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A life crossroads, of sorts. Ugh...
14 years ago
General
'Aluminum to me, aluminium to some. You can shine like silver all you want but you're just aluminum.' Barenaked Ladies, Aluminum
I hate decisions. hate em. I can never make up my mind, but when I have to its usually with my gut feeling. Now, however....
See, I have two options, a choice between them, to make here and its such an important, big thing in my life that I ve actually not been sleeping overly well lately. Job opportunities, to the point I prety much have two awesome jobs I COULD accept or get, and Im not sure which I should take. Being unable to figure out a clear cut choice on my own and in my own head, flip-flopping back and forth, I thought maybe writing things out would help a bit. maybe.
Job 1
What: IT job, help desk/desktop technician.
Where: Calgary, AB
When: Starts ASAP, likely within 3 weeks.
Wage: Likely around $20/hr, or 40k/yr. Salary. Raises of about 10%/yr
Schedule: Mon - Fri. 8-5 or 9-6.
Pros: Perfect start to a career, something I could settle into and earn plenty of money, learn lots, get training, etc. In 5 years, I could take this experience anywhere and get a job in IT. MONEY.
Con: QUICK move to Calgary, in winter. Worried about being locked in the rest of my life into IT. Not what I truly want to do. Worried about vacation time and rigid schedule structure, lack of freedom for time off and scheduling. Worried about becoming just another drone, just another cubicle zombie. This could end my life as I know it... Not my life, but my WAY of life.
Job 2
What: Bird Control Officer, managing wild bird populations using falcons at a landfill.
Where: Winnipeg, MB
When: May 1st - mid October. Possibly other positions with the company after, but no guarantee.
Wage: 15$/hr, bonus of 2-3$/hr to be paid depending on my work and responsibilities I take on. Rent and vehicle in Winnipeg are paid for by the contract with the landfill.
Schedule: Not entirely sure, likely mon - fri, 8-5 ish kind of thing. Could involve working longer, and working weekends.
Pros: BIRDS! I love this job, even if it frustrates me to no end sometimes. I get to do what I love, something awesome, something unique. I get to be around the animals, train them, work with them as partners, take care of them, everything. Fantastic! The pay is WAY better this time around, and I wouldnt even have to pay for any rent or my vehicle to and from work.
Cons: Only 6 months guaranteed, then... possibly back to delivering pizza. Not a whole lot of career advancement or stability. Quite likely I could end up going back next year as well, in a sort of 6 months on, 6 months off kind of deal, but again, no guarantee. Not quite as much money as Job 1. Working with animals is frustrating as all hell, seriously. It sounds like a dream job, but its irritating, highly irritating, at times. No chance at all of vacations during summer.
Its practically like I need to choose between sensible and fun. Between the enjoyment of the now, or plan for my future. All my brain tells me to go with the IT job, as it would lead me down a road of money, stability, independance. All those things you need to retire at a decent age. And I AM going to be 28 years old in April, Im kind of running lower on time to get my life set up, move out, all that.
Still... to be cliche, my heart tells me that if I take that job, Ill be done hoping for dreams. Ill be locked in. Because truly, the birds are wonderful, a dream. Ive always wanted to work with animals, particularly big cats actually, then I got interested in the birds and volunteered and all... and I love em now. Its a fantastic opportunity, its as close as a dream job as I am likely to get without any schooling. Its only for 6 months at first, though... then Im back where I started, more than likely. Which could be good, could be bad. Means I could take this chance to experience it more, possibly have it lead somewhere more permanent, or even just have a chance next year or after this contract ends to go back to the IT positions or something else, whereas the IT is more... long term, I would be there for many a year I imagine.
Either way, Ill be moving in 4 months or so, at the latest. My schedule will shift entirely, Ill see my nesties online much less often, but Ill be back on a more regular schedule with evenings and weekends off. Also, vacation time will be iffy either job, depending on how rigid the company structure is at the IT job, and there will be no chance at all of taking time off during the work during summer with the birds. So likely no camping trip with my friends this year, at all. FC next year is a maybe... maybe. I worry about being locked down to specific vacation amounts and times by a company, but... is it worth it, for retirement security?
I think that either choice I make, Ill end up looking back on this choice in the future, and wondering what would've happened if I had gone with the other... Here I hear about so many people having a hard time finding work, and I'm given two wonderful opportunities at the same time. Blegh, and I have the gall to complain!
See, I have two options, a choice between them, to make here and its such an important, big thing in my life that I ve actually not been sleeping overly well lately. Job opportunities, to the point I prety much have two awesome jobs I COULD accept or get, and Im not sure which I should take. Being unable to figure out a clear cut choice on my own and in my own head, flip-flopping back and forth, I thought maybe writing things out would help a bit. maybe.
Job 1
What: IT job, help desk/desktop technician.
Where: Calgary, AB
When: Starts ASAP, likely within 3 weeks.
Wage: Likely around $20/hr, or 40k/yr. Salary. Raises of about 10%/yr
Schedule: Mon - Fri. 8-5 or 9-6.
Pros: Perfect start to a career, something I could settle into and earn plenty of money, learn lots, get training, etc. In 5 years, I could take this experience anywhere and get a job in IT. MONEY.
Con: QUICK move to Calgary, in winter. Worried about being locked in the rest of my life into IT. Not what I truly want to do. Worried about vacation time and rigid schedule structure, lack of freedom for time off and scheduling. Worried about becoming just another drone, just another cubicle zombie. This could end my life as I know it... Not my life, but my WAY of life.
Job 2
What: Bird Control Officer, managing wild bird populations using falcons at a landfill.
Where: Winnipeg, MB
When: May 1st - mid October. Possibly other positions with the company after, but no guarantee.
Wage: 15$/hr, bonus of 2-3$/hr to be paid depending on my work and responsibilities I take on. Rent and vehicle in Winnipeg are paid for by the contract with the landfill.
Schedule: Not entirely sure, likely mon - fri, 8-5 ish kind of thing. Could involve working longer, and working weekends.
Pros: BIRDS! I love this job, even if it frustrates me to no end sometimes. I get to do what I love, something awesome, something unique. I get to be around the animals, train them, work with them as partners, take care of them, everything. Fantastic! The pay is WAY better this time around, and I wouldnt even have to pay for any rent or my vehicle to and from work.
Cons: Only 6 months guaranteed, then... possibly back to delivering pizza. Not a whole lot of career advancement or stability. Quite likely I could end up going back next year as well, in a sort of 6 months on, 6 months off kind of deal, but again, no guarantee. Not quite as much money as Job 1. Working with animals is frustrating as all hell, seriously. It sounds like a dream job, but its irritating, highly irritating, at times. No chance at all of vacations during summer.
Its practically like I need to choose between sensible and fun. Between the enjoyment of the now, or plan for my future. All my brain tells me to go with the IT job, as it would lead me down a road of money, stability, independance. All those things you need to retire at a decent age. And I AM going to be 28 years old in April, Im kind of running lower on time to get my life set up, move out, all that.
Still... to be cliche, my heart tells me that if I take that job, Ill be done hoping for dreams. Ill be locked in. Because truly, the birds are wonderful, a dream. Ive always wanted to work with animals, particularly big cats actually, then I got interested in the birds and volunteered and all... and I love em now. Its a fantastic opportunity, its as close as a dream job as I am likely to get without any schooling. Its only for 6 months at first, though... then Im back where I started, more than likely. Which could be good, could be bad. Means I could take this chance to experience it more, possibly have it lead somewhere more permanent, or even just have a chance next year or after this contract ends to go back to the IT positions or something else, whereas the IT is more... long term, I would be there for many a year I imagine.
Either way, Ill be moving in 4 months or so, at the latest. My schedule will shift entirely, Ill see my nesties online much less often, but Ill be back on a more regular schedule with evenings and weekends off. Also, vacation time will be iffy either job, depending on how rigid the company structure is at the IT job, and there will be no chance at all of taking time off during the work during summer with the birds. So likely no camping trip with my friends this year, at all. FC next year is a maybe... maybe. I worry about being locked down to specific vacation amounts and times by a company, but... is it worth it, for retirement security?
I think that either choice I make, Ill end up looking back on this choice in the future, and wondering what would've happened if I had gone with the other... Here I hear about so many people having a hard time finding work, and I'm given two wonderful opportunities at the same time. Blegh, and I have the gall to complain!
But yeah, it's hard to say much about the IT job. You just need to be carefull about it also not being the kind that drives you insane. And well, everyone i know seems to want to do anything to get out of Calgary, so is the high pay really a good thing, or just a compensation for crappy living and again stupidly high cost of everything? Also, couldn't you just find the same kind of job just as easily in BC?
That second one, well, it does sound more like something fun, but yeah... Lots of unknowns, i guess. Have you talked to anyone who's been doing that job there?
Yeah, the fun of decisions...
Yes Calgary sucks in the winter. But conditions are not that horrid. Gas is cheaper, food is par with BC (minus the cost of seafood which is higher), beef is waay cheaper, yes power is quiet a bit higher (4x) but insurance is cheaper. Basic health is free (unlike BC which if you make more then 25k a year its $60 a month). With no provincial sales tax almost every luxury item is cheaper. The only people who are fleeing Calgary are the people who are born here, because they have spent 20+ years here already. Yes BC is far nicer looking but Alberta is where the money is right now. Do I expect to live in Calgary all my life, hell no. In a few years time, I will have the money and the experience to work anywhere I choose, doing what I choose.
Wages are high because there is competition for jobs. Quality IT people are hard to come by (Our IT team has 1 native Calgarian, 3 from BC, 1 from Ontario and 1 from the US).
As for the birds, I know it has been your passion but the risk you run is what happened at the dump in Victoria. Ya, it was good while it lasted but it didn't last. Besides, you could volunteer at the zoo here and get have your cake and eat it too.
Though it does kinda suck that it's in AB. I'm sure you could find some friends there though if you haven't already!