Monday, May 14, 2007

Job versus No Job

I hate my job. I loathe the work. On Sunday, my dread of Monday causes me to grind my teeth until I get headaches.

However... my job provides a regular paycheck. Here are my pros/cons:

Pros of Job
  • Regular paycheck with decent salary
  • Ability to telecommute from my home office
  • Free health insurance with decent coverage
Cons of Job
  • I hate it.
  • I hate it.
  • I hate it so much that I'm starting to hate myself for staying with it.
So the Pros and Cons are pretty clear. Pretty basic. Things get sticky, however, when I consider the Pros and Cons of no job.

Pros of No Job
  • Freedom from current horrible job
  • Able to focus more time on my (possibly unpaying) passion for writing fiction
  • Sense of self-satisfaction that I didn't "sell out" for a paycheck
Cons of No Job
  • Significantly reduced income (possible $0 a year)
  • More financial strain/stress in my life
  • Hubby nagging me to make some money
I guess it all comes down to the Benjamins, eh?

Years ago... when I was but a young, wide-eyed lass with the naive goal of "changing the world," I promised myself that I'd never stay at a job I hated just for money. But then grown-up responsibilities--like bills and groceries--suddenly became part of my life, and I found myself keeping a job I'd grown to despise.

Hubby makes enough to (barely) support us. But we'd definitely have to tighten our belts if I quit my job. That means, potentially, more arguments about money. More financial stress. And less fun (or at least the kind of fun you can have with money).

What do you think? What would you do?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

We recently faced a similar dilemma, though the financial impact of the decision for us was less of an issue than the emotional/psychic impact on me.

I've been out of the workforce for over ten years, and was offered an editing job. I will probably kick myself later for turning it down, but I felt like I was at a crossroads, and I had to either give up on my writing, or give all to my writing.

If writing fiction is your passion, the thing you're wired for, gifted to, called to, and this job is standing in the way, I hope you'll find a way to clear the decks for action. Of course, you'll need your husband's support and encouragement and help.

I have discovered that turning down the editing job has not resulted in a magnificently high daily word-count for me. But I am working on my novel, and whether it ever sees the light of day or not, it will mean the world to me to finish it.

This is a tough one, and the money thing is what makes it so dang hard. Let us know how you work it out.

Unknown said...

Well, it's hard to advise someone to leave their job because the reality is that money makes the world go around in so many ways.

Is it a consideration to cut hours to part time or to flex your hours in a way that allows you more freedom to work on your passion instead of your paycheck? I don't know what it is that you do for a living, so it's hard to know.

When I write, I feel like I am most productive when I pick up the pen (really a keyboard) on the spur of the moment and just put on paper what is running through my mind at the time, so for myself having structured time to write would probably not create a spike in my creative juices. Then again, I am not a serious regular author, but rather a sometimes someday wannabe novelist.

Good luck with whatever you choose, it's a difficult choice and I wish you well.

Anonymous said...

Anything wrong with keeping your job but looking for another one? Or putting a six month time limit on being in your current one?

BeepBeep said...

I agree with anonymous. It's easier said than done, and not a lot of fun, but why not put some feelers out for a job that's more up your alley?

Maurey Pierce said...

Start looking. We spend way too many hours a day at work for it to be something we despise.

Great fitness blog!