You might get it...

I just might scream if I hear that "be careful what you wish for" cliché ever again.

But anyway, I have a job which I would tentatively describe as good.

Now that I'm working full-time hours, it's much more of a real job. Before, it was just something I was doing UNTIL a real job came along...but now it's almost something that I would do UNLESS something better came along. A minor but important difference.

It fulfills many of my previously posted requirements for a good job. Many more than I would have expected...in fact, I would unreservedly call it a good job if it only paid a bit more.

And even then, this job saves me a lot of money that I would have to spend, were I working almost anywhere else. Working from home means no commute; no wear and tear on the vehicle and most importantly no gas. Also, no wardrobe requirements- I don't have to buy a new button-down shirt and khakis, I don't have to worry if my mocs meet company footwear guidelines. I'm not spending money for fast-food meals or vending-machine snacks during my lunch break.

Conservatively speaking, I would have to make at least $5000 more a year before I'd even consider leaving this situation...and maybe even more if the pay needed to compensate for the loss of convenience and general suitability.

Not that I LOVE the job. It's not something that I'd do without pay, and it's not something that makes me eager to learn more about it during my off hours. Sometimes the hours really drag, and sometimes the almost constant rejection gets to me for a moment or two. Every so often I get irritated at the support structure (especially when I need a question answered, and the response comes a day or two later, and misses the whole point).

On ideological grounds, I can't fault the work. It's not involved in selling anything, and that's a Very Good Thing to me. I don't really feel great about bothering folks on the phone...but nobody is being exploited or manipulated. The info that I collect may even do somebody some good, ultimately.

One aspect could potentially be very useful: I can do it anywhere. As long as I have a decent PC and internet connection, I could live anywhere I like. I'm not planning on moving anytime soon, but I don't want to live here forever. No friends or family (not exactly, anyway) and nothing much to do once you've explored the strip and the desert a few times. At this point, all we really have here is my wife's rather nice job and a great veterinarian...and I doubt that it would be too difficult to find both of those things nearly anywhere else. Maybe somewhere with trees and water and real seasons....

So as long as I don't screw it up somehow, I could conceivably do this for a good long time. Like I said, the money ain't great...but it's better than a lot of people are getting right now. And if something better does happen, so be it...but until then, I'm actually working. At a real job. That I don't hate. Yay!


EDIT 6/30/08: Oh, and I didn't even mention (or think of) a few other carats on the silver lining:

1. Re: the lack of a commute:

In addition to the money saved, that's a lot of extra time. The commute itself could have taken anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes (or more, depending) and getting ready for the work day would usually take 30 minutes to an hour.

So right this very minute, as I'm drinking coffee (and writing nonsense on my blog) and enjoying the last half hour before I start work at 10am, I probably would already be on the road, and have spent at least a half hour showering, shaving, getting dressed, etc...and when I'm done for the day, I'm already home and I don't even need to change my clothes!

I'm figuring that, all thing considered, working at home gives me about TWO EXTRA HOURS OF MY LIFE EVERY DAY. Now if I only knew how best to spend it :)

2. Missing orientation discomforts/ anxieties:

I was pouring myself some coffee and found myself thinking, "aww, I didn't really get the 'first day' excitement". The downside: I'm not REALLY meeting new people. I'm just speaking with disembodied voices, which isn't quite the same as personal interaction. Honestly, though, that's only a downside some of the time. Other times, it's a positive plus.

What I don't miss at all is trying to find everything. I didn't have to find the workplace, I don't have to find a parking space, I don't have to figure out which doors I can and cannot use, I don't have to find the bathroom, and I don't have to find the supply locker/ room/ drawer.

I don't have to keep track of new keys or alarm combinations, and I don't need to learn how to navigate any proprietary software or operating systems. I did have to learn a few new apps, but they're on my PC...and we're not talking complex CAD software here.

I'm not really affected by changes in the supervisory structure. New bosses (and co-workers) can come and go all they want, and it won't affect my day-to-day job at all. No more groaning when I realize I have to spend my next shift with the overbearing manager or the annoying new kid. It just won't happen.

I'm sure I will keep finding new minor things that I love about this job (and undoubtedly many minor irritations). I'll try not to keep harping about the low pay...after all, if it keeps going like this, I'll be making more this year than I have since 2004.

Okay, I've got about 10 minutes before the start of my shift. And yet, I'm not contemplating a sick day, calling in a bomb threat, or shooting myself in the head! That's what I call job satisfaction :)