I did housekeeping when I was younger first through agencies and later for myself. When I began I kept the full time job I had and only worked as a housekeeper on my days off to see if I would like it well enough, and they could keep me busy enough, for me to quit my full time job. With work I always like to test the waters, try something out first before quitting my steady job and on a wing and a prayer immediately full force flinging myself into something new. If you want to know anything more about my experience with it, have any questions or anything you can PM me any time. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Titsalina, that is so wonderful! Wow, congrats on the offer to join such a practice! You deserve this after going through some tough economic times. Good on ya!

Also, I get what you are saying about being drained. I started doing some private practice work in the evenings for extra cash (well mainly due to overflow...I don't want to say no to any trans client who calls me and I can't fit them in at my regular job), and I fear I am really going to feel it. Already I am behind on documentation.
At my regular job I have two radically different jobs, one a behavioral health consultant in a primary care office, and one a regular therapist. 3 days in one place, 2 days the other. That already makes my head spin. Now I am adding something else. I know when the cash starts flowing in I will be happy (and I need more money because I need a new car), but I am worried about how it will be long term.

The charting takes up so much time, doesn't it??? I have so many solicitor reports and court reports to write. It takes me sometimes and extra 90 minutes a night to write everything up - invoices, charts, reports, emailing extra info for patients with questions... my shift ends at 8:30 but sometimes I don't leave till 10pm.
I *love* my patients, most of them. And I want to make sure I can do everything I can. The most common thing they say about me is that I am "utterly thourough" and I bloody well am. I may take longer and do things differently than many therapists but I won't ever leave someone short.

Taking pride in our work to a fault can really be a balancing act.

My career will always come first. It's my sparkle, my depth. My talent and my passion. Most Queers won't abide by that. *shrug*

So I make sure I take care of me first. Anything left over is absolutely given to those I care for. And that's not acceptable to many, if not most.

But I hear you. I understand. We are lucky. And the self responsibility with that is occasionally daunting. AND sometimes coming home and shoving a granola bar in my mouth with a magnesium tablet for sore muscles is the most I can do. So I won't be making someone else's dinner, nor doing their laundry or cleaning their toilet. Fuck that. I don't even clean my own toilet.

;)

I hope you have lots of self care goodies stashed away for yourself !!!

This is how I feel about my profession too. It's the one thing know about myself and, no matter if everything else falls apart, I have this one huge area in life where I know I made the right choice. And there have been times where it has saved me; going to work each day and teaching those flawed and beautiful teenagers saved me from going into an even darker place when life was miserable.

Oh hell, yeah. To both the identity piece, but for sure the "saved me" piece.

I have definitely had hard moments in a day and would think to myself, "I need to see a client to steady myself. I will be fine then" lol

Glad to be back...
 

In 2009, the mental health community agency I was employed with, suffered a severe budget cut that eliminated my position of 9 years along with 4 other co-workers. All 5 of us struggled as to what would be the outcome for the patients we gave hope and stability.

20 days ago today: 3 of us returned upon request at the agency's CEO to bring back our collective years of experience the hope and security to those patients.We all agreed that much has changed in the last 7 yrs. We all found other jobs..sought a place where we could touch the lives of those who needed hope and stability but never felt we were able to make a difference.

None of us expected that we would be able to return to our personal dedications and experiences of caring and hope to those who needed us the most. For me, this was very personal and emotionally moving to be there for those who knew me then and saw me there today.

I am more than happy the CEO called and asked for our return!

ks-

Hi all! I just wanted to throw this question out there to get other people's opinions. If you're not happy with your current fulltime job and can't find anything better, would you work two part time jobs if the pay was the same as you? Of course you would have no benefits but some people may not worry about that. I'm sort of thinking about doing this...... Anybody have any input? Advice?

[QUOTE=imperfect_cupcake;1102074]The charting takes up so much time, doesn't it??? I have so many solicitor reports and court reports to write. It takes me sometimes and extra 90 minutes a night to write everything up - invoices, charts, reports, emailing extra info for patients with questions... my shift ends at 8:30 but sometimes I don't leave till 10pm.
I *love* my patients, most of them. And I want to make sure I can do everything I can. The most common thing they say about me is that I am "utterly thourough" and I bloody well am. I may take longer and do things differently than many therapists but I won't ever leave someone short.

Taking pride in our work to a fault can really be a balancing act.

My career will always come first. It's my sparkle, my depth. My talent and my passion. Most Queers won't abide by that. *shrug*

So I make sure I take care of me first. Anything left over is absolutely given to those I care for. And that's not acceptable to many, if not most.

But I hear you. I understand. We are lucky. And the self responsibility with that is occasionally daunting. AND sometimes coming home and shoving a granola bar in my mouth with a magnesium tablet for sore muscles is the most I can do. So I won't be making someone else's dinner, nor doing their laundry or cleaning their toilet. Fuck that. I don't even clean my own toilet.

;)

I hope you have lots of self care goodies stashed away for yourself !!!

Was a ICU/ER RN for 30 years. Would get high from my job each time I went

to work. Am on SSDI, but sure wish I were still working. There's nothing like

a good "code" or trauma!!!

I think it depends on a person's personality. I personally would not be good having to manage two jobs. Right now I have two very different jobs at work, part-time in each one, specific days of the week and in different offices. It is hard for me to juggle. I am a "one focus", type of person. Although I do like having different "roles" within the same department/programs, being in two different "worlds', is very hard for me.

I have started doing some evening private practice work, but that is a simple stop in, see a couple clients and then go home, type of deal.

I have a job interview on March 20th, for a job that I applied for, while am working temp for that same company. I am hoping to get on permanent as an Administrative Technician for the county appraisal district.

I spoke too soon...my easy simple stop in job has become a bit more work...I quickly expanded my hours and I am getting more drained than it seemed I would get, at first... It is hard to say no to someone when they call to see you. It is nice to have the additional money, though.

after working 3 decades in social service and mental health fields, I had a bad accident that winded me up on permanent disability. I work a minimal amount of time in mental health still, just to get me out of the house and give me a sense of purpose. I LOVE this work and cant imagine giving it up any time soon. I wish I could work more hours but when I try, my body falls apart and I end back up flat on my back.

Wow. I posted this thread 8 years ago and I am still employed at the same company! :seeingstars:

I'm coming up on 9 years at this company in September. I *love* the people I work with and love being in a fast-paced super-techie environment and I have gained a huge amount of education here and several friends whom I consider family.

The industry itself wears me out some days. There can be a lot of stress and a lot of bureaucracy and I can feel the glass ceiling sometimes but I've also had the luxury of being completely and 100% out of the closet here (Like, so far out that I have spearheaded multiple diversity projects).
I've only held one position in all of my white-collar employment where I felt the homophobia leaking from people's faces and that was working for the State. I swore I'd never put up with that shit again...and I haven't.

My company is going through a massive transition right now and I don't know what it is going to mean for me in the long run. I hope I can stay here for a while longer until I decide what I want to do long-term. I have thought about taking a teaching position at a university or maybe developing my freelance work into something more full-time, and I definitely could because my free-lance can be as lucrative was my steady, just with more hustle. LOL

In short, I'm employed full-time in a white collar environment at a high-tech marketing company. I have an office, a salary, and I don't punch a clock.

I never imagined myself in this position because I always thought I'd end up being a mortician or working for the FBI but such is life. :)

Yes i would work 2 part time jobs. The job im currently with is not happy about ny health problems, etc. So im thinking about finding another part time job.

Employed as an assembly line worker at a new air conditioning manufacturing plant here in town.

Looking for another job though.

my experience ...
 

long, long time ago I once quit a job BEFORE I had secured another one to walk right into ... I won't ever so that to myself again ... it was horribly stressful on me ...

I am blessed to have always had a full time job. I have also only worked for two companies over my 25 years of working.

Of course, my position has changed many times in these companies over the years, and there were times that I was not happy (most notably 3 years ago for 3-5 years with my current employer), but I hung in there, and I am glad I did. 3 years my program had an overhaul and things have been much, much less stressful. I hung in there due to the quality benefits I have, but I was close to the end of my rope with that.

Are there other people here who stay/have stayed at their jobs because they have good benefits (insurance, retirement, etc)?