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Job dilemma

I've been offered a job at a new firm and I'm not sure whether to take it or not. I don't enjoy my current workplace but I'm allowed a certain amount of leeway so I can go in and spend the day on autopilot, before going home fresh for cycling training. It's decently paid so I don't particularly need any more money. But I hate my colleagues and have effectively given up on my career, seeing it more as just a job to fund my cycling and other pastimes.

The new firm would be back to a "career" where I'd have to work quite hard again, which I would probably enjoy, but it will leave me too tired to do much out of work, so cycling would have to take a step back just as I'm rediscovering my love for it and was hoping to progress the racing this year. I also see more of my future in the cycling industry rather than my current profession. There will be a pay rise, but as said I don't really need it. Mrs Rat wants me to go for the new job, but I'm worried she only sees the pay rise.

Not sure what to do. Career vs life. Hate work but enjoy life, or enjoy work and be too tired for life.

Any advice?
 
Roland Rat said:
I've been offered a job at a new firm and I'm not sure whether to take it or not. I don't enjoy my current workplace but I'm allowed a certain amount of leeway so I can go in and spend the day on autopilot, before going home fresh for cycling training. It's decently paid so I don't particularly need any more money. But I hate my colleagues and have effectively given up on my career, seeing it more as just a job to fund my cycling and other pastimes.

The new firm would be back to a "career" where I'd have to work quite hard again, which I would probably enjoy, but it will leave me too tired to do much out of work, so cycling would have to take a step back just as I'm rediscovering my love for it and was hoping to progress the racing this year. I also see more of my future in the cycling industry rather than my current profession. There will be a pay rise, but as said I don't really need it. Mrs Rat wants me to go for the new job, but I'm worried she only sees the pay rise.

Not sure what to do. Career vs life. Hate work but enjoy life, or enjoy work and be too tired for life.

Any advice?

Hey Roland,
You sound like a sensible guy who has put in obligations already...What does your gut tell you? When you wake up tomorrow see how you are thinking!

It sounds like you had a plan to go for some races this year....go for it! Life is short and this may be your perfect chance.....there will always be other jobs for you it sounds like.

just my humble opinion,
cheers
mew
 
mewmewmew13 said:
Hey Roland,
You sound like a sensible guy who has put in obligations already...What does your gut tell you? When you wake up tomorrow see how you are thinking!

It sounds like you had a plan to go for some races this year....go for it! Life is short and this may be your perfect chance.....there will always be other jobs for you it sounds like.

just my humble opinion,
cheers
mew

That's just it - the gut isn't telling me anything as it seems either way I'll lose something! There's no future in my current job and me drifting through the day like I am at the moment can't last! The only problem I have is that I have a lot of student debt (ironically to pay for my education to my current profession :rolleyes: ). If I had no debt I'd say sod it, and go and work in a bike shop, but I have to earn a decent wage at the moment to pay this off.

I guess the sensible route is take to the new job, pay the debt off a bit quicker whilst still building my cycling fitness back up, and in a couple of years if I still hate the "career" I'd have no strings and could just say sod it, get a bike shop job and cruise around Europe doing the RVV and Alpine sportives. But I've fallen completely back in love with cycling after a few years out and it'd pain me to step back again.
 
A

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Roland Rat said:
I've been offered a job at a new firm and I'm not sure whether to take it or not. I don't enjoy my current workplace but I'm allowed a certain amount of leeway so I can go in and spend the day on autopilot, before going home fresh for cycling training. It's decently paid so I don't particularly need any more money. But I hate my colleagues and have effectively given up on my career, seeing it more as just a job to fund my cycling and other pastimes.

The new firm would be back to a "career" where I'd have to work quite hard again, which I would probably enjoy, but it will leave me too tired to do much out of work, so cycling would have to take a step back just as I'm rediscovering my love for it and was hoping to progress the racing this year. I also see more of my future in the cycling industry rather than my current profession. There will be a pay rise, but as said I don't really need it. Mrs Rat wants me to go for the new job, but I'm worried she only sees the pay rise.

Not sure what to do. Career vs life. Hate work but enjoy life, or enjoy work and be too tired for life.

Any advice?


I made a career change at 39. it was scary as I now make less money than before... but I love what I do. I own a small business and it challenges me every day.

For me, it was the best decision I ever have made. I don't feel like I "work".... I don't feel like I've worked for years now.

If you like what you do and if you know you will like your new surroundings then you should strongly consider switching. However, if it will lead (eventually) to more of the same then stay and spend more time on your bike.

See? It's simple.:)
 
Mar 17, 2009
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Roland Rat said:
That's just it - the gut isn't telling me anything as it seems either way I'll lose something! There's no future in my current job and me drifting through the day like I am at the moment can't last! The only problem I have is that I have a lot of student debt (ironically to pay for my education to my current profession :rolleyes: ). If I had no debt I'd say sod it, and go and work in a bike shop, but I have to earn a decent wage at the moment to pay this off.

I guess the sensible route is take to the new job, pay the debt off a bit quicker whilst still building my cycling fitness back up, and in a couple of years if I still hate the "career" I'd have no strings and could just say sod it, get a bike shop job and cruise around Europe doing the RVV and Alpine sportives. But I've fallen completely back in love with cycling after a few years out and it'd pain me to step back again.

i love my job and that gives me the energy to go out and live. there's not too many things worse than being in a miserable workplace. you find the time for the things you love, and enjoy them more when your happy.
 
Scott SoCal said:
I made a career change at 39. it was scary as I now make less money than before... but I love what I do. I own a small business and it challenges me every day.

For me, it was the best decision I ever have made. I don't feel like I "work".... I don't feel like I've worked for years now.

If you like what you do and if you know you will like your new surroundings then you should strongly consider switching. However, if it will lead (eventually) to more of the same then stay and spend more time on your bike.

See? It's simple.:)

patricknd said:
i love my job and that gives me the energy to go out and live. there's not too many things worse than being in a miserable workplace. you find the time for the things you love, and enjoy them more when your happy.

Cheers guys. I've forgotten what it's like to enjoy the workplace. Will give that another go I guess, see what comes of it.
 
Roland Rat said:
I've been offered a job at a new firm and I'm not sure whether to take it or not. (1) I don't enjoy my current workplace but I'm allowed a certain amount of leeway so I can go in and spend the day on autopilot, before going home fresh for cycling training. (2) It's decently paid so I don't particularly need any more money. But I (3) hate my colleagues and (4) have effectively given up on my career, seeing it more as just a job to fund my cycling and other pastimes.

There's really only 1 out of 4 reasons to stay on the current job (which is point #2).

Roland Rat said:
The new firm would be (1) back to a "career" where I'd (2) have to work quite hard again, which I would probably enjoy, but it will (3) leave me too tired to do much out of work, so cycling would have to take a step back just as I'm rediscovering my love for it and was hoping to progress the racing this year. I also see more of my future in the cycling industry rather than my current profession. (4) There will be a pay rise, but as said I don't really need it. Mrs Rat wants me to go for the new job, but I'm worried she only sees the pay rise.

Not sure what to do. Career vs life. Hate work but enjoy life, or enjoy work and be too tired for life.

Any advice?

The new job offers you enjoyable work, which you're not experiencing now; and better pay which would help pay off your loans faster and get you into a bike shop where you'd be much happier.

The only downside is a cut back on cycling. Perhaps it won't cut into it as much as you might foresee - I'm surprised that you're able to do much training even now, 'cause going to a job that you don't enjoy and at the same time not liking the workmates, can be a pretty draining thing in itself.

It could be that in better work circumstances, you may have more energy than you anticipate.
 
Roland Rat said:
I've been offered a job at a new firm and I'm not sure whether to take it or not. I don't enjoy my current workplace but I'm allowed a certain amount of leeway so I can go in and spend the day on autopilot, before going home fresh for cycling training. It's decently paid so I don't particularly need any more money. But I hate my colleagues and have effectively given up on my career, seeing it more as just a job to fund my cycling and other pastimes.

The new firm would be back to a "career" where I'd have to work quite hard again, which I would probably enjoy, but it will leave me too tired to do much out of work, so cycling would have to take a step back just as I'm rediscovering my love for it and was hoping to progress the racing this year. I also see more of my future in the cycling industry rather than my current profession. There will be a pay rise, but as said I don't really need it. Mrs Rat wants me to go for the new job, but I'm worried she only sees the pay rise.

Not sure what to do. Career vs life. Hate work but enjoy life, or enjoy work and be too tired for life.

Any advice?

Roland, maybe she sees the bigger picture, and she may know you better than you know yourself with regards to what might make you happy.... ;)

good advice from all and good luck!
 
Aug 4, 2009
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Welcom back to life after cycling. I know heaps of people who still race a lot and work many hours in Summer cycling is fairly easy to get the miles in regardless but winter and dark mornings are a challenge.

Hopefully you can drop a grade as most do but remember no matter how much winning you do you will never gain any $$$. One year I won $3,000 in prize money and I only just broke even.
Your family is very important more important than the bike you can still have both but you and the missus need to plan ahead .
Keep riding its not volume but quality riding dont let your self get to slack and all will work out

I am retired now so full time cyclist but my form is no better except I get a sleep after training so can dream about winning at weekend." it never happens"
 
Sep 14, 2010
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The best thing I ever did was focus on my career. Cycling is fun again and I stopped saying "When I grow up, I am going to do ________"
 
Thanks for the advice guys.

mewmewmew13 said:
Roland, maybe she sees the bigger picture, and she may know you better than you know yourself with regards to what might make you happy.... ;)

Yeah, possibly. :)

washedup said:
The best thing I ever did was focus on my career. Cycling is fun again and I stopped saying "When I grow up, I am going to do ________"

It's not about "when I grow up I am going to do ____ ". I did focus on my career, I am grown up and I am doing _______ but for the last year I'm wondering why. I'm not that bothered about money and don't need the big house and big car, we're not going to have kids so don't need to worry about school fees, so why bust a gut with a stressful job to earn a decent salary, to have lots of money so that I'm wealthy when I die? Sod that. Might as well enjoy my life in the meantime.

Wish I'd realised this when I was 16 ;)
 
Jan 27, 2010
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hey roland
i'm just going through something pretty similar myself actually. i chose the career - no-brainer for me (eventually - it took me a long time to decide to apply for new jobs). just think how much time you spend at work and how draining and demoralising it can be not enjoying that time.

i am doing 3hr rides every day on work time while serving out my notice, which is nice, and i will have to cut back significantly on cycling in future for a while, which is a shame. but i actually feel like i have 50% more energy already just from the excitement of looking forward to the new job.

also, between jobs i am going to have 6 weeks off to cycle round europe and watch a few of the spring and ardennes classics. very pleasant.
 
Déjà vu. :eek: I've been through that very recently and I think it's a bigger issue just because of (y)our age, which I know to be roughly the same.

I didn't have the new job opportunity to consider, so my words on the subject may be less valid but with things like these, I'm lucky to some extent because my other half is older so she's already got the experience and therefore also the wise words. ;) I also know a few too many people in the same decade of their lives who are either desperate to get out of their sector, burnt out with ME or, worst of all, dead. Yes, dead. :eek:

My thing was that, having left the UK, I realised that there was something a bit British about focusing too much on the negatives.

My current job's not very inspirational in itself. Sometimes I find some of the meetings depressingly boring. My career prospects are not that great. Someone will have to have a freak bungee accident for me to get promoted.

But when I thought about it, I realised my mistake.

Here I work with people from lots of different cultures which I get to share with them. I'm now able to speak another language pretty much fluently and I've already started work on a third. I am never expected to work late, the pay's less than the UK but my outgoings are way less. It only takes me a 20-minute walk from home to get to my office. I get to meet my other half quite often at lunchtimes and I sit in the park in good weather and read a bl00dy book for a change. And I have time to read and learn and post here. I also work on my own projects in addition to my job. Sure, I have to spend n hours of my life here, but as colleagues we all get along and there's very little pressure.

In fact, I've never had it so good. So why did I feel down on my job?

Then I realised I didn't have much else to show for myself but my precious career. So rather than try to find another job, I did what you've naturally started to do with cycling. I "rediscovered" the sport, but I was really rediscovering myself as a kid. And I did that, RR, because the constant tumult that had been my career had calmed. Would you have seriously started to think about racing again if you were bent double over your job? I think not, sir!

So my only advice is this: before you take that shiny new job, ask yourself if there isn't a really good thing going on right under your nose. Indeed, might your shiny new job kill your budding ambitions stone dead? Or is it that you would rather define yourself now, at this point in your life, in some way more valuable than your job or your car or your furniture?

Think about it, RR! Rather than suspect your other half's motives, really properly talk it through with her. Tell her you're scared about it. She'll appreciate you for doing that, whatever happens. If you have done all that, then you'll make the right choice. :)
 
patricknd said:
i love my job and that gives me the energy to go out and live. there's not too many things worse than being in a miserable workplace. you find the time for the things you love, and enjoy them more when your happy.

this

you'll get paid more to do a job you'd enjoy - i'd kill for that right now
you can always find time to ride
 
Take the leap, Roland. As others have said, life after cycling and all that. Though you may not have as much time for cycling, think how improved your life overall will be.

I'd much rather balance passion vs. passion as opposed to passion vs. drudgery.

As many others in this thread, I'm in a similar situation--only my choice involved going to grad school vs. a career in a place where I am comfortable. I am (was) on track to $60k income after a few years, but neither happy or fulfilled. (And yeah, $60k sounds like a very comfortable salary to this 28 y/o literature BA. :p)

So school. I got my first letter of acceptance last Friday, and already my life feels improved!
 
Thanks for all the advice, people. We've had a good chat and I'm going to take the new one and see how it goes. The current one is just soul destroying and as some have said, hopefully the new surroundings will give me some spark back. I am actually getting pretty excited about it now so it seems to be working.

The other thing is the long term dream is that I want to set up and run a racing team for juniors/espoirs in the UK or for UK kids on the continent, and the extra cash earned now can go towards helping me realise that in a few years' time.

Thanks for talking this through, the sad thing about being out of cycling for so long is that none of my friends understand how consuming it can become so couldn't understand what I was concerned about!

:)
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
2 years ago i would have said take the new job. Now, my opinions have changed.

The current job may not fulfill you, but it leaves you time to ride which makes you happy and helps curb the stress of the job.

The new job may make you happier, but leaves you with no outlet.

Will the new job make you happy enough to replace the happiness you will be missing out on from riding?

And what happens when you hate the new job.

Personally id say bollox to both jobs, and take the job in the bike shop. ;)
 
TeamSkyFans said:
2 years ago i would have said take the new job. Now, my opinions have changed.

The current job may not fulfill you, but it leaves you time to ride which makes you happy and helps curb the stress of the job.

The new job may make you happier, but leaves you with no outlet.

Will the new job make you happy enough to replace the happiness you will be missing out on from riding?

And what happens when you hate the new job.

Personally id say bollox to both jobs, and take the job in the bike shop. ;)

i agree with Dim. life is too short to not enjoy it. all jobs can suck, even good ones. that is why it is a JOB/WORK.
 

Skandar Akbar

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mewmewmew13 said:
Hey Roland,
You sound like a sensible guy who has put in obligations already...What does your gut tell you? When you wake up tomorrow see how you are thinking!

It sounds like you had a plan to go for some races this year....go for it! Life is short and this may be your perfect chance.....there will always be other jobs for you it sounds like.

just my humble opinion,
cheers
mew

Yes this is some insightful advice. Not. Sleep on it and do what you want. I mean really did he come on here to read this? Next thing you will tell him to concentrate on breathing.

Seriously are you married? If not you should conider divorce because her pushing you for money is a bad sign. Then I suggest you take the money and career because this racing will only last so long and you will be kicking yourself when you retire. After your divorce you will have money for other women but good thing is they will leave when you tell them to instead of them telling you to get a better job. Just my two cents.
 
Roland, the best carreer advice I ever got was to pick a career that I like. I think it has worked out well. I don't usually get bored at work, unless it's certain kinds of paperwork. But for me work is almost never boring and the days go by fast. With my commute to/from work I'm gone 11 hours/day, but still have time to do some riding/training. I'll do centuries, but I don't race. If you race you'll need more time training than I do.

On the other hand, it is also important to enjoy life after work, as some others have already said. A new job that prevented after-work enjoyment would be a factor. For example, a job requiring lots of travel would kill me.

Anyway, best wishes in your decision. And here's an article that might help you sort it out...
enjoyment-vs-financial-reward
 
Jun 9, 2010
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Hey Roland!

Well mmmmmm from my PoV... I'd take the new job... not only for the money but cuz Is the career that I choose, the work that I love and that I enjoy doing it, also the new place of work could be great with awesome ppl and new friends, also seems like you need a fresh air, new horizonts, a new adventure... and this new job could give it to you...

as other ppl said you can always find time to ride your bike but if you can have more future in the cycling industry and you are seeing big progress go for it...

Follow your dreams...
think where you want to be in 5 or 10 or 15 years...
that is the key tho...

:)
 
Roland Rat said:
I've been offered a job at a new firm and I'm not sure whether to take it or not...Not sure what to do. Career vs life. Hate work but enjoy life, or enjoy work and be too tired for life.

Any advice?

As someone lucky enough to have raced full-time for many years, I would encourage you to shape your work-life so it better conforms to the pursuit of an avocation, as opposed to vocationally-drudgery - that is, if you're lucky enough to be able to earn a salary for doing something you actually enjoy, you'll probably derive more overall pleasure from that than a mind-numbing job that allows you to conserve energy for biking later in the day.

As long as you have to work 8+ hrs/day, you might as well be doing something that you enjoy, as opposed to trying not to think about how unfulfilled/bored you are and hoping for redemption on the way home.

And on a personal note, I think you're really lucky if you have the chance to develop a fulfilling and personally-satisfying career that pays well, too. Just remember - it's all about the opportunity cost. What's the next best thing you'd have to give up in order to take the new job? Sounds like it could be leisure time in your case - but would you derive greater overall happiness if you lost some of your post-work biking happiness but also gained a full workday's worth of happiness derived from a fulfilling job?


Good luck.

Joe
 
Mar 18, 2009
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Roland Rat said:
Thanks for all the advice, people. We've had a good chat and I'm going to take the new one and see how it goes. The current one is just soul destroying and as some have said, hopefully the new surroundings will give me some spark back. I am actually getting pretty excited about it now so it seems to be working.

The other thing is the long term dream is that I want to set up and run a racing team for juniors/espoirs in the UK or for UK kids on the continent, and the extra cash earned now can go towards helping me realise that in a few years' time.

Thanks for talking this through, the sad thing about being out of cycling for so long is that none of my friends understand how consuming it can become so couldn't understand what I was concerned about!

:)


Good on ya!

Admirable goal that. I wish you luck in the near future...

p.s. I would have recommended that new job as well...but seeing how I have a somewhat similar situation and have thusfar failed to act upon it...well it'd be hypocritical of me :eek: :)
 
Dec 31, 2010
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Are you sure that you don't have the energy after a long hard workday for cycling? Because i found out, that it really does not matter how tired and burned out i am because riding my bike, fresh air and everything really wakes me up in no time.

But i think taking the new job is the better idea anyway. I mean, you could still lay back a little bit if it gets to stressful.

Edit: Ok, i just saw that you made your decision already anway lol.
 

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