In May, I was terminated from a great job that I'd had for over ten years and where I was earning six figures. The industry is in something of a down-turn/realignment, and my company had to close the division I worked in. There were a couple of guys with more seniority who were able to find jobs at lower pay in other divisions but I was let go and have been collecting unemployment since June.
My wife and I, and our three kids, live simply in a fairly low cost of living state, Louisiana. We've eliminated all unnecessary overhead costs and have been utilizing all available government assistance. With unemployment, it's enough to cover our rent and utilities and keep our vehicles in order.
My resume is extensive and as diverse as possible in the maritime field, especially for someone my age. I don't need to find something as lucrative as the job I had to make ends meet, and frankly, I would rather be home with my kids more than I was before, even if the pay was half of what I was making.
Last week I was offered a job at a retailer that is peripherally related to the maritime field. It's a storefront job, part-time, no benefits. I'm tempted to take it just because I'm impatient to get back to work. In the meantime, I continue to apply for more professional level jobs where I can actually use my total of twenty years of experience, rather than working alongside high school kids.
Taking the retail job would interfere with my ability to make interviews and to treat my job search as a full time job and it would reduce or eliminate the unemployment benefit we currently get. On one hand, I could end up managing that retail store before too long, and on the other hand, I'll be the lowest guy on the seniority list which is what got me at my last position.
My question is objective: Should I take the retail job, make minimum wage, incur child-care costs, and jeopardize my stable unemployment and limit my availability for the job search? Or should I inform the job offer that I would be available to begin at a later date, once the primary job search is complete and I know what my availability is going to be?
Submitted August 12, 2018 at 10:52AM by TippyCanoe0369 https://ift.tt/2KN4DIZ
