Second thoughts and mixed emotions

Today I submitted my application for the entry level position at the Guild. The HR person gave me a brief overview of the position. It served as a reality check. I already knew that the pay was low and that benefits would not kick in immediately, but I learned that I would have to join an office workers Union and have dues remove each month as well as pay an initiation fee. And I was informed of what my yearly income would be starting out. It's lower than what I made my first year in New York.

Well, I did say I was willing to start all over again. So time to weigh the pros and cons:

Pros:

-I would be starting a job and hopefully a new career in a field I've always wanted to be in.

-AFter 6 months I can apply for internal positions, both in LA and NYC. The Guild prefers to promote from within. And the Guild has departments that especially interest me such as Awards, Research and Film Society.

-My commute will be a 15 minute walk to work.

Cons:

-The pay and union dues

-A number of the people who work there are, quite frankly, dead enders. They're there until retirment. I fear it could happen to me and I won't get out of that particular department--don't know if there's a prejudice against this department. On the other hand, I've heard of people who have left there and moved on to better positions within the Guild. So I guess I just have to pay those dues as well.

Tomorrow I take my tests--typing, filing, math, grammar. Hopefully I'll pass.

By the end of the work day, I've decided that if offered the position I'll take it. But if there are interesting jobs that open in NYC, I'll apply. And to supplement my income, I'll look for a part time weekend job--perhaps in a bookstore or maybe my current temp agency can find me some data entry jobs to do on saturdays at some office. Also, perhaps the Obama campaign needs some part time paid data entry people? Probably not, given the enthusiasm for him, I'm sure there are plenty of people who are willing to work for him for free.

Anyway, it was a bit of a shock when I heard about the Union dues and piddly wage I'll be making. For a while this morning I was considering accepting any decent offer that might come from Michigan, but I'm at peace that I'm going to be basically poverty bound for the next 6-12 months.