Three jobs and somethings gotta go...

[quidproquo89]

Righty, so I work minimum three days a week at a supermarket as a supervisor which is my bread and butter - most reliable source of income. A couple of months ago I started one day a week at a larger agricultural/retail concern - the idea being that If I enjoyed it I would replace the supermarket. Also I wasn't interested in becoming manager in my current store - so I have hit the ceiling.

 

The agricultural business has room to progress, but I not hugely ambitious about climbing the ranks. I wanted to check it out, but the warehousing department I'm in is so ludicrously boring (as are the people) that I would rather leave. Now I don't want to be short sighted and just leave willy-nilly.

 

I also work for myself as a gardener. I enjoy this because I charge a good rate, I make my own hours and I have no dramas - no awkward customers, difficult colleagues and I gain a lot of satisfaction from it.

 

Right, so to summarize I have: -

 

the supermarket - main income, no advancement, very close (so no petrol) and yet the job comes with a lot of drama, gossip and back stabbing and as with many jobs sometimes incredible boredom.

 

the agricultural store - room for advancement, hate the job role I'm doing, costs a bit to get travel there

 

gardening - love it, good money - yet because I've just started it cannot sustain me on its own - so I have to keep one other job

 

(I do cleaning on the side which is good money)

 

I could ask to move to a different department of the agricultural store, but I cannot muster any enthusiasm for the work. It may also be because I haven't properly settled in and I'm having stress from social and other employment also - that I'm finding it hard to fit in. The people are okay, not rude or very nice. They say morning and then nothing more all day pfft.

 

Ideally I would like to just garden, maybe one day at the supermarket (partly so I can still be around people - as gardening is very solitary) and look into further study just to see what else is out there.

 

I don't want to be too hasty about getting rid of the agricultural job but I am being stretched very thin. I can barely fit in the gardening I'm getting because the other jobs are getting in the way.

 

Do you know how sometimes you get a great vibe from a place - i.e I've worked in a store before where the staff were almost all friends. Other places (which is fine) they just want to get in and then get out and not get to know you. Which makes for a solemn workplace in my view.

 

I was thinking of getting rid of the agricultural job this week but I'm a little apprehensive to do so. (also I don't know the first thing about all the things they sell, so I leave every time I'm there with a splitting headache trying to figure it out. As there so short staffed, you can ask for help but there is no training programme.

 

What are your thoughts?

[GemmaUK]

While building a business up if you have the opportunity to have some other fall back in the form of a stable environment plus one that that you know you can stick at and enjoy while you're there then I would go for it.

 

Career progression at your bread and butter is not an option but that means you will have more energy and inspiration to get the gardening going plus it's more local so any travelling for gardening is that much easier and you will have more in the way of cash to fund travel to gardening work.

 

You sound bored stiff with the agriculture place but not only that it's a mental struggle as well if you are coming home with headaches.

I've always gone by the rule that I spend 'X' hours a day at work so I would rather spend those 'X' hours in a place where I am happy and can do the job rather than somewhere I am unhappy.

 

Say you only had the agricultural option as of right now as well as fitting in gardening. How does that make you feel?

[quidproquo89]

I would feel liberated that I have time to do what I want to do/gardening as well as fitness which has been put on the back burner.

 

However I would feel uneasy getting rid of my reliable income (supermarket).

 

I like the 9-5:30 hours at the agricultural job, but I cannot shake the feeling of deflation before and during my shift there.

 

Part of that maybe learning a job one day a week. However I've just started getting the hang of it, I still can't quite settle in. Some pushy staff and some who disregard you not out of rudeness but rather nonchalance. Part of that I feel, is coming from work I know well and that I'm in charge (supermarket/gardening) and then feeling a little lost at the agricultural job.

 

Wouldn't be bad if I could change my contract to 1 or 2 days at the supermarket maybe, but I'm not sure if they'll be up for that.

[GemmaUK]

So you're actually feeling constrained by the time demands at the supermarket then. Do they have other members of staff who work less hours than you're doing now but at your same level of supervisor?

It could be that the one at the same level as you might be after extra hours so there could be some negotiation to be had there.

 

Any new job is tough when you're only getting the hang of it and it is made worse that you're only there one day - you're missing out on continuity in that sense.

Also, because you are only there so little of the time those you work with aren't going to be as forth coming - this does sometimes happen with part timers.

 

When you are next at the agricultural place try to get a gist of how staff members who have been there a while and worked together gel.

It might be that many of them are fed up with lack of staff or training but that the personalities are a fit.

Some places though don't look for personalities that are a fit so people can work together but are so different that co worker friendships and banter just don't happen.

 

To progress at the agriculture place you would need to do more hours there to get a better grounding. So you might need to replace hours at the supermarket with hours at the agriculture place to get to a progression stage.

That could then mean similar time constraints though.

 

Agriculture could be beneficial alongside your gardening work though.

 

I would also be looking at competitors in gardening and seeing what the current rates and availability of gardeners is like.

If you really want to build the business then your bread and butter could become regular contracts with companies or places where they have apartments with managed communal grounds.

 

How much gardening work are you getting just now? Are you advertising or is it friends or word of mouth recommendations?

[quidproquo89]

I appreciate the time you have taken to think about this .

 

I was thinking either change contract of the supermarket and get rid of agricultural place

 

or get rid of supermarket and keep agriculture place.

 

Somehow I cant think of getting rid of the supermarket as it is close, reliable and I know it well, also a pound an hour pay rise next month.

 

To be truthful I'm still sitting on the fence. Short term the agricultural place winds me up more than the supermarket.

 

I think the first thing to do would be to try and lower my contract at the supermarket.

 

As for the gardening. I have advertised in the post office in the local directory and word of mouth. Also the guy Ive cleaned holiday cottages for - I mentioned that I'd like to do the gardening there and the guy said he would put my name to the company that runs the show. So there is potential but it is slow.

[Leigh 87]

Why bother with the agricultural place?

 

You have a solid enough income in the supermarket role.

 

Why not pursue your dream job, gardening, as much as possible, whilst working your supermarket job and doing occasional cleaning!

 

No need to do anything other than ONE ' non dream job' whilst you try to get into your 'dream job' full time!

 

The fitness industry is crap. I did it for years and it is cut throat and you exist 100% on commissions, gyms don't pay hourly rates in Aus, it is 100% up to you to earn your own money where there are frankly 20 trainers in your local area who are great at their jobs.

 

Gardening sounds lovely! Go after your passion, you are lucky enough to have jobs to sustain you, no need to take on more than one though!

[quidproquo89]

Why bother with the agricultural place?

 

You have a solid enough income in the supermarket role.

 

Why not pursue your dream job, gardening, as much as possible, whilst working your supermarket job and doing occasional cleaning!

 

No need to do anything other than ONE ' non dream job' whilst you try to get into your 'dream job' full time!

 

The fitness industry is crap. I did it for years and it is cut throat and you exist 100% on commissions, gyms don't pay hourly rates in Aus, it is 100% up to you to earn your own money where there are frankly 20 trainers in your local area who are great at their jobs.

 

Gardening sounds lovely! Go after your passion, you are lucky enough to have jobs to sustain you, no need to take on more than one though!

 

I appreciate the advice. I think that is the right answer. Also I may not have specified that I meant doing my own fitness, not as a job. I.e going for runs and working out

[quidproquo89]

Why bother with the agricultural place?

 

You have a solid enough income in the supermarket role.

 

Why not pursue your dream job, gardening, as much as possible, whilst working your supermarket job and doing occasional cleaning!

 

No need to do anything other than ONE ' non dream job' whilst you try to get into your 'dream job' full time!

 

The fitness industry is crap. I did it for years and it is cut throat and you exist 100% on commissions, gyms don't pay hourly rates in Aus, it is 100% up to you to earn your own money where there are frankly 20 trainers in your local area who are great at their jobs.

 

Gardening sounds lovely! Go after your passion, you are lucky enough to have jobs to sustain you, no need to take on more than one though!

 

the only thing I failed to mention, is there are times when I do and have hated the supermarket because there is a lot of gossip and drama and rude customers.

[GemmaUK]

I appreciate the time you have taken to think about this .

 

I was thinking either change contract of the supermarket and get rid of agricultural place

 

or get rid of supermarket and keep agriculture place.

 

Somehow I cant think of getting rid of the supermarket as it is close, reliable and I know it well, also a pound an hour pay rise next month.

 

To be truthful I'm still sitting on the fence. Short term the agricultural place winds me up more than the supermarket.

 

I think the first thing to do would be to try and lower my contract at the supermarket.

 

As for the gardening. I have advertised in the post office in the local directory and word of mouth. Also the guy Ive cleaned holiday cottages for - I mentioned that I'd like to do the gardening there and the guy said he would put my name to the company that runs the show. So there is potential but it is slow.

 

You're welcome!

 

I think you need to not rush anything right away and give yourself a deadline of maybe two or three months.

 

You're still quite new to the Ag place and until you get your feet under the table so to speak a job can appear to be boring (it may end up that it is just boring of course!) You can't get your teeth into it yet with only being there one day a week though so it would take more time to choose between that and the SM.

 

I must admit that I take myself out of work tittle tattle but also do have some good relationships with colleagues.

The most important thing for me and that which makes me happiest is that I like the work I do...but for you it's a bit different as you have something that you really enjoy that you are slowly building up.

Personally I would stick with the role which gives me the least hassle for my bread and butter while building the business.

That is something only you alone can weigh up the odds on..and I think you need more time to do it.

Do they know at the Ag place about your passion for gardening and that you want to build your own business? There could be a possibility of getting more involved there if you did quit the SM and did another day or two working there.

 

The other thing is that a lot of gardening is seasonal work so there could be high and low times for work depending on the climate where you are.

[quidproquo89]

You're welcome!

 

I think you need to not rush anything right away and give yourself a deadline of maybe two or three months.

 

You're still quite new to the Ag place and until you get your feet under the table so to speak a job can appear to be boring (it may end up that it is just boring of course!) You can't get your teeth into it yet with only being there one day a week though so it would take more time to choose between that and the SM.

 

I must admit that I take myself out of work tittle tattle but also do have some good relationships with colleagues.

The most important thing for me and that which makes me happiest is that I like the work I do...but for you it's a bit different as you have something that you really enjoy that you are slowly building up.

Personally I would stick with the role which gives me the least hassle for my bread and butter while building the business.

That is something only you alone can weigh up the odds on..and I think you need more time to do it.

Do they know at the Ag place about your passion for gardening and that you want to build your own business? There could be a possibility of getting more involved there if you did quit the SM and did another day or two working there.

 

The other thing is that a lot of gardening is seasonal work so there could be high and low times for work depending on the climate where you are.

 

good advice, I'll ponder it further. I'll let you know what I decide thanks

[pink_sugar]

the only thing I failed to mention, is there are times when I do and have hated the supermarket because there is a lot of gossip and drama and rude customers.

 

Sounds like your typical retail store. Anyways. You're unhappy with the agriculture job...commute isn't cost effective and you don't care for the job. Also, moving up doesn't always happen. I would keep your other job and focus on developing your own business and quit the supermarket job once your income is more stable. Self employment is the way to go these days.