Ok well the situation is that i have a great job. especially for where i live. it pays pretty good (16.50 PH) and has good benifits. I have worked there for about 5 1/2 years. the problum is that i have started to hate to work there. I think its mainly because of all the corprate********* that goes on constantly. I do a photographers job and only get paid****istant wages. because when i was hired, i was hired to be a photo****istant. but over the years i have progressd into a photographer. theres no chance that i will be promoted and get paid for what i allready do. So i feel as though i am in a total dead end. So i dont know what i should do. I worked very hard to be able to buy a house, So i dont want to give that up. And now we have a 1 year old runnin around the house. And it takes both my wife and my pay to make ends meet. So i cant really afford to go back to school. I would love to be able to build cars somewhere or something like that. So anyway, WHAT should i do. I dont know how much longer i can stand to work there. THANKS.......BRIAN
You could do worse, (you could be just freelancing for magazines, for instance.) Your hotrod might have to wait 17 years when you tell the 1 year old he's going to have to work his own way through college so you can build it... Until then, don't burn your toddler's bridges.
Umm, have you tried to explain this to your boss? I know that is a tough thing to do but what are they going to say? If they say no, your no worse off than you are now. But if you tell them how your feeling maybe they'll give you a raise and that may solve your problem. Or go try and find another job, the best time to get another job is when you still have one. Good luck man...
FAMILY FIRST!!!!! Your needs second. Your wants last. Been there. I was makin' damn good money at one particular job. I hated it. Got out and got my old job back. Twice the work, not great pay. I like it alot. My family is making it. Frankie gets $$ in her account every week. She'll be taken care of when the time comes. This is the best advice I have for you. FAMILY FIRST!!!!!! Take car of them. You only get one.
Be grateful you gotta job, even if it is*****ty. I been unemployed for 2 months now, and I'm not the only one in the area that's not makin ends meet. Lotta local small businesses are suffering.
I agree with this totally. I have went through your feelings many times over the years. if the bills are being paid. Bite the bullet and be patient. Your time will come. maybe not as fast as you'd like.. 5-10 years. but thats not important. Whats important is your family.
Never had a job I liked, or one that I thought I was being treated fairly.(think highly of myself, huh) Been here 30 yrs. Think I'm being screwed everyday. People being promoted over me 'cause, they're*****asses(I'm not), minority, or Female. Come to think of it, it could be my ATTITUDE. Actually I'm not that hard to get along with, it's just that I'm NOT a yes man, and I tell it as I see it. Family- kept me from quiting. If I didn't have a family, I'd went back to the military 27 yrs ago. Family First Everytime. Everyone needs a job, doesn't mean it has to be what ya like. Do the best you can with what you have. Stay away from drugs(part of my downfall yrs ago) Don't go overboard on stuff ya don't need. Get it done a little at a time, enjoy family, look for another job while you still have one if your not happy.
YES I have explained this many times. I have asked for raises with no sucsess. Basically the only way to get a raise here is to be promoted. And that is not going to happen. Ive been trying to get promoted for allmost 2 years now.
if you're tired of making "only" $16.50 an hour, open your own auto business and enjoy your $3 or $4 an hour....after you pay all the expenses.... Sounds like you need to either stick it out, or stick it out and quietly look around for work elsewhere.
Put together a professional portfolio and make a simple website of your work. Get fancy, use lots of photoshop filters. Send resumes out to calender makers, catalogue companies, see what happens. Consider doing weddings, graduations, school pictures through your own business. I make less than you and I hate my job, but it's better than uncertainty. It pays the mortgage.
Ya, the problum is that this is the only place in my city that does this kind of work. "Comerical Photography". you know, Catalog. you may have heard of it, you might have even see my work. It's HARRY AND DAVID Corp.
The problum mite be that you aar at thee top pay for yoor feeld. Or it could be they don't like you. Or it could be they know you will stay. Commercial photography is not exactly a high demand field, you need to show creativity to make the big bucks. I work in a small company competing against large corporations. We survive because we are better and faster then our competition. If we didn't take risks, we wouldn't be in business. All the fresh ideas come from a creative guy who's been here 16 years and an underpaid artist who gets taken advantage of. If you don't have something more to offer, you won't continue to grow professionally.
Think outside your field of endevor; possably relocate, you sound fairly young change careers, dig in and investigate all possabilities. Take care of that family and everything else will fall in line. ....Bob
I'd half to say if it takes both You and your Wife's income to make ends meet your already living beyond your means. I'd be very Cautious about my next move. Everyone should keep a portfolieo of what they do so if we are forced to make changes we can present what we do in black and white. Just being able to talk seldom gets it done. Good Luck The Wizzard
Maybe you should take English lessons to be able to communicate effectively...and spell. I've been a photographer for over 25 years. Commercial, freelance, coporate, protrait. You name it, I've probably shot it. I love taking pictures, I hate the corporate 'old boys club' backstabbing mentality. I don't work like that, I attempt to treat people with respect. That said, the commercial photography industry today is a mess to put it nicely. I would suggest putting together a kick-ass portfolio and a wesite. Put your portfolio on DVD with all sorts of bells and whistles. Then send it out everywhere. Consider catalogue work. It's busy and pays decent. The down size is, you will either travel alot ( I did) or have to relocate. I know there used to be some near Seattle since you are in Oregon. I 'retired' from the coporate mess and now shoot when I want and do a lot of photographic 'art' stuff. I enjoy being near my kids and wife. r
Change is good. Most jobs are dead end if you think of them that way. Take care of that kid first. Worry about yourself second.
So what does it take to get into a shop that builds street rods or something similar? I dont have any schooling on that kindaa stuff. All i have is the stuff ive done for myself. Photography wasnt really my life goal. I just new somebody that worked here and they got me a job as an****istant. it beat the gas station i was working at before. It just so happened i was really good at it. and i wouldnt mind doing it if there was some other place i could go without relocating. All the people i work with have told me in the past "how come your not building cars or being a fabricator" "your so good at it" And "you love doing it". I dont know........
I don't know what you should do, but being unhappy at work*****s. Kills your frame of mind at home i think. Shop around for another job i guess. You've got more skills now, than you had going in, and you managed to get THIS job. See what's out there with your current talent. My sister did something like this, took a couple bucks an hour pay cut, and now makes MUCH more. Ya know, sometimes a couple baby steps back, earns you a couple giant steps forward. I'm****uming you've asked for a raise?
Well another option is do what I do --work at a job that pays and isn't too bad --such as yours . If you are good at what you do , then it isn't that bad or you wouldn't be so good at photography. I sense you don't like who you work for and the way you are treated and not so much the job itself , because if you actually hated the photography you wouldn't be doing a good job. Anyway , scrape a little , seach and find a few more tools , do some work on the side that you enjoy , biulding hot rods , even doing the neighbors brakes , what ever it takes to get more equipment and the experience to do work for others. Yes it takes some time from the family, but if you can do this work in the family garage , then you take a break now and then visit , play with the child. it will work out. You will soon have enough work to either go out on your own or at the very least to help make those ends meet easier and to even tie a couple of them together . You will be doing something on your weekends and a few free afternoons to help you feel better. Then even though the "regular job " isn't what you truly want to do it will be much more tolerable . Besides --auto work no matter how much you love it is tireing and dealing with customers that really don't know what they want , or want a $1000.00 job for $10.00 isn't any better than dealing with the world you are in now --just an idea and my 2cents worth ---
Talent and skill, the ability to do body work well and quickly, Being a top notch welder, and the experience to warrant getting paid. If it was easy, we'd all be doing it.
the trick is getting into a shop that builds rods and makes good money, and pays the employees well....good luck!
Sounds like this job is a vast improvement over what you were doing. Maybe the people at work would like you to "follow your dreams" so they can follow theres to your job. I have 2 kids who'd love to be in your shoes, neither makes anywhere near $16 and benefits. Most people would love to change jobs, but as has already been said here, the family comes first. I raised 2 kids, and wasn't happy in my job, and now that my kids are grown I'm still torn, if I had been doing something I loved, maybe I would have been a happier and possibly better Dad. on the other hand, could I have provided as well for their needs? I guess I'd suggest that you start quietly looking for another job, but use caution, you may end up a lot worse off, and you have a family, that changes everything. Good luck, and remember, you are not alone.
You are on the computer, writing, so try this. First, write a letter about all your******es, and answer the questions like you want them to be answerd. Rewrite several times, untill it becomes presentable. Then, resad it several times and make a verbal presentation, and leave the letter when you are finished. It may take weeks to get an answer, so dont get in a hurry to***** can a job you have been doing for over five years. Good Luck to you, and give the family a hug from me.
I heard this saying the other day goes like this " if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence get off your**** and fertilize your own yard"
Well i thank you all for your advice. Its a lot to think about. but I have always said "everything happens for a reason" So we'll see.
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