A career/life conundrum

L

Lou300

There's no right or wrong answers for this one, but Id be interested in your opinion:

I have been in my government job (including the three hours commuting each day) for 11 years. Its a safe secure job but Ive been bored with it for a long long time. A dream job within 20 mins of home has just come up and I have put my hat in the ring for it with an excellent chance of getting the job. It also pays a little bit more. Jobs in my career field are very rare.

My conundrum:
1) Its only a two year contract
2) We're planning on starting a family within the next few months (Im 33 and shouldnt delay too much longer)
3) We're slightly negatively geared on five properties and have some CC debt from a recent wedding and OS trip which I think is giving us a false sense of drowning in debt - which makes my husband nervous about me stepping away from job security.

Im so excited about a new job, close to home where I will have the time again to reconnect with my own community. Im not too worried about a two year contract, because if I work my *** off, generally this is rewarded with more work, but the timing with attempting to start a family is a challenge...

What would you do?
 
Keep using those condoms until you've got a definite yes or no on the new job.

And then keep on using them until 12-18 months into the new contract!

Just bear in mind that some people get pregnant just by looking at a naked man and for some it takes years, its hard to time a family. You won't know which category you fall into until you start trying, unfortunately.
 
Go for it!!!

I started off my first job out of uni on a month to month contract. This went on for four years and now the company has been bought out by a huge conglomerate of which I am now an employee of.

If you're a good worker, trust your abilities and your worth and don't let fear of term contracts scare you. Our economy is good and there'll always be a job for someone who is willing to work.
 
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i am just finishing up after about 28 months from a job that was initially a 6 month contract. Even the full time job i am going too has a 3 month starting period. Sometimes you have to back yourself.
 
Go for it. You have a long commute and you are unhappy in your old job. You are excited about the new job, so that is the answer.

If you want to start a family in a few years, the timing might just work out perfectly. You have a partner with an income to cushion any hiccups in your working life. Who knows, he might just take off a year when you have a young child.
 
i say go for it.

Before you leave maybe consolidate those CC debts and get a nice little buffer of $$ against your properties, This should take the stress away from hubbie.

The buffer will be handy when u start the family.

good luck!!
 
Wow, 8000 hours of travel time in your current job and you're only 33.
The 10,000 hour rule says you could become a professional/world class with that amount of time applied to an activity/skill/sport, etc.
Hope the job was worth it.

My answer would be, of course, take the new job.
 
I agree with the majority rule on this one...GO FOR IT!!!

But make sure you take RumpledElf's advice on the birth control at least until you get a definite "yes" on the job offer!

Pesonally, I'd rather have 2 years working closer to home with equal pay and be happier, than work an extra 2 years in a job that as far as satisfaction goes, has long expired. :(

Addition:
Sorry after re-reading your post (and PennyK's reply) I realised you wanted to start a family fairly soon-ish. In which case....I agree with PennyK I would ONLY take the other job if you're prepared to wait say till you're 3/4 through the contract (18 months) otherwise it's not really fair to the new employer.
 
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Lou,

Just make sure the company you are going to isn't going to go bust within the 2 years.

Also, what is the super arrangment for your current job? Is it a "run of the mill" or the "defined benefits" rarity?

The Y-man
 
I can't help but focus on point #2.

For arguments sake, say you get pregnant straight away, or within a few months of trying, and then work for a further 6 months. You go on maternity leave for 6 - ?? months and then there's your 2 year contact gone. Will you have a job to go back to when you've only actually worked 6 months of your 2 year contract?

I will probably get flamed for saying this, but.... if I were the employer and I employed someone to work a 2 year contract and they went on maternity leave 6 months into their contract I would not be a happy camper. I would have to go through the hiring and training process again and find another person to fill the gap.
 
^+1.
I can't really get my head around '2 year dream job' existing concurrently with 'just about to start a family.' If it wasn't for that timing I would have no hesitation in saying take the new job.
 
i also say "go for it!"

but - 33 is not that old for a baby either ... i had my first at 35, so you've got your 2 years leway.

question ... when you leave your long term government job, are you up for some long service leave payout? if so, that would be a great buffer to pay of some non-deductable debt (wedding etc), so that you feel more secure.

i agree - life is way to short to spend time in a job that does not give you satisfaction, when the option for something way better comes up.
 
Lou300 said:
What would you do?
Click to expand...

You're dead a long time, and the whole point of life is to enjoy it.

Commuting even for 10 mins to a job you don't like is no fun, so you've got the double-whammy.

Plus, if kids come along (soon), then good luck juggling them and the 3 hour commute at the same time. I'd give you 6 months before something gives - your sanity.

Back your ability, take the new job with small commute and re-assess when the time is needed to.
 
If you are planning to start a family in the next few months, I would stay where you are. Long service leave and maternity leave will give you a good buffer of time where you dont need to go back to work. and as a couple of others have said, its not really fair on the organisation you would be moving to to start a 2 year contract and then go off on maternity leave.
If you could wait for 12-18 mths to start a family, I'd probably go for the new job.
 
as above - i'm with pennyk.

the new maternity payments - especially government and your history with them - means you will get 9 months paid leave plus the option of returning if you need to.

no contract will give you that.

i say pass it up - you are in a predicament every woman faces - career or family. some people like to say you can have both - and i agree, but you always end up being half-ar53d at both.

sorry - i'm a bit of a nuclear-family-man.
 
I assumed when I read "soon" that your desire to start a family meant in a couple of years, ie. after the two year contract is finished. If that is the case, I would take the two year contract that you seem to want because the timing of your needing maternity leave could well coincide with the finish of the contract.

But, now Penny has brought it up, I would agree that if starting a family is within a few months, then it is worth seeing whether leaving your government job "now" is giving up some paid leave and/or benefits.

I was assuming the two year contract would be worked and finished before you need maternity leave.
 
I agree that you should stay at your government job. You get so many perks after having a baby in terms of longer payments and the ability to take extra time off if you need/want it. My friends who are in govt jobs have had life a little easier financially than us who are either self-employed or working in the private sector and returning to work.

That said, the commute sounds horrible and the idea of moving closer to home sounds great. I'd do that if you are happy to put off trying for a child for a few years.

I started trying for a child at 32. I thought I'd just have to look at my husband and whammo. We've had a lot of issues, including miscarriages and IVF. I now have a beautiful daughter but took a lot longer than expected and a lot of cash and lost income to get there. While I am focusing on the negative, don't wait too long if you are ready now.

Regardless of how driven you are career-wise, your ideals about work will change once you've had your child. So if you are in a position to start trying now, I would and still be in your government job. A new employer would be unhappy if you were pregnant within a year of starting and may be difficult in giving you leave for obs appointments or the occasional late/early start if morning sickness or other pregnancy issues slow you down a bit.
 
Wow...

Holy moly! I wasn't expecting this many replies! Thanks ss'ers. We were going to start trying for a family in August, but its such an unknown. Some people do fall pregnant looking sideways at a bloke, and others struggle to start a family for years.

yep, this opportunity has come at completely the wrong time!
 
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