# Would you change jobs to enable you to show? (I can't believe i'm asking this!)



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Without reading your post - my answer is "not sure"

Based on your post, I would switch jobs. Should add that when I was right out of high school, I knew at the time that I did not want to work evenings and weekends because everything I loved doing outside of work happened in the evenings and weekends. That's dogs and horses, but also family time which was and still is very important.


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## Coastal Pup (Jan 30, 2021)

Well…what is holding you back? 
Higher pay, more flexibility, and benefits all sound good to me. But not being super excited about the new position has me asking if you’re very passionate about your current job? For me, I’m in accounting and I find it quite boring sometimes lol, so I am envious of people that are very passionate about their jobs and enjoy them. If you are just meh about your current job, and similarly meh about the new one - I would probably switch.


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## ArkansasGold (Dec 7, 2017)

Flexibility (and my own happiness) is the biggest reason I decided to become self-employed. I say do it!


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## Riley's Mom (Jul 6, 2008)

I work retail so I do typically work one weekend day. I can take a weekend off here and there and i have several weeks of vacation so I try to schedule some shows around that. I still do miss opportunities to do some shows though. If I had the chance to not work weekends I would definitely take it!


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## GoldenDude (Nov 5, 2016)

I wouldn't change jobs to "show" but I did change jobs so that I could bring the puppy I raise (as a volunteer puppy raiser for a service dog organization) to work with me. My point being - find a job that enables you to do things that are important to you. If showing is a passion for you, then find a job that let's you do that.


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

I don’t really have the option. There are so many things I would rather be doing (like dogs), but school and work will always take priority


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

I own my own business and although I don’t have the flexibility I want, I can decide some things are worth walking out. 😎. My husband is a workaholic. I tell him all the time that we work hard to be able to live the life we want. We do not work just to live.

If I read your post correctly your getting more money, benefits, and a better schedule. Go for it!

Here comes the warning…..Make sure it is what they present it to be. As a business owner I’ve had many employees leave for greener pastures only to call and beg to come back. The good news is that if they were a good employee I gladly take them back.


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## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

I used to be a teacher -- was underpaid, worked overtime though vacation time and sick time we're good it was REALLY hard to live off of that salary alone and over the summers I'd usually have to get a serving job where I'd have to work one weekend day in addition to 3 week days.
I finished my masters degree online during the pandemic and then got a job in EdTech. I work from home every day, (have the ability to work wherever and set my own hours) and have unlimited PTO and a WAY higher salary. It's honestly the best setup I could have being involved with dogs. If I had puppies I'm home 24/7, and I can take time off to show OR work from the show if I had to get some stuff done or take a call.

TONS of edtech companies are hiring because the industry is exploding. It's the best decision I made.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

I'm going to guess you're on the younger side and not married, no kids. If you are going to take care of yourself and be independent for life, you must have benefits and opportunity to advance. (if you add up the value of the benefits, health insurance? disability? you may find you have more than an insignificant raise in pay ) It's not irresponsible to make decisions regarding your career in the terms of balancing the hobby that makes you happy and your job satisfaction, especially if you move to a position that helps you build security for your future self. Which path lends itself to advancement or acquiring skills that allow you to advance in the future? Your dog hobby gives you a lot of joy and you want to make sure that as you age, you can continue to pursue it. I wish you the best with your decision but based on the information you have given us, it would be a no brainer for me.


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

When I lost my former job, I waited for a job that would fit into my desired work schedule. It took about 6 months. If you have a legitimate offer, you should take it! The only thing I would change is being able to work at home. Days like today, with very little going on at work could be a lot more productive if I was working at home.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Emmdenn said:


> I finished my masters degree online during the pandemic and then got a job in EdTech. I work from home every day, (have the ability to work wherever and set my own hours) and have unlimited PTO and a WAY higher salary. It's honestly the best setup I could have being involved with dogs. If I had puppies I'm home 24/7, and I can take time off to show OR work from the show if I had to get some stuff done or take a call.


I'm gonna touch on this a smidge just because sometimes there can be misconceptions about working from home. Not so much Em's particular situation, but generally speaking. 

I've worked from home for almost 10 years now. More or less. Normally I would have been traveling more for work, but Covid stopped this completely and I'm not sure when we will all go back to normal routine, including me making trips out to work at the office on a regular basis. 

People have the idea that working from home means not working as hard or working less or having all this free time.... but that is not always the case. It drives me a little bit nuts.  

Working from home means many many many meetings and being available on teams all through the work day - while also working. Working from shows or whatnot - is doable, but you need to have good internet and sometimes sharedrive/teams/etc do not work well using hotspots (like your cell phone). <= I'm usually leading meetings and need to be able to share my desktop for everyone so it means complete panic when I have to call into meetings vs joining online! 

Beyond that - flexible hours sometimes means you are working overtime without getting paid for it. Because you have the hours you set, but then are expected to be available outside those hours and so on. Means I work through lunchbreaks and work evenings and weekends. Have even worked on holidays, LOL. May absolutely be different depending on the employer and industry you work in. 

The flipside is being able to take breaks through the day and work with my dogs underfoot. And basically going on trips with family - even if it means I'm staying in the room and working most of the time.


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## laurab18293 (Oct 6, 2021)

I just left my job that was nights and weekends. I did love that job, but I am now doing 8-4 Monday through Friday and I will say my quality of life is better. I get to see my family and friends more, and its also definitely better for Billie. Our after dinner walks or field runs always make me think why didnt I do this sooner. Everyone is different but from my point of view, it made a difference for me when I left nights and weekends in a positive way.


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## laurab18293 (Oct 6, 2021)

one more thing to add, I recently saw somewhere this quote and to me its very true;

"youll never look back on your life and say "i spent too much time with my dog"'


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

Several decades ago, I emigrated from my country of origin, settled in a new country, learned a new language, got a second university degree and snagged an amazing job in an amazing place. Truly the dream job. Great pay, great conditions, great co-workers.The downside? It was 200 miles from my home, which meant living in a different city during the week and travelling three hours on Friday evening and another three on Sunday evening (more in winter, on icy roads). Life was all about work and driving. Not much energy for anything else.

I stuck at it for five years. Then I quit to launch my own business and become self-employed. Although my business activity was a step down from my job activity in terms of interest level, I've never regretted the change. As a result of that decision I've not only been able to earn a decent living, I've also travelled the world, raised a kid, developed my hobby and lived a much healthier lifestyle. I'd echo Megora's comments about working from home, though: it's harder than people think. You'll probably miss the camaraderie of a workplace, and you'll work much longer hours than you would if you were at your employer's premises. But the payoffs are tremendous, in terms of flexibility.

Life is a balance. And it goes by quickly. Do what makes you happy.


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## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

To echo what others have said -- I love working from home and my job is pretty self paced, meaning I have 2/3 internal meetings a day but other than that I work independently. I am expected to be "available" pretty much from 8AM-7PM eastern time if someone needs me. 

I know some people who WFH and are on meetings or calls nearly constantly. Depends on the role and the industry!


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## PalouseDogs (Aug 14, 2013)

There are way too many factors involved. Dogs and dog shows are expensive. Less expensive than many hobbies; more expensive than many others. If you want to enjoy any hobby other than the super-cheap ones, you need enough of an income to have discretionary income. You also need to enjoy your job because it's where you will spend most of your waking hours.

I've worked from home and I find I prefer going into work. I like to leave my work at work. A separate physical location makes that easier. If you do think you'd like working from home, you need to be honest with yourself. Can you truly work at home without letting the millions of home distractions get in the way? There will be times in your work day when cleaning the grout from the tiles can seem more appealing than work. Ideally, you should carve some space out in your house that you only use for work. A separate room, with a door that you can close to keep the dogs out is best, if you have that option. Dogs can be very good at demanding attention. 

If you are young, examine the long-term prospects of both jobs. Retirement plan? Dead end? Possibility of advancement? Etc. Good luck. You might also want to look for 3 and 4-day shows where you could show on a Friday or Monday.


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## Rion05 (Jan 4, 2016)

Showing dogs is really not an inexpensive undertaking. It is also quite time consuming. I guess the way I look at it, you need to be able to support yourself (and any dependants) well first and foremost in order to engage in a hobby like this - even if you are serious about the hobby.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with prioritizing flexibility in your job selection, however. Perhaps it is more of a reframing and a shift needed as opposed to an outright change. It completely depends upon what industry you work in, but having some experience under your belt may give you more options. Being able to WFH and have a golden office assistant is really rather awesome. Being able to take a work break and exercise or train your golden is AMAZING.


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## ArkansasGold (Dec 7, 2017)

Rion05 said:


> Being able to WFH and have a golden office assistant is really rather awesome. Being able to take a work break and exercise or train your golden is AMAZING.


THIS.

WFH is different for everyone. I love it. It doesn’t bother me at all to not be able to physically separate work and home, although I do have an office that I don’t spend time in unless I’m working.


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## Brandysmom (Mar 3, 2019)

laurab18293 said:


> one more thing to add, I recently saw somewhere this quote and to me its very true;
> 
> "youll never look back on your life and say "i spent too much time with my dog"'


Never, ever!! My best days are spent with my dogs, every single one of them! And I'd always do the same thing. Love my dogs!


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