an apprenticeship yet (3 months later), so I know I can't be choosy.
The big pros to working as an electrician are that I'll get paid to be shape, I'll still get to work (eventually) on things that I enjoy (after a while I can transfer to being an Industrial Electrician in this company easily, it's very big), it's stable work that I could continue doing for the rest of my life, and it pays far better than anything I've ever done before. Also, you get a license at the end of it all. Plus, they have set regular day shift hours, no afternoon/night shift work (a rare luxury in a factory).
My Fiance helped me figure out something very silly that, unfortunately, also scares me at this job: I enjoy doing nothing too much! I got to goof off a LOT in my past careers and, in this one, there's really zero time not to have all hands at the pumps.
Now, there's cons (for me) to being an electrician: I will have to spend some time doing electrical work that's not interesting, I will have to work on getting into shape, I'll continue to feel sick until I finally get into shape, and, related to that, I'm scared of going to work (being sick from work, scared of heights). And the co-workers share few to no interests. And I am working, constantly, with only the usual breaks in between work (no goofing off). Also, at this time I end up at home with only 4 hours to spare and completely drained of all physical energy. Factory work environment.
Pros in my previous job: Not physically demanding, enjoyed using skills I had developed, had future opportunity to develop more computer skills, free pre-dot-bomb stuff, got to goof off plenty. Nice work environment, great co-workers.
Cons in my previous job: Left me mentally drained when I came home, left me bored and unsatisfied, as with all tech companies, they'll probably go bust in under a decade, lower pay, less future career development, no government approved license.
I wouldn't be posting this if I didn't feel there was a good chance of me getting my old job back, my old boss emailed me a few days ago asking if I could fit some part time work into my schedule, which is probably a good indicator that I could just quit being an electrician and go back to my last job.
The fiance would rather me stay as an electrician, but would be happy either way. My parents would, after having given me a car to go to work in, be incredibly angry, but eventually would come to terms with a decision either way.
What do I do? *ARGH*! Thanks for any ideas you bounce around, anything will help. Honestly, though, I think I'd be equally happy either way if I were just fit enough to feel okay as an electrician, and had no fear of heights.
Sorry for the ridiculously long question. And thanks for reading!
Things are a lot different when you get married. Often you have home ownership and kids on the horizon. Plus, it is good for your marriage to be home for dinner and not be a slave to the pager.
You had a bad first week. You may very well be able to get over the fitness and heights issues in the first six months or so. Keep at it, sounds like you could use a challenge. Long term boredom isn't good for anybody.
posted by crazycanuck at 9:17 AM on October 7, 2007
You had a bad first week. You may very well be able to get over the fitness and heights issues in the first six months or so. Keep at it, sounds like you could use a challenge. Long term boredom isn't good for anybody.
posted by crazycanuck at 9:17 AM on October 7, 2007
You should stick with the electrician job. Once you and your fiancé are married and have kids, having a well-paying stable job will be a godsend. It can take months, sometimes even a year or more, to feel comfortable in a new job, so don’t give up immediately, no matter how tempted you might feel. And as you mention in your post, you’ll eventually be doing the type of electrical work you’re interested in. Also, getting physically fit and overcoming your fear of heights are good things in themselves.
posted by Jasper Friendly Bear at 9:24 AM on October 7, 2007
posted by Jasper Friendly Bear at 9:24 AM on October 7, 2007
I'm fourthing -- stick with the electrician job. Yes, I know you got to be lazy a lot of the time at the computer job, and it let you get fat too -- I'm a computer nerd too, and I hate the same things you do about it.
You left one part out that's kind of important about the electrician job too: You can look back and say, "Hey, I did that!" at the end of it. There's a sense of satisfaction that you get from doing something well there that'll help your mental state like you can't believe. It's the same rush that people get from playing MMO games that push their "I WIN" button constantly.
posted by SpecialK at 9:47 AM on October 7, 2007
You left one part out that's kind of important about the electrician job too: You can look back and say, "Hey, I did that!" at the end of it. There's a sense of satisfaction that you get from doing something well there that'll help your mental state like you can't believe. It's the same rush that people get from playing MMO games that push their "I WIN" button constantly.
posted by SpecialK at 9:47 AM on October 7, 2007
Give it longer than a week, but give yourself a deadline--perhaps 6 weeks.. If you are still this miserable by the deadline, then you should go back to your old job.
posted by happyturtle at 9:53 AM on October 7, 2007
posted by happyturtle at 9:53 AM on October 7, 2007
How much do you like goofing off?
I mean that seriously. Do the math. How much can you expect to make in your previous job over the course of, say, the next decade? (That's presuming the company doesn't go under and you still have a job there that long.) And how much can you expect to make as an electrician in the same time? Now, what's the difference between the two: $100,000? $250,000? More? Is goofing off really worth that much to you?
So do you want to do what's easy now, knowing that there's no long-term payoff, or do you want to do what's tough now, knowing that there's definitely a long-term payoff?
You're getting hung up on the current state of what you have to go through to become an electrician as if it's going to last forever. But the hours and physical demands you're experiencing now will, by definition, eventually change, right? You're basically paying your dues -- suck it up now, and you'll see the benefits down the road. (And you never know, you may get to work with people you like a little further down that road, too.)
I think it's a fear of the unknown vs. the comfort of the known. I say: face your fears. Keep at it. If you still hate it in a year or two, there's no shortage of dead-end tech jobs with plenty of goof-off time.
posted by scody at 9:54 AM on October 7, 2007
I mean that seriously. Do the math. How much can you expect to make in your previous job over the course of, say, the next decade? (That's presuming the company doesn't go under and you still have a job there that long.) And how much can you expect to make as an electrician in the same time? Now, what's the difference between the two: $100,000? $250,000? More? Is goofing off really worth that much to you?
So do you want to do what's easy now, knowing that there's no long-term payoff, or do you want to do what's tough now, knowing that there's definitely a long-term payoff?
You're getting hung up on the current state of what you have to go through to become an electrician as if it's going to last forever. But the hours and physical demands you're experiencing now will, by definition, eventually change, right? You're basically paying your dues -- suck it up now, and you'll see the benefits down the road. (And you never know, you may get to work with people you like a little further down that road, too.)
I think it's a fear of the unknown vs. the comfort of the known. I say: face your fears. Keep at it. If you still hate it in a year or two, there's no shortage of dead-end tech jobs with plenty of goof-off time.
posted by scody at 9:54 AM on October 7, 2007
You might want to stick with the electrician's job because it will become yet one more tool in your toolbox that will give you more choices somewhere down the road. With your electrician certification and your knowledge of IT, you may become an unstoppable juggernaut. But, at this point and time, you are left with too few cards to be choosy about your career. And WTF with goofing off?
I'm also surprised that there are few jobs for electricians where you are. Virtually *everywhere* in Canada is looking for skilled trades. I myself used to work as a gasfitter and plumber. I too was scared of heights, but I conquered them, big-time. I too was out of shape. But I got into shape. I too found little to connect me with my coworkers. That never really worked out, though.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:57 AM on October 7, 2007
I'm also surprised that there are few jobs for electricians where you are. Virtually *everywhere* in Canada is looking for skilled trades. I myself used to work as a gasfitter and plumber. I too was scared of heights, but I conquered them, big-time. I too was out of shape. But I got into shape. I too found little to connect me with my coworkers. That never really worked out, though.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:57 AM on October 7, 2007
Response by poster: Well, thanks for the suggestions (you're welcome to post more). You're all very right, I should stick with the electrician job. I know goofing off isn't positive, but tech jobs are (sometimes) just like that. Hard to explain until you do one, I guess.
KokuRyu, there's lots and lots of jobs for electricians here. Always lots of listings. The issue is there's virtually no jobs for apprentices in Ontario, mostly due to out of date ratios (it can take as many as 3 journeymen and 1 master to allow a company to employ just one apprentice, in provinces like Alberta it's 1 apprentice per journeyman). And, of course, a lot of companies don't like hiring apprentices because they know very little, some are lazy and like to goof off (ha!), and many of them leave the minute they've done a couple of years of apprenticeship (it makes them more mobile, and a lot of people start off in apprenticeships that treat them a lot worse than mine).
The wage difference is, in the future, probably about $55k vs. $80 - $100k. Yes, goofing off isn't worth that much, but it was fun while it lasted. LOL.
A good point made is that I will have more satisfaction being able to point out work I've done to myself rather than say "I put 2 dozen screws into 6 4U servers today". :-)
Since my decision is pretty much made, advice on how to get into shape fast enough to not feel like hell would be appreciated. Keep in mind we're talking about 260 lbs of flab that gets tired after 30 minutes of walking...
posted by shepd at 10:28 AM on October 7, 2007
KokuRyu, there's lots and lots of jobs for electricians here. Always lots of listings. The issue is there's virtually no jobs for apprentices in Ontario, mostly due to out of date ratios (it can take as many as 3 journeymen and 1 master to allow a company to employ just one apprentice, in provinces like Alberta it's 1 apprentice per journeyman). And, of course, a lot of companies don't like hiring apprentices because they know very little, some are lazy and like to goof off (ha!), and many of them leave the minute they've done a couple of years of apprenticeship (it makes them more mobile, and a lot of people start off in apprenticeships that treat them a lot worse than mine).
The wage difference is, in the future, probably about $55k vs. $80 - $100k. Yes, goofing off isn't worth that much, but it was fun while it lasted. LOL.
A good point made is that I will have more satisfaction being able to point out work I've done to myself rather than say "I put 2 dozen screws into 6 4U servers today". :-)
Since my decision is pretty much made, advice on how to get into shape fast enough to not feel like hell would be appreciated. Keep in mind we're talking about 260 lbs of flab that gets tired after 30 minutes of walking...
posted by shepd at 10:28 AM on October 7, 2007
Do you think you could talk to upper management again and get them to install some of the dot-bomb perks, like the arcade machines, free drinks and some time to goof off? That way, maybe you could have the best of both worlds?
posted by sour cream at 10:32 AM on October 7, 2007
posted by sour cream at 10:32 AM on October 7, 2007
how to get into shape fast enough to not feel like hell would be appreciated.
I know there are a lot of weight loss threads if you poke around on AskMe, the upshot of most of them being that there's no magic bullet or overnight solution -- it's just the equation of burning more calories than you take in. In other words: eat well and exercise more. Cut out the high-fat, high-sugar, high-sodium processed foods (junk food, fast food, packaged snacks, sugary sweets, pastries, etc.) and replace them with lean meats and fish, fresh fruits/veggies, whole grains, and healthy fats (sauteeing in olive oil, for example, rather than deep frying). If you eat dairy, cut back and go for the low-fat options. If you drink (non-diet) soda, quit -- it's the emptiest of empty calories. (Keep in mind if you switch to juice or bottled iced teas, those drinks can have plenty of calories too, though juice at least has nutritive properties that soda doesn't. Drinking lots and lots of plain old water is really the best option in terms of losing weight.) Alcohol can also contain a lot of calories. Some good charts and suggestions on that score here.
For exercise, what about joining the Y or a gym and getting on the treadmill or stationary bike 3-4 times a week? Start out with what you can do now -- 30 mins. is fine. You'll gradually be able to increase that as your stamina increases and your weight begins to drop a bit.
posted by scody at 11:02 AM on October 7, 2007
I know there are a lot of weight loss threads if you poke around on AskMe, the upshot of most of them being that there's no magic bullet or overnight solution -- it's just the equation of burning more calories than you take in. In other words: eat well and exercise more. Cut out the high-fat, high-sugar, high-sodium processed foods (junk food, fast food, packaged snacks, sugary sweets, pastries, etc.) and replace them with lean meats and fish, fresh fruits/veggies, whole grains, and healthy fats (sauteeing in olive oil, for example, rather than deep frying). If you eat dairy, cut back and go for the low-fat options. If you drink (non-diet) soda, quit -- it's the emptiest of empty calories. (Keep in mind if you switch to juice or bottled iced teas, those drinks can have plenty of calories too, though juice at least has nutritive properties that soda doesn't. Drinking lots and lots of plain old water is really the best option in terms of losing weight.) Alcohol can also contain a lot of calories. Some good charts and suggestions on that score here.
For exercise, what about joining the Y or a gym and getting on the treadmill or stationary bike 3-4 times a week? Start out with what you can do now -- 30 mins. is fine. You'll gradually be able to increase that as your stamina increases and your weight begins to drop a bit.
posted by scody at 11:02 AM on October 7, 2007
I want to second what KokuRyu said -- the combination is the thing. It sounded like you were pretty excited about some of the computer work you were doing ("the job made me quite happy and finally gave me an opportunity to work on UNIX systems, and might have given me the future opportunity to program in Tcl"). Once you've solidly established your skills in electrical work, you may find a way to combine them and be "an unstoppable juggernaut!"
So, you just have to stick with it long enough to learn those skills. The first weeks are always the hardest -- even when I was in shape from running on the cross-country team, when I started work as a waitress it took about a month to stop being exhausted from all that walking around -- but hang in there!
posted by salvia at 11:29 AM on October 7, 2007
So, you just have to stick with it long enough to learn those skills. The first weeks are always the hardest -- even when I was in shape from running on the cross-country team, when I started work as a waitress it took about a month to stop being exhausted from all that walking around -- but hang in there!
posted by salvia at 11:29 AM on October 7, 2007
I've always felt exhausted the first couple of weeks of a new job, even jobs that weren't physically tiring. So you may start feeling less tired sooner than you manage to get into shape.
(And I echo the other opinions— stick out the apprenticeship for a while. You can always go back to IT later.)
posted by hattifattener at 11:30 AM on October 7, 2007
(And I echo the other opinions— stick out the apprenticeship for a while. You can always go back to IT later.)
posted by hattifattener at 11:30 AM on October 7, 2007
I can relate to the goofing off factor...I worked at a small company for 11 years (steel sales), and for much of that time it was non-stop, full-tilt work. However, the owner of the company was getting on in years, and for the last two years that I worked there, he only came into the office for a few hours per day, and even though sales were way down, my pay was unaffected. He was happy to have someone there to answer the phone and give the appearance of a working business so that he had an excuse to escape from his wife a few hours each day. I spent my afternoons reading the newspaper, doing the Jumble, and then stretching out on his sofa and napping until quitting time. When ill health forced him to retire and close the business, getting a "real" job - with no napping included - was a rude slap in the face! But you can, and will, adjust, trust me.
As for the electrician job, I don't know about Canada, but in the US the skilled trades are hurting for people. It's hard work, but very well paid, usually with union wages and benefits. You'll pretty much have job security, and once you get some seniority, you won't be the one they'll send up on the skyjack.
posted by Oriole Adams at 11:31 AM on October 7, 2007
As for the electrician job, I don't know about Canada, but in the US the skilled trades are hurting for people. It's hard work, but very well paid, usually with union wages and benefits. You'll pretty much have job security, and once you get some seniority, you won't be the one they'll send up on the skyjack.
posted by Oriole Adams at 11:31 AM on October 7, 2007
The good thing about being fat is that you see progress wrt weight loss/getting in shape faster than someone skinny might. Seriously, you're going to look up in two or three weeks and be amazed at what you can do that you can't do now.
I say this as a fat chick who just rejoined the gym.
I'm with the others re: sticking with the electrician business. There's always going to be call for someone with your skills. You've got job security. To me, that makes it worth it.
I can't help you with the heights, though.
posted by sugarfish at 11:34 AM on October 7, 2007
I say this as a fat chick who just rejoined the gym.
I'm with the others re: sticking with the electrician business. There's always going to be call for someone with your skills. You've got job security. To me, that makes it worth it.
I can't help you with the heights, though.
posted by sugarfish at 11:34 AM on October 7, 2007
Also nthing the advice. Goofing off can be an art form, but it gets you precisely nowhere, which is what I suspect your fiancee feels.
It may actually be harmful as it tends to kill ambition and get-up-and-go, some essential requirements if your life becomes something with responsibilites, kids, mortgage etc.,
posted by Wilder at 12:56 PM on October 7, 2007
It may actually be harmful as it tends to kill ambition and get-up-and-go, some essential requirements if your life becomes something with responsibilites, kids, mortgage etc.,
posted by Wilder at 12:56 PM on October 7, 2007
well - your body will actually adjust to the new demands just by going to work every day....but it won't go beyond that so you'll still feel exhausted when you come home...exercise is thus going to allow your body to adjust to the demands of the job and also going to give you the 'spare energy' you need to enjoy your leisure time...to start out with build up your general fitness and work on any particular weaknesses as they show themselves at work.
posted by koahiatamadl at 2:52 PM on October 7, 2007
posted by koahiatamadl at 2:52 PM on October 7, 2007
How long is the apprenticeship?
The wage difference is, in the future, probably about $55k vs. $80 - $100k. Yes, goofing off isn't worth that much,
Are you sure? Though, I guess, electrician jobs aren't that intense..
You really have to examine what you want from life. Just because everyone else wants a 2,000 sqft house, two SUVs, one kid and three dogs, doesn't mean you have to do that.
Physically, you'll be fine soon enough. The first time I worked a job that required me to stand all day the pain in my calves was extraordinary. It lasted about a month. Everybody had the same problem, and the same solution. By the time you've been at it for a couple of months, you'll wonder what the problem was.
posted by Chuckles at 6:50 PM on October 7, 2007
The wage difference is, in the future, probably about $55k vs. $80 - $100k. Yes, goofing off isn't worth that much,
Are you sure? Though, I guess, electrician jobs aren't that intense..
You really have to examine what you want from life. Just because everyone else wants a 2,000 sqft house, two SUVs, one kid and three dogs, doesn't mean you have to do that.
Physically, you'll be fine soon enough. The first time I worked a job that required me to stand all day the pain in my calves was extraordinary. It lasted about a month. Everybody had the same problem, and the same solution. By the time you've been at it for a couple of months, you'll wonder what the problem was.
posted by Chuckles at 6:50 PM on October 7, 2007
Response by poster: Again, many thanks for the support. You are all right, being lazy of course makes you feel apathetic. :-)
>Are you sure? Though, I guess, electrician jobs aren't that intense..
Yes, relatively sure. $100k is a high enough wage here that the local newspaper publishes a list of public servants making that wage each year to "shame" them. :-D I know there's probably places where that wage _isn't_ all that high, but $500k buys you a new house here with 4 beds, 3 baths, double car garage, etc. Average (3 beds, 2 baths) is still about $250k. :)
And yes, I guess I do care about living well, I've struggled enough, at 29 years old being $30k+ in debt and having nothing to my name means it's time to buckle down and make a change.
My fiance is probably a little unhappy that I'm nowhere in life (until now), but she's probably used to it, since I've not been going anywhere or a while. :D
The fiance wants kids, so I will take the advice that I need a stable job that can support us all. Thanks for all the good advice! I really don't know who to mark for best answer, so I'll leave that for a while.
I did some exercise on friday, but nothing saturday or sunday (was very sick) but I'll make up for that today!
Time to pull up the bootstraps and go to work tomorrow.
posted by shepd at 8:58 AM on October 8, 2007
>Are you sure? Though, I guess, electrician jobs aren't that intense..
Yes, relatively sure. $100k is a high enough wage here that the local newspaper publishes a list of public servants making that wage each year to "shame" them. :-D I know there's probably places where that wage _isn't_ all that high, but $500k buys you a new house here with 4 beds, 3 baths, double car garage, etc. Average (3 beds, 2 baths) is still about $250k. :)
And yes, I guess I do care about living well, I've struggled enough, at 29 years old being $30k+ in debt and having nothing to my name means it's time to buckle down and make a change.
My fiance is probably a little unhappy that I'm nowhere in life (until now), but she's probably used to it, since I've not been going anywhere or a while. :D
The fiance wants kids, so I will take the advice that I need a stable job that can support us all. Thanks for all the good advice! I really don't know who to mark for best answer, so I'll leave that for a while.
I did some exercise on friday, but nothing saturday or sunday (was very sick) but I'll make up for that today!
Time to pull up the bootstraps and go to work tomorrow.
posted by shepd at 8:58 AM on October 8, 2007
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posted by jayder at 9:13 AM on October 7, 2007