September 16th, 2009
The Most Deplorable Balance
My co-worker just told me that Awkward Boss was upset yesterday when he read my email informing him that I was sick and wouldn’t be coming in to the office. First off, I really was and still am sick… granted, not the I-can’t-get-out-of-bed-oh-my-gosh-the-room-is-spinning kind of sick, but I am entitled to sick days, and I should be applauded for using a sick day when I was actually, technically sick, no? Secondly, I offered to make up the time missed instead of using a sick day… so what’s the crisis? Awkward Boss, let’s not pretend that my role is so vital to the company’s success that my one-day absence (which I quite selflessly offered to make up, mind you, and suffer the pain associated with working longer hours for the next several days) is really that significant. No, of course it isn’t – but for Awkward Boss, it’s a control issue. I hate him. HATE.
I had to attend a funeral yesterday morning, and because Awkward Boss is just so immeasurably understanding (rolling my eyes – this is the same silly man who told my co-worker that just because we’re entitled to a certain amount of sick and personal days doesn’t mean we can just go ahead and use all of them… uhhhh, I’m pretty sure that’s what “entitlement” encompasses, Awkward Boss), I had no choice but to call in email in sick. There are more important things in life… I’m completely unapologetic about single-handedly foiling the company’s success yesterday by depriving my boss of my much needed corporate insight (hah!) in order to pay my last respects to a great man. I told my husband that if Awkward Boss complained about my absence (I knew this would happen!), I would take the other job I’m currently in the running for in a heartbeat. The problem? This other job would require me to accept a salary reduction of $8,000 to $10,000. So my question is, what makes this type of financial loss worth it?
I guess another question that’s tantamount to that is, how much is my happiness (or at least my attempt to find it – I don’t know if the other job will make me content, but at this point I feel like any other work situation would be a vast improvement) worth? I always tell myself that I would be willing to take a job that either a) pays extremely well but is mind-numbing, or b) pays little but is exciting and intellectually enriching. I’m willing to settle for a job that entails the two extremes. My current job, however, strikes a most deplorable “balance”, so to speak, in the sense that the crappy pay and crappy job duties can be weighed equally – this is definitely not the “balance” in life that everyone seeks, haha! I’ll keep you posted on the recruitment process for the other job. I’m seriously considering making the return to school (perhaps law school) next year, so in the meantime I’d be content settling for any job that falls short of the “Dream Job”… oh, except of course the one I currently have. ;-P
