A Day In The Life Of A Cat

Follow Up

This is a comment I got from my wonderful brother-in-law Bob regarding my post yesterday. I thought I'd use it as a follow up.

Bob: No I have not moved around. I have been at the same place forever. Sometimes it really seems like it............ :)

I know a lot of folks in my field, and I can tell you without a doubt, that the grass is not any greener. A friend has a saying, in this field when you move, all you get is a new address on your business card. Upside of staying is that you know where the alligators are in the swamp.

Me: Very true. This is why I have a problem with just moving on and not thinking too much about it. On the flip side of that, I think about what this place does to me. My spirit suffers some days.....some weeks. I go home, eat dinner and go to bed. I have been waking up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep because of work things I have on my mind. I get really sad and sometimes I cry silent tears until I finally fall back to sleep. These tears come for many reasons, but mostly because I'm tired and also because stuff builds up in layers and I finally have to let it all go. Sometimes I feel better and sometimes not. The grass isn't greener, but for some sanity, I wonder if it isn't something I need to do.

Bob:On the other hand, when you are at the same place for quite some time, you see that things change there too. Different organizations, work groups, directors, supervisors, and even co-workers.

Me: Also true. However, it seems that here at the University people stay forever. There is turn around in lower paying jobs, but in the jobs above that, you don't see many people leave. There are people who have worked in my department for 12-20 years. I've seen quite a few retire who had been here 25 years. I have a feeling most of the people here are not leaving.

Bob: What is the upside of leaving?

Me: The parking is a big upside to leaving. I ride the shuttle just about every day and I hate it. But if I don't, I have to walk about 1.5 miles and that tacks a lot of time onto my commute both to and from work. A lot of people do this, so parking on the outskirts of campus is a real bear. During the summer the shuttle does not run, so I have to park off campus. Or I can play the outrageous parking fees....and still not park close to my office or even be guaranteed a parking spot once I get here.

Not being in a union. I hate my union. They fight with UCSD and while they fight with them, all pay raises, bonuses, merits are on hold. Just to give you an example, they were fighting for 3 years this last time and just settled a month or so ago. So for 3 years I saw none of those things. I got back money....all of $300 after taxes. Woo. I have to pay to be in the union and you don't have the option of not being in it. I've looked into that already.

A fresh start. I was 29 when I started working here and I thought I knew something then. Well I know a lot more now. I have some wisdom under my belt that I didn't have then. I won't make some of the mistakes that I made here. I would listen to my gut and trust it when it comes to people. I'd make much better choices.

Bob: What is the upside of staying?

Me: The biggest thing is health insurance. I pay for both Greg and I and it's like $53 bucks a month. That's everything....eye, health, prescriptions.

I have good vacation/sick benefits.

Nice holiday benefits.

Can't think of anything else.

Bob: What do you want to do?

Me: Just last week I was looking online for a photography school in San Diego to enroll in. People say I'm good with my camera and I really love it, so I thought if I went to school and got training, maybe I could get a job for a magazine doing photo work or maybe a newspaper. I wouldn't want to do something like weddings....I actually think I'd be good at it, but I wouldn't like doing it. But print work would be really nice. The closest school is in LA. There is a place in San Diego that has a photography program in other cities, but it isn't offered here. Perhaps they will soon. I called and asked but everyone they transferred me to didn't know squat. The school I really want to go to is the Brooks Institute of Photography...how I would love to go there. But they are in Santa Barbara :(

Bob: Do you like what you do now?

Me: It's okay. I don't dislike my actual job....the work itself isn't bad. Tho there are times when I feel like I am the one getting all the work. I don't feel valued at all. I know I'm valueable, but I don't hear it very much. I worked my ass off when someone was out on emergency leave, but nothing was said about it. You do hear when you make a mistake. It would just be nice to have a balance there.....hear about the good and the bad....not just about one. And if there is going to be a good remark, it needs to come more often.

Greg tells me it's like this everywhere....no one gets the praise they deserve. That's too bad. Maybe on my last day, if there is a last day, I will lay it all out there and inform them just that telling someone on a frequent basis they do a good job or that they notice how much work you do, or that they are happy you work for them can make their day and overshadow some of the crap that goes on. It can make a difference in a persons day....week.....month.

So that's it....