My Job, a Love/Hate relationship

I have a good job. Well at least it is a fair job. The pay is ok, but not what I used to make in the "Big City" There I worked in the SemiConductor biz and I made excellent pay (100k+), great benifits (health/dental/vision). Problem was that I never saw my kids when I was on my work schedule (compress work week, 3 day one week, 4 the next, 12 hours shift at night 6pm to 6am.)

When I got off my last day I would sleep till around 4pm and get up, tired. One day off wasted sleeping ;( Then the day before my cycle began, I would have to stay up all night to switch back to nights and then sleep all day my last day off, again another wasted day off. I got up at 5pm, got to spend about 10 min. with my kids before I went to work, got off at 6am only to get home around 7am with all the traffic, see my kids for about a half an hour then they went to bed to sleep all day.

So...I looked for a different job. Now mind you, we had other reason for leaving the "Big City". Crime, traffic, pollution, overcrowding, rude people. The list goes on and on. Then one vacation, we went to Wyoming to visit some of my in-laws. My God, I fell in love with Wyoming. Wide open spaces, no pollution, polite people, no crime to speak of and NO TRAFFIC!

I spoke with my wife and we decided to move there. I start by looking for a job. I finally find something and start the negotiations. We haggle of pay and we settle for what I feel is enough to make it where we are going to live. They tell me all of the "great" benefits we are going to get and what my duties will be.

I am to be the Remote Tech in SW Wyoming working of the Bank equipment. No Boss around to harass me everyday, work on my own. Sounded like heaven. Well.............

By the time we get moved, sold our old house, finished training and got to our home town, prices on houses has gone UP around 50K! So much for that benefit. So we move into an apartment.

Next we start using the "Great" health benefits. Again, not as advertised. Nothing is in network, we are so remote that to be in network we must drive to SLC to see a decent doctor or dentist. On top of that, the local dentists tell us, "We do not take your insurance, you have to pay full up front and put your own claim in. We do not need your business." Well isn't that nice.

So after bitching to my boss, he finally agrees to give me a day off once in a while to go to SLC and do my dental. Fine. Problem semi-solved.

Then my oldest boy, Frank, gets sick. Take him to the local witch doctors who totally blow the diagnosis and almost kill him. Rush him to SLC, where real doctors operate the day after Christmas and all is well. Well except for the 30K+ medical bills. Oh, didn't I tell you about the wonderful medical benefits? They cover crapolla! I have huge deductables, massive co-pays and the prescription plan bites. My last job, need pills? Max cost was $15. Didn't matter what the drug was, $15 covered it. Now I pay a percentage, and brother some of the drugs they put my boy on were $500 a week, MY COST.

So, where does the Love part of this come in? I am the Remote Guy. I get up in the morning and check my calls on my computer. If I have calls then I, yes I decided which one to run first and plan my own day. If I have no calls, well, it becomes a hell of a coffee break. I also get to drive through some of God's most awesome work. SW Wyoming is beautiful, Summer and Winter. I have seen more game animals dead on the side of the road than alive in Arizona. I have passed herds of antelope so huge that it too 10 minutes at 65 MPH to pass them. I have seen Elk, Moose, Deer, Antelope, Hawks, Eagles, Badges, Wolverines, Skunks (EWE!), Wolves and just more of Gods children while driving around to my jobs (I cover and area from Pinedales, WY to Evanston, WY.) so some days I spend 6 to 7 hours just driving. Some days I do not get a single call and I still get paid 8 hours! If I sit at home all day and get a call after 5:30pm, then it is overtime. You can't beat that!

So, my benefits were not as advertised, but then again. I see my children every day, spend hours of quality time with them and they know who the Father is, not just some man that they see leave at night and show back up only to go to sleep. I tuck them in at night and play with them, make them lunch and love them as much as I can.

All the other stuff pales in comparison when I can cuddle with my Jack and he whispers in my ear, "I love you Daddy"