niccig
01-26-2007, 04:53 PM
I'm a SAHM and I volunteer as a research assistant with an academic, who works at a museum. The big plan, is to keep volunteering, taking 1 subject through the university's continuing education, and when DS, who is 2, starts school full-time, I'd go back to school. I used to be a reference librarian at a university, and I'm tired of helping with other people's research and not doing my own. The academic I work with is in an administrative position, and research is done on the side time permitting, and that's what I've helped with.
She offered me a part-time job as her assistant with the administrative side of her job - most of it would be project management. She wants someone who has the skills I have - organization, attention to detail, IT-skills and I used to work on projects in a similar environment, plus as I've worked with her for some time over the last 3 years, so knows me. She said it could be any number of hours I want but I would need to go in another day during the week to meet and do things from home. I currently go in Friday mornings for a 90min meeting and do the rest from hom. She needs to hire other staff, tender out for work etc, my main goal will be to help her organize and set up the overall structure of the projects, and organize the office - years and years worth of academic papers, slides etc.
I don't know what to think. I haven't worked in over 2 years, and didn't think I would for at least another 2.
I don't know if I could juggle another ball - take care of DS, run the house, take 1 class, still volunteer in the research, and work in the admin side. I know many people here do all of that and more, but I'm already having anxiety over what I don't get done - I think I need to mentally let some expectations go.
She thinks I'm so organized and on top of things, and I can be, but I can also put on a great show. I'm the world's best procrastinator and I pay for that by staying up late to get things finished. I've never missed a deadline with her, but I've sure missed sleep.
It would mean finding childcare for DS. My sitter is a college student and she can't come on other days. He starts preschool either in the summer or the fall, probably just 2 or 3 half-days.
I think she needs someone who can give more time than I can. I know how the museum politics operates, I know how out of control her work life is - she is overworked and overstressed. I don't know if the hours I could give would be useful, you know the proverbial drop in the ocean.
The work will show me how a museum operates, and when I finish school I'll work either in a university or a museum.
There's always been flexibility with the volunteer work. If I can't go in and don't get something done because DS was sick, it's OK because I'm giving them my time. But with work, I know I will feel pressured to get all the work done, even if it takes more time than I'm paid for.
Part of me doesn't want to as I'll be taking on more than I can handle in the time I have and it's not research oriented, it's the tedious, frustrating, politically charged admin work of running a museum, that is the day-day life. But part of me would enjoy the challenge and it would show me what future work may be, but I also have to remember that change takes forever in places like this.
WWYD if you were me....
She offered me a part-time job as her assistant with the administrative side of her job - most of it would be project management. She wants someone who has the skills I have - organization, attention to detail, IT-skills and I used to work on projects in a similar environment, plus as I've worked with her for some time over the last 3 years, so knows me. She said it could be any number of hours I want but I would need to go in another day during the week to meet and do things from home. I currently go in Friday mornings for a 90min meeting and do the rest from hom. She needs to hire other staff, tender out for work etc, my main goal will be to help her organize and set up the overall structure of the projects, and organize the office - years and years worth of academic papers, slides etc.
I don't know what to think. I haven't worked in over 2 years, and didn't think I would for at least another 2.
I don't know if I could juggle another ball - take care of DS, run the house, take 1 class, still volunteer in the research, and work in the admin side. I know many people here do all of that and more, but I'm already having anxiety over what I don't get done - I think I need to mentally let some expectations go.
She thinks I'm so organized and on top of things, and I can be, but I can also put on a great show. I'm the world's best procrastinator and I pay for that by staying up late to get things finished. I've never missed a deadline with her, but I've sure missed sleep.
It would mean finding childcare for DS. My sitter is a college student and she can't come on other days. He starts preschool either in the summer or the fall, probably just 2 or 3 half-days.
I think she needs someone who can give more time than I can. I know how the museum politics operates, I know how out of control her work life is - she is overworked and overstressed. I don't know if the hours I could give would be useful, you know the proverbial drop in the ocean.
The work will show me how a museum operates, and when I finish school I'll work either in a university or a museum.
There's always been flexibility with the volunteer work. If I can't go in and don't get something done because DS was sick, it's OK because I'm giving them my time. But with work, I know I will feel pressured to get all the work done, even if it takes more time than I'm paid for.
Part of me doesn't want to as I'll be taking on more than I can handle in the time I have and it's not research oriented, it's the tedious, frustrating, politically charged admin work of running a museum, that is the day-day life. But part of me would enjoy the challenge and it would show me what future work may be, but I also have to remember that change takes forever in places like this.
WWYD if you were me....