Can I Has Job?

It’s been a very busy week for me (strange, because I’ve been unemployed since Monday afternoon) and I have some great updates career/financial wise.

My job interview for the Bridle Path position went so well that I was hired on the spot. I was supposed to start tomorrow at 12pm (I had booked my car for maintenance at 8am already), but then my boss forgot he needed to get some things in order before I came in, so I start Wednesday 9am. Essentially, I’m doing everything that I did at my old job once removed, but getting paid appropriately. I asked for a salary of $42,000 and got it. This is guaranteed, and will keep me comfortable – however, he’s also going to set a sales target for himself. If I help him achieve it (aka harrass him on a daily basis to follow up on his leads, etc.) then I’ll be awarded a bonus of between $5,000 and $10,000 (look out, new boss, you are TOTALLY hitting that goal, so help me God). I’ll be awarded an annual raise, and I can take personal time whenever I need to, as long as I don’t abuse it. There’s nothing near the office so I’ll be saving a ton of money by preparing my own lunches.  It was made clear to me that as long as I do a good job, I will be rewarded, although my request for $42k is a guaranteed minimum.

I’m thrilled because I’ll be issued a formal letter outlining my salary and bonuses. I will NOT be doing sales, which I am so happy with, as my previous bosses have used sales as an excuse to not pay me more. I have absolutely no interest in being a salesperson whatsoever. I love houses, but like I mentioned in my previous post, my strength really lies in being the go-to support system, not the star. At least at this point in my life. And that’s just fine with me, because it will allow me to have a life, which combined with my friends and family, is what it’s all about.

I’ve started the freelancing technical writing work which I have found very challenging, but in a good way.  So far, I’ve been able to pick things up relatively quickly, but it involves a lot of poring over multiple documents and compiling it into a single, coherent document for presentation.  It’s not really freelancing per se since I’m only working for the one person and organization, but for the sake of goal setting I’ll keep referring to it as such.  I’m going to aim to do between 10 and 15 hours above and beyond my full time job with this work, which should help me easily attain my goal of paying off the remainder of my car loan before Christmas.

I am excited to start my new job, but it feels different from the other times.  Both of my other full time jobs were positions that I desperately wanted.  I wanted my first job because it was my entry into the real estate industry at an office that I adored, and I wanted my second job because I needed more money and because I was having huge difficulties with my one boss.  Now, I’m in a place where I feel comfortable accepting this position, but not as I have in the past, like a drowning person desperately clinging to a raft that turned out to be a hungry shark.  This time, I feel confident in my abilities and experience, and able to assert my expectations.  This job definitely isn’t going to be a walk in the park, but I’m walking in with reasonable and fair expectations.  In the past, I’ve been quickly disappointed when verbal promises were broken.  This time, it’s in writing, and my boss has made it clear that he likes to keep his employees both longterm and happy.

What this means, between my new job and my part time work, is I will FINALLY be in the $50k range that I have been aching to be in for so long.  If I get this bonus, and I’m able to keep up with the part time work, I may be able to push it to $60k.  It’s taken 2+ years and so many broken promises to get here, but this is AMAZING for my age, and if I’m able to hit this target, I’ll be so lucky and grateful.

My motto is going to be save, save, save.  Step 1:  Pay off car.  Step 2:  Finish Kilimanjaro travel fund  Step 3:  Save for emergency fund/down payment.  Step 4:  Buy property.  Step 5:  Travel all the while.