What's like... to be back?

[morsla]

I blinked, and a whole week of work swept by. I blinked again, and the weekend followed it - and suddenly it's the latter half of November, and I'm back at work once more. What's happening? Pinning my waking hours to the same pattern for five days was tricky, but I had some structure by Friday. Flex-time is my friend, and my shiny new access card lets me out of the site later in the evening now.

It's certainly not the first time I've changed over to office hours, but it's such a refreshing change after the end of the uni year. Adding in travel time, I'm only "working" about 11-12 hours a day! I still can't get over how much I can get done in the evenings, and having a weekend of spare time is great. My working schedule is closer to a holiday than anything I've seen this year.

I'm trying to cut my contract down to four days a week, at the moment - I want to free up a day to do some volunteer work in Science Education. People at work think I'm mad ("why do you want to be paid less?"), but I can live on less than five days pay. I've "existed" on a single day's wage each week since July - it hasn't been pretty, but I can certainly live on 3-4 times that amount.

At the end of the day, it helps me get to where I want to be - something that I've already poured seven years of work/study/no holidays into, and I'm damned if I'll stop now. Keeping the additional day in my current job is only worth money, as the experience is "more of the same" - so I might as well look for new experiences while I have the luxury of doing so.

Yes, I'm an idealist, but I only need enough paid work to pay my bills. If you aren't doing something that you're happy spending your whole life on, why not work towards something else? Weigh up "it's only work" with "how much of your life are you spending here," and tell me which side wins out. Your dreams are only as unattainable as you make them.

Comments

[jilavre.livejournal.com]

i hear you.

Everyone seems to think I'm made for trading $18per hour for $7.
And for saying no to no less than three full time lab monkey jobs going at around $40Kper annum.

But I'm happy where I am.
Sure I'm poor and I never get to see my friends.... But I 'am' happier this way.

[morsla.livejournal.com]

I don't think you're mad. If you're not doing something that you enjoy, and you have other options, why keep doing it?

Do apprenticeships have pay scales for each year? I know some 3rd and 4th year sparkies, and they seem to be pretty well off. I'm guessing that each area is paid quite differently, though - so an electrician would probably start on a higher wage.

[futurelegend.livejournal.com]

it wasn't the money - thought that lab monkey might have led to where you wanted to be..

but at least imo, plants are better to work with

[morsla.livejournal.com]

Some plants may be. These ones bite, though...

[futurelegend.livejournal.com]

someone get Jil the Little Shop of Horrors soundtrack!

[bishi-wannabe.livejournal.com]

Spare time?

It's clear you're not a videogamer - we're drowining, albiet in a happy way.

[morsla.livejournal.com]

:)

I left my X-box with aeliel and delphaeus while writing up my thesis, and I'm now using the time to paint. I like the video games, but I can't quite get around the lack of tactile, tangible benefit for all the time that goes into them ;)

[kikilon.livejournal.com]

If you aren't doing something that you're happy spending your whole life on, why not work towards something else? Weigh up "it's only work" with "how much of your life are you spending here," and tell me which side wins out. Your dreams are only as unattainable as you make them.

Oh so true. Life's too short to be serious.