Profile For Zen Joker

Sue D., Old School and so many other, thanks again everyone who has contributed a response! We'll see how things shape up in my current career. I will jump in the pool at some point. Though it may be the sooner of when my daughter is grown or something changes at work. Appreciate everyone's dialogue. I will keep lurking the forum in the mean time....thanks again!!

Thanks Rainy D!!

Yawn's reply is fairly accurate picture of corporate America. What I should also mention is that I have inherited some of the key responsibilities of my old boss being the central contact when a branch has issues and have taken on the responsibility of on-boarding new branches for half the salary they were paying him. My base salary s $66k (the other $4k or so I make on personal loan production which corporate makes double that for loans I write). So to be assigned six figure salary responsibilities I would expect a little patience and the opportunity to talk through the issues so I can learn the most from them. And regardless, giving someone a performance review and turning a miscommunication within an email with a branch into me recklessly taking executive authority 2 hours before the Thanksgiving holiday is very poor.

If I didn't have a 4 1/2 year old daughter this would be a no-brainer. And I still plan to put my best foot forward and tighten the screws with the hopes of taking a secure job I can be successful at with me back up north. And it is yet to be fully determined if I am a good fit for the job, that will depend on how I do moving forward and how they view my progress and value. I am just weighing options at this point in case something goes south down the road. Thanks again!

Want to thank everyone for the replies. Please keep them coming, very useful perspectives all around.

You will get plenty of advice here of the tru king world, but why don't you seek out you're same career with a different company?

That is a good question, unfortunately moving back to where my family needs to be, that is really not practical. And honestly when I'm being truthful I don't think my heart is really in it anymore.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

...I should also mention in talking to the wife, I kind of miss the blue collar. Life seemed simpler to report to one person, take a reasonable amount of training and do my best with it., and work around real people. Thanks!

First off....Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!

Here I am again (as I seem to re-appear every 6-12 months), the man infinitely on the trucking fence.

So I moved back to the corporate office for the mortgage company I work at after working from home and starting a family in beautiful northern WI 5 years ago. I took a higher paying position with salary, commissions, and bonuses of around $70k, benefits are average. My colleague who pulled for me and got me the position back here died of cancer this fall, I report directly to the president who yesterday basically gave me a performance review 2 hours before the Thanksgiving holiday. When he started out "I'm don't want to distress before the holiday BUT.." I know that wasn't good. My job is not on the rocks but I lately am stressed to the point where it is affecting me physically (sleep and appetite). Problem is my deceased boss left no notes and I have a boss now who doesn't really mentor me much but is happy at any time to tell me how I have disappointing the company that I've worked for for 9 years. No mentor, no real training, and made some honest mistakes in the 7 months I've been down here.

Anyways, the wife keeps saying she gives me her blessing to go truck driving. She hates it down here and wants to move back up north. The company approved me moving back next year , but since I have dropped the ball on a couple things without any real supervision, I can see their tone changing and frankly it has me worried. I'll shovel Sh*t in the furnaces of hell to provide for my family and taking a $20k paycut ($40k first year) is not practical on the surface, but I ask myself what the long term cost is to my health and sanity? I realize trucking is no vacation, but a long term , long distance career which would present me with a whole new set of stresses an challenges. At least I would answer to one person the dispatcher, have one core function and getting trained at Roehl or Schneider after CDL school would put my in a position to be successful. I just need to be showed how, the will is there. Roehl and Schneider offer regional which would get me home every week and after year one would hopefully yield $50-55k a year.

Things could get better at my current job, they hired another Manager for my dept, but I was told he will be focusing on growing the company and I shouldn't distract him too much (wonderful, considering I had less thean 45 days training with my old boss before he went down, and I have been in the new area of Business Development for 7 months). If I continue to grope in the dark and keep getting pulled into senior manager's offices for making errors, this will not look promising for me to move back up north and work from home next fall.

I know the quality of character of most of the members in here and many will disclaim "Only you know you". I realize I assume full responsibility for my decisions. Just wanted some input from some industry professionals who are walking the walk and may have left a higher paying job or anyone that wishes to share their thoughts.

Thank you!

I think I have the feedback that I need. Thank you all for your comments.

Take Care, Andy

Hello All,

Realistically I have about a 50-60 lb. lifting limit. In recent years through therapy and yoga I've managed to get my back problems under control.

QUESTIONS:

1) In your opinion, if I were to make the change and start trucking, would the extra income for flatbed be worth the risk of re-injury?

2) If yes, I assume there are training tricks and ways to manage the tarps, straps, etc. that make it practical for folks with lifting limits to do it safely if done properly?

Not afraid to work and endure crappy weather trying to tarp or tie down a load, just pondering whether or not over the years my back could tolerate it. Appreciate any feedback...everyone have a good day!