T-minus…

So I’m starting my last week at PCL today. It feels odd, knowing I have just a few days remaining out of a 7-year tenure with the company. It’s the longest I have ever worked anywhere and as I approach the final day some things cross my mind that I will be missing…

• Great travel benefits. Seriously, the benefits here are nuts. Basically, I can cruise anywhere in the world for free. Now, to be fair, I havent really taken advantage of this over the years (the last cruise I took was in 2010), but still, knowing that I’ll never cruise so cheaply again makes me cringe.
• 9/80 scheduling. This is nice. It means that in a two week period, I work 80 hours over the course of nine days, leaving the 10th day as a day off. This equates to 26 extra vacation days a year. Or AN ENTIRE MONTH of vacation I’ll be losing. This one kind of hurts.
• Unpaid overtime. In my newest position with PCL, I’m basically working 12-hour days. As an exempt employee, I do not get any extra compensation for staying late and not seeing my daughter for 3-4 days at a time. FUCK THAT. My new job guarantees paid overtime. If a client doesnt want to pay my overtime, then I don’t work it (and I get home at a reasonable hour). A total win-win for me.
• Wage. As part of the travel industry, and the great cruise benefits (mentioned above), PCL salaries are lower than the standard for the work that is done. Where I’m going, the bench rate (or the rate I get for sitting on my ass between contracts) is higher than what I make now. So…Yeahhh…
• Commute. Right now, I’m in the car about an hour and a half a day. Not a terrible commute by any means, but definitely not as close to home as I would like. The chances of me working closer to home in my next gig are going to increase considerably. Better work-life balance and whatnot.

There are definitely multiple things to consider here, with not one thing being a primary factor in me jumping ship (pun intended). It’s just one of those things that, after a certain amount of time, you know it’s the right thing to do.

Change is good. And it is something I feel that I really need in my life at this moment.