lame dillemma

[neuro]

here's the thing, i got offered a 6-month freelance contract from massive black, but i REALLY REALLY don't want to do another freelance project, especially one out of my own home.

i've been looking for a normal studio job for a while now, but it's not really getting along.

i don't NEED a job for another 4 months or so, so i'm cool with just declining the contract, and on top of that, the pay isn't extraordinary.

on the other hand.. it' fucking massive black, and the assignments would propably be right up my alley and look great on my portfolio.

i know everyone is propably going to call me crazy for not wanting to take the job, but i've been at home for almost half a year now, and i want to get my ass out of the door, and not be stuck at home (litterally) for another half year.

all that aside though, i know myself, and i'm pretty bad at motivating myself to do anything, especially at home. i need someone whipping my ass to get shit done.

halp.

edit: they need an answer today >_>
edit2: dilemma solved, 2 posts down. leaving the thread open for additional suggestions and opinions which i'd love to hear.

[=sw=warlord]

here's the thing, i got offered a 6-month freelance contract from massive black, but i REALLY REALLY don't want to do another freelance project, especially one out of my own home.

i've been looking for a normal studio job for a while now, but it's not really getting along.

i don't NEED a job for another 4 months or so, so i'm cool with just declining the contract, and on top of that, the pay isn't extraordinary.

on the other hand.. it' fucking massive black, and the assignments would propably be right up my alley and look great on my portfolio.

i know everyone is propably going to call me crazy for not wanting to take the job, but i've been at home for almost half a year now, and i want to get my ass out of the door, and not be stuck at home (litterally) for another half year.

all that aside though, i know myself, and i'm pretty bad at motivating myself to do anything, especially at home. i need someone whipping my ass to get shit done.

halp.

edit: they need an answer today >_>

If i were you, i would take the job, a job is a job and you are earning money, if the will to work plus the money you gain from it isnt the motivation you need to do the work,then your probably in the wrong profession, that's my honest opinion.

[Kornman00]

Contracting has been really high since the economy started taking a hit. Don't always assume that you'll be good for any certain amount of time. Also look as this as a chance to network. This can either land you a permi job there later or lead you someplace where it will.

If you enjoy the work you do, take it.

[neuro]

decided to do it after i talked about it a bit withh my daddy-in-law.

he said i could just put my computer at his restaurant in the office, so i wont be at home, and i wont have the distractions i've got at home, so that eliminates that obstacle.

and on top of that, there's a 1-month term on the contract, so if something better comes along, i can always quit that job.

i'll leave the thread open for now, to see what people have to say i think, since i'd love to get some more opinions.

[Cojafoji]

hey good for you man, sounds like you've got this thing figured out. you probably won't regret it, as it sounds like a fantastic opportunity.

[Higuy]

I'd take the job becuase at least your getting paid for it. While you have that job, you can always look for another studio job, and like you said, quit if you want and join the studio job. I think it'd work out pretty decently.

[Rob Oplawar]

Yeah, IMO you made the right decision just because of the one-month term which gives you a chance to rethink it- I would keep my eyes open, keep looking for a normal studio job. In my experience with contract work of a different sort, if you impress the right people with your work there you might even end up being actually hired by them, if that's what you're looking for.

It's a funny coincidence: I was just logging onto Modacity to post an extremely similar dilemma I'm facing, although I can wait a few weeks before making my decision. Do you mind if I sort of hijack your thread? Here I go anyway.

I've been offered an internship at Lockheed Martin this summer. First, the pros:
I've worked at LM before; the pay is good fantastic, the work is interesting, and I'm good at what I do.
The job is on the Orion program, which I love.
The position is perfect for somebody looking to break in- I would be getting experience to die for.
The plan is to hire me as a full-time employee at the end, giving me job security for the duration of the Orion program.

Now, the cons:
I would have to move to Littleton, and I really don't want to.
I would have to finish my degree as independent study over the summer, giving me no free time at all.
I find the corporate environment there oppressive, and the system I would work on is so important I would be a slave to the Development Process.
In my experience, LM isn't a very social environment, and I'm not ready to give up the friends and experiences Boulder has to offer.
There are rumors that the Orion program may be dying, and if it did go under I would be one of hundreds of laid-off people, putting me in a very bad position.

It boils down to: it's a fantastic opportunity, but it's not the opportunity I was looking for. There's also the fact that it's my Dad who's offering me this opportunity, and he says he would have killed for a chance like this when he was my age, but... I'm not him.
Should I go with the flow like I normally do and take the opportunity while it's there, or should I hold out for a job I feel would make me happier albeit less well paid?

e: I can move this to my own thread if you want.

[neuro]

nah, keep it here, it's fine. as for your situation, i'd call someone there and ask if they can say anything about the state of the orion project, and wether or not it might be canned.

i had a similar thing where someone heard a rumour about the financial state of massive black which i wasnt too happy about, but i thought, what have i got to lose besides time.

in my experience, you won't miss the vacation you'd have to spend finishing your study all that much. i was in a financial situation where i simply couldnt afford to go on holiday with ym girlfriend, and we just had to stay at home. in fact, we're looking forward to the next vacation all the more.

try to find solutions to your cons one by one.
when you've done so, re-evaluate your position, and make your choice.

(keep in mind that experience is a life-long benefit, and thus is absolutely invaluable)

[Dwood]

Take it under a condition of a 1 month leave if possible.

[Rob Oplawar]

I guess the biggest issue I have with it is the location. I'm quite cozy where I am and I really don't want to move again. Between the ages of 5 and 13 I moved 8 times, and I've moved back and forth from Boulder and Littleton 7 times now (at the beginning and end of every summer). I fucking hate moving! And Boulder is what feels like home now.

I suppose I could commute, but it's likely to be three hours of driving per day, with traffic. Between full time work, ridiculous commute, and independent study, I'll be lucky if I sleep 7 hours a night.

People like my dad tell me to sacrifice now for later, to accept a bad time in order to have a good time later, and in some ways that's a very good thing. But this is my life, and I don't want to put it off and hope that I can live it later. I don't want to end up in a career that doesn't make me happy, working my ass off in hopes for something better. I'd much rather make a crappy salary doing something I enjoy.


E: After being unable to think about anything else all day, I finally decided that there are still lots of other opportunities out there, and I should look into other possibilities before driving myself towards what I perceive to be an Office Space existence. Thanks for your input, Neuro, and sorry for taking up space here when my mind was already pretty much made up.

[n00b1n8R]

So guys, can I jack this thread too?

srs dillema:
I've been accepted to study a bachelour of engineering (Mechanical though i can swap into electrical or civil after 1 year because all 3 have the same first year and are mixed). The university in question is way better than the one in this town but that's not the issue. The university is also 4 hours away by road.

I'm considering defering for a year though and starting in Feb 2011.

Cons:


I'll probably become rusty at studying and my maths skills (graduated on a low A in basically "standard high" maths and a low B in "high high" maths). This is my big con.
I'll grauate a year later obviously.

Pros:


Saves the family a huge ammount of money ($300 a week for my accomodation, they could put away like $100/week now to make life easier next year if I wana stay on campus again. money will be fucking tight if I go this year)
I can get my P plates
I can work and have money and hopefully a car with a little extra put away for stuff (parents have saved me ~$3400 already for uni costs)
I can stay with my girlfriend for another year without having to go fucking long distance (i'd lie if I said this wasn't a huge pro but I'm doing my best to stay objective for what's best for me -_-)
An extra years worth of experience with money and taking more care of myself with a nice parental safteynet if I fuck up.
My brother's still in grade 11 next year and I can get him to borrow school textbooks for me to do homework and keep myself mostly in mental shape (my brain has died this holiday omg I can feel it trickling out my ear).

There's no question that if I deffer this year I'll be going next year. I'm not going to get slack in that department.

I've got 2.5 days to mull it over. I'm leaning towards defering. Thoughts? Anybody else been in simmilar situations? Should I bite the bullet and go or take a year to really prepare myself for living independantly and have cash to back it up?

[PlasbianX]

So guys, can I jack this thread too?

srs dillema:
I've been accepted to study a bachelour of engineering (Mechanical though i can swap into electrical or civil after 1 year because all 3 have the same first year and are mixed). The university in question is way better than the one in this town but that's not the issue. The university is also 4 hours away by road.

I'm considering defering for a year though and starting in Feb 2011.

Cons:


I'll probably become rusty at studying and my maths skills (graduated on a low A in basically "standard high" maths and a low B in "high high" maths). This is my big con.
I'll grauate a year later obviously.

Pros:


Saves the family a huge ammount of money ($300 a week for my accomodation, they could put away like $100/week now to make life easier next year if I wana stay on campus again. money will be fucking tight if I go this year)
I can get my P plates
I can work and have money and hopefully a car with a little extra put away for stuff (parents have saved me ~$3400 already for uni costs)
I can stay with my girlfriend for another year without having to go fucking long distance (i'd lie if I said this wasn't a huge pro but I'm doing my best to stay objective for what's best for me -_-)
An extra years worth of experience with money and taking more care of myself with a nice parental safteynet if I fuck up.
My brother's still in grade 11 next year and I can get him to borrow school textbooks for me to do homework and keep myself mostly in mental shape (my brain has died this holiday omg I can feel it trickling out my ear).

There's no question that if I deffer this year I'll be going next year. I'm not going to get slack in that department.

I've got 2.5 days to mull it over. I'm leaning towards defering. Thoughts? Anybody else been in simmilar situations? Should I bite the bullet and go or take a year to really prepare myself for living independantly and have cash to back it up?


I had friends who thought it would be smart to wait a year to go to college. You know what theyre saying now? After working all this time they don't feel they want to go to college anymore. They just want to continue working. On top of that, like you mentioned, they haven't had to challenge their brains with the same material they learned in high school in a year's time. If they entered college now, they'd be clueless.

I almost did the same thing, but I just decided I rather get college out of the way now and then wait. Glad I did too cost wise.. considering my college atleast is raising tuition this coming year. Would technically be more expensive if I would of had to wait a year.

[n00b1n8R]

Like I said, I am going to go after this year if I don't go this year.
Nothing I could make without going to uni compares to what I could get as an engineer anywhere in the world.

[Rob Oplawar]

My inclination is towards deferring as well. My money is getting extremely tight right now (actually, it's well beyond tight; I'm just sinking deeper and deeper into debt, and I have to start making payments soon...)
Then again, I wouldn't have been able to get the internship I did my summer before college if I hadn't been planning on going to college, and all my previous complaining about the type of job it was aside I'm very glad I did it. Then again again, you can still do summer internships after you start college.

The big question as plas said is whether you actually will go to college after a year. If you're confident that it definitely will happen, I say defer and save up some money.