I feel like the guy in American Beauty ...

[x-pack]

Not in all respects :wink: ...but recently i've been off work and ended up thinking that I don't really want to go back to what i'm doing.

It's a professional(ish) role that pays well with a pension. But it's kind of dead-end. I've been doing the exact same **** now for 11 years. There's just nowhere to go for me. Plus, now i'm being bullied into going back. Policies are being shamelessly manipulated to suit their purposes. Today I had a wholly depressing conversation with my line manager and just ended up feeling like such a slave

Here's the American Beauty bit. My mate gets hold of me and says there's a drivers job going where he works. It pays pretty low (depending on your expectations) but ok for me as our mortgage and bills are peanuts. Plus I was a mechanic not all that long ago so i'm used to not earning fortunes. The great thing is that it's a job with sod all responsibility and I like the appeal of that. No ****-head team members to work with. Just go out and do what you have to do then go home at whatever time you finish.

Right now it is appealing but in the future I might regret leaving a soulless, anti-social but well paid job for an easy going, do things at your own leisure, but not so well paid job :?

On top of this I hear there's going to be more cuts and reshuffling at our place so in 12 months I could be out of a job anyway ...and just as pissed off as I am now.

Leaving work altogether and going back to college also appeals as I do have some finance behind me. But to do what? Not a clue


Have people ever dropped out of the rat race to do something less well paid simply to get some respite from all the madness?

 

[theforceuk]

I've taken pay cuts in the past and it's always worked out better in the long run. Money's not everything , nothing worse than going to work unhappy. I had this job once and was almost in tears one day, took the first job that came along and never looked back.

Self employeed now which I would not change for the world, although I have never worked harder or as long days since working for myself.

They say a change is as good as a break, you could have both. Good luck with what ever you do.

 

[Michael Sith]

Feel for you Barry.

Rash decisions don't always pay off, but I think this is something that's been on your mind a while.

Personally for me, the decision would be dictated by any short/ long term financial constraints and pressure, on the family.
If finance is not a massive part of it, and you have the family behind you then in the words of MJ...." Make that change"

Look upon your decision positively and as an opportunity, move forwards and enjoy...don't carry any doubt or regret with you.

Once you have made a decision, then go for it.

I went back into full time education as a mature student, at 33, found it to be a complete turn around for me which brought a new set of pressures, but did lead to a change in lifestyle for me and the family, and gave me a lot in regard to self esteem.

Advice is a good thing but ultimately sit down with the family, let's face it they know you the best, take on their views and advice and take it from there.
Whatever you decide mate, genuinely wish you all the best pal.

 

[SAVORY100]

A couple of years back I had a reasonably senior position in a head office of a national blue chip retailer, earning an OK salary. I was offered a promotion I didn't want, so my alternative was a redundancy package. I took that, spent the majority of it setting up a personal training business (including all the very expensive training involved)... I qualified with flying colours and ran the business for 3-4 months living a 'dream lifestyle'... my own hours, lovely clients, good money...

Soon enough though I found I actually wanted the day:day work colleagues and oddly the pressure back, so took a (Mat leave cover) fixed term contract in a similar job to the one I used to do with a different company. Within 5 months was promoted to a role I really did want (now the overall manager of the entire department); considerably better than the one my previous employer offered me.

I now have the best of both worlds, I'm a highly qualified Personal Trainer with my own home gym to PT part time as and when I want to/opportunity arrives. I also have a steady well paid role doing something I enjoy with a great team that I manage.

So, I guess the moral of my tale is that a possibly risky life change might not always take you down the path you expect, but for me at least it was well worth the first scary steps...

 

[x-pack]

Thanks guys. It's really good to have your opinions. It's kind of like I know what my wife will say and I know what my friends will say. Even though I don't really know the majority of people on here personally i know that there is a diverse range of experience and expertise to draw from. When opinions are asked for on all manner of subjects I've always seen sensible advice given.

Looking back I used to just go where the wind blew me and every stop off led to something unexpected. Now though I actually care where I end up, but more than that I care about the effect on my family. Last time I was looking for work that concern wasn't there.

It's hard but i have a strong feeling leaning towards quitting work now and either taking a more laid back job or to go into education as I said. My background is mechanical and hands on so I was thinking of becoming a painter/decorator or an electrician. Something along those lines. Now is the time really as college courses will be coming up.

Thanks again for your views. It's reassuring to see that others have gone through something similar.

 

[poncho]

my wifes a teacher and has considered getting a job as a shop cashier of late and its only because the whole income thing she cant afford to do it.

she says to come home and not think about work and switch off the work brain is what she dreams of!

imo : the grass isnt always greener on the otherside

 

[x-pack]

my wifes a teacher and has considered getting a job as a shop cashier of late and its only because the whole income thing she cant afford to do it.

she says to come home and not think about work and switch off the work brain is what she dreams of!

imo : the grass isnt always greener on the otherside

That's along the lines of what i've been thinking. But the slightly ambitious side of me wants to do better - not that there's anything wrong with being a cashier. I would liken that to going and doing bar work or waiting on. All things i've looked at myself purely because they tend to be flexible, if a little low paid. As for switching off it probably depends what you want to switch off from. Sure as a cashier you won't be taking your work home, but a customer or another member of staff could have pissed you off that day. The boss might want you to work overtime or refuse that leave... Stresses in almost every job.

Today i'm going to into college in Preston to see what adult vocational courses they offer. Really leaning towards painting/decorating or maybe something like eleccy training. Did a bit of that as a mechanic. Wiring isn't really my thing though.

 

[x-pack]

I guess the next question I have, if any of you know the answer - can I resign while off sick or will they want me to resign when I return and work my notice? I could resign tomorrow and see out my sick note meaning I probably won't have to return at all. That would be great.

 

[theforceuk]

Good question, does it not say in your contract?

I haven't a clue.

 

[x-pack]

Dunno :?

I guess i'll find out soon enough. Reading the government stuff it says you are entitled to sick pay while in your notice period. My work seems to do what it likes though :roll:

 

[ODB]

Yes you can resign while sick, if you are signed off by the doctor them they can't get you back in the office, if you are self certifying then they can make it a bit harder. In terms of pay it depends on what your contract states whether or not they pay SSP or normal pay.

If they get arsey mention ACAS or an employment solicitor and they usually go away.

Though I am in the job search at the moment and it is a depressing and frustrating event. I have had my tie wasted repeatedly by companies that simply don't know what they are doing.

 

[theforceuk]

How's it going Barry? Have you made any dicisions? Hope it's working out for you anyway. :wink:

 

[Grant_C]

To be successful Barry, one must project success

 

[naughtyjedi]

Have people ever dropped out of the rat race to do something less well paid simply to get some respite from all the madness?

My department at my last proper job had to reapply for shitter jobs due to some non exec director thinking it a good idea to bring in Satan's Wizened Vagina to get rid of it.. or restructure as they called it. We had to apply and go through all the rigmarole of inteviews, tossers sitting there taking apart everything you had done, despite a track record of success. SOme new greeny looking HR twig-of-a-girl who had probably passed all HR courses on these matters trying to convince me of things that were clearly bullshit. I was getting really down and did actually contemplate murder, alongside other things. I did go down the stress thing at the GPs as I wanted to string them along for 6months or so, but decided that was pointless. The doctor seemed keen to sign me off... it was tempting. But I had a proud record of attendance. All my working life I had 11 sick days and 6 of those bereavement for my father.

I then had a small epiphany and decided that the reason I was in turmoil was that I had 'the fear'. And it was silly... I had no real fear, no family, just a mortgage to pay really. I hadn't been enjoying the job, I had lost direction (I started as a part time mature student doing online tutoring and worked up to design manager), my subordinate was hating the new hierarchy.. so I decided to get the **** out of there. I no longer wanted part of this game and I'd take any money and depart. So I kept doing the interviews, the 'consultation', I behaved and then just before they could tell me I was too over qualified for these new roles I took the package. And never gave them the satisfaction of allowing me to hear them say anything. I always remember the meeting when I told them they could stick it up their arses. When they tried to tell me if I would have been accepted for the **** jobs they made me apply for, the Chairman joined in with my fun and told them in a loud voice "HE DOESNT WANT TO KNOW, NOW SHUT UP" (he was forced out 6months later).

My last bitter departure, the 9 years of creative work I had done for the company mostly in hours over and above the regulation hours, I wiped all my 'redundant' work off the server and left a message for Satan's Wizened Vagina that if i was redundant, so was all my work. When that redundant work was needed I got angry phonecalls to my personal number.. boy was that fun telling somebody where to stick it.. "I no longer work for the company.. leave me alone etc" If outsourcing was the new way forward, then so be it...

During my epiphany I decided to pay off all debts, sort my finances out, rent out my house, move into the family house with my pensioner mother and start my own business. Its a **** life for pulling women (doesn't happen, women don't like blokes living at home with mother), but I have paid off my mortgage (I aimed to do it by 40, I did it by 41).. I make my money but I get what I put in. I don't miss the bullshit, the nonsense, the long hours without overtime, meetings where nothing happens or gets done. But I'm still glad I made the decision to get out of there when I did. (I had previously worked for a multinational as an international travelling shampoo bottle making gimp). I'm at a point where I can contemplate getting my house back.

Satan's Wizened Vagina was sacked soon after as 'funnily enough' she got rid of a profitable enterprise in the organisation (me// the guy who was the jack of all trades), she then lost the biggest source of income by being rude to 'the biggest customer' and that was that. I followed her 'career' as she decimated two other small companies with her genius marketing decisions, now she's somewhere I don't care about.. (I don't know how she got jobs. Her CV was average. She did wear a lot of tight skirts and was reasonably attractive.. so maybe that helped)

As for the OP, I say do what makes you happier. **** what anyone else thinks. If you want to make your money working in an office, stacking shelves, pulling off horses.. do it. Don't let other people put you down for your job. If you can earn cash to do stuff that makes you happy then thats worth it. But, be focused. Don't be willy nilly about it.

 

[x-pack]

To be successful Barry, one must project success

The sausage king of Chicago or whatever isn't banging my wife is he?!

 

[x-pack]

Hi all. Been a bit quiet on here recently partly due to being on holiday in Bath but also because my head hasn't been in the Star Wars collecting mode. But you know - the forum isn't all about that anyway

Your story (Mr Davis) is inspiring. I wasn't in anything like the same line as you seem to be but I did work with similar arse licking, cut throat cunts. People who receive adoration because they wear a short skirt, go to the gym twice a day and flirt shamelessly ...that's just the blokes!

My problem is that I am honest ...too honest I think! I'm not prepared to suck up to get where I want to be. Maybe that's naive these days. Honesty and integrity seem not to be valued within team based/office work places. Even hard work isn't rewarded unless you are kissing ass alongside it. I just like my work to speak for itself.

It's all made me think that i'm going to have a bash at going it alone. People have suggested a few things - property being one. But I don't really have the cash to play with to take such a huge risk. It might sound daft but painting and decorating is pretty much where i'm looking. Part of the reason is that I like painting and wallpapering and all that stuff. It's creative and I like working with my hands. Seeing a nice final result for all your hard work and the customer being happy is where i'm at ...and then being rewarded with cash ;-)

It's not about the money really. The mortgage is peanuts and the wife is doing well in her freelance venture. I'm just a tradesman at heart, not an office jockey. If it all fails then, unlike with some more high risk or high investment ventures, I won't have lost much. Just go an get some other job. What can go wrong with that plan? :wink:

 

[Michael Sith]

Good on you Barry :wink:

Honesty and integrity are keystones in my life as they should be for all, sadly in the work arena that is not the case.
To be master of your own destiny is brilliant.
When I went back to education as a mature student I did a few decorating jobs for people, and have always done my own and families, as you say, there is a great deal of satisfaction in it.
Really pleased for you bud, this world would grind to a halt without good old fashioned honest tradesmen, if your ever stuck for someone to do some cutting in, give me a shout :wink:

Good luck bud

 

[x-pack]

Cutting in. That's the tricky part. Yes you can do all that for me Mike :wink:

 

[theforceuk]

Nice one Barry doing something you enjoy and making a living out of it is one ladder run below winning the lottary in my book.

Good luck with it all mate. :wink:

 

[x-pack]

So in my search for a job with the least amount of responsibility I got invited to a recruitment day at B&Q. Absolutely pissed it, in fact I really enjoyed the tasks and customer interaction stuff they had us doing.

There was me and a uni student left at the end. They kept us back, firing everyone else off under the guise of a talk on the shop floor. If I want the job they are offering (part time construction dept - 20 hours per week) the starting 'wage' is £6.60 an hour. Add £1.50 an hour to that if I work nights.

Yeh you read that right - £6.60 an hour :shock: I know this type of work is low paid but that is poor by anyone's standards. It's about 10p over minimum. I wouldn't mind so much if there wasn't so much emphasis on recruiting in this corporate, team structured way. I **** you not, it wasn't much different to applying for jobs in the public sector. Standards were pretty high. Some of the people who didn't make it were very good.

Anyway my mate works as a trainer for the Tesco Dotcom delivery side and he's given me links for delivery driver jobs that look a lot better paid and miles better hours ...and oh yeh - The B&Q job is weekends as well! All anti-social hours - earlies, nights. Seriously i'm almost better off just signing on. It pays me half what B&Q would in a week AND I get my course fees paid which are equal to more than two months working at B&Q.

I can see why people choose not to work. That's not me though.