Stuck in job😔

whatshouldIdo

Hi boardies.
First time poster here.
Would love to hear some advice/counsel from you guys!

So first of all let me tell you about myself and my situation.
I'm a 27 year old male working for a well known supermarket. I live with my partner (not married) and our 5 yr old girl.
My take home pay is €450 a week.
My partners work is "cash in hand" and takes home a weekly sum of €300.

We rent a house for €1000 p/m. Its the cheapest in our area. We have only recently put in an application for social housing so we can soon apply for HAP.

So as Ive said I work in a supermarket, have been for the past 5 years. And I absolutely cant stand being there any longer. I know I should be thankful that Im employed, and I am but Ive been so miserable this past few months because of my job. The work/life balance is none existent.
Ill not list all the reasons that I cant stand anymore but the main one is not getting to see my family as much as I would like.
Most shifts are start at 2pm and not finished till 11.30pm. My partner would be in work as shes 9-5 and my kid at school so I dont see them in the morning or afternoon and by the time Im home their in bed.

Being the main provider financially, I feel stuck.
I would love to go back to education and get some certs in subjects Im interested in and then start applying for jobs in those sectors. Or even have a job thats 9-5 Monday to Friday.

Am I crazy in thinking of leaving my job to try and achieve those goals or should I just play it safe and stay put? I know I can only really answer that question but I would love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for reading!

judeboy101

Is 36k per year not above threshold limit for HAP?

whatshouldIdo

judeboy101 wrote: »

Is 36k per year not above threshold limit for HAP?

Hi. No not in our local county council.

judeboy101

whatshouldIdo wrote: »

Hi. No not in our local county council.

You must be in a band 1 area €37625 is max but waiting lists for housing in band 1 are crazy long, would you not be better downsizing to 2bed apt and using savings if any to build up enough cushion to try to change job?

whatshouldIdo

judeboy101 wrote: »

You must be in a band 1 area €37625 is max but waiting lists for housing in band 1 are crazy long, would you not be better downsizing to 2bed apt and using savings if any to build up enough cushion to try to change job?

Thanks for your reply. I have 15k in savings.
No credit cards or loans. Just bills and rent. Would you think 15k would suffice?

judeboy101

whatshouldIdo wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. I have 15k in savings.
No credit cards or loans. Just bills and rent. Would you think 15k would suffice?

If you have more than 6 months worth of rent saved up id discuss it with the missus and try either going down the back to education route or get a more family friendly 9-5. Life's too short to miss out on time with your loved ones.

whatshouldIdo

Dont wanna be moving my little girl around again. We've already moved twice in the last 6 months. She is settled now plus her school is just around the corner.

whatshouldIdo

judeboy101 wrote: »

If you have more than 6 months worth of rent saved up id discuss it with the missus and try either going down the back to education route or get a more family friendly 9-5. Life's too short to miss out on time with your loved ones.

Thanks judeboy101.

NicsM

OP, what sort of sort of subjects would you be interested in studying? Springboard has a huge range and most are free – a HDip might only be a year long commitment and some of the courses are offered as distance learning. https://springboardcourses.ie/

I can totally empathise on being stuck in a retail job, there really is no work/life balance and I'd say you wouldn't know yourself if you switched to 9-5.

Another thing that might be worth exploring is a customer service work from home job – both Apple and Amazon have roles and they hire quite frequently. It might not be a long term option but it could allow you to transition away from retail and study part time in an area you like.

whatshouldIdo

NicsM wrote: »

OP, what sort of sort of subjects would you be interested in studying? Springboard has a huge range and most are free – a HDip might only be a year long commitment and some of the courses are offered as distance learning.

I can totally empathise on being stuck in a retail job, there really is no work/life balance and I'd say you wouldn't know yourself if you switched to 9-5.

Another thing that might be worth exploring is a customer service work from home job – both Apple and Amazon have roles and they hire quite frequently. It might not be a long term option but it could allow you to transition away from retail and study part time in an area you like.

Thanks so much for your reply NicsM. Its much appreciated!
Id love to study any form of IT, from software development to networking. Is springboard the same as FAS or solas or are they even more options to consider?
Will definitely look into working from home also.

So I'm not crazy for thinking of leaving my job?

Xterminator

Hi OP

From personal expereince you would be best advised to try to get a 9-5 job, then do a night or distance course in your chose area. that way you get more time with family, bank holidays off etc, and can work on achieving your dream.

whatshouldIdo

Xterminator wrote: »

Hi OP

From personal expereince you would be best advised to try to get a 9-5 job, then do a night or distance course in your chose area. that way you get more time with family, bank holidays off etc, and can work on achieving your dream.

Much appreciated Xterminator.
Thank you.

NicsM

whatshouldIdo wrote: »

So I'm not crazy for thinking of leaving my job?

You're not crazy at all! What's crazy about wanting a better quality of life and more time with your loved ones?

Springboard is heavily focused on IT so it's right up your street – it's a government and EU initiative to upskill people into the IT sector so it's kind of like Fas but, the courses are provided by third level institutions like UCD, DIT and UCC. Nearly all the Institutes of Technology are offering courses on Springboard too.

I'm not sure what part of the country you're in but you should be able to find something nearby or using distance learning. Best of luck OP!

whatshouldIdo

NicsM wrote: »

You're not crazy at all! What's crazy about wanting a better quality of life and more time with your loved ones?

Springboard is heavily focused on IT so it's right up your street – it's a government and EU initiative to upskill people into the IT sector so it's kind of like Fas but, the courses are provided by third level institutions like UCD, DIT and UCC. Nearly all the Institutes of Technology are offering courses on Springboard too.

I'm not sure what part of the country you're in but you should be able to find something nearby or using distance learning. Best of luck OP!

Thanks so much! Great post, great advice. Exactly what I was looking for.

whatshouldIdo

Quick update.
Just got an email to complete online assessment tests for a company id love to work for. And yes its 9-5 mon to fri.
Fingers bloody crossed!

pilly

Hope your online assessment went well OP. Here's my twopence worth for what it's worth. Springboard courses are for people who are unemployed so that may not be an option.

Also leaving a job means you won't get unemployment benefit for 9 weeks so I wouldn't do it without something else to go to.

It's hard working a job you hate but looking for something while you're there is the best option you have at the moment.

MouseTail

pilly wrote: »

Springboard courses are for people who are unemployed so that may not be an option.

Not any more, most are now free to those in employment and Homemakers.

Tenigate

whatshouldIdo wrote: »

I would love to go back to education and get some certs in subjects Im interested in and then start applying for jobs in those sectors. Or even have a job thats 9-5 Monday to Friday.

Am I crazy in thinking of leaving my job to try and achieve those goals or should I just play it safe and stay put?

Ya know you've highlighted the sickening thing about funding in Ireland's education industry. There's all these schemes that allow certain people fees, grants, keep their dole, dont lose benefits.. but god forbid a low-skilled worker wants to improve their prospects.. there is no support, not even reasonable tax deductions for inexpensive courses and employers can be so inflexible. Anyway, not the place for a rant so here's my advice.

1. See what you're entitled to. If you happened to "lose" your job and wait the mandatory period to qualify for course funding what supports are actually available? If you played the system and got your hap housing, benefits, a little cash in hand and a grant, would you be financially stable or worse off than staying in your job?

2. If quitting your job isn't feasible or you'd rather look before you leap, look into distance learning or part-time level 5/6 courses in Java or something like that to get a foot in the door and see if it's for you. See if your employer can be flexible with either a set day or evening to attend a class, and to do exams.

Wesser

Bedt if luck with the interview! Don't quit your current job u til you have a new one lined up. That way there is no risk.

Ask your partner to start paying tax. Cash in hand is illegal.

whatshouldIdo

Another quick update folks.
Done the assessment test and got called back for an interview last Wednesday.
Got a phone call the next day with a job offer!
Thank you so much everyone for taking the time and clicking into my post and posting great advice!

Rubberchikken

Great news.
Best of luck and hope everything goes really well.

pilly

Congratulations and well done.

irska1700

whatshouldIdo wrote: »

Another quick update folks.
Done the assessment test and got called back for an interview last Wednesday.
Got a phone call the next day with a job offer!
Thank you so much everyone for taking the time and clicking into my post and posting great advice!

Great!!!

I just wanna add, when you realised what is your PRIORITY (better working hours, more time with family) then Its WORTH to jump out of comfort zone and look for better job.
Even If its salery the same, better working hours (morning shifts) makes a difference.

Goood luck,

Redser87

Great news. Best of luck in the new job.