Help! I'm Starting to Enjoy the 9-5 Lifestyle...
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For the past 4 months, I've been working for Ticketmaster's San Francisco admin office. So far, it's been great, and I can honestly say that of all the jobs I've been at in my working life, this has been by far my favorite. There have been highs and lows at all of my past places of employment, but immediately the atmosphere, the colleagues, the location and the perks have been incredible. It's by far the largest company I've ever worked for, and the opportunities are immense. There are talks of me becoming a permanent employee, and I wouldn't mind staying. 5 years ago, I would have been thrilled at such a proposition. But over the last few years, I've discovered a serious case of wanderlust that won't be cured anytime soon. My travels are often planned up to 2 years in advance, and I know I will go to my grave regretting my decision if I choose not to go through with them. So until now, I never minded that all of my previous employment has essentially been "throwaway" jobs, ones that I took just to save for my next trip and was happy to leave. I did learn a lot from them, of course, I just couldn't see myself working at any of them long-term. Earlier this year, I had thought that maybe it was time for me to give up long-term travel and settle on a job I would stay at for at least a couple of years, one that would give me benefits, a regular salary, and maybe even think about moving into my own place. But then I am always scheming to find ways to sneak in some extended trips. Like that 6-week Argentina/Chile/Uruguay trip I tentatively have penciled in for next spring. And that road trip in New England. Not to mention my desire to spend some quality time in Hong Kong/China/Taiwan/Southeast Asia and getting in touch with my roots. I'm sure the folks at Ticketmaster would really appreciate my taking off for huge chunks at a time while they have to make do with three weeks for an entire year. There is a part of me that thinks that I could settle for a 2-week trip to Costa Rica in lieu of South America, as well as an abridged version of the New England vacation. And maybe I could stay at Ticketmaster for 2 years to save for that big Asia adventure. Sure, it's nice to have a regular paycheck and benefits, bake cookies and plan parties for the office, score occasional free tickets (don't tell anyone that), but do I really want to sacrifice my passion for that? My gut is telling me no. As much as I do like having that 9-5 at the moment to keep a sense of normalcy in my life (and avoid that awkwardness when people ask me what I do) travel is never far from my mind. I can't help but scan the South America and Asia guidebooks for inspiration, and every other day I seem to be looking up flight prices on Sidestep. Whenever I hear about someone else's travels, I feel incredibly jealous. Every time my friends and relatives see me, they ask me where/when I'm going on my next trip, even if they don't want to encourage me. And part of the reason I have no plans to move out at the moment are because I don't know if I will even be staying in the Bay long-term. I do still have that unfulfilled dream of living on the East Coast, either in New York or Boston. |
Valerie, you're young still. I would say if your heart is tugging you away to explore the world then go for it. It is very easy to fall into the comforts of a regular job and routine...ask yourself what's important to you. Do you want to move into your own place because you REALLY want your own place? Or because that's just what people seem to do? Question everything. Analyse your decisions and make sure you're doing things for the right reason. It took me a while to discover that there are so many ways to live your life, that you don't have to follow the path that is seemingly laid in front of you...routine is comfortable and safe. And for most people I think that's all they ask for. But you are obviously not completely content with it.
Before you get "trapped" with a mortgage, a job you just can't leave, and/or children, go check things out. There is a big world out there with endless possibilities, options you probably haven't thought about or can't even imagine.
I worked 11 years for a big corporation. I thought I was going to retire from there. I had the same plans as most...buy a house/condo, get married, have kids, etc. That got blown out of the water. I did end up getting married, but shortly after, we left our comfortable lifestyle and hit the road. Our plans now include traveling and settling alternately for the foreseeable future. We don't know what we will be doing a year or two from now, or even where we will be. I find it exciting...just knowing that the options are out there if we are courageous and resourceful enough to brave the world.
You and I are on the same wavelength. I was "normal" for 22 years before I decided to go on my vagabonding ways. I've realized I'm not as career-oriented as a lot of my peers and am still unsure about the other things I "should" be doing like buying a house, a fancy car, having kids, etc. Even if I do decide I want all that I've still got time for it. There are few things I've done in my life that I regret and none of them have to do with travel.
"the atmosphere, the colleagues"
This is the stuff that makes all the difference. And I can totally relate! For one thing, it's a lot harder to leave a job that you actually like, because you know you may come back to much worse.
That being said, you don't necessarily HAVE to choose... Ticketmaster's a huge company so it may not be as flexible, but in my last job I was able to prove that I was valuable enough for it to be worthwhile for them to do things like letting me work flex-hours and bank extra time off, and eventually they even let me take a two-month unpaid leave, holding my job for me.
So it might be worth seeing if you can have it both ways, right? If they say no, the worst-case scenario is you're back where you started, choosing between long-term travel and work stability.
Good luck!! It's tricky stuff, for sure.
I actually was thinking about seeing if I could take an extended leave. It would work out nicely - I could take my long vacation, and still have a job to come back to as soon as I return.