This question was inspired from TNG's post here about his dog, Hemingway, and a health related decision. Read the thread if you haven't already.
That post got me to thinking, what is the hardest or toughest decision I've had to make lately? Be it a financial, personal, or moral decision. For me it's probably one that I'm still dealing with with relation to my academic department. There is a society for Chemical Engineering students, in which funding comes from member dues and our college's Student Affairs and Student Government (if needed, and by request only). With being a Student Government recognized club comes the responsibility of leadership being elected by the constituency of the organization, in this case the student members. However, it was brought to my attention that elections were conducted by having candidates present to the faculty of my academic department. Decisions were then made during the faculty retreat and I feel time could have been spent on more worthwhile pursuits. There was no student input in these elections, which opposes the rules of being a recognized club. I've approached my department about it but have gotten nowhere, and am now faced with the decision of going to Student Affairs. It's a hard decision because I don't want funding or anything of the sort taken away from the people who actually run the day-to-day operations just because of department is more involved than they're supposed to be. Additionally, the department does help with professional connections and bringing people in as guest speakers, so they are still depended on in some ways. Just not ways that delegate that they can decide leadership.
Anyway, what's the hardest decision you've made recently or are in the process of making?
I work in tech. I know a lot in the field and I'm currently working in an enjoyable, reference-rich, but someone easy and low paying position. If I stay where I am, and do so for one year in somewhat-financially comfortable position, I will take over the department with one of my bosses when the other leaves. This will have extreme job security, a reasonable (very large for my age) salary, a ton of vacation time (seriously, like, 25 days a year at first, growing to up to 40 days a year), and they will pay for whatever education I want to receive since it is a university I work for, but the pay won't grow much, and won't be what I'd be happy with after a few years. It will always be lower than if I took my skills to the private sector.. If stick around for five years or so, I'll have a more well-respected references then I'll ever need, a degree, and probably a job anywhere I want to go. My housemate, on the other hand, works in cybersecurity, the field I will eventually enter professionally. He is begging me to take a job with him. That is a job that will pay me well above anything that I will make at the university and will have me at my life-goal salary level within three years and will start well above anything what would be me 'extremely financially secure' as I already have the skills for higher level positions. I will then have references from there, strong job security, references within the government, top secret clearance, and an in with the agencies my future wife will be working for. I will not, however, probably ever be able to get a degree at that point, but it will challenge me more than the other position and will lead to job experience in my future field. In reality, I could do one and then the other, most likely, but that doesn't make it any easier to decide now, especially with how enticing that pay is for someone as poor as I am. I'm leaning towards the first, because I have some pretty strong loyalty to my bosses after all they've done for me to keep me, well, not homeless, and the degree will always be beneficial, and it gives me time to really sharpen my skills for the next step. I must say that I am at least extremely glad I do have choices. That's a lot more than most can say.
That vacation time would be enough to sell me on the job. That's incredible to have that much right off the bat. Another thing you might want to think about is if you like the people you would be working with at both places, that's been a huge part of every job I've had so far. Either way, it looks like your decision is down to two choices with a lot of upside.
I have a friend currently crashing at my place. Due to recent events, it is unlikely that she'll be allowed to stay for longer than a month. She's a pretty volatile and emotional person and you dont want to just push a person away, but she can't coexist in the peace created at home.
Should I stay or should I go? I guess I've already decided. Buy I don't want to leave my housemates who have made me feel so at home. Almost comfortable in my own skin..something i realize i've been craving all my life. But I also feel I don't have much more to offer them at this point, to help them grow as people. And maybe they've helped me enough for now and that's OK. It feels like it's time to move on. I was only going to stay a year and it's been a bit longer. I'll probably want to end up back in this beautiful city later in life but for now I must follow the music. For tomorrow may rain so I'll follow the sun.
I sent an email to the Army of God once. They don't exist, I'm aware of that, but I found an email address all the same. I was absolutely certain that having done so would get me killed. It was such a traumatic experience that I even know what day it was - August 19, 1997. August 19, 1997 I went home and waited to die.
Wait, what? I'm confused, and google has come up empty. If you don't mind elaborating, I'm very interested.
I sent an email to an organization that does not exist, and doing so, even the thought of doing so, produced an expectation at that time. To begin to grasp the nature and the extent of my experience from my perspective, you might try http://zendogblog.net/ and from the drop down menu select Poems and then any of the selections under Poems from a Cold Road Calling - The Flower is the first from that publication. There are of course other selections found on my website that attempt to elucidate the nature of the experience and to interpret from it some greater meaning . . . and I'm really not sure what else to say about that. I could of course insist that you must picture me sitting here pulling my ear as I address your question - but the fact is I would not. I refuse. It is not in my nature to pull my ear as a form of symbolic communication for things of which we will not speak, for as soon as I may, I will speak, just as I am now with my insistence that symbolic non verbal forms of communication that remain subject to interpretation are not the least bit communicative of anything at all short of fear, and I will not live by that yoke. And if for some reason that is not clear enough, then perhaps you will suspend incredulity long enough to permit me to refer you here
aaaaaaaaand he's gone! ...??? Edit: Wherever you may be, ZenDog, I hope that you're OK. :)