MOD 8: A Short Week with Big Decisions

This week was a little unusual due to Memorial Day on Monday, giving us a four-day work week. Even though I only worked 32 hours, I still got paid for the full 40. That brings my total hours for the quarter up to 320.

The week has felt a bit off—each day felt like it was one behind. Today is Friday, but it feels like Thursday, and not having class yesterday threw me off even more. Work-wise, it’s been fairly routine. I've mainly been resetting laptops to factory settings and reinstalling our standard software. State testing has officially wrapped up, so at least I won’t need to worry about supporting that anymore.

With only about two weeks left on my current contract, I had been told I’d be returning in late August for the next school year. However, something unexpected happened this week—I got a call from the casino I had applied to earlier.

I had originally applied for a Tech II position, but the hiring team felt I wasn’t quite ready. Instead of turning me down, they offered me a Tech I position with full training. They also said they would review my performance after six months and potentially promote me to Tech II with a pay raise. I wasn’t sure what to do at first. I asked for a night to think it over and promised to call back the next morning. They agreed but said they needed a final decision by Friday (today).

After considering the pros and cons and talking to some of my peers, I decided to accept the offer.

Pros:

  • $2 more per hour

  • Full-time, year-round work (not limited to the school year)

  • Opportunities for advancement and working on a larger IT team

  • Access to more training and IT resources

  • Structured onboarding and system-specific training

Cons:

  • 40-minute commute vs. my current 20-minute one

  • Working weekends and possibly some holidays

  • Rotating shifts (7 AM–3 PM or 4 PM–12 AM, based on what I heard during the interview)

  • No guaranteed summer breaks like I have with the school

Ultimately, I felt this was the right move to help me grow professionally and step out of my comfort zone. I called back this morning and officially accepted the position. I should hear from them next week to begin the onboarding process. Once my background check is scheduled and completed (which they said takes about two weeks), I’ll be ready to start. That timing actually works out perfectly, since my school contract ends around then.

The only concern I have right now is the potential gap in health insurance coverage. I recently had an unexpected medical issue, so changing jobs could make things a little complicated in that area. Still, I’m optimistic and excited about what’s next.

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