Great thread! I can't believe what I am reading, as it was like the internal dialogue I have been having with myself for the last year at least! I only regret not having been involved in this thread when it started.
Electromechanical30, I hope everything has worked out for you whichever path you decided to walk down. JMW, your words are wise. Since you both seem to have thought this through, I wanted to let you know my situation so that perhaps Electro could take something from it and JMW could shed some light upon it.
I started in 1999 working for a local municipality and left 15 months after starting because of the typical civil service environment...effort is not rewarded and sloth is not punished. Before this stint I worked for a private company in a position that I loved, in spite of the long hours and unpaid overtime. So after leaving the muni and returning to the private world, I came to realize that a long commute is VERY undesirable for me. Not to mention the lack of leadership and defined roles. So after only 9 months of a 60-mile commute that included traversing a New York City bridge (I can't imagine a 110-mile commute!), I returned to the same municipality with my tail between my legs and a smile on my face. To make a long story short, the civil service mentality is still present in spite of extensive staff changes, and after nearly 5 years (and twins!) of allowing the resentment to build to flood stage I have come to the conclusion that the biggest mistake I have ever made was coming back and starting a family. What was once a personal decision is now one that will affect 3 other people.
But here's my dilemma, and I think my subconcious finally allowed my conscious mind to acknowledge this only after reading this thread. This muni job is so cushy! Free health benefits, 35-hour work weeks, pension up to 75% if I make it to age 55, at least 3 weeks off a year, and if I want to leave I just fill out a time slip and off I go, no questions asked. So why am I even considering leaving, you ask? Well, I feel as though my time is being wasted there. The office is unbelievably unprofessional...the boss catches peanuts in his mouth from across the room; the office only gets quiet at break time (15 minutes at 10 and 3 turn into 25 minute story time) when everyone goes on the internet; the boss didn't know what ASTM is (we are a highway "engineering" unit); standard and basic engineering principles are ignored or scoffed at (for all you Rational Method users out there, my office thinks that the Q is a volume, not a flow rate). I could go on and on. The point is that I am a fish out of water. I need to get out, but that will require relocating the familly and taking a leap of faith. I am starting to believe that the environment has rubbed off on me, and that I will not be able to readjust to the real world. And I also made the mistake of not getting my masters before I had kids, so I am at a disadvantage there.
I realize I am rambling, so I will end it with a question...am I insane for wanting to leave this job? Is the grass truly greener? Is job satisfaction worth relocating your entire family? Can happiness be obtained from a job, or should one seek happiness in other venues? Is it possible to harvest happiness from a municipal job? Are all munis like this?
Again, I apologize for the tangents and long story. My mind is a quagmire of indecision, and I am seeking some intelligent people, clearly subscribed to this thread, to provide some insight. Thanks in advance.
