The new job, as I’ve quickly come to realize, is going to be a compromise.

One of the great things about working with my hands, in Merchandising, was that I got to see the fruits of my labor as soon as I was done. Whether I was simply re-organizing a display or wiring up tens of thousands of dollars of audio equipment, there was always an immediate reward for my labor. There was something for me to step back from and look at with pride.

In my new position, all I do is verify inventory. Granted, it’s not easy when it comes to doing all the research, but the actual physical counting is nothing but tedious and monotonous labor. Even worse, when I’m done, there’s nothing to show for it except a a few pages detailing what changes we need to make in our stock system.

I’m doing this job in the hopes of getting full time. I keep reminding myself of that. If, in a few months, that full time spot doesn’t open up, I might have to go back to Merch. I’m going to enjoy having weekends off and getting a few more hours now, but I hate this job being a compromise of my overall job satisfaction and happiness.