So here's the deal..... we could use a little extra money. I don't make very much money as a part time elementary school librarian.
I have seen two jobs in the last week that are advertising jobs in the $50-80k range for an architect that I fully qualify for.
Should I keep the low paying job that I love that lets me spend time with books, kids, and my own kids? I can spend days reading picture books, come home and spend 30 minutes on the treadmill, finish my MLIS, make dinner, finish 8 loads of laundry in two days time, read and write to my hearts content, have all the same days off and holidays as my children, and generally be a happy fulfilled poor person.
Or do I apply for an architecture job with the City of Flagstaff or NAU? The hours would be long, the summer vacations gone, the dropping off and picking up of my children from school non-existent but I would have full health benefits, vacation and sick pay, an opportunity to pay off my credit cards and student loans, the ability to give my husband a break from being the major breadwinner for the family, and a retirement package.
It's a difficult decision. Sure I can apply for the jobs and see what happens. If I am passed over it is a sure indication that I should stay where I am. But what if? What if I get one of those jobs and hate it and wish I could go back to the days of picture books, tying shoes, and recommending chapter books to fresh faced 10 year olds? Then what? And what about my Master's Degree in Library Science?
It could be years before I have a $60,000/year library job. What to do?
Why do we always have to seem to choose between money and happiness?
