What to do with work?

[glegend]

Graduation is coming up pretty soon.

 

I've decided that I'm going to start up my small renovation business and do some mechanical work here and there. Once September rolls on by I will just do small jobs. Mostly repairs, painting, flooring (mostly laminate). I'm going to try and stay away from bigger jobs like a basement renovation job during the school months, and then in the summer (April-September) I can do bigger job.

 

I don't know what to do with my part time job though. My idea was to keep it until I get really busy and slowly reduce my avaliability and then give my notice and quit.

 

Then I found out that hours were getting cut big time. Along with that I found out that it might take a while until our hours get back and then I found out that hours are not going to stay cut for a while. No biggie I said to myself since I'm down to two shifts s a week and they are 5-6 hour shifts I could work around that.

 

Yesterday I find out that I reached my hours for profit sharing in the company. So I got enrolled and this year I have to work 1000 hours to be get it. I also find out that they have some money set aside for the employees who have profit sharing to use for a mortage payment or school tuition. Now that thorws my plan to eventually quit out of the window. I'm going back to school for 3 more years, and some help on tuition could really help me out.

 

Today, they call me in anothe coworker of mine it to work. No problem we go in, get a few more hours. Can't complain. Atmosphere was very tense, they fired 2 of our coworker (from department). One for attempted roberry; which he did not actuatually steal, he was planning on doing it but never took the stuff and they dont really have proof that he took the stuff all they do is have proof of him opening the packaging and hidding the stuff. The other they think was involved or knew what was going to happen and didn't say anything; what happened asked if anyone was coming and guy 2 looked and said no and didnt know why and what was going on, so they think he did know. Anyways now they are watching us like a hawk in my department and they are going to cut our hours even more. Now that they are watching us they are going to start testing us and are going to try to fire more and more employees.

 

I dont know what to do.

 

I really want to get out of their, and start being my own boss. I want to start working towards my career, I want to own a Design-Build construction firm but I believe the best way to do this is start off by doing small renovations while I work towards my architectural technologist dimploma/license and basically establish a name for myself as a renovator. At the same I dont want to leave because I've hit the profit sharing and I'm also have more of a guarante to have work. But I also kinda want to balance the two job and school,until it gets too much and I can't.

 

Again I don't know what to do. Quit once I've locked in a few contracts? Quit once I get too busy with contracts and school? Don't quit and pray that I don't fired? Balance both jobs and shcool? Or should I just look for another part time job at a different store; I've seen some "we're hiring" at a few cell phone stores.

 

I got to figure something out because I got my own expenses to take of. I have truck to maintain, insurance, gas, cell phone, come September tuition (I don't think my parents will be able to pay it this time and in a way I don't want them to), I'm going to need a new computer thats going to be more powerful that will be able to run CAD programs.

 

Opinions/Ideas/Suggestions welcomed and will be greatly appreciated.

[jenny_mcs]

Do you work at a place like Lowe's or Home Depot? If you do, I would definitely keep that job as opposed to going to work for a cell phone place. A few months ago my husband & I wanted to replace our crappy linoleum in the kitchen with tile, but when we started pulling up the flooring, there was like 3 layers of linoleum. My husband went to Home Depot to buy something, started chatting with some guy who works there, and ended up hiring him and another one of his Home Depot buddies to come out, rip out all the old stuff, put in a new sub-floor and put in ceramic tile.

 

The guy was just like you- young, wanting to branch out on his own, etc. He and his buddy did a great job. They were awesome workers- just busting a$$ and going above and beyond to do a good job. I got his number because we have friends who are also renovating.

 

I also want to add that the reason I will recommend these guys to my friends is that they were so nice, and so polite. Even though (to me) they looked like they could still be in high school, they gave us a reasonable bid, completed the work on time, were respectful of the fact that they were working in our home, etc.

[glegend]

I work for one of home depots Canadian competitors, Canadian tire. I actually work the seasonal department. But I have a background in construction, my dad is a geneal contractor. So I am very knowledgeable and I pretty much know the building code, well at least part 9 which deals with renovation work. I also know what I am doing when it comes to buiilding and when I build something it solid. I would also be able to give competitive quotations and actually I would even be and will to give a much more reasonable quotation for the job. Since I'd be considered new to the game I am willing to take a hit in the labour portion of the quotation.