I'm free again. Options

[ottox914]

Short story.

End of 2011 I was let go from my position as an insurance adjuster. Merry Christmas to us. Spent all of 2012 on UE looking for work. UE ran out, and that week there was an add in the local paper for a manager position for a Tire-Lube Express manager at our local "mart" big box store. The wage being paid was, annualized, $200 a year more than UE was paying. For a department manager. Nice. Really? But it was work, health benefits were very reasonable, and the cobra insurance while on UE was eating us alive. It took 3 wks of UE to make the monthly health insurance pmt. But now I had work. 40 hrs a week, every weekend, and the shift was an afternoon to evening, so 10:30 to 7:30. Forever. Wed and thur was now my weekend. Nancy is not so crazy about these hours. I haven't been on my snowboard with her yet. Haven't been on a snowboard period. Not to many autox events on Wed and thur either.

Thursday last week I had an interview at a local auto dealership that also sells RV's. My background in insurance adjusting included doing estimates on RV's. My recent work experience included direct counter sales, parts inventory, supervising shop work. They need someone to run their parts and service department. They choose me.

Yesterday I received an offer from the dealership. This is a great thing.

I gave 2 wks notice today, and start up at the dealership on the 18th. Salary + $ bonus. Starting I should make about 1/2 what I did as an adjuster, but much more than "mart" was paying.

Bonus: now I work 1 saturday a month, and "normal" 8 hr days m-f. Nancy is much in favor of this. Base and % of bonus are negotiable for year #2. Work hard, learn fast, prove myself, make more. Thats all fine by me.

Super bonus: I now have an autox season again.

MegaBonus: We don't have to move from our cozy town of 8000 to find work thats worth doing. Nan keeps her job/home based business. AND- I'm close to Dad, as his only son, to keep a eye on him and help him out as he gets less young and less able. He lives 2 blocks from the dealership, and a 5 min drive from me. He turns 84 this year.