A job opportunity

[Scarlett]

Ugh.  I mean,  YAH!!!   It would be a family advisor for the on line school that my ds just graduated from.  It does not require a degree, so good for me since I don't have one.  There are probably few jobs I am as uniquely qualified for as this one.  They require proficiency in Excel which I am not but I have been meaning to get there anyway.....(I asked on another thread about an on line course).  It is full time with benefits.  But....it is full time!  I am currently working about 26 hours a week and I love my job as jobs go.....and I have a lot of flexibility.  The advisor job would be mostly at home work....which I would like, but I just don't know.....we are really struggling financially and this could be the solution for us.  

Ugh, I need perspective.

[goldberry]

I am in the same boat.  I would like more work and more money, BUT I am used to having a flexible schedule.  Not only that, I have elderly parents that seem to require sudden travel and other complications.  If I take a full time job, I know an employer would get annoyed with me if I keep having to run out of state to take care of family.  On the other hand... money!  

So, no advice, but sympathy! 

[goldberry]

Also adding, the older I get the more important flexibility is to me.  DH has a variable schedule, and it's really nice to be able to go with him out of town or things like that, especially since I'm not tied down schooling any more.  That in addition to the elderly parent issue make it really hard to choose to be tied to an office 40 hours a week after many years of making my own schedule.

[Scarlett]

4 minutes ago, goldberry said:

Also adding, the older I get the more important flexibility is to me.  DH has a variable schedule, and it's really nice to be able to go with him out of town or things like that, especially since I'm not tied down schooling any more.  That in addition to the elderly parent issue make it really hard to choose to be tied to an office 40 hours a week after many years of making my own schedule.

I too have elderly parents that I  just convinced to move to our town.  Now I feel like I won't be available to do things for them....although this on line school job probably will have some flexibility in it, since it is mostly work from home.

[Faith-manor]

I feel very strongly now that dh and I are being drowned financially by being sandwiched between assisting our young adult children with college/getting launched and the financial fall out of supporting my mother that the gift that keeps on giving to our children is to become financially sound ourselves, and if possible save, save, save for retirement.

So I know it is emotionally difficult, but I side on taking the job. The piece of mind of not struggling is very good for you and your dh's health; it will go easier on your ds and dss to know that you guys are more secure. I have to go back to work this fall, and it is going to cause some really difficult scheduling issues, but it is what it is. MIL has other children who are going to pay for drivers for her, and my mom is going to have to offer some free dog sitting (thankfully she can walk the critters now that her ankle replacement surgery is complete and her physical therapy is almost done) and such to the neighbors in exchange for some driving. My brother is bankrupt on medical bills, and my sister living in France has her father in law who is very bad shape to think about. Thankfully she doesn't have to support him financially, but she is a grad school student so doesn't really have any extra money.

One thing we have instituted this summer that the elder grandmothers love is Sunday meal together. They take turns doing the cooking, dh and I buy the groceries. They love having us over, and being able to cook for me - cooking is something I truly do not enjoy - makes then feel needed. When I go back to work, they are also going to take over one evening meal each. Three times per week of eating with them gives them the needed time with us, keeps us touching base with them, and gives us the opportunity to keep an eye on their situations. Maybe you could do something like that with your folks.

[regentrude]

You say you are struggling financially, so I would take the job and make it work. Since it is work at home, it will give you some measure of flexibility.

[Scarlett]

Well just to be clear it hasn't been offered to me.  

I need to actually apply which I didn't want to do if it isn't a good fit for me.  

[Faith-manor]

I would apply. You won't really know all the particulars unless you get to interview for it, so there isn't anything wrong with turning it down if offered, and some of the details simply will not work. You don't have anything to lose, and you aren't wasting the company's time because you very well might be able to make it work and will want the job. You just don't know.

[Wheres Toto]

If offered, I would take the job if you need the money.

But, depending on exactly what they need, Excel isn't that easy to gain proficiency quickly.  

[Bootsie]

Another thing to consider is if you are currently working 26 hours but are spending 30 minutes commuting each way five days a week, that adds up to 31 hours; so, going to 40 hours from home would be a 9 hour increase in hours devoted to work-related activities 

[Liz CA]

I would apply - nothing risky there. If you get some strong feelings between applying and a possible interview, you can jump off the boat.

For a job at home it may be good to do some self-assessments:

• Time management skills / How easily distracted I am / How motivated I am without others around me?
• Good with boundaries and saying "no" as in it's after hours now and this will be dealt with tomorrow. When you work from home (I do some work from home but not all), people tend to think you can just slip in some extra stuff with no problems since "you are already home and it won't add any hours to your work day."
• Have a room with a desk (or at least a corner) that is mostly undisturbed and if you keep your desk like I do mine (in a perpetual state of messiness) it's good if the area is not readily visible from the rest of the house.

[Scarlett]

3 hours ago, Where's Toto? said:

If offered, I would take the job if you need the money.

But, depending on exactly what they need, Excel isn't that easy to gain proficiency quickly.  

Really? :/ my husband says I can learn it quickly.  As far as what they need.....tracking student progress.  I doubt it will be anything too difficult.  

[Scarlett]

3 hours ago, jdahlquist said:

Another thing to consider is if you are currently working 26 hours but are spending 30 minutes commuting each way five days a week, that adds up to 31 hours; so, going to 40 hours from home would be a 9 hour increase in hours devoted to work-related activities 

I am currently spending 15 min each way 3 days a week.  And our plan is to move to town soon where that would be reduced to 2 minutes.  But your points still,valid.  At home has benefits. 

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, Liz CA said:

I would apply - nothing risky there. If you get some strong feelings between applying and a possible interview, you can jump off the boat.

For a job at home it may be good to do some self-assessments:

• Time management skills / How easily distracted I am / How motivated I am without others around me?
• Good with boundaries and saying "no" as in it's after hours now and this will be dealt with tomorrow. When you work from home (I do some work from home but not all), people tend to think you can just slip in some extra stuff with no problems since "you are already home and it won't add any hours to your work day."
• Have a room with a desk (or at least a corner) that is mostly undisturbed and if you keep your desk like I do mine (in a perpetual state of messiness) it's good if the area is not readily visible from the rest of the house.

This kinda made me lol since I just graduated my son from 13 years of homeschool.  I did a respectable job.  

I do have a corner.  I have no littles at home.....my two boys will be gone from the house almost the entire work day and more.

[Liz CA]

Just now, Scarlett said:

This kinda made me lol since I just graduated my son from 13 years of homeschool.  I did a respectable job.  

I do have a corner.  I have no littles at home.....my two boys will be gone from the house almost the entire work day and more.

 

I found homeschooling to be a little different than working with clients / customers and having professional responsibility. My student was not asking me to be on the job  24/7 even though we were both home at that time. However, it is more of a personal attitude YKWIM? Some people have a hard time walking away from the desk or closing the door on the work day and get in over their heads and once your clients realize that you do this - first only occasionally - they may come to expect it - if you do it, that is.

[Jenny in Florida]

9 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

Really? ? my husband says I can learn it quickly.  As far as what they need.....tracking student progress.  I doubt it will be anything too difficult.  

 

It really depends on what they mean by "proficient."

Entering values into a spreadsheet someone else has developed and pressing <Enter> now and then to execute calculations using formulas someone else has already written is fairly easy to master. Starting from scratch and developing your own sheets and/or troubleshooting when things go wrong is a bit more challenging.

[Wheres Toto]

7 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

Really? ? my husband says I can learn it quickly.  As far as what they need.....tracking student progress.  I doubt it will be anything too difficult.  

That's why I said 'depending on what they need'.  Using it as a database to track information isn't complicated and can be learned pretty easily.   If they expect pivot tables or complex formulas, that can be harder.   They are looking for proficiency, which could mean they want an expert-level user.

[Scarlett]

Well I am not even positive they used the word proficient now that I think about it.  I don't know.  I know I could do it.......I just don't know if I want the full time gig.   Also not sure of pay per hour. 13-15 per hour.....I make more than that, but I have no benefits....but I have extreme, flexibility.  I have a dream job in many ways,.....I have had 3 people/friends in 6 months ask me if my boss needs more help...because I have a great job. 

[goldberry]

Work from home jobs are hard to come by though.  I'd be seriously tempted.  

I've used Excel for years and wouldn't say I'm proficient, depending on what was needed.  I can enter data and set up documents, including formulas.  I can fix cells when they get messed up and stop calculating correctly, which seems to happen all the time when multiple people use a document!  Excel has a ton of really cool stuff that you don't use much in a regular office from what I have experienced.  There have been things I've had to google over the years. Every office I've worked in usually just wants people that aren't scared of it, you know?

[Liz CA]

4 minutes ago, goldberry said:

Work from home jobs are hard to come by though.  I'd be seriously tempted.  

I've used Excel for years and wouldn't say I'm proficient, depending on what was needed.  I can enter data and set up documents, including formulas.  I can fix cells when they get messed up and stop calculating correctly, which seems to happen all the time when multiple people use a document!  Excel has a ton of really cool stuff that you don't use much in a regular office from what I have experienced.  There have been things I've had to google over the years. Every office I've worked in usually just wants people that aren't scared of it, you know?

 

Yes, Excel is one of those programs one can easily self-teach.

[Scarlett]

I can do it.  I just want to feel a little more confident.  I literally, in all the years I have been out of the work force, never needed to use it.  

[Scarlett]

So here is my plan......I will be tied up the entire weekend but I am off on Monday.  So I am going to sign up for that course in Udemy and see how it goes.  If I feel good about it I am going to apply for that job.  And if they offer me the job (there is conflicting info about what education is needed so I may not even qualify) I will have to make a decision. 

[Soror]

Good luck Scarlett!!!

[Amber in SJ]

Good luck & I hope it turns out to be exactly what will give you peace of mind.

Amber in SJ

[SamanthaCarter]

Sounds like a good plan Scarlett! I disagree that knowing all of the ins and outs of Excel = proficiency. Proficiency is you know the basics, have some inkling of what it’s capable of, and know how to find out the way to do it.  A lot of functions you never know about until you need them, because there’s almost too much there to know if you’re not an instructor. Just the other day I figured out a new tool. I wanted to do an if-then function that would drop a number in an appropriate month column, but my columns had headings Jan, Feb, etc, and my data had mm/dd/yyyy formatted dates. I found a formula that would look at the mm/dd/yyyy and return the month and I was good to go for my if then function. Yay!