Conversationally So, Part 3
Everyone who's chimed in to the first two parts of this unexpected series have given me something to consider. I may not agree, but at least I'm looking at the situation with my eyes wider open. Let me try to give a little background as to how the conversation of job hunting even came up, and then I'll tell you what I'm actually doing about it, and again invite your input.As I mentioned in part 1, an old schoolmate and I engaged in conversation about why one should leave a comfortable / good / exciting / well-paid / you-choose-the-description job for the unknown of something new. And while that conversation was triggered by the departure of a third classmate and colleague, there was another reason for the discussion.
For weeks, there had been rumors that my - our - company was going to ask for a voluntary reduction in staff. An enhanced retirement package would be offered in an attempt to cut costs and save the bottom line. At the time of the discussion, we knew only rumors, but that didn't stop the 'what-ifs' and the asking of 'would you take the payout?'
Now - present time - we know the details of the offer. And while I do enjoy my job, and I like the atmosphere, and I enjoy the vast majority of the people, and I am paid a liveable wage, and I do continuously find challenges and opportunities and feel I am embarking on a career rather than a job, well...I've also started thinking.
As any regular reader here knows, I have no social life. I, perhaps unwisely, chose to live in the suburbs to be close to the job, rather than in the city close to the people. While it might seem the solution is rather obvious, it's not. I don't want to gain social opportunities by losing 2+ hours a day in a commute.
So now comes a time where I could leave the job and move to a city that would offer more social opportunities while perhaps also offering a similarly promising career path. I could make the transition with a few extra bucks in the bank; I could leave on good terms; I could end up in a city with a lower cost of living and more affordable homes.
And so I'm looking and updating resumes and searching, and I'm torn. I still do feel that it's partly a waste of my time; that I really have no reason to leave the company.
And while that last statement is true - the career can't be the only part of my life that progresses. I just don't know whether it shouldn't be the most important.
<< Home