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Greetings, I have a conundrum that I’m mulling over, trying to decide how to continue.

My education is in audio engineering, I’m good with tech, have been working at an AV company for a year now and starting to bridge my skill set into the IT side of things. Learning programming, networking, cybersecurity, etc - primarily on Codecademy at the moment, but I’m also going through the Harvard CS50 course and will be looking to get my CCNA and Network+ and the like in the future.

At my current AV job we have to travel all the time, and the jobs we do are kinda stupid, not gonna lie. Like I’m usually left scratching my head over “how is it that we got paid to do this when the client could have easily done this themselves?” I get paid pretty well, especially for an AV tech, probably on the higher side of the average pay (~$25 an hour). However, my company is kind of a joke, the boss is an ex-rockstar-wannabe, if you want a good image.

My main complaint is that I constantly have to go on trips far away from home (like LA, NY, Dallas, Chicago), and these trips are never organized in any sort of way. Shit gets added on last day or during the job, I end up having to come home late or the next day. I’m exhausted all the time and cannot get anything done at home.

The pay is nicer than some jobs, but I’m only sustaining a home and my wife at the moment (I’m partially sustaining my mother as well but she also takes care of herself and gets some alimony, so she’s not fully on my shoulders). When we have kids I’m gonna probably need more than $25 an hour.

I’ve only had this job for one year and there’s a potential opportunity to go work as a network and systems administrator (typical IT position). I would be working for a town hall though, in the Bernie state (VT). Better pay, much better hours, no trips, but I’d be working for a bunch of Libs. No vax requirement as of yet, but that would be a deal breaker.

Should I stay at this insane job, be away from my family and make base technician money but be away from the libs, or should I drop it and do what’s better for my mental health and family?

Admittedly, I haven’t got the job at the town hall, but I’m well known at the town hall since they’re a client, they like me, they know and want my specific skill set since I’m the one that set up their AV system.

Thoughts?

Thank you folks, god bless.

Greetings, I have a conundrum that I’m mulling over, trying to decide how to continue. My education is in audio engineering, I’m good with tech, have been working at an AV company for a year now and starting to bridge my skill set into the IT side of things. Learning programming, networking, cybersecurity, etc - primarily on Codecademy at the moment, but I’m also going through the Harvard CS50 course and will be looking to get my CCNA and Network+ and the like in the future. At my current AV job we have to travel all the time, and the jobs we do are kinda stupid, not gonna lie. Like I’m usually left scratching my head over “how is it that we got paid to do this when the client could have easily done this themselves?” I get paid pretty well, especially for an AV tech, probably on the higher side of the average pay (~$25 an hour). However, my company is kind of a joke, the boss is an ex-rockstar-wannabe, if you want a good image. My main complaint is that I constantly have to go on trips far away from home (like LA, NY, Dallas, Chicago), and these trips are never organized in any sort of way. Shit gets added on last day or during the job, I end up having to come home late or the next day. I’m exhausted all the time and cannot get anything done at home. The pay is nicer than some jobs, but I’m only sustaining a home and my wife at the moment (I’m partially sustaining my mother as well but she also takes care of herself and gets some alimony, so she’s not fully on my shoulders). When we have kids I’m gonna probably need more than $25 an hour. I’ve only had this job for one year and there’s a potential opportunity to go work as a network and systems administrator (typical IT position). I would be working for a town hall though, in the Bernie state (VT). Better pay, much better hours, no trips, but I’d be working for a bunch of Libs. No vax requirement as of yet, but that would be a deal breaker. Should I stay at this insane job, be away from my family and make base technician money but be away from the libs, or should I drop it and do what’s better for my mental health and family? Admittedly, I haven’t got the job at the town hall, but I’m well known at the town hall since they’re a client, they like me, they know and want my specific skill set since I’m the one that set up their AV system. Thoughts? Thank you folks, god bless.

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[–] • 2 pts (edited )

If the job change requires a move to Vermont, research the cost of living. I was going to move there for a job but my spreadsheet for home budget showed I could only afford to live in a rented trailer in the woods. Home ownership insane, rental properties that are nice very rare, cost of heating high and there is snow 6 months of the year. Add in the cost of changing to snow tires every year, finding reasonably priced and consistent repair services difficult. Work ethic of services like appliance and home repair is terrible.

I have heard so many horror stories of family and friends who live in Berlin, Waterbury, Stowe, and Burlington -- combined with spreadsheet numbers made me realize I could not afford to live there, even with the higher paying job.

and get ready for vax and mask Karen's, all of the libs are devotees of the vac religion

[–] • 1 pt

Unfortunately I already live in Vermont, this job would be about 20 minutes of a drive for me. Those horror stories are true, I’ve seen it all. This job would be a step up, more so that I could make enough money to get a patch of land somewhere far away from this blue mess, buy it outright, move there with my wife in an RV, and build a home there to raise my children :)