One Less Job, One Less Paycheck

Well I'm partially unemployed as of today. It was my last day at the printing place. I seriously counted down the days (only 8 more days...only 3 more days, 1 more day to go...).

I have been a printer before. Right out of high school I started at PIP printing running a press and put myself through college with that job. Then I worked at this current printing company some 9 years ago, again running a press.

I know the printing business is stressful. There's always a deadline and there's always a machine that seems to want to work against you making that deadline, but it was something I knew and was ok with, until I came back to work at said printing place. Now I know that I really don't ever need to revisit the printing business as a viable job option again. Ever. If I even think about it slap some sense into me, seriously.

This time when I came back to the printing place, they had gotten rid of the offset press, so I was their Jill of all trades so to speak. They just put me where they needed me. Then I learned that things had gone down hill a bit in the management area, and there was a lot of yelling and blaming and tense feelings as well as very little training.

I thought it was just me, until a gal that's worked there for 12 years confided in me that she planned on working 2 more years until she was of retirement age, but because things had gotten so bad at the shop she wasn't sure she would make it that long.

It was such a relief to walk out today and know I didn't have to come back. But then it was scary because I need a second job still (my restaurant job is only Friday and Saturday nights plus a few events per month). I'm learning that the job market is very competitive right now, even for part-time no-benefit minimum-wage type jobs.

So should I have stuck it out until I had another job? Probably, but already my attitude is uplifted and the stress has melted from my shoulders. What price sanity and happiness? I guess I'll find out!