Asking for the Universe's Opinion

[the_gneech]

So. I committed to stay at Starbucks at least through the holidays; I have reached that threshold and I'm having difficulty deciding what to do next. The Starbucks job, although physically punishing, had some cool and fun moments at first, but those have seemed to wander off, leaving me with just work I have to endure, for money which isn't great, but it about five times what I make by Patreon alone.

So here are my options:

1. Keep going as I am now. This is the least attractive option, as I'm seeing a recurring pattern of "Saturday and Sunday morning" shifts (the worst possible) and finding myself grinding my teeth about it. Working afternoon/evening shifts is less fun that being at home, but still allows me to get things done in the morning. Working morning shifts just kills my whole day. Having a schedule that's all over the map also makes it very difficult to plan for things like, say, heart doctor appointments. :P


2. Take a hatchet to my schedule. Currently my only restriction is "no Saturday nights" because I blocked that off for gaming (although gaming has been light-to-nil for way too long regardless). I'm thinking of changing it to "No Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, period." This would kill the weekend morning shifts, give me at least one solid weekday always off for doctors etc., and make it relatively easy to schedule for cons (as they tend to be Thursday-Monday affairs, I'd have off three of those days normally anyhow).


3. Just plain quit. The nuclear option, so to speak. This would return me to being a full time writer/artist, giving me more time to shop that novel around and start the next one, as well as keeping Suburban Jungle up and running. The downside is that in the short term at least it would be a precipitous drop in our income until lythandra find her new job. She's got 2/3 of her new IT/security certifications and is talking about looking for a minimum salary of $100k, so, y'know, that'll be good when it comes! But it's not here yet. Do I bet the rest of our savings on that and go back to trying to get my own career into paying mode, or do I stick with the (coffee) grind until it's a done deal?

Blugh. It's a tough choice. I'm going to ponder it today, and meditate on it some tonight, but in the meantime, I'd like the universe (and LiveJournal ;) ) to give me some guidance on the topic.

Thanks! :)

-The Gneech

Comments

[galadrion.livejournal.com]

My personal opinion here, but I do have reasons for it. I'd say avoid the nuclear option, if it's at all feasible. Work may suck, but having some income, especially if Laurie's job search takes longer than expected (always a possibility, perhaps even more so during unsettled economic times, which these still are) is definitely a good thing. Starbucks may not pay a true living wage, but what it does pay will help stretch your savings if they need it.

Between the other two options, I see it as a wash. Continuing as you are now may not be attractive, but it represents a stable situation and may (I say, may) build some goodwill your direction from management, which could be parleyed into some improvements down the road. On the other hand, you may have more typical middle management for these days, in which case goodwill is a word from a carol and you may as well not bother, leading to the conclusion that option number two is the best bet for you personally.

Me, I'd be inclined to keep the Starbucks situation for now (under one of the first two options) while looking for some other way to improve the situation... but I definitely would not leave Starbucks until I had some improved situation to leave it for. From personal experience, I find that it is much easier to find a worthwhile job when you already have a job - not only do potential employers look more favorably upon the currently employed, but opportunities seem to appear more frequently as well.

Good luck, m'friend!

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

This person is wise. Listen to them.

[kylet.livejournal.com]

Yeah, tossing my vote in this direction too!

[sirfox.livejournal.com]

cut yourself some weekend time with option 2. Commit yourself to a couple of activities in that time to tackle your creative job side. Time to write. Time to stream some art. Time to absorb media. time to scribble out rough silly ideas to see if they lead anywhere, etc.

Have you considered front desk work at someplace like a massage clinic? Greeting folks and making appointments on their digital system, kinda thing. It might be more low impact for maybe more money?