As many of you know, I’ve recently restarted my job search. I’m sick and tired of working retail, what with the ungodly hours and scheduling chicanery (apparently other people’s “use it or lose it” vacation is more important than my availability). The search has been going well so far, but I’ve been reluctant to talk about it with others. Mostly because of how these things have gone in the past: I mention I have an interview, then have to spend the following weeks explaining to people that I didn’t get the job, picking the fresh wound ever so slightly more open.
But now I’m at a point where I have to make a decision. And I hate decisions. I had an interview last week, and it seemed to go really well. So well, in fact, that they followed up this week with some more details, and it sounds like it’s moving forward. No concrete offer yet, but one can hope. And I have a good feeling about this.
The problem is, it sounds like the offered salary hourly rate is going to be not much more than I’m making right now, working retail. The job would largely be drafting, but with the potential to take on other responsibilities down the line, like site surveys or even project management. So no matter what, I’d be getting experience relevant to my field. And the hours would almost certainly be better. It’s not a dream job, I’ll admit. But it’s closer than anything I’ve come across yet, and I’m not sure I can let this opportunity pass me by. I’d just like to move up slightly when I move on from my current job, you know?
Like I said, there hasn’t been a firm offer yet. Maybe I can negotiate a bit; I just don’t want to end up under-compensated down the line. And one can’t forget to account for intangibles, like a regular schedule and experience in my field. I don’t know. I still think taking the job would be a good idea, but I don’t know how much of that is actual rational thought and how much is just hopeful desperation at the possibility of getting out of Retail Heck.
Thoughts, oh dear friends of mine?
Yeah, if you get offered this, it really doesn’t matter if it’s not going to be making more than you are currently. The intangibles are worth it.
When I went out into the work force, the only job offer I had as I neared the end of my time as a student was at a wage that was really low for the industry. My academic adviser told me to decline it. I didn’t have anything better, and I would need to make rent in the very near future as I ran out of student loan money, so I took it anyway. And got a lot of pitying looks for it whenever and wherever income came up among my peers. It had some really great intangibles, and the working environment was good. It got me some experience and gave me some confidence, and most importantly – I had work. I probably stayed longer than I should have out of complacency and because the intangibles were really pretty great. I do think that I lost a lot of income as I worked my way up from that starting point. It definitely hurt me. But I can’t say that it hurt me less than not having a job then or working retail while I tried to find something.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Take a job that is even a small step up from where you are and keep your eyes open for a better opportunity later. If your dream job hands you something on a silver platter in 6 months, nobody is going to blink twice if you quit what you are doing and take it. No future employer is going to note that you should have stayed there a year if you had an opportunity that you couldn’t pass up. It is always easier to get a job when you have a job.
What Ailea said. I think you should go for it–it’s a step closer to what you want to do, and it beats hell out of retail.