Outside Burns
As previously reported on this very blog, I have recently started a new job. The place I'm at is pretty good. It's a small company with some very smart people and they kinda just let you do whatever you want to get the work done. That made it a little difficult to figure things out at first but now that I have, I can do stuff in the best way possible.
The work itself is also interesting. I've managed a couple site visits and there's more architectural work than I'm used to. A lot of what I am doing I also haven't done in years so it's nice to stretch some of my basic drafting muscles again.
So, it's more than a little frustrating that I basically walked in the first day and wanted to walk right out. It's nothing to do with the company or people. My previous work just burnt me out and I honestly don't even want to be an Engineering Technologist anymore. But, unless I want to take a substantial hit in how much money I make, I'm stuck here for now.
I've started pushing hard at the education end of things to see if there is anything I can take. I had thought about going as taking a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Physics but, while supportive, I could tell my wife wasn't a big fan of the option. Maybe in the future when we are better of financially. It also doesn't help that I wasn't really sure what a career in Saskatoon would look like for that.
So, I'm still looking but I honestly am not sure what I should go after. Astronomy looks great but isn't exactly a good prospect in Saskatchewan. I'm also looking if I can just add a year course or something like that on but haven't found anything good yet. The AI in construction one that I wanted turned out to be $24K for a year course that only instructs 3 hours a week. I'll pass for that, thanks.
I've also thought about doing technical writing, for manuals and instructions but I wouldn't even know where to start. Plus most places want a full on engineer to do that. That's actually one of the problems that I find: you need an engineering degree to be an engineering manager even though it has nothing to do with engineering. Not just that case, that's just an example. But I also get where they are coming from, you can't just grab someone off the street.
As it sits, I just search around online for program opportunities and hope maybe I won't feel so bored and frustrated at work forever. Really, the dream is to get Daniella making enough money that we can move near her workplace and I'll be a stay at home puppy dad and take them for a walk to see their mom every lunch.
Yeah. That sounds good.
Comments
The burnout going into a new job issue is real. I applied for a gig at the U of R a few weeks back. It would be a step up in challenge and stuff. And all I could think of was - I know I can do this, but I don't know if I have capacity to. I mean I'm very aware that I'm months overdue for a long break, and that's coming in just over a week. But goddamn it am I ever burnt out.
I'm also always considering a just complete change of direction. Go into deep sea welding or designing childrens toys for kids with extremely large hands. Just completely different from what I do now. But I don't know what that looks like. I've been coming back to an old desire from my 20's to be a luthier. But that's expensive and who knows if there's going to be a market for that in a few more years. Maybe I should be an AI mechanic, just fixing up the AI's as they need work. That way I have a job even after The Singularity.