I put in my notice a couple of weeks ago at my crappy night job and had a fascinating chat with my head supervisor on my last night there, which was this past Friday. She expressed some envy over the fact that I’d managed to get out of that place and had landed a new day job working at a local business, close enough to walk to work and with some good perks involved. Part of the reason I was so eager to get away from the night job wasn’t just the terrible hours-the top level of management there is terrible and simply impossible to deal with when it came to booking off holiday time,etc. It’s the kind of place you work at to be the means to an end and NOT as a career but it was clear looking at the younger people who worked there that while they were being treated worse than dirt, they were too badly beaten down to do any more than accept it-the constant moaning and groaning was just getting on my nerves. My supervisor confessed she has only stuck with the job because her husband is one of those guys who has been flitting from job to job over the years and the financial security of her position is just too hard to walk away from but with her young daughter getting old enough to ask why Mommy is never around at night, she’s beginning more and more to find herself stuck between a rock and a hard place…
All this made me think back to the original kick in the ass that prompted my husband and I to leave Rupert years ago, namely we got a glimpse of what life could be like elsewhere and decided to take a chance. It wasn’t very easy at first and it’s taken a while for us to finally find the place we want to stay for the rest of our lives but the experiences along the way were worth it.
Which makes me wonder, who else out there has had a life-changing “kick in the ass” and was it worth it in the long run? Do you think you need a kick to change your life or are you in the right place at the right time, right now??
We’ve been a couple of places since Rupert but have ended up on the Island, neither of us could contemplate living anywhere but BC and we have found what feels like the best of what BC has to offer here, a huge range of recreation options,access to a large range of services yet we’re not having to deal with the insane traffic of the lower mainland either and we could afford to buy a place here and still have food on the table,lol!
I’m just curious to see other peoples experiences in finally giving their job/situation/etc the heave-ho and finding out that there is something better out there. I was unhappy most of the time at the night job but stuck with it because of the pay and being able to be home most of the time for my kids but my “kick” was when I applied for two weeks of vacation time at the end of June a month ago and was turned down for the management’s “utter lack of flexibility”, in one of my other supervisor’s words. He warned the big boss they would be loosing an excellent employee if they kept up their attitude of treating us like this when it came to time off,etc and when I was offered the new job a week later, I jumped at the chance to get out.
My kick came in 1989-1990 when I actually decided to move to Prince Rupert. I had been a public servant in Moncton for two years and it looked like I could have stayed there long. The job was ok but I couldn’t see myself doing it forever and what I saw as advancement didn’t inspire me then.
I went back to school and a lot of people around me were surprised. Got my teaching degree then didn’t even look for job in Eastern Canada. Go West Young Man. My wife came with me and we ended up in Rupert, just because I needed to be near the ocean. We moved back to the East Coast in 2005 mainly for family reasons. Despite the weather, I loved Prince Rupert and you can see that it is still an important part of my life ( I’m still involved a little too much with htmf!)
It might not sound like much to some people but to move across the country like we did was a big thing for us as most people who left either went to Ontario or Quebec then. 90% of my extended family ( about 80 people -catholic families ) lived within an hour’s drive from my parents, the others, within a day’s drive. So it was a big deal to move 6500 km away.
This reminds me of an excellent piece of advice a friend gave me when I was getting ready to graduate from high school, namely that no matter what post-secondary training I undertook, that I should head as far away from my family as possible once I finished school. So when a chance to move to the coast from the prairies came my way shortly before I graduated college, I jumped at the chance. I knew virtually no-one in Rupert (my neighbour had been there once on business, that was about it) but his description of the water and the forest around the city was intriguing. Thankfully it proved to be a good move since I ended up with a good career up there and met my husband in the process while a lot of my classmates lost their first jobs with the recession in the early 80’s and in a lot of cases, ended up going back to school in another field. My family kept trying to lure me home but gave up when they realised I was too in love with the West Coast lifestyle to ever change back to the flatlands.
Anyhow, I’m more than prepared to pass that “get away” tip to my kids when they are getting ready to leave school. Nothing like being a long way out of arm’s reach to help give you that incentive to really grow up, imho.
My kick was back in 2001, I realized I was on the fast track to becoming another alcoholic loser from Rupert. All my friends were going off to college and moving on with their lives while I was sitting around Rupert getting drunk and high every day/night.
Eventually I found myself being around people doing cocaine, heroin, meth etc and decided it was time to make a change before I ended up just like them.
I quit drinking, enrolled at NWCC, finished up my math 12, and got accepted into college in the Okanagan. I spent a few years in college barely getting by constantly stressed about money, work etc.
After what seemed like an eternity I finished my program. I’m so unbelievably appreciative to have had all the support from my parents and have the utmost respect for those who made it without it.
It was difficult to find a job at first so I ended up back in Rupert working at the fish plant for about a month until I found my current job.
I started out at $12/hr two and a half years ago barely making ends meat but I stuck it out hoping they would see my performance was worth more and they did. I am now making over double what I started at, get to play with multi-million dollar systems, absolutely love my job, and most of the people I work with.
It took a long time but I sure as hell don’t regret it. While I’ll likely never move back to Rupert it will always be my home. Honestly if you’re feeling stuck I highly recommend taking the risk, packing up and moving to better your life. Just make sure you plan for the worst.
Right now I am considering uprooting myself and moving to Australia within the next two years to start over. They’re starving for people with my skill set and are paying obscene rates.
Amazing thread, Saffron!
My kick in the ass happened in my late teens. When I was much younger I was lacking in confidence and suffered with periods of extreme self doubt. I did not enjoy life. During the mid seventies I joined a Martial Arts club in Vancouver, BC. My instructor pushed me very hard; he was brutally tough, a strict disciplinarian. Under his guidance I found my place in this World, he is like a second Father to me.
I eventually left the club, but, went on to finish my education and migrate north to Rupert. My training and Zen Buddhism gives me a solid foundation.
I had a big kick in the ass when I resigned from my comfortable and safe job about 10 years ago. I moved back to St. John’s and then spent the summer in Europe. Then a friend of mine recommended me for a job in Rupert. I was a bit hesitant, but he kicked me in the ass until I took the job.
Like you, Jesus, as far away as I could get from my family
My next kick in the ass came a few years ago from Futuregirl. That was a bigger kick in the ass, and it still hurts! (in a good way)
My kick in my butt came when this guitar player helped me out with a history assignment. Thanks to him, my band stayed together. Sometimes music is more important than school, but you need to do the school stuff in order to do the music!
Maybe me being in Rupert is my kick in the ass. Vancouver Island was draining the life out of me. I’ve been in Rupert for three days now… I sure hope everything turns out well.
ha ha, it’s all good, I had to pick one up… thanks anyway though! You could get me a new one for my next place though if you want to… 'cause I can’t take old brooms to new houses… it’s just a thing I have.
Vancouver Island Lower Mainland …
) lived within an hour’s drive from my parents, the others, within a day’s drive. So it was a big deal to move 6500 km away.