So I’ll try to keep this as brief as possible. I just turned 24 and work for a pest control company. Got the job back in February to get away from a previous toxic workplace in a different field, but not long after starting I realized this place was in a state of gross mismanagement and constant staffing issues.
They put me in sales when I started, but then the other sales guy quit. So I covered half the region which is essentially half of the square mileage state I live in, solo. This quickly became untenable and I decided to put in my notice. I gave them a month, as they were already short staffed and my co workers were nice enough so I didn’t want to put the office over a barrel. This was in June.
My manager in a bid to get me to stay, then pitches me that I can do inspections for the warranty accounts we have. GREAT! Way less stress and my paychecks grew by about $300-500 every pay period. Not much but it was enough for me to stay at the time.
But after turning 24 last weekend, I had one of those “wtf am I doing” moments.
My brother will be graduating as a software engineer from a great college this spring, and was extended an offer from his summer internship for post graduation of 80k base, 15k sign on, 6% raise annually, plus stock options. He’s 21. My baby brother.
I’m so proud and stoked for him. But I also can’t deny I’m a little jealous and makes me feel “black sheep” vibes. This doesn’t make me any less happy for him. But it does make me acutely aware of my bullshitting around since I graduated HS.
Which leads me to the predicament I face now. I decided to try to go back and do some more schooling. My brother sent me some online programs for learning JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. Having him to help along the way will be an invaluable resource. But I know I can’t do it while I’m working at this job.
My best friend and his parents own a local pizza shop (which I’ve worked before) and they’d like me to come back. This would give me the exact balance I need to be able to allocate the time to the school work in order to do what I need to do. I’ve always struggled mightily with working 40+ hours and then doing what I need to for school.
Unfortunately on Monday, my manager asked me if I would switch to one of our routes because he wants to fire another technician by the end of October. My meeting with admissions is tomorrow and the course would begin 10/31.
So why do I always feel so guilty in these situations? Am I doing the right thing? I make more money at this job than I did at any other so bailing seems unwise, but maybe that’s my “work your fingers to the bone” father echoing in the recesses of my brain still. Words of encouragement would be appreciated.
TLDR: my job is uninspiring and understaffed. I want to switch to web. I’m nervous and don’t know how to tell management not only can I not help them with a new route, I’m actually planning to leave too.