It looks like i need a new job....and it also looks like australia isnt gonna happin

[gingerbreadman]

well store policy is not to give that much time off for a trip so australia is outa the question, go HERE for the australia details...

but my problems dont stop at just my australia trip... listen to this...
i work at a grocery store as a meat cutter, its a union shop...

our contract is complicated as hell but ill try and explain
we have 3 pay grids grid "a" "b" and "c"
grid a pays the most and c pays the least, when you start you start in "c"

the grids work off of hours and senority,
25% of the hours are in "a" grid
25% of the hours are in "b" grid
50% of the hours are in "c" grid

well, 1.5 years ago i was informed i got moved up to pay grid "b" and since then i have been getting my raises, i am currently at $20 an hour and in a couple months ill be at $22 an hour BUT i found out yesterday that due to a slow down in the grociery business there have been less hours used store wide and i am getting bumped down to "c" grid meaning i get top rate in c grid which is $14.75 an hour.... so i get a $6 an hour cut in pay

now eventually as people leave ill accuire enough senority ill stay in "b" grid but that could take years and i could get bumped from "b" to "c" several times.... i am now at a cross roads of what to do,

how can i one day work for 14 an hour then the next work for 22 then back down to 14????? thats horseshlt man!!!!!

i have a couple options, i could go work in the oil industrie way up north ( i got buds up there to stay with and hook me up) but thats no lifestyle to live forever.... i could make alot of cash quick tho in a camp job... like 10's of thousands of dollars in a 6 month stint....

or

i have a possible "in" at a local mine, mining is great pay and days off but its unstable and this particular mine will be shut down in 6 to 8 years anyways so thats also a tough call....

or

i could go to school...... but what do i take???

or

i could stick with the grociery store and wait out the storm.....


what would ya'll do?????




-gbm-

 

[StangDreamin']

Multiple questions:

1.) How committed are you to cutting meat for the rest of your life?
1.a) Does to company offer advancement out of the freezer into better quality/better paying jobs in their organization?
1.b)If you do bail for a while, will you have to "start all over again" with zero seniority back at this store?

(What I'm looking for are reasons you should or shouldn't stay where you are)

2.) Are you ready (physically and mentally/emotionally) to work in the oilpatch or the mines? (Neither job is as easy on your back or your head as making cuts out of quarters.)
2.a) Are you SURE your "contacts" are good and can snag you that other job? I've been unemployed before - because the job I thought I was going to - dried up. 8 months of he**
2.b) Are you realisitcally going to be able to "put away" cash for the lean times? At least when cutting meat (or anything in grocery), you have a job that's mostly recession proof. People might curtail their driving habits when times are tough (demand for oil "slows down" and so does the price), or they might back off on building things (lower need/price for iron ore); but people always gotta eat!

(Here I've been looking for reasons to move on or not!)

You have to factor in all these possibilities, and then make your own decision. Fortunately, you're only what, 21, 23? *I* finally settled down a little bit late in life. A guy on my crew could retire (with 30 years) just before his 49th birthday. Since I "settled down" in my new job closer to 36 than 35, I'll be almost 66 before I have my 30 in

Can't make any real recommendations, as I don't have all the info - else I wouldn't be asking all these stypid questions.



Still Dreamin'

 

[65stanger]

I'm sure the Aussies are breathing a great sigh of relief.........

But on a serious note Gman......I agree with the other old fogey about being sure your "connections" are solid before you jump ship.........you've also been talking about leaving this job and going to school before......what are your interests and aptitudes? [size]besides blowing things up![/size] Computers? Electronics? Plumbing? Have you thought about joining the military? You could earn money while learning a trade.

As the other old fogey pointed out, you are still young, don't wait too long to figure out what you want to do in life, or you'll be like us and starting a real career when you are in your mid-to-late 30's.

 

[gingerbreadman]

stangdreamin:
I am only cutting meat because of the money i really have no feelings either way for "meat cutting" it was just a job an di was just there cause it was good pay and good hours....

If i made it to the top of the pay grid ($22 an hour) that is top rate for the entire store unless i go into management and that isnt even a consideration for me....

If i leave this job i loose all my senority, i might be able to take a short leave but thats unlikely... I could probly come back but i would start at scratch senority wise and probly be stuck at $14.75 an hour forever....

I am a big young strapping man with strong shoulders/back and head, i am physically cabable of working the oil fields very well....

My sources are not gonna be jobs waiting for me when i get there, i just have friends scattered around where work is very prevalant and they would let me stay with them..... I would not quit this job untill i had other plans lined up, thats just stupid really.....

true meat cutting is more secure then mining or oil but i wasnt looking to make mining or oil a carrer, it was merely a thought, maybe just a change or if possible make some cash.... in case none of you know northern bc and alberta is booming and if you work in the oil industry you WILL make big money in a short time... i know alot of people doing it.... It can result in a bad lifestyle if you let it, i really just wanna go for a bit and see what happins and maybe make some cash.... and besides it doesnt matter how secure a job is if it doesnt pay enough...... Im sorry but $14.75 an hour is not enough to live on in canada, that will give me about a $750 pay cheque every 2 weeks

I am 21 and I know its all my decision, I guess what im looking for here really is just input to help me decide what is the best decision.....


my interests and apptitudes are anything trade related, i am more suited as a apprentice then i am at going to school, books and school have never learned me well, i excelled in all the shop classes my high school had to offer cause there was very little book work....


-gbm-

 

[StangDreamin']

If you're not devoted to the idea of marketing foodstuffs the rest of your life; and IF you can be fairly sure of your job prospects elsewhere; I'd say go now! You're not going to get any younger.......

Personally, I'd go for the oilpatch.... Mining is a very mercurial employment picture. The vein could dry up at any time; and you could be laid off for ???????? many years while they search for the good ore again. Or, the market for whatever you're minging could "dry up" for whatever reason. Based on statiscal averages; I'd don't see the demand for petroleum products, oils, gasoline, propane drying up anytime soon. Yanks and Caunucks just love their cars waaaaaaayyyyyy too much.


Still Dreamin'

 

[Route666]

I'm sure the Aussies are breathing a great sigh of relief.........

Shhh... we don't want to upset him