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A pair of part time jobs?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Huggs4Thuggs, Jul 20, 2007.

  1. Huggs4Thuggs

    Huggs4Thuggs New Member

    So here’s the deal:

    I’m absolutely miserable at my current job (the CNHI type of miserable). I hate the town, hate the paper, have a publisher who wants things on the page that are “cute”. You know, the total package.

    Anyway I’ve been looking for an escape route for a while and the best thing I found was a pair of part time jobs with the promise of “strong consideration” for a full-time position when one becomes available.

    I would be working for a radio station and a fan magazine in the city that houses my alma mater (a wonderful place). Is there a significant benefit to leaving a daily prep beat at a small paper for a chance to cover a major university through two mediums? Does it look better on a resume?

    Then there is the issue of health insurance.

    Since I’ve been lurking around this board for a while, I know your opinions on fan magazines, but when you’re miserable at your job do you have to take what you can get? I’m too young to be miserable.

    Has anyone done this kind of thing in the past? How did it turn out?
     
  2. chazp

    chazp Active Member

    I too work for CNHI, so I feel your pain. Insurance is a huge issue, can you get by without it? What if you had a wreck/wound up in hospital ect? Leaving for two part times jobs is risky, but I understand your wanting to cover a different beat. What is the difference in pay between the two part time jobs (combined) and your current gig?
     
  3. joe_schmoe

    joe_schmoe Active Member

    Life is too short to be miserable.
    Doesn't matter how old you are, if you're miserable in your job, it's time to move on, take the part time stuff until something comes up. And as far as health, you can find some decent, resonably-priced plans out there, you just have to search.
    If you're miserable in your job, trust me, that carries over to other aspects of your life.

    Good luck.
     
  4. Huggs4Thuggs

    Huggs4Thuggs New Member

    The pay would work out to be the same, maybe even a little better because of living expenses. Is your CNHI paper as miserable as mine?

    I know it's risky, but how risky are we talking? This isn't going to kill my career is it? After all both jobs are in my general career field.

    As far as insurance goes it, how much does it cost to take out a policy?

    I’ve been asking for advice about this for a while. Some people think it’s a solid choice, while others (including my dad) think it’s absolutely insane.

    I wish I could talk to someone who has done this in the past.
     
  5. forever_town

    forever_town Well-Known Member

    Insurance is a big issue in my book. Especially now that I've had a bout with cancer recently.

    However, I would have to agree with the above sentiment that life's too short to be miserable at what you do. As far as I'm concerned, no amount of money would make up for being miserable every day. As mentioned before, you can always look into individual insurance plans that can at least fill the gap until you get a permanent full-time gig somewhere else.

    You may also want to look into COBRA if you decide to leave your current employer. That's a federal program that allows you to pay your own way but still be covered by your employer's insurance plan for up to 18 months. One thing I should warn you about that, however, is that it's often very costly. In fact, it might be more expensive than many individual plans. However, if you have a great insurance plan and great doctors, you may want to explore that route if it's available to you.
     
  6. Cadet

    Cadet Guest

    COBRA is insanely expensive and - the fine print - doesn't travel across state lines.

    I agree with the "life's too short" comment, but on the other hand, don't even THINK about dropping health insurance if you have children.
     
  7. Colton

    Colton Active Member

    Working at a CNHI shop, I most certainly feel your pain. Wish I had the stones to make such a move, but without insurance, I could not, would not. I am very close to looking for an out myself, but it would have to include health insurance.

    I wish you the best.
     
  8. Huggs4Thuggs

    Huggs4Thuggs New Member

    I have no children, so I figure if I was ever going to make a move like this, now would be the time.

    I'm 24 and have plenty of time to recover if something goes wrong.
     
  9. jgmacg

    jgmacg Guest

    Speaking only to the issue of health insurance: depending on your state of residence, you can find catastrophic health coverage online. Much less expensive than HMO coverage, but you'd be covered for an unfortunate stay in the hospital. On the other hand hand, you're paying out-of-pocket for routine medical care.

    I wouldn't suggest it for any length of time, but for six months or a year - presuming you're in excellent health - it might carry you between jobs if the COBRA extension is too expensive. Google something like "Assurant" or "Fortis" and root around a little for an estimate. It might - or might not - work for a young person like you.
     
  10. chazp

    chazp Active Member

    Sounds like you've got your mind made up and you're right you're young enough to get back the paper biz if need be.

    Right now I can't call my CNHI gig miserable. Some bad things happened a few months back, but in the last 45 days three positive things have come our paper's way and I'm not sure what to make of it all. Our office got a 2.5 percent cost of living increase (yes, I think it should have been higher than 2.5 percent) and our mileage increased by three cents, plus we got a new T1 line to send our pages to the paper where they are printed. (our pages and photos get there faster this way.) Not sure if I call my gig miserable right now. Did a few months back, but not now, however, who knows about a few months from now.
     
  11. Andy Dufresne

    Andy Dufresne Member

    I'm by no means an advocate of randomly dropping your health care coverage, but I believe most states offer state-funded heath care programs that cover children for little or no cost. Something to consider for anyone with a family who is entirely fed up with their job.
    I agree with the "life's too short" philosophy. Unfortunately, society has scared all of us into believing we can't live without employer-provided "necessities" like health care insurance. Don't be a slave to the system. If you're miserable where you are, then by all means get out and do something you enjoy.
     
  12. captzulu

    captzulu Member

    As far as insurance go, I'd suggest that if you're going to go long term (more than a few months) without company-provided insurance, look into an individual plan of some sort. I had a contract job for a year and got an individual plan from Blue Cross Blue Shield that was about $120-$140 a month, and I was 25 at the time with no health issues or family, so kind of a similar situation as you. You could also see if you can bring up the health insurance issue during salary negotiation and get one or both jobs to go up a bit in money to help you cover some of the expenses.
     
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