Job advice

[Cam&Clay]

I'm a school librarian. I currently work at an elementary school and have a long commute. It's about an hour in the morning and 40 minutes in the afternoon. I leave the house at 7:30 and don't get home until 5:00. A position opened up at a middle school closer to my home. The commute will be about 20 minutes each way. I'll have to leave my house at about 7:15 and will get home at 3:30.

Here's the problem. Middle schools have 2 librarians and everyone I've talked to has said the other librarian is a nightmare to work with. I met him today at the interview and wasn't impressed at all with his attitude. I think very few people applied to work at this school because of him.

There's a good chance I'll get this job, but I don't know if I want it. DH is going to be in Afghanistan most of the next school year and having a better commute and few hours on the road would make my life so much easier. I could actually go to the store or do something for me after school before picking up DS2. I could be home right after DS1 gets home from middle school. But will I be miserable at the new school?

I love my job and my co-workers (especially my assistant) but have always seen myself as a middle school librarian, so this would be a step in the right direction. Or will I spend 2 years in hell before I get to go elsewhere?

What do you think?

[SnuggleBuggles]

I think you should go for it. Even if he is awful, it has some many other things going for it. Maybe you 2 will click well enough...or find a way not to have to deal with each other much.

Beth

[wendmatt]

I think you should go for it. Even if he is awful, it has some many other things going for it. Maybe you 2 will click well enough...or find a way not to have to deal with each other much.

Beth

Yes, and if you are expecting him to be anightmare, you'll know what to expect and try to adjust accordingly. It sounds like the benefits would outweigh the meanie man! Hopefully as Beth said you would find a way to get along.

[wellyes]

I wouldn't, probably. You would gain back less than an hour commuting time at the cost of spending 8 hours with a person you've been warned away from. Someone who is widely known as a nightmare could really wreck your emotional well-being even when you're not at work.

[bubbaray]

I wouldn't, probably. You would gain back less than an hour commuting time at the cost of spending 8 hours with a person you've been warned away from. Someone who is widely known as a nightmare could really wreck your emotional well-being even when you're not at work.


:yeahthat:

I've worked with some hellish people in some hellish situations. I'd WAAAAY rather have a long commute than a crappy work situation/coworkers.

[JustMe]

Sigh. Very tough decision. I think I would have to vote no on taking the new job. If your stress level is way up from having a difficult co-worker, you will not get a lot out of the extra time you have. I have learned the hard way that, as a WOHP, less job stress is more important than lots of other things. I have, unfortunately, had lots of stressful jobs since being a parent and I find I am crabby, drained of energy, etc.

[ha98ed14]

:yeahthat:

I've worked with some hellish people in some hellish situations. I'd WAAAAY rather have a long commute than a crappy work situation/coworkers.

:yeahthat: x 1000!!!!

That extra time you think you'll have at the end of the day? Yeah, it is going to be spent trying to decompress from a super stressful day with your a$$hole co-worker all so that your boys don't see how totally stressed out you are. You will be doubly stressed, trying not to be short tempered with your kids while working with an a$$hole and being a single parent! Doesn't sound like much of a trade off! Keep your job.

[mousemom]

I wouldn't, probably. You would gain back less than an hour commuting time at the cost of spending 8 hours with a person you've been warned away from. Someone who is widely known as a nightmare could really wreck your emotional well-being even when you're not at work.

:yeahthat: I've worked in an office with co-workers that I really loved and will never again underestimate the importance of that. My most recent job, my boss was somebody who was described by many as difficult to work with. We had very different ways of doing things and communication styles. While I ultimately ended up respecting her and building a decent working relationship, it caused lots of frustration and stress along the way and was one of the reasons I was happy to leave that job. Keep in mind too, that you may need this persons' recommendation for any future jobs you may apply for, if he is the person you would be working most closely with.

[mousemom]

I wouldn't, probably. You would gain back less than an hour commuting time at the cost of spending 8 hours with a person you've been warned away from. Someone who is widely known as a nightmare could really wreck your emotional well-being even when you're not at work.

:yeahthat: I've worked in an office with co-workers that I really loved and I will never again underestimate the importance of that to overalll happiness and well-being. My most recent job, my boss was someone who was described by many as difficult to work with. We had very different ways of doing things and different communication styles, which led to a lot of stress for me. Ultimately, we had a decent working relationship and I learned to respect her style, but I was very happy to leave that position. Keep in mind too that you may need a recommendation from him down the road, if he is person you are working most closely with.