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As far as your dilemma, I was there about 4 years ago. I had a job where I made 25 bucks and hour with FULL benefits; they even helped you buy a home, however the job was so stressful and mundane that I wanted to quit after about a week. Story short, I lasted for one year then I quit to start my own business and everybody thought I was crazy but now 4 years later I'm making more money in one day then I did a whole week at that job and also the old building where the job was located had shut down and moved which always means people get fired or laid off.
I'm SO HAPPY with what I'm doing and I can only say that it worked out this way because I listened to my inner voice and tuned out all the people who where trying to show me another way. Really, you got to be careful of other people, many people are walking around bitter because they gave up on there own dreams 30 years ago or they had kids too soon and they can be quite jealous of the little responsibility's that you have so they don't feel bad at all telling you wrong information.
So as I said, the ball is in YOUR court and only you can decide whats best for you to do.
I know what you mean. When I mention this IRL to people, they say something like "the economy is bad, wait for things to improve before making a move". Or "you're lucky to have a job". Stuff like that. If I mention moving to family members they'll probably say what they need to get me to stay. I'll be sure to take their advice with a grain of salt. Thanks for sharing!
your commute sounds terrible not only is it the time on the road, but the wear and tear on your car. the money you save in gas and time could be worth the move closer to your work. either way I would look to do something different within the next year or so. get a plan and give it a whril there you will only have regret if you stay and do nothing to make yourself happy.
Thanks for the tips on the job.
I've done the calculations and was amazed by how much I have been spending on gas. It's not so bad now but when it was $4 per gallon I was paying $250-300 per month on gas. This does not include mileage, wear & tear on the car, driving in wintry conditions, or time. I'll have to buy another car much sooner than I otherwise would if my decreased the commute. Here are my options as far as moving goes:
1) Move to the small town that I work in (not much bigger than the one I'm in now.). Apartments/houses are all very old (95% built pre-1950) and there is not much to do in the town. However it is about 25 minutes away from a large city (currently about 90 minutes away).
2) Move to a suburb about 25-30 minutes away from work. This would cut my commute in half. There is more to do although it is not a large city...it's about 35-40 minutes away. There are things to do though like gym, martial arts, bike trails, nearby uni, and stuff like that. Not much of a nightlife but it is close enough to the city I believe
3) Start over in a new city and find a new gig.
I'm thinking of doing #1 or 2 and trying it out for a year and see how the job, economy, new place shakes out. If it doesn't work out then try #3.
Many people don't like thier job, but if you can find another place to work in an environment where you like your coworkers it helps. For me, it's not the job, it's the people. I can have a job in the stabile shoveling manure, but if I work alongside some good people that I can laugh with and enjoy my day it makes all the difference. You might find a renewed interest in your work if you enjoyed the people around you and had a healthier social life.
That said, if it were me I'd try a move to Chicago. Plenty of nightlife, sporting events, singles bars, public transportation and other things to do all year round. Check some of the apartment listings on Craigslist to get an idea of rents in different neighborhoods. You might be lucky enough to land a decent job not far from where you live so commuting won't be too awful. Many neighborhoods in Chicago are good for walking, and have most conveniences like markets and stores within walking distance.
Now is the time to explore your options while you are not tied down with a wife and kids. Do it now while you are still young.
Many people don't like thier job, but if you can find another place to work in an environment where you like your coworkers it helps. For me, it's not the job, it's the people. I can have a job in the stabile shoveling manure, but if I work alongside some good people that I can laugh with and enjoy my day it makes all the difference. You might find a renewed interest in your work if you enjoyed the people around you and had a healthier social life.
That said, if it were me I'd try a move to Chicago. Plenty of nightlife, sporting events, singles bars, public transportation and other things to do all year round. Check some of the apartment listings on Craigslist to get an idea of rents in different neighborhoods. You might be lucky enough to land a decent job not far from where you live so commuting won't be too awful. Many neighborhoods in Chicago are good for walking, and have most conveniences like markets and stores within walking distance.
Now is the time to explore your options while you are not tied down with a wife and kids. Do it now while you are still young.
I think you're right about the people thing. I work with a few people who are not fun to be around but I guess that's the case in most offices. I'm okay with my job not being perfect. After all, if jobs were supposed to be enjoyable, then I guess we wouldn't get paid for them. The issue I have is that most tech jobs require at least 50 hours a week plus the commuting and that's 60 hours a week. It's a large chunk of time in a week. It wouldn't be so bad if it were 40 hours a week and that was it.
I don't live in a very tech oriented area. So even if I found a job closer to home, it would definitely pay less. How does Chicago look as far as tech jobs go? The thing that's kept me away from Chicago is the heavy traffic.
Not sure what the tech jobs outlook is for Chicago, I imagine there are options that'll coincide with your experience. As for the traffic, you have a good public transportation system there, so buses and trains are a good alternative. You have to weigh your priorities when it comes to long work hours. Submit some resumes just to see what bites, then you can consider your options armed with some idea of what you can anticipate.
Urban areas are where the attractive, educated people of the opposite sex congregate. I'd recommend it if you're 30 and single, and your goal is to be 35 and not-single.
I could be happy in a small town, but I'd probably spend all my time hunting, fishing, or stoned. Or I'd buy a house and do yardwork, like you. Yardwork is good zen behavior, doing it for the sake of the activity, no achievable goal in mind, since you know full well that you will never "beat" nature. It will always grow back. Sort of like your problems, here, will always grow back.
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Should I find a new gig or career? Outside of work, I don't have much interest in programming anymore (they invent new programming languages every week for no good reason, every employer wants you to know 35 of them, you spend a lot of your time learning each new pointless language that does the same **** that a dozen older ones do, etc.).
You're in a field that does not value the sacrifices its workers must endure. I tried it for a while, too.
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I love my family but constantly being dragged down by their negative BS. Parents divorced not too long ago and I'm still dealing with the fallout from that.
Meh.. Not your problem.
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Has anyone been in a similar rut? What did you do about it?
Change is inevitable. The best you can do is try to manage it.
My advice is to constantly seek change, rather than allowing change to sneak up on you. Every so often you'll slide back into that rut. You should interpret that as a sign to make an improvement to your life, whether that's a new job, a new city, a new piece of furniture, a new person, a new musician, a new recipe.. just something to get excited about.
This is in opposition to the mindset that clings tightly to what it knows, does not seek change, until that rock of certainty has eroded away and they're left confused, "Where did it go?".
Too much work not enough play is never healthy. I should know as sometimes fall into it myself. By play can be anything not work related with social interaction. In the past have worked 6 and even 7 days a week. Right now I pretty much take 3 days off
Yes.
Urban areas are where the attractive, educated people of the opposite sex congregate. I'd recommend it if you're 30 and single, and your goal is to be 35 and not-single.
Yeah even when browsing online personals, I've noticed that most of the single/attracted/educated females are in the city. The burbs are full of women that are not my type.
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Originally Posted by rubber_factory
You're in a field that does not value the sacrifices its workers must endure. I tried it for a while, too.
That's the truth....I've been thinking that a lot of stuff that I learn now will likely be obsolete in 10 years. May I ask what you switched to?
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Originally Posted by rubber_factory
My advice is to constantly seek change, rather than allowing change to sneak up on you. Every so often you'll slide back into that rut. You should interpret that as a sign to make an improvement to your life, whether that's a new job, a new city, a new piece of furniture, a new person, a new musician, a new recipe.. just something to get excited about.
This is in opposition to the mindset that clings tightly to what it knows, does not seek change, until that rock of certainty has eroded away and they're left confused, "Where did it go?".
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