Job dilemma (kinda long)

The Coffee Shop
1

I’ve been out of work since April 2nd…I’ve been collecting unemployment while looking for work. As of last week I haven’t been able to find anything…Until last week, when University Hospital called and offered me a job (janitorial). 11.26/hr. 2nd shift, running 5PM to 1:30AM, Sunday-Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday off, Friday-Tuesday, Wednesday off, Thursday and Friday on, Saturday off, then repeat…
The shift is horrible…I’d “never” see my wife, it would change my training and sleep routines, and the pay is probably a little less than I am currently getting from UC…BUT…after 6 months (probation) the benefits are great…paid health insurance, State retirement fund,union representation,etc…they also said they would accomodate my race schedule (what’s left of it…), and after probation, there’s a “chance” of my moving over to a more “rational” shift…but no guarantees…
I asked them for a couple of days to think it over, and since nothing else came up, I called them back and accepted it on Thursday afternoon…( the job starts first week of July)
No sooner had I hung up on that call, when the phone rang again…It was an employment agency that had seen my resume online, and wanted to offer me a shipping/receiving position at a construction site…the person I spoke to couldn’t explain much more about it, and said someone would call me about it on Friday…
Sure enough, Friday noon someone else called from the agency. She explained that they needed someone to take charge of receiving, shelving, and handing out valves on the site of an ethanol plant, about 40 miles away…they offered me 18/hr, no weekends, but no real benefits, either…they said they could start me Monday…I told them I wanted to know more about I would be getting into…so she gave me the address of the place, and I drove out there Friday afternoon. Once I got there, I spoke to the construction manager, and he fully explained what he was looking for…someone to take charge of the valves that the plant would need…organizing, shelving , distribution, the whole nine yards…he said that there would be a learning curve for me, but that they would do “whatever it takes” to help me succeed…
My suspicions were also confirmed that it was only a temporary position, the plant was due to be finished in November, but after that there was a “chance” that I could get a permanent job in the plant itself…I told him I’d have to think about it, and drove home…
The money at this job is much more substantial than at the hospital, the work would be more challenging, the hours more reasonable, and my weekends would be free…and they would work with me on my race schedule. The problems are the fact that it’s temporary, the commute is 90 minutes out of my life (not to mention the fuel expense), and there are virtually no benefits.
So I’m torn…I can’t decide which one to accept…
Any input? Ideas? Things I’ve overlooked?
Anyway…thanks for reading…

KJR

Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana.

2

My two cents . . . try to put a dollar value on the benefit differential. That shouldn’t be too difficult. Once you do that, you can compare the difference in income and try and decide which is better in terms of the complete package. Without knowing your long-term career goals, hard to get a picture of which job fits in better.

3

Thanks for your reply…
I should’ve mentioned that I’m 54 years old, i’ve been in the automotive industry for about 25 years (mainly parts), and I have no intention of ever retiring…but we all know what the road to hell is paved with…
Right now our health insurance is through my wife’s job with the city, but after she retires (different intentions…) i’ll have to come up with my own insurance…and she wants to retire in about 7 years…

KJR

Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana.

4

Here is my 2 cents. Your wife comes first. Jobs come and go. So take the higher paying (probably a temporary) job and keep looking. You will be happy you did when you get home from work, go for a run and vegitate next to your wife.

5

Thanks for your response…
Believe it or not, it’s my wife that wants me to take the UW Hospital job…she feels it’s more secure, and the benefit of health insurance make up for the lack of pay…
The job at the ethanol plant would take an additional 90 minutes out of my day, just for the commute…I know people drive farther, but that doesn’t leave me a lot of daylight to train, whereas the UW Hospital job would at least leave my days free…
No closer to a decision…

KJR

Time flies like an arropw, but fruit flies like a banana.

6

For me, the long commute would be a quality of life factor. I’d rather have less pay and more time at home or doing whatever than being on the road. But that’s me. If you’re okay financially, I’d take the lower pay/better benefit job. And as we get older, those health benefits really come in handy.