I was offered a promotion today

"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion) 06/03/2020 at 17:18 • Filed to: Falling upwards

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P ay bump, added medical benefits, and a four-day work week as apposed to the five I’ve been doing this past month. The work will be largely the same, just with significantly more weight to throw around in terms of managing the companies direction.

I’m going to take it, but I can’t help but wonder if I would be better served walking away entirely and going back to school. I don’t let this show at work, but internally, I’m a mess. Stress, anxiety, poor sleep, poor diet. It’s been brutal. I hate the way management positions tend to take over your life, following you home and leaving you on edge when alone. There is always something that could happen, dragging you back into work to fix, because if you don’t do it, who will..?

The irony is tha t t he reason I joined Fedex in the first place upon my return from Asia was to * get away* from management.

I answered a Craigslist post and spent a few months as a driver on one route , a position that I didn’t even need to hand in a resume for. It was fun, pay was pretty good, and most importantly I got home early every day.

A month later I t alked my way into a swing driver position handling any route where I was needed. More stressful as you never knew where you would be working, and thus had little to no experience with the routes, but this was a great way to become an upper-tier driver and earn a bit more.

Another month of that and I j umped up into junior management, right before taking advantage of Covid-19 and landing in s enior management when delivery volume skyrocketed. This was the tipping point, but there had been enough time since my last management position to allow me to go in fresh, giving 110% day in and day out.

I jumped ship from the internal company that hired me to one of their *competitors* within the greater company , and that turned out to be a fortuitous move. I’ve been much happier with the new team.

U nfortunately the pandemic led to 70-100 hour work weeks, which lasted from early March through late April. But it paid off, as our internal company was a solid performer in a time where the same couldn’t necessarily be said elsewhere.

Volume keeps ratcheting up though, squeezing every little bit out of people, from the greenest drivers to the most senior station staff. And on Friday... I’ll be joining the second group, despite starting here eight mo nths ago, possessing no degree , no family connections, n o decades of experience... It is a bit surreal.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a campsite to get to. Hopefully the scooter does as well as my buddy’s 4runner!

facw > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 17:20

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Congrats!

AestheticsInMotion > facw 06/03/2020 at 17:22

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Thanks! I’m... Cautiously optimistic ?

facw > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 17:23

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Hopefully it will be a good move!

dogisbadob > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 17:23

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Congrats and good luck

But you can go back to school without walking away from a job :o)

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 17:25

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go back to school....

parcel post will kill you

just my 2 cents

anyhoo....im calling you a dumbass

and that coming from....err...a me

TheRealBicycleBuck > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 17:26

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Smart, capable people will always move up - until they hit the ceiling where a degree is required. Figure out at what level that is and see if you really want to do the work at that level. That will tell you whether or not you need to go to college. From what you’re saying about stress, you may not want to put in the time and effort to work at that level. Just recognize that you will be defining your career path. It gets harder to go back to school as you get older.

You may also decide that you don’t want to work in FedEx long-term and you’d rather do something completely different. A friend of mine worked at UPS while going to college. It took him 10 years to get his degree. Then he switched careers and is now a pilot for Sky West. He has seniority, so he’s still flying... for now.

AestheticsInMotion > dogisbadob 06/03/2020 at 17:26

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I know a lot of people do that, but I honestly don't think I'd be successful if I went that route. 

fintail > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 17:27

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Congrats! 

Hourly or salaried?  Sometimes the former can still be a better deal, even though the latter somehow carries prestige to many.

someassemblyrequired > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 17:30

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Once you’re settled in maybe you can do your degree on the side rather than leaving a secure job when times are tight. T here’s lots of work-friendly university options in the area that are relatively inexpensive , and I bet FedEx will cover your tuition if it’s something like a business or operations research degree .

Nom De Plume > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 17:33

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It’s called paying dues. If the larger jump upwards than you think feasible requires a degree with them. Aim higher yet, considerably. They’ll pay for school and see your replacement moved into the wings.  It’s called momentum.

Future next gen S2000 owner > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 17:35

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Congrats !  Fuck 100 work weeks though. That’s for the birds.

AestheticsInMotion > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/03/2020 at 17:46

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Long-term I want to get out of management and never look back. I want a union apprenticeship for a trade, and to get into real estate.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 17:57

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Congrats buddy! :)

As for the doubt and questioning...go with the flow for now and start planning how to get into what you want to do and work your way to it from there :)

TheRealBicycleBuck > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 18:10

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What trade? Perhaps trade school is a good place to start.

Chariotoflove > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 18:23

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Re: job stress

Obligations and responsibilities come from outside, but stress comes from inside. From all I know about you, you appear to be an organized, somewhat obsessive list maker who is detail oriented. Add competence on top of that, and you are likely to rise, whether it’s your business or someone else’s. But your personality type means that the stress will always follow you no matter what position you take. As you grow, you’ll learn more about how much of yourself you are happy giving out, and how much you keep for yourself, and that balance will change with the phase of your life. Along the journey though, you will need to find an inner center of peace and calm so stress doesn’t take away your enjoyment of accomplishment . It’s not at all easy. I still struggle to find it. But when you do, that’s when you be happiest and do your best work.

Congrats on your success. It comes as no surprise to me.

My bird IS the word > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 18:35

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The older I get, the more I understand why people use consumerism to fill the void in their lives.

Take the money and run.

shop-teacher > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 18:49

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“internally, I’m a mess. Stress, anxiety, poor sleep, poor diet. It’s been brutal.”

Going to school to ultimately enter another industry in some fashion will not fix this. I’m not saying don’t go to school, but you’ll have to work on this part of yourself from another angle, whatever that be.

jminer > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 18:50

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Congratulations!

Its a tough thing to make large life altering decisions. I got lucky and fell into IT and have progressively moved upwards feeling disbelief and confusion each time.

I have a similar desire to avoid management and am so far lucky enough that there have been more senior roles to move into that don’t involve managing people

Good luck with how everything moves forward and enjoy camping!

Sovande > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 18:55

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Every job you take ends up the same way. You being in charge after excelling at the tasks they give you. I think the universe is trying to tell you something. Go be the manager. In 8 months you’ll be the executive vp.

My dad had a friend who spent his life in the business sector and retired at 55. He and his wife moved to a lovely little beach town and after a year of retirement he applied to work part time at the Home Depot. Show some people some pipe fittings, maybe ring people up at the register. You know, fill up some time. Two years later he was the General Manager making $200,000 a year. Sounds like you. 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 18:59

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Have you considered being a mechanic? Good dealer techs can earn six figures with no take-home stress. It takes a couple years to get to that point, but those of us who are good at it live comfortable lives.

AestheticsInMotion > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/03/2020 at 19:51

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Electrician is my first choice. I like the career opportunities, and I think the skills would prove very useful. But I’ve enjoyed all of the major plumbing and water management jobs I’ve done in the past, so I wouldn’t pass on that. And then there’s dentistry, my out of left field interest...

AestheticsInMotion > Chariotoflove 06/03/2020 at 20:00

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I’ve definitely thought t hat if I just applied 100% of my time to work—laser focused— and cut everything else out I ’d be able to achieve exactly what I need to and be fully satisfied knowing I gave it everything I have. At different points in my life I’ve done that with school, fitness, music, social life ... But so far I’ve really struggled when trying to keep a balance. It’s always felt like I just end up doing poorly at a lot of things rather than good at one thing. Maybe I just need to make more spreadsheets 

I started coming around here when I was 17, and it’s impossible to ignore how much help I’ve gotten over the years from the community in every aspect of my life . Thanks for the kind words, and all the advice over the years.

TheRealBicycleBuck > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 20:01

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Dentist requires a bachelors and then a doctorate of dentistry. That’s a lot of school, but from what your posts, I get the impression that you could do it. I thought you might like to be a hygienist, but I think, despite your desire to avoid management, you like to excel and prefer to be the decision-maker. That means being the man in charge.

Electrician might fit your personality well. Once you get through the licensing process, you can work for someone or strike out on your own. It’s varied enough work to keep you interested and if you’re doing commercial or residential, you’ll have new places to go visit all the time. It’s also one of those careers that won’t require a college degree if you’re not inclined to go get one. 

AestheticsInMotion > shop-teacher 06/03/2020 at 20:03

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I think I know it’s an internal issue, but it’s nice to hear it from an outside source.

I'm hoping a schedule change will at least help provide a push to tackle some of the bad habits I've picked up lately

AestheticsInMotion > Sovande 06/03/2020 at 20:09

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I don’t feel like I’m particularly great at anything, besides maybe convincing people of the exact opposite? Maybe I should be in sales...

Well. I took the job. 

shop-teacher > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 20:12

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Hopefully. It’s very normal stuff you’re dealing with too . Don’t use it as a trigger to jump from job to job. Or industry to industry. You’ll run into it no matter what your job is, so you may as well deal with it now.

Congrats on the promotion! I neglected to say that before.

AestheticsInMotion > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 06/03/2020 at 20:20

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I still have nightmares about being in charge of fleet maintenance for heavy-duty vehicles. I had just enough knowledge and mechanical aptitude to know how over-my-head I really was lol. Even on the Miata and Volvos, I was always scared to tackle big jobs. I’m not sure if I’m cut out for that kind of thing.

TThat said,   always love hearing about you and El_Uly’ s job. 

What I would really like is to find a motorcycle mechanic program to help me learn how to take care of m odern bikes. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent my whole life in apartments, but the ability to bring a bike inside and not have to get it in running shape by the end of the day really appeals to me...

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 20:22

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“ I’m going to take it, but I can’t help but wonder if I would be better served walking away entirely and going back to school. I don’t let this show at work, but internally, I’m a mess. Stress, anxiety, poor sleep, poor diet. It’s been brutal.”

I completely hear you buddy. I burned out last year and after I added everything up I low key quit (additionally I was going to be working away from home and at the same time not progressing my career either). I’m still employed but was placed on education leave to take some courses which I did late 2019 .   I was going to work casual shifts 2020   but Covid fucked me on that and they got sent away, again. And naturally the last course I need and could take is cancelled too...

At least they’re offering you more money with less hours. I buried this issue, and I don’t think I ever will again. It’s simply not healthy when you can’t sleep, start the day already mentally and physically exhausted,  and can’t enjoy your days off. I t’s not a life.

Rock’on, hope it works out

AestheticsInMotion > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 06/03/2020 at 20:23

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That is good advice, and I’m going to take it :)

Very worst case, I try something new and hate it. There will always be something else to try if that's the case

AestheticsInMotion > fintail 06/03/2020 at 20:28

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Salaried. Believe me, if I had been hourly the past three months I probably would have done something dumb. Like M2/NSX level dumb. I’d calculate what hourly would have given me with 100 hour weeks and overtime, but it would probably make me cry lol.

There's an outside lineman that I've gotten to know pretty well this past year. Has a loaded king ranch F-150 pulling a big fifth wheel that's half living quarters and half toy garage. Works out of that year-round, taking on jobs country-wide that his union offers him, and oftentimes going to tropical islands to help rebuild after major storms. After seeing his hourly pay scale, I don't think I'll ever be able to look down upon an hourly rate. 

Sovande > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 20:30

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Upside is you can always quit if it doesn't blow your skirt up. 

AestheticsInMotion > Future next gen S2000 owner 06/03/2020 at 20:31

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It's something I'm glad I did, if only so I can say that I did it. But yes, it was brutal. Especially on the days working alone. Totally different beast if you have a partner or two working with you. 

AestheticsInMotion > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com 06/03/2020 at 20:34

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Yeah, you get it. During my last try at management a few years ago a t one point I stepped back and realized that with all the delivery I was ordering each and every day to account for the lack of time at home , I was almost completely negating the higher salary that was supposed to offset the crazy hours.

The four day work week is what made the decision for me. Will it actually end up being four days?, who knows, but I’ll at least try.

I hope you figure things out. 

AestheticsInMotion > shop-teacher 06/03/2020 at 20:37

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I’m learning to make decisions only after emotions have calmed down. Trying to be less reactionary. It's definitely helped me, even in the short time I've realized it was a problem for me. And thank you!

zipfuel > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 20:39

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Sounds like you landed in one of the few rapidly growing sectors of the economy and leveled up through sheer force of competence. Even if you don’t like where you’re at long term a more senior j ob title on your resume will demonstrate you’ve got the chops should you seek different opportunities down the road.

AestheticsInMotion > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/03/2020 at 20:44

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Hygienist was my main thought, but really anything in the industry. Despite a general sense of unease about visiting the doctor, I’ve always loved spending time at the dentist office. I think my dentist is tired of me asking her to take over for my general physician, too.

I’m not sure what kinds of jobs I should look for to get this, but I’d really like to try avoiding being the boss, or employee. Something more along the lines of working as part of a small team, where everyone is skilled and rock-solid. Strong sense of teamwork. 

Maybe the Avengers are hiring ?

Textured Soy Protein > Chariotoflove 06/03/2020 at 21:06

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Speaking from experience, sometimes stress comes from other people. My last job I was in charge of my function but constantly had to manage upwards with clueless executives fucking everything up.

Textured Soy Protein > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 21:13

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The only way to achieve work life balance is to set boundaries and take your time away from work when you need it. I know that’s tough to achieve in a hands-on production environment with uncapped hours. Is there some rung farther up the ladder that would be a less crazy schedule?

I just started a director job where I’m standing up a whole bunch of new shit within the company and its all on me. And I’m doing it from home. Today was day 3 and my schedule is already slammed. But I still take time throughout the day to have lunch with my wife, help her with some of the stuff from the training for her new job, and I damn well log off in the evening. I’ve sent *one* email at a late-ish hour because it was an active conversation with the 2 other people I work most closely with. Just because I get a notification on my phone at some late hour doesn’t mean it deserves my attention right then.

Anyway not to make it about me but think along those lines but within the scope of your job. Whatever opportunities you can create to maintain boundaries and sanity will go a long way.

fintail > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 21:35

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Maybe you can cut back on the 100 hour weeks now? :)

I’ve had a similar experience, way back when I was hourly, my work process devolved, and a lot of OT became available. I’d end up working 55-60 hours a week, and making more than people with higher job titles. Then I got promoted and made the same amount as my old position with OT, but for normal hours. Then it devolved and I was putting in 6 days a week, and getting nothing extra for it because salaried. Beware of that, some abuse it.

I know a guy who works on wind turbines, pay seems to be pretty decent there, too.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 21:47

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You could become...a lion tamer? Or....a professional armpit waxer....or....the piece de la resistance, a top-tier bender at a paperclip factory? :O

Lots of options!!! :P

AestheticsInMotion > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 06/03/2020 at 21:55

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I like the first idea!! 

shop-teacher > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 22:07

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That’s good! 

I have a tendency to go to deep dark mental places when things get stressy.  But I’ve also learned that those places aren’t real. They’re just me doing it to myself, and I just have to ride it out. Sometimes it takes five minutes. Sometimes it takes a good night’s sleep.

TheRealBicycleBuck > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 22:07

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Even the Avengers had leaders and followers. When they didn’t acknowledge a structure, they had problems. :)

I’ve worked as a semi-independent team member for many years, but even when I’m working in a team, there’s a project manager and a client. Both of them play a big role in determining what I have to do every day.

Things often change once you take on a new role. I always thought I’d love being a professor, but there are things I didn’t really understand as a student that I didn’t really like when I became a professor. I love teaching and I love research. What I don’t love is administration and students who are difficult. I don’t mean difficult as in they need more assistance, I mean difficult as in they just don’t get it and shouldn’t be in my class or are deliberately being difficult.

Becoming a hygienist is a two to four year process, depending on your goals, state education requirements, and licensing requirements. Some of the coursework would apply toward dental school if you decided to make the jump.

Again, I’d caution you about waiting too long to make a decision. Life often throws a curve and derails our plans. I’ve seen it happen many times. That’s another thing I didn’t like about academia - watching students make bad decisions and failing to complete their degrees. I’ve never met a person who was happy they didn’t finish their degree, whether bachelor’s, master’s or Ph.D.

One of the challenges smart people like you face is a variety of interests and trying to pick a path. Mike Rowe would tell you to find something lucrative and go make a living. Stay out of debt. Do interesting things in your spare t ime with the spare money. That will make you happy.

Chariotoflove > AestheticsInMotion 06/03/2020 at 22:20

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I hope for the best for you, and I think you’re likely to get it.

If it helps, I feel ya on the laser focus thing. Throughout my life, I’ve felt frustrated that I couldn’t focus and apply everything I have to a goal, except in certain moments of clarity when it all came together. Those moments I would think, “Yes! this is how it’s supposed to be!”, and then I’d get all the more frustrated when I couldn’t port it to everything else.

I’m slowly learning that I have to work with my brain rather than fight it to do what I think it should. Jury still out on whether that strategy will make me overall more productive, but may it will make me happier.

Chariotoflove > Textured Soy Protein 06/04/2020 at 01:26

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Yes, sometimes it can be extremely hard to remain calm inside against the problems people cause our lives.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > AestheticsInMotion 06/04/2020 at 01:38

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Everyone is scared to tackle big jobs at first, even until they do a few in quick succession. Totally normal. What really defines a person as a mechanic is how they take responsibility for their mistakes and the effort they put into learning. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone needs to continue learning, even if you’ve been at it for 30 years and are the undisputed best in the industry. From what I’ve seen, you would be good it, possibly very very good. You would just need a baseline education to get a better understanding of modern systems and diagnostic processes. Night classes at a community college could probably get you that. Then the rest would come in the form of experience.

Absolutely no requirement to manage anything except your own workload. And that can vary wildly from individual to individual and shop to shop; think like four ten hour days, or five eights, or 9 am-4pm, or six days a week at twelve hours each. Many shops are fairly open about schedules and allow a decent amount of freedom. This makes you the master of your own paycheck if there’s enough work coming in the door.

Honestly, the hardest part about being a career mechanic, is finding a shop that treats it s employees well. But the smarter you are, the better you are at the job, and the more you truly understand your worth, the easier that is. What I mean about understanding your worth is, once you get to a reasonably competent level, you need to trust that you will be able to find a new job when it’s time to walk away from an old one, and not be afraid to walk away from any job if they don’t treat you well.

This will all apply to motorcycle shops too, but up here where we live, they’re very seasonal. Feast or famine.

There’s definitely some shit to deal with. But not a single person in my shop does this job because they have to and there’s nothing better for them. We do it because it’s rewarding in a lot of different ways , we enjoy it, and we like the stuff that we work on. We’re here for a paycheck, but this is the paycheck we want to get. And it’s a damn good paycheck most of the time, will liveable benefits to boot.

We can’t be outsourced. We’re essential during this pandemic, so we can keep earning a paycheck if we so choose. And it’s overall an extremely valuable skill that can translate into a bunch of other industries and can even take you around the world if you have the drive and desire for that. It doesn’t matter where you are, a car is still a car. But these skills apply commercial and industrial work as well.

Many shops would probably hire you right now to do basic maintenance and tires, no education needed. You could probably even try it out for a little while to see what you think. But if you do that, pay more attention to what the experienced techs are doing; changing oil all day is temporary, experienced techs get the fun and rewarding work. I suggest a highline dealer for this though. Don’t be intimidated of it’s something you decide to consider. Hiring at these places isn’t as exclusive as you might think. We’ve hired people with less experience than you. It’s more about attitude. We can teach you how things work and how to work on them, but we can’t teach attitude.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > AestheticsInMotion 06/04/2020 at 09:54

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Congrats. Take that 4 day work week, and make it a real 4 day work week.

I can’t do any better than all the great advice you’ve been given by other Oppos. All I know is, if you keep your incredible work ethic and find the right work/life balance, you’ve got a bright future, whatever path you choose.