Job Situation: Advice appreciated

MartyMcFly3

Lifer
Jan 18, 2003
11,436
29
91
www.youtube.com
You work for a company. Right now you work with 2 coworkers and 1 supervisor. You are happy in this position, you get along great with your supervisor, all and all life is good. The only downside is you will be working a later shift at the start of new year (6pm-6am). Your schedule is as follows:

Week 1: Work M/T, OFF/OFF, Work Fri/Sat/Sun
Week 2: OFF OFF, Work W/TH, OFF OFF OFF

A position in your company opens up for a different area. The work intrigues you and it would be challenging and enjoyable. It would also make you a more well rounded employee, but this area only has 1 other coworker and a supervisor, who you worked for prior that you didn't really get along with. The pay is the same as your current position. The hours are better (10 hour shifts, 8am-6pm)/more steady, however you would be "on call" more often. Schedule would be as follows:

Week: OFF, Work T/W/TH/Fri, OFF OFF

Family: You have a wife and 1 kid. You and your wife are trying for baby #2. Wife's pregnancy was horrible with baby #1. (i.e. frequent hospital trips, appointments, etc.)

What would you do?
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,483
8,344
126
Does your wife work? Does your current kid attend daycare? Can you afford to have number 2 in daycare? Have you worked 3rds before?

Tough decisions. If you are used to working days and are getting moved to 3rds that can be a life destroyer for some people. 3rds are hard on *a lot* of people and they can really mess up your home life, especially if you have young kids.

Even 10 hour days can be rough with a family. If you are off at 6:00, that could be more like 6:15-6:30 depending on wrapping up work/getting out of office/ect and then however long your commute is. You'd see your kids less than an hour at night and your wife would be doing pretty much everything else. You'd have meals with them 3 nights a week and that's about it.

Careers and kids are not easy. The decision is really between you and your wife and how much she can handle on her own and how okay you are not seeing your kids much at all during the week.
 

Tweak155

Lifer
Sep 23, 2003
11,448
262
126
Dang, that's tough. I'd prefer the regular hours myself, but all those full days off is a decent trade off.
 

sixone

Lifer
May 3, 2004
25,030
4
61
Stick with the supervisor you like. Life is too short to waste on people you don't get along with.
 

tmc

Golden Member
Aug 14, 2001
1,116
1
81
you already mentioned you don't get along with the ppl in option 2.

option 1 (current one) is a no brainer!
 

MartyMcFly3

Lifer
Jan 18, 2003
11,436
29
91
www.youtube.com
Does your wife work? Does your current kid attend daycare? Can you afford to have number 2 in daycare? Have you worked 3rds before?

Tough decisions. If you are used to working days and are getting moved to 3rds that can be a life destroyer for some people. 3rds are hard on *a lot* of people and they can really mess up your home life, especially if you have young kids.

Even 10 hour days can be rough with a family. If you are off at 6:00, that could be more like 6:15-6:30 depending on wrapping up work/getting out of office/ect and then however long your commute is. You'd see your kids less than an hour at night and your wife would be doing pretty much everything else. You'd have meals with them 3 nights a week and that's about it.

Careers and kids are not easy. The decision is really between you and your wife and how much she can handle on her own and how okay you are not seeing your kids much at all during the week.

I've worked 3rds before and it has never been an issue. In terms of work, I actually prefer 3rds over the day shift. None of the head honchos there = more freedom and the job is just more fun at night time.

Wife works in retail so hours for her vary. If I go to 3rds she'd request working during the day. My dad is retired and lives close by so he has been our babysitter when it has been needed this year. We pay him, as it is an inconvenience at times and my parents could use the cash with him being retired, but what we pay him is nowhere near what an actual babysitter/daycare would cost. Me being on 3rds would actually be better in terms of seeing my kid more, because I'd be home during the day (daughter is only 1 and wont turn 2 until the end of next year). Right now, I get off at 6pm, get home around 6:15 which gives me about 2 hours with my daughter. That's assuming I get off of work on time which doesn't always happen.

Forgot to mention this position would only be for a 3 year stint before being moved back to my current position. It's a special assignment type of deal, and is only supposed to last 3 years, but the last person in it was there for 9.

Wife has said she's behind me either direction I choose.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,483
8,344
126
Stick with the supervisor you like. Life is too short to waste on people you don't get along with.

The other upside to staying is that it's one less peice of stress in a situation that is already stressful. No point in rocking the boat on a new job when a second kid is on the way. You'll give up vacation accruels, 401k vestments, seniority, ect by moving to a new employer and needing to reset.

But if he hasn't done 3rds before that's a lifestyle changer. If his wife also works she's going to be the only one there helping out with those overnight feedings/diaper changes/ect for the first several months until rugrat #2 is sleeping through.

As a Dad of 2 young kids I will say a couple things...

1) My wifes first pregnacy was pretty bumpy. She was severe pre-eclamptic and had lots of issues. It damn near killed her actually. She was days away from having some really bad things happen before they went and induced her at 36 weeks.

2nd pregnancy was much less drama. She still ended up going way early though - had emergent c-section at 35.5 weeks since she was almost fully dialated and my pain in the ass son was franks breach (butt down..worst kind).

2) 2nd kid IS SO MUCH EASIER than the first. You don't have that anxiety of HOLY CRAP I HAVE ANOTHER LIFE I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR OMGWTFDOIDOWITHIT????

And it's just so much more relaxed the 2nd time around. Diaper changes, bottles, soothing techniques, the whole knowing what to do at what ages, ect is already there for you. You know what you are doing and the stress levels are dramatically lower for the 2nd.
 

MartyMcFly3

Lifer
Jan 18, 2003
11,436
29
91
www.youtube.com
The other upside to staying is that it's one less peice of stress in a situation that is already stressful. No point in rocking the boat on a new job when a second kid is on the way. You'll give up vacation accruels, 401k vestments, seniority, ect by moving to a new employer and needing to reset.

Everything would stay the same in terms of vacation, investments, seniority, etc. Its just a different position in the same company. Nothing would change except the workload, what I'd be doing, who I'd be working with, and the hours.
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
I can't comment on having a family, but when I was in the military I loved the Panama schedule (the first one you listed). The only part I didn't like was working 6PM-6AM really meant showing up to work around 430 to arm up and have guard mount and then you were relieved at 6AM and had to go unarm. But, the schedule was great.
 

highland145

Lifer
Oct 12, 2009
43,934
6,309
136
I would choose the option to see my kid more. Age one+ are golden years.
This. One of the reasons I left the old job.

Options for taking out the super you don't like and getting his position?

Actually, which one could you be the super 1st, if that's a job you would want?
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,981
8,219
126
I'd stay put. The hours look decent, and you have a variety of days off. You also like the people better. If you want a challenge, find something on your own time to do for yourself.
 

MartyMcFly3

Lifer
Jan 18, 2003
11,436
29
91
www.youtube.com
This. One of the reasons I left the old job.

Options for taking out the super you don't like and getting his position?

Actually, which one could you be the super 1st, if that's a job you would want?

If I were to get a super position, regardless of where I am, it would be through option 1. If I got the super position in option 1, it could open me for option 2 super down the line if I wanted that (since its more of a special type of assignment). If that makes sense.

So far you guys are going down the line I was thinking.
 

blackdogdeek

Lifer
Mar 14, 2003
14,453
10
81
This. One of the reasons I left the old job.

Options for taking out the super you don't like and getting his position?

Actually, which one could you be the super 1st, if that's a job you would want?

Story Time!

The wife stayed home with the older girl and I worked the regular 9 to 5, M-F. However, after the financial crisis of 2008 I was laid off by a certain investment bank that went bankrupt and had a hard time finding work so my wife ended up going back to work and I ended up at home taking care of the kids. The younger girl was about 1.5 to 2 years old by this time and we would drop off the older one at Kindergarten and then bum around for the rest of the day. These were some of the best days of my life (even though I was an unemployed software developer looking for work in one of the toughest job markets).
 

MartyMcFly3

Lifer
Jan 18, 2003
11,436
29
91
www.youtube.com
Story Time!

The wife stayed home with the older girl and I worked the regular 9 to 5, M-F. However, after the financial crisis of 2008 I was laid off by a certain investment bank that went bankrupt and had a hard time finding work so my wife ended up going back to work and I ended up at home taking care of the kids. The younger girl was about 1.5 to 2 years old by this time and we would drop off the older one at Kindergarten and then bum around for the rest of the day. These were some of the best days of my life (even though I was an unemployed software developer looking for work in one of the toughest job markets).

Sorry about the job situation but glad you were able to make the experience positive.

As for me, I think I am in agreement with you guys that staying put is the best option for me at this time. Too many variables right now to make that switch, and I will have an opportunity down the road I'm sure. It's the 2nd time this position has opened up in the 6 years I've been there. Thank you guys for the feedback/letting me think out loud.