Folks I have a bit of a job dilemma I am looking for some feedback on:
Current Job: Planning job for a local government making $100kish a year, on a contract that will for sure run out in May. No pension, benefits, paid time off etc. The actual work of the job is boring (writing policy, plans, reports etc) but it is only about 10-15 hours a week of actual work. I like my colleagues, but since I am covering a maternity leave and the person I am covering is certainly returning in May, the writing is very much on the wall.
My current plan has been that in the Spring I would transition to a trades apprenticeship with a local builder here in the interior of BC. It would be a big pay cut (I would only be making $50-$60k). I also acknowledge that working a boring government desk job, there is probably part of me that romanticizes a trades job working with my hands. That being said its something I feel drawn to do and I crave the skills associated with being able to build a house, I love other DIY work that I have done thus far. The builder though is a good friend of my neighbour (typical in our small mountain town) and seems like a really great guy to learn from. I also feel like a big part of my current plan has been not to rush, I have the flexibility to take time off when I want (albiet unpaid time), I do have access to 5 paid sick days that I plan to use to go skiing this winter. I also recognize that making around $100kish while living in small town BC with low housing costs is kind of a cheat code that part of me feels I should make last as long as possible. Im also lucky that since my contract could naturally come to an end in May, I would be eligible to collect EI and take a sabbatical next summer and take time off (should the trades apprenticeship fall through for some reason).
New Job Offer: Working for a non profit in Vancouver, BC that does work on tiny homes and promoting the tiny home movement across BC. Tin homes is something I am super passionate about and I did a bunch of research while in grad school on tiny homes. It would allow me to work remotely from small town BC, with occasional travel to Vancouver BC (paid for by employer). The salary range for the position is $75-85k and they say they might be able to go higher. Honestly, the job sounds cool and I got a decent vibe from the interview. I also feel so bored at the municipality that the idea of actually working on something I am passionate about is appealing. One of my thoughts is knowing how I feel about a desk job now (bored, burnt out), that requesting a 3 or 4 day work week with a pro rated salary (ex $85k on a 3.5 day work week) would allow me time to work on other projects on the side (maybe even potentially work one day as a carpenter) I would still have access to paid time off and sick days, and I would enjoy a lot of the in-person work around meeting with governments and giving presentations and writing reports on tiny homes.
Part of me writing this out is to quell my own anxiety, part of me is terrified of making the wrong decision, but then I try to remind myself there is no WRONG decision and if I don't like it I can always make changes. Would love to get anyone thoughts on this job offer going forward. Happy to also provide more info if that is helpful.
One other thing I would say, in a perfect world I would love to work for this tiny home company two days a week and build houses two days a week. Do you think that could work?
