SO's jobs!

Blackbird230

Although work for me sucks today, BF received the best news ever. He's also a recent college grad and he had been working freelance for a company for five years. He's a video guy. Friday, boss called him in to tell him if they get the advance they need from the city, he's getting a salary finally! (The companies that hire them to do videos can pay them up to 3 months AFTER the project is done which puts off their paychecks. They need the advance so they can pay BF.) This means though that our plans to maybe move in in the spring are headed forward and now we can save and budget and all kinds of things.

What do your SOs do for jobs? How has their job affected you and your lifestyle together? BF works odd hours sometimes because of gigs, but we tend to work it out. 

bethsmiles

Congrats to your BF! That is great news!

BF doesn't have a job right now. It's super stressful. He graduated in the spring and has been applying to jobs and e-mailing labs (he has a degree in biology) like crazy. Currently he has a few promising leads but we've been here before and none of them panned out.

I'm really hoping he will get this one job he is interviewing for because that would mean him moving closer. But really him getting any job would be awesome right now.

labro

Congrats to your BF! I hope he gets that advance soon! Are you moving from an apartment to a house or...?

Up until about a month ago BF worked the swing shift (3 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. ideally...but he worked a lot of overtime) so we basically never saw each other. He's a systems engineer and works in a data center for his company. I can't give more details because they are a very well-known company. When we moved in together a year and a half ago I got to see him a little bit more than when we weren't living together...basically we shared a bed for an hour or two and I was sometimes able to come and spend my lunch hour with him in our old apartment. A month ago he got a promotion and was moved to a salaried/day shift position. It's been absolutely wonderful! We see each other every evening and actually function at normal hours. He's one of those people that naturally prefers to sleep late and stay up late though so the transition is difficult for him but he says it's worth it because we get to be together more.

Before the promotion I had a really difficult time making plans with my friends on the weekends because weekends were the only real time I got with BF. It's starting to get easier for me now to actually go and do things that are separate from him on the weekends but I'm still adjusting. We still spend most of our time together because we own a house and always have tons of yard work and house work to do but we're able to work independently of each other so I guess there's that.

CLoGreenEyes

Good for your BF, Kait! Very exciting for both of you!

My BF is a mechanical engineer. When he graduated and started working, I was afraid that he would be working incredibly long hours and that I would never see him. While he does work very hard and definitely puts in the hours, I've been relieved to find that his weeks are usually pretty reasonable and that we get plenty of time together during evenings and weekends.

ETA, now that I am not in lecture anymore: He likes to work 7:30-4ish or so. So that is awesome schedule for getting to see him! The only downside I've noticed has more to do with our personalities than his schedule. We tend to get more grouchy with each other on Friday nights, because he wants to relax, watch TV, and NOT TALK after a long week. Meanwhile, I loooooove to talk and interact and do stuff. Drives both of us crazy. So it works better when we do our own thing on Friday nights and see each other later.

My schedule is the one that causes issues in the relationship, but luckily that's only while I'm in school. Once I graduate, it depends on whether I work days or nights, but it will probably be three 12-hour shifts per week regardless. I like it, and I think it will allow a good balance of quality time together versus apart.

Blackbird230

@Imhollister sounds very familiar to what we were doing! We still can only see each other on weekends until we move in. We would be looking to rent an apartment together. I have an apartment with two roommates and a lease until May and he's been living with his parents until he got a job.

[Deleted User]

FI is a special education 7th grade math teacher. He started teaching in 2011 and he loves the teaching aspect but there is a ton of paperwork especially working within a special education program. This stresses him out because it usually means that his job never ends during the week. He is usually up doing paperwork or leaving really early for meetings, it's a lot of time on his part.

Even though he loves his students, he wants to make a career change in 2014. He is taking some certification classes this winter in order to move into becoming a credit director someday (Maybe next Fall if all goes well). He is a numbers guy and he loves math. His father does the same thing and knows that this job would be something he could grow in but also get the satisfaction out of it.

We hope this change works out smoothly, as of now there are openings within some companies that his father has contacts with but he needs the certifications first and some training over the summer.

blw12987

FI is a trucker and hauls frozen goods right now, he is local thank god! hes home every night and on weekends! but right now it can be hit and miss if any loads are ready. Today and tomorrow he will not get to work so it will be a 3 day check for him its awful. but we try our best, and also there is talk he may be hauling to misissippi soon so who knows?

ShallowSeas

My SO works at Roche Diagnostics in Diabetes Care and he's also a musician who plays bass for a band, subs in as a drummer for his friend's band occasionally, and runs sound for that band as well.  His full time job at Roche is great. He gets home a half hour after I do and doesnt have to work weekends. When his band has gigs or when he runs sound, I go to watch him with some of our friends and its a blast. I get to see a lot of different bars and try a lot of different beers while I'm there! Can't complain!

cu97tiger

My DH is a manager for a large insurance company in their auto division. 

His job affects our lifestyle because in order for him to get a promotion, we need to be open to moving anywhere in the country. It's stressful, and since he's been at his current level for eight years, it will most likely happen sooner rather than later (we're thinking early-mid 2014).

It's a blessing and a curse. It's awesome for him to get a promotion and raise. They have an amazing relocation package that will allow us to pay off all of our bills. All of them. But I may need to find a new job. Which would suck.

ETA: For spelling/grammar. 

beanbot2002

@cu97tiger BUT YOU JUST GOT HERE! I DON'T WANT TO LET YOU GO SO SOON!!!!

El Senor works for GEICO in both Homeowner Insurance sales and customer service. And he's going to school full time.

suzie211

My DH is also in sales like myself, but works for a technology and software company.  It's outside sales like my job, but he has an office that he works out of.   90% of his customers are within walking distance of his office.  We both have similar hours, and flexibility.

Lifestyle wise, H was selected for a special training program that his company uses to promote management from.  They actually have offered him a new training position where he would create his hours and job duties.  He chose to not take it at the moment, which I fully support.  The job would have allowed him to move within the company and for us to stay here in Chicago.  The only downside to the offer is its highly likely another promotion will be offered to him, but it would require us to move.  A management position could be anywhere in the US, and a corporate one would move us to Texas. 

We've discussed moving several times, and both would prefer to stay here, but are open to moving for the right job.   We currently are in similar levels with our careers, but a move for either of our jobs could move the other person a step back.  So job offers and career steps way heavily for us.

GoldenPenguin

BF works in HR for a computer software/mailing company. His department conducts background/drug checks and sends out offer letters. His boss left earlier this year, and they're grooming him for a promotion to that position, which would be awesome. 

MY job is the one that affects us the most. He has pretty standard hours - there are a couple nights a week he works till 630-7pm, but I can work long days/nights and most weekends (I was here for 12 hours on Saturday, for example.) But we live together, so I see him every day anyway. I think sometimes 12-hour days are good for both of us

minskat30

H is a software and systems developer.  He is an independent contractor so technically self-employed though he works for, usually, big banks/trading institutions.  His job is more flexible as far as working remotely than mine, which is nice, but lately his hours have been terrible (poor guy has been working every weekend for the last three weekends and LATE into the evening).  That really sucks but he has an awesome skill set which he can use just about anywhere in the world, which is pretty amazing.

Shiroyasha

BF is an apprentice for a heavy equipment operating union, so he gets jobs here and there while he makes his way to a full-fledged member of the union (hopefully it gets better when that happens).  He has his 100-ton captain's license so he runs sportfishing boats as his second job when he has no union work.  

Both of our schedules are erratic and we can go days without seeing each other.  I usually don't see him from Friday through Sunday.  

phira

My partner is an executive assistant to the dean of a fine arts college. He's very good at his job, but it's very stressful. He'd like to go back to school to get his Master's in Higher Ed, so he can get a better administrative job (like director of institutional effectiveness or something). Ideally, when we have kids, he'll be a stay-at-home parent, which will let him stay home and write in his spare time--being a novelist (and a father) is his dream job.

CLoGreenEyes

@Phira, your FI sounds like a pretty cool dude! What genre does he like to write in?

buddysmom80

My BF works in technical support for business class services at a cable/internet/phone provider. He just got this promotion less than a year ago, and his hours are M-F. Before his promotion, he had Thursdays and Sundays off which sucked. It's nice now since we can do stuff on the weekends, but some days I'd like to have a Saturday to myself like before!

lennonkdc

FI is a project manager at a company that does municipal contracting work, they survey and reline sewer lines. He started there almost 5 years ago as a day laborer, got promoted to running his own truck and then last fall they had him work on a few desk projects and volia! promotion to the front office. In addition to working full time he also studies mechanical engineering at night, so he's pretty busy guy. 

Right now I can't see us having to move or relocate for either of our jobs. I'm only licensed in OH for the time being, so I'm not really interested in leaving. However, if FI got a really good offer after getting his degree I'd be open to moving. 

[Deleted User]

H is a radiographer (shoots x-rays). He works in a podiotrist's office right now so he's about 10 minutes from home and works pretty standard hours (8-5). This is a new career for him...so he's putting in his time in this less-preferrable job to get the year under his belt that he'll need to get a job with a small clinic or hospital.

How has his career effected us? H was laid off 2 years ago and decided to go back to school. Luckily he had unemployment and a nice nest egg in savings, but it wasn't easy being the only salary for 2 years. With his new degree it took almost 6 months to find ANY job in his field. Eventually he's hoping to have a unique schedule (like 4 tens or 3 days on/4 days off) which will be great because it would allow us to minimize daycare costs for future kiddos between our two jobs.  I will always be the larger earner, so being a SAHM isn't an option. This career will really allow us both to parent and work...which is awesome for us!

bethsmiles

@allusive007 - My best friend is going to school to be a radiographer! Does your H enjoy it?

Also, a SO not having a job is awful! BF is really struggling to find a job in his field right now but I hope he finds one soon!

[Deleted User]

@BethSmiles - He loves it! Admittedly his current job is not his favorite because he's actually doing a lot of medical tech duties that he wasn't specifically trained for...and he only works with feet. He really enjoyed all of his clinic/hospital internships though, so he's anxious to get into a new office eventually where he can strictly do x-rays. There are a lot of opportunities to do new things in the future too - certifications in CT Scans, MRIs, etc. 

Jobs are really tough to find in the field right now. Hopefully the market opens up before your friend graduates if they are in CO. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

phira

@Amapola14 The best way to describe his writing is that it's like if John Irving wrote YA fiction. The main novel he's working on is about a kid who goes back in time to toddler-hood when his girlfriend breaks up with him, and he tries to manipulate the situation so that the two of them end up dating and she doesn't break up with him. But it honestly is much more about what honesty actually means/entails, and it's definitely sort of inspired by my partner leaving the Catholic church. There's a lot in the novel that I totally did not understand because I was raised Jewish.

@bethsmiles I forget where-abouts you and your boyfriend are right now, but what kinds of jobs is he looking for? I had trouble finding a job even in the Boston area when I graduated from college; my graduating class was the first one that had the horrible job market. I might have some tips. (I'm a biologist.)

bethsmiles

@Phira - We're in Denver. He's looking for a job in a lab so he can get some experience with research before going to grad school.

leia1979

H and I used to have somewhat similar jobs. He's an engineering program manager in consumer electronics, and I used to be a product manager in the same field. I currently do marketing for software, though, which has shifted my schedule a little earlier than his because I work with Europe and he still works with Asia. It just means I leave first every day and sometimes do conference calls in the living room while he's still asleep, and I'm home 30-60 minutes before him 2-3 days a week. It's actually pretty efficient being offset by about an hour.

psychbabe314

Congratulations!

@Bethsmiles, I will keep my fingers crossed for you! I swear that it is ridiculously hard to find jobs in Colorado.

BF works at five guys, but is looking in teaching abroad next year and eventually teaching in the U.S. after he finishes the graduate program he chooses. Geez, makes me feel so young looking at everyone's jobs! But, we are swiftly moving that way! As long as I pass all of my classes ~8 months left of school!!!

BF's job does prevent us from getting together more often. Recently, it is as if we work opposite schedules so it is tough to get some time together to see each other. But, we are planning a weekend in the next few weeks to either go to the aquarium or to a farm with a Halloween maze, I can't wait!

edited: miscounted months :-P

bride2b71614

@Kait congrats to your BF! @BethSmiles I can relate on the SO job front. When FI moved to NYC and we moved in together in a one year time span,  he must have sent out approx. 120 applications, received about 113 rejection letters (we started the cork board of shame, I was able to participate with my rejected application letters), went on seven interviews, and none of those led to jobs.  When we got to PA FI had taken preemptive measures and secured a spot in the academy. He started his first shift as a rookie tonight! I am so excited for him, I wanted to make another cake but I don't have much energy right now.

500days

FI works in hardwood flooring. He runs a small business and is always busy working. Sometimes he won't be able to finish a job because of high humidity and the poly won't dry correctly, so he will work on the weekend. He is definitely money hungry. 

I work for peanuts as a teacher lol. I love my job though because it doesn't feel like work. Many times it's easier to work with the students than it is to work with the teachers on my team. I do hate having to wake up 2 hours before FI. He doesn't start a job until 9am. I'm at my school at 7:15. And lately, we've been getting home around the same time :-(

chibiyui

FI runs and maintains data aggregation (or something like that) for a mutual funds company. It's been very nice because he has standard hours, can work from home, and is paid well. His company also has very nice benefits. 

Like, seriously, I am super excited about having vision coverage again. Yay yearly eye-exams!

Hummingbird125

BF works for an internet start up. On the plus side, he gets to work from home most of the time. On the minus side, he doesn't make much money and doesn't feel secure. I'm hoping the company takes off and he makes all the $ he deserves for working his butt off for them, but only time will tell. 

doubleSS07

DH currently is a supervisor at a large auto insurance company.  He went from the auditing dept to CS in order for us to move to San Antonio and get in to a management role.  We want to stay here and luckily the insurance field is big here.  This is a new office that is growing rapidly so they keep switching the schedules around.  Right now he's T-Sat 8-4:30 which sorta sucks since I'm M-F 8-5 but we manage.

I do order processing and funding for lease deals and their contracts management for a company that sells large copiers and duplicators.  It's "OK"..not a dream job but pays pretty well and I like the people I work for and with.  I stick around because they are super family friendly here and relaxed about time off for sick kids and appts so I figure that will benefit me in the next year or so!

katieg520

My fiance, Jesse, is an expeditor at an engineering firm. He works pretty traditional hours.

I am a high school English teacher, but I am also the student council advisor and the cheer coach for my school. Therefore, I am ALWAYS at school.