Unsure about which way to go on this one.

[togashi]

I need some advice on something that has come up.

My entire professional life I've been underutilized. I went to college to become a surgeon, but one bad choice of major and a long story later, I'm not. For the past 8 years of my life, I've been working management jobs for about a year or two apiece, gotten frustrated, and decided it was best to get a new perspective on things. All of this because I needed the money. Most recently, I changed from restaurant management to retail/lease-ownership management, and I thought of it as changing to a career; that I would make this one work. Well, here it is, 10 months later, and I find myself in the same position. I'm frustrated with my situation in that I have a condesending jackass for a boss and no end in sight to improving my situation within the constraints of this career path. Then I came across an ad on a job site for the USPS that starts at more than what I'm making now. So, now that I think about it, I never really asked myself if I liked being in management to begin with, and the idea of being a cog in a machine for more money is sounding very inticing to me.

I guess the pertinent questions to ask myself are:
1. What do I want from a career, and is it management?
2. More importantly, how will this affect your family, considering you're married, and have a child due in about three weeks?
3. What would be the changes in lifestyle you would experience in going from one to the other?
4. Do I really want to work for the USPS? Incidenally, if anyone has, could you tell me how it is there?

What do you guys think? Am I just going through a phase, or am I on to something here?

[bob the goat]

About the condescending jackass boss…get used to it. Everyone works for one. If they are not condescending it is for one of two reasons, they are dumb, and are afraid that if they piss you off, you will take their job. Or, it can be because you are so drastically underpaid that if pushed you will leave. If you were doing something that you absolutely loved to do, and was really fun to do…they would not pay you. They pay you for inconvenience. If you are digging a ditch they have to pay you for the inconvenience of losing the time it takes to do the job. If they are paying you to operate on someone’s brain, they are paying you for your time, and the time it took you to learn how to operate, and for the inconvenience of being liable if anything goes wrong.
Usually the Employer is in the position of power, because they have the money, and you want it. Personally, I got into a job where my particular skill set is rare enough that I am in demand, so I am in the fairly unique position of being as import to them as they are to me.
When considering a job change, it is important to look not only at the money, but other factors like: What hours will you work, are those hours flexible, will you have a longer / shorter commute, benefits, vacation, potential for growth, other perks (i.e. discounts, or free stuff). Before getting this good job I was working at Sears selling electronics. I took a 30% pay cut to go work at Best Buy. However, it was 8 miles closer, and it was a straight shot, cutting many stops and busy intersections out of my drive. It meant that I was working out of the city limits, so I didn’t have to pay city tax. At Sears I was working 30 hours per week, but I was working 6-7 days a week (short shifts). At Best Buy I was working 30 hours per week, but in 3-4 days (much nicer to have 4 day weekends every week). On top of all that I got a WAY better discount (5% over cost…meaning that $30 six foot printer cable cost me $2.75, I got one of those with my $4 cell phone charger, and my $30 Toshiba DVD player). All in all, I came out ahead.

[Ciarin]

Wrong, my boss is cool.

[Mutton]

Your boss is paying you to do a job, not be his whipping post.

Go for the USPS job. I've had a few friends work it and I've not heard a single bad thing.

Also consider, you never really advanced in your job as a manager. How many more decades can you stand making lateral moves?

[Whytewulf]

Managerial Jobs can be over-rated. Ask yourself this question. Do you want to do, or make sure other people do? Now it is not the case in every managers job, but in many. Managers also get to deal with the fun, HR issues (and let me tell you, it only takes one to burn you out).

As far as USPS, also look at DHL, FED-EX, and UPS, as shipping is a huge growth industry right now, with DHL expanding and hiring left and right. All three offer very good benefits, and aren't stuck in some of the gov't restrictions that USPS is. Though USPS offers some of the gov't beni's.

Money is not everything... I just took a job for a nice increase after my time off and i can already tell I won't be renewing my contract. Good people, good boss, good company, but the actual work is not what I want to do. I just want to pay for all the stuff I just bought, my journey and stack some bucks away before I hit the market again. So look at timing as well. Many companies are hiring for the holidays as well, some just part time and you can check them out.