Should I get a REAL job?

[Cynnergy]

Unfortunately, unlike Velvetfoot, I am nowhere near retiring, and I doubt retirement will even exist by the time I get there.

About two years ago, DH and I moved from the UK (he's a Brit, I'm a canuck) back to Canadia-land to be closer to my family and the island. He managed to get a decently-paid job in my hometown, and we used up most of our savings to renovate a cabin on the island and buy a (small) house in town. It is awesome being able to spend so much time at the cabin, but I have struggled to find employment - I am an ecologist by trade.

At the moment, I am keeping things together by combining some part-time work (2 days/week, 8 months/year) at a local charity and also getting some contract work, but the pay is p*ss-poor, the hours can be very long, and I don't really like most of the work. Working from home can be a struggle for me - I find it lonely and demotivating. I am doing some more interesting voluntary work on the side when I can, but it doesn't look like that will turn into a job. We are currently managing to pay the bills, but we're not saving anything.

Everyone seems to think that DH and I have it made, but I feel like I'm letting the team down and should start looking further afield for a full-time job (as in towns where I would have crazy 2 hr commutes or even have to rent a room during the week). What do you think?

 

[firefighterjake]

Random thoughts . . .

It may be a good time to speak with your partner and see what he thinks . . . but us strangers will be happy to give advice.

Time is sometimes more important than money . . . i.e. a two hour commute each day is a big chunk of loss time (says the guy with a 1 1/2 hour commute).

Money is sometimes more important than time . . . i.e. having some money in savings for those unexpected expenses is a good thing.

Only you (and your partner) can make the right choice for you . . .

 

[Ehouse]

How about nature photography, or writing? My wife has turned a love of nature into a rewarding (if not lucrative) small art business painting from photos. Have a look at ahouseartworks.com. Another friend writes articles for regional tourist publications. A decent photo-printer and inexpensive matte frames ($1 each at Yankee Dollar) and you're in business! Nature photos rank right up there with naked ladies as calendar art. Going to small galleries for openings and hanging prints is a great way to get out and socialize.

 

[webbie]

I detest real jobs.....


Of course, I also know that the world - as we know it - would not function if billions of people didn't wake up and go to them.

I guess I'm a believer in doing something which you enjoy and that does some good. Long commutes are tough.....

 

[USMC80]

they are overrated

 

[Ehouse]

How about nature photography, or writing? My wife has turned a love of nature into a rewarding (if not lucrative) small art business painting from photos. Have a look at ahouseartworks.com. Another friend writes articles for regional tourist publications. A decent photo-printer and inexpensive matte frames ($1 each at Yankee Dollar) and you're in business! Nature photos rank right up there with naked ladies as calendar art. Going to small galleries for openings and hanging prints is a great way to get out and socialize.

How about a fisheries consultant? You could develop a way to keep all those little commensal crabs out of the farmed mussels on PEI!

 

[Ashful]

Without knowing much in the way of details (age, kids, etc.), it's hard to give any advice. However, I did latch onto this statement:

I am keeping things together by combining some part-time work (2 days/week, 8 months/year) at a local charity and also getting some contract work, but the pay is p*ss-poor, the hours can be very long, and I don't really like most of the work.

You paint a pretty dismal picture there, so I'm wondering why you haven't already terminated that situation. With the bar set that low, you should be able to find something else less objectionable.

As to getting a real / full-time job, what the options for a geologist stationed where you are? I get the impression there is zero local opportunity, but depending on your level of schooling and experience, perhaps consulting opportunities? Most of the work might be from home, with opportunities for random site work? Perhaps a local gub'ment position (conservation, zoning, etc?), although perhaps not high on the pay scale, hours, commute, and benefits can be friendly.

 

[Cynnergy]

Wow thanks for all of the advice everyone! I realize life decisions are probably best not made by strangers on the internet but sometimes it's nice to have an outside perspective. Yes, hubby and I have discussed - he is in favour of the long commute option. We're both in our early 30s, no kids, not planning on having them - I enjoy being an auntie to two nieces and a nephew currently. I get to see the nieces a lot as they are close, the nephew not so much - he is in Vancouver, which is at least 5 hours away by car and ferry.

I would LOVE a government job - I worked in local government in the UK and it was great - not without frustrations but I enjoyed going to work almost everyday. Pay in government is good compared to charities too. But gov't jobs are like gold dust around here - there are maybe two that I am qualified for in town, and I would have to wait for the current people to leave before I could even apply. And a lot of gov't jobs are being cut too.

I am also interested in being a consultant, but I'm not sure what skills I could bring that would distinguish me from other similar consultants (the only thing that I can think of is that I am good at identifying European plants - some of which are invasive here, which I guess might be of use to someone), or how I could get known aside from what I'm doing now. Some of the work I'm doing now is getting me known around town, but no one has approached me yet asking for my services . I do have a MSc (in Environmental Decision Making) and I've almost gained my professional biologist certification - maybe I just need to start networking a bit further afield? I certainly don't mind traveling for work projects, I just don't really want to move unless I really have to.

Do consultants sometimes subcontract? I've been toying with the idea of contacting some more established ones to see if they need help with field work, report writing, etc. I don't really like cold calling but I'll do it if it might help. My luck with getting jobs/contracts that haven't been advertised is limited.

 

[Ashful]

Do consultants sometimes subcontract? I've been toying with the idea of contacting some more established ones to see if they need help with field work, report writing, etc. I don't really like cold calling but I'll do it if it might help. My luck with getting jobs/contracts that haven't been advertised is limited.

Yes. It's very common in some fields.

If you're considering consulting, I'd start with researching and joining some professional organizations. Consulting is as much about networking as your actual professional knowledge. I'd start here:

http://www.ccpg.ca/pgeoreg/index.php?lang=en

and here:

http://geology.com/societies.htm

 

[midwestcoast]

So, are you on Vancouver Island, or one of the smaller islands?
If no gov't jobs around I'd definitely look into consulting. One thing you could bring to a firm is location. If you can do field work and are a couple hours north of their office in, say, Victoria, then you just saved them 4 hrs travel. On a small job that's significant.
Do you have any GIS skills? That's pretty marketable to do from home. Can you do smaller Environmental Impact Assessments or similar?
If you don't mind traveling for a week or two now & then doing field work you could establish yourself with a firm & slowly work that into more of a work from cabin situation over a few years. Unfortunately most ecology & biology grads I've met in consulting have a very hard time finding work & have to branch out.
If starting your own consulting biz sounds too daunting for now, you also could be an hourly employee for one or more firms, as in you'd only get paid for billable hours worked. That said, I know a few people with one person consultancy businesses who have done well & say its not that hard to set-up. You just need some steady CLIENTS.
Cold calling sucks unless you're born with that gift. I'd lean towards Professional orgs, volunteer orgs, contacting headhunters, blabbing to everyone that you're looking for work, prowling Linked-In...

 

[gzecc]

Go job hunting in your field. Don't expect the only jobs to be hours away in the city. You never know what will turn up locally.

 

[Cynnergy]

midwestcoast - you sound very wise and experienced. Thank you for your advice, it is along the lines of what I've been thinking.

The main house is in Campbell River, and I am more than happy to be based here. The cabin is on an island a bit further up the coast and I never expected to be able to work from there - it's just too isolated. We do have a boat in Sayward so I can get myself around into isolated areas if that is of interest to potential employers/clients. Most of the work around there is forestry based (usually fisheries assessments of streams) and I wouldn't consider myself a fisheries biologist but I can learn!

I'm going to head to a workshop in Victoria this weekend on Canada Goose management, so I'll try to network a bit there.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts. I think I will put my efforts into job hunting (be it for a real job or a consultancy) as I am not happy with the current options. Hopefully if I spread the net more widely I can attract more work.

 

[Lake Girl]

Checked on the Chamber of Commerce website ... http://cr.majorprojects.ca/projects/jhgs John Hart GS Replacement project, BC Hydro, upcoming environmental assessment... Hemmera Environmental seems to be contracted for some of the work ...http://www.hemmera.com/careers
Any contacts within the First Nations who may require representation?

How about teaching at a local community college? Talk to the Adminstration there to see if you could provide your expertise to their current programs or be the base of a new education option. Looks like they have mutual agreements for transfer of credit to a few institutions... http://www.nic.bc.ca/program/apprenticeship_training_landscape_horticulture_level_1_enriched

Not sure if I'm off-base but good luck either way!

 

[Ashful]

Wow... forgot about this thread. How'd things work out, Cynnergy?