I need a good dose of reality and what better place than SS!
Apologies for the length, I have issues with being succinct.
A little bit of context...
My husband and I have lived in Melbourne for 4.5 years and have never liked the place, we only moved to follow my family as there was a little bit of blackmail involved. Originally we're from the far north coast of NSW. As soon as we got here we've wanted to get out of the place. But all the Melbourne trashing I've done, Melbourne has been good for us opportunity wise and we wouldn't be where we are now without moving down here.
It's always been our dream to live in Cairns and have always had the intention to buy and move but the time has never been right. Realising that it will probably never be the perfect time we seriously went house hunting with a list of criteria that needed to be met. We found our medium term forever home fairly quickly and it settled mid October. We planned on renting it out until ~August 2014 and then making the move north then as I was going to start the balling rolling on another career path and move up once I had done what needed to be done. But....
In the last week or so I've had a spanner thrown in the works.
I'm very career driven and worked hard to get where I am currently which, without giving too much away, is in head office for a big company . There is a lot of responsibility, autonomy and a bit of prestige with my role - I am proud to say what I do for a living. I didn't think there was any real job opportunities in Cairns with the company I work for which is (only) partly why I was pursuing the other career option. I then see a job advertised on our intranet that I would enjoy and didn't think it was an option available to me. I apply for it and have an informal chat/interview with the manager. Turns out the position advertised was one of those ones that has already been filled but they legally have to advertise anyway. But, I impressed the manager so much that she wants to create a position up in Cairns for me.
This is the clincher... the position would be quite a step down from what I do now. I realise that the equivalent position would not be available to me in Cairns but we're talking (in my eyes) a massive downgrade. Currently my working conditions are great, I can start when I want, finish when I want, work from home, take breaks whenever I want and how long I want. Essentially do what I want when I want as long as the work is getting done. Sometimes I'll have a 4 hr day and other days I'll have a 12 hr day. It all works out in the end. If we talk company layers with the CEO being Layer 1 and the Executive General Manager being Layer 2, I am a Layer 5. I also can make a difference in my segment of the company and have the warm fuzzies that come along with that. Having all of this and the work I've done towards it is important to me. I realise I am fortunate in what I get to do.
This proposed role in Cairns would be a 'pleb' role - one with a set start and finish time, set breaks, even telling someone when I'm going to the loo. No flexibility, responsibility or autonomy whatsoever. The Cairns manager has said that she can move me up to Cairns into one of these roles with the promise of progression in the next 6-12 months. Having been burnt by 'promises' in the past (not with this company, they have always followed through) I'm dubious about what could be. The really good thing is she said she can slot me in on the same pay as what I am on now which is about $25k-$40kp/a more than what the role usually pays.
I am ashamed to admit it, but I would no longer be proud to say what I do for work. More ashamed to admit that this particular area of my work I've always held a bit of contempt for them - the majority are not the sharpest tools in the shed and I'm not sure how I would feel reporting to someone who is lower in the food chain than what I am now. I'm realising how arrogant I'm sounding, but this is how I feel.
Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this type of role, horses for courses, some people thrive in that type of environment - I started out doing it myself and sucked at some parts of the role but I have worked my proverbial off to get out of it to never return, but now I'm potentially facing it all again and that's making me feel sick.
The reason I'm considering it at all? It will get me (us) to Cairns before Christmas on a good income and the certainty of a job moving up there. The original plan was to move in 9 months, throw in my job and become self employed up in Cairns. Big risk, but we would have a cash buffer in place by then. Moving now is the safer option - I'm guaranteed a fortnightly paycheck in a secure industry.
What I see my options are if I do move to Cairns now is to grin and bear it, swallow my pride and set aside my ego, which, don't get me wrong, I am grateful for what this manager is offering me which is where there's another part that I'm a little uneasy with. What if I suck at the role - I don't want to let her down. She's taken a big risk with what she's doing and I don't want her to regret bringing me up to Cairns.
So do I ride it out and see what it's like when I get there and reassess the situation in the coming months. I can either stay with the company or start going down the original plan of branching out on my own, just be a little more difficult getting the ball rolling once I'm in a regional town and not a capital city.
For what it's worth, my husband wants to go ASAP, no matter the cost (read: how I feel the job situation) he just sees it as the easy option of moving up there. He's not one to step outside his comfort zone or do the hard yards so if something needs to be done, it's me who has to do it so I can't rely on him to get us up there.
Writing all this out is making me realise how silly I'm sounding but I think I need to hear the thoughts of others (if you've lasted this long reading it)!
Apologies for the length, I have issues with being succinct.
A little bit of context...
My husband and I have lived in Melbourne for 4.5 years and have never liked the place, we only moved to follow my family as there was a little bit of blackmail involved. Originally we're from the far north coast of NSW. As soon as we got here we've wanted to get out of the place. But all the Melbourne trashing I've done, Melbourne has been good for us opportunity wise and we wouldn't be where we are now without moving down here.
It's always been our dream to live in Cairns and have always had the intention to buy and move but the time has never been right. Realising that it will probably never be the perfect time we seriously went house hunting with a list of criteria that needed to be met. We found our medium term forever home fairly quickly and it settled mid October. We planned on renting it out until ~August 2014 and then making the move north then as I was going to start the balling rolling on another career path and move up once I had done what needed to be done. But....
In the last week or so I've had a spanner thrown in the works.
I'm very career driven and worked hard to get where I am currently which, without giving too much away, is in head office for a big company . There is a lot of responsibility, autonomy and a bit of prestige with my role - I am proud to say what I do for a living. I didn't think there was any real job opportunities in Cairns with the company I work for which is (only) partly why I was pursuing the other career option. I then see a job advertised on our intranet that I would enjoy and didn't think it was an option available to me. I apply for it and have an informal chat/interview with the manager. Turns out the position advertised was one of those ones that has already been filled but they legally have to advertise anyway. But, I impressed the manager so much that she wants to create a position up in Cairns for me.
This is the clincher... the position would be quite a step down from what I do now. I realise that the equivalent position would not be available to me in Cairns but we're talking (in my eyes) a massive downgrade. Currently my working conditions are great, I can start when I want, finish when I want, work from home, take breaks whenever I want and how long I want. Essentially do what I want when I want as long as the work is getting done. Sometimes I'll have a 4 hr day and other days I'll have a 12 hr day. It all works out in the end. If we talk company layers with the CEO being Layer 1 and the Executive General Manager being Layer 2, I am a Layer 5. I also can make a difference in my segment of the company and have the warm fuzzies that come along with that. Having all of this and the work I've done towards it is important to me. I realise I am fortunate in what I get to do.
This proposed role in Cairns would be a 'pleb' role - one with a set start and finish time, set breaks, even telling someone when I'm going to the loo. No flexibility, responsibility or autonomy whatsoever. The Cairns manager has said that she can move me up to Cairns into one of these roles with the promise of progression in the next 6-12 months. Having been burnt by 'promises' in the past (not with this company, they have always followed through) I'm dubious about what could be. The really good thing is she said she can slot me in on the same pay as what I am on now which is about $25k-$40kp/a more than what the role usually pays.
I am ashamed to admit it, but I would no longer be proud to say what I do for work. More ashamed to admit that this particular area of my work I've always held a bit of contempt for them - the majority are not the sharpest tools in the shed and I'm not sure how I would feel reporting to someone who is lower in the food chain than what I am now. I'm realising how arrogant I'm sounding, but this is how I feel.
Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this type of role, horses for courses, some people thrive in that type of environment - I started out doing it myself and sucked at some parts of the role but I have worked my proverbial off to get out of it to never return, but now I'm potentially facing it all again and that's making me feel sick.
The reason I'm considering it at all? It will get me (us) to Cairns before Christmas on a good income and the certainty of a job moving up there. The original plan was to move in 9 months, throw in my job and become self employed up in Cairns. Big risk, but we would have a cash buffer in place by then. Moving now is the safer option - I'm guaranteed a fortnightly paycheck in a secure industry.
What I see my options are if I do move to Cairns now is to grin and bear it, swallow my pride and set aside my ego, which, don't get me wrong, I am grateful for what this manager is offering me which is where there's another part that I'm a little uneasy with. What if I suck at the role - I don't want to let her down. She's taken a big risk with what she's doing and I don't want her to regret bringing me up to Cairns.
So do I ride it out and see what it's like when I get there and reassess the situation in the coming months. I can either stay with the company or start going down the original plan of branching out on my own, just be a little more difficult getting the ball rolling once I'm in a regional town and not a capital city.
For what it's worth, my husband wants to go ASAP, no matter the cost (read: how I feel the job situation) he just sees it as the easy option of moving up there. He's not one to step outside his comfort zone or do the hard yards so if something needs to be done, it's me who has to do it so I can't rely on him to get us up there.
Writing all this out is making me realise how silly I'm sounding but I think I need to hear the thoughts of others (if you've lasted this long reading it)!
