I am currently working a job that allows me to work during school hours so that I am home after school and evenings, I've been at this job for three years. I have been wanting to find a better opportunity for a long time, one has presented itself, sort of. Well alittle background here, I am 40 years old and really no education past high school except for a few trade schools that never panned out. This job is with Blue Cross/ Blue Shield Dental program, I would be a data entry clerk. They provide three months of paid training and blue cross insurance among other benefits all good. When I inquired about it two months ago the job was a day shift position, well I guess that now they are expanding and this position would be from 5-11pm, Monday through Friday. Possibly within 6 months a day shift might open up. Also, I need to complete this two tests before I get hired to see if my score is high enough for data entry before I would be accepted so it also sort of hinges on that also. I just don't know what to do, I would see my family two days a week. I just don't know what to do. I do know that this is an opportunity for me to recieve training and possibly get out of this rut that I am in, but I don't want to lose my seniority with the other job, because if if doesn't work out I have to start at the bottom again. Would this be something that you all would consider? Or would you be unsure of the hours as I am? I have all day off, but dh and dks would be at work and school themselves.

By Kate on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 - 07:50 pm:

I would not do it based on the days and hours. I think you and your family will be miserable. You don't say the ages of your kids but regardless I'm sure they'd like to see you more than two days a week.

By Luvn29 on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 - 09:05 pm:

I personally would not do it. If you are that unsure of it, you really need to give it a lot more thought. You won't get this time back with your children.

I just started a new job that I am loving. The hours are great. I will be able to get my kids off to school and I will get home 15 minutes after they get off the bus. However, it doesn't pay great.

I had an opportunity come up for a job paying almost twice as much, but the hours weren't great, and I'd be commuting a little over an hour round trip. I chose not to take it because the money didn't make it worth it. Being home with my family is everything to me. My son would be miserable if I took it. His happiness is way too important to me.

How old are your kids?

By Anonymous on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 - 09:20 pm:

They are fifteen and twelve.

By Tunnia on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 09:51 am:

I wouldn't take the job because of the hours. It would really bother me that I could only see my dh and dks two days a week.

By Joy~bundles on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 11:19 am:

I've also turned down better job opportunities because of the "off" hours. Being with my DS (who is also 12 years old) is WAY more important!!

By Truestori on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 11:24 am:

I am going to be the odd one out here. I think you should try it. Your children are old enough for you to explain that mom needs to better herself and she has waited quite sometime. If its possible I would work both jobs for a month or so. This gives you time to see if you like working for Blue Cross. I'm assuming that your family needs some extra income because you are currently working, so I would tough it out for a few months and see what happens. Change is good and allowing yourself time to aquire an actual skill will only allow you to provide more for your family. If your children were really young I wouldn't suggest this but they are older and would defintly be able to understand your situation. From reading your above post I'm wondering if you have time in the morning with your children? I work an odd shift but I manage to squeeze in alot of time for them. My mom always told me that its not the quanity of time but the quality of the time that you spend with them! Goodluck with your decision...

By Anonymous on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 12:35 pm:

Well, the reason that I work is to pay for their extras, music lessons, outings, etc... So that I don't have to dip into the household money. Also I like to have my own money that I earn although that is not an issue with dh and me. I have just always felt bad about not going to school and bettering myself. Well, it's not an issue anyway because after taking the tests I didn't make the cut of 8000 keystrokes per minute, I could only do 5300, he told me that he would keep me in mind though if a position came up with blue cross that did not have that criteria, so for now I am staying where I am.

By Truestori on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 01:51 pm:

Sorry to hear you didn't pass, but I'm sure there are plenty of other oppurtunities out there for you. Goodluck in your search.

By Reeciecup on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 02:21 pm:

I would like to add that I have read at various times (sorry Ginny I don't remember where) that the most dangerous hours for children, especially teens, are the hours after school until 5 or 6. This is when older children come home to empty houses and can be exposed to all sorts of bad influences while their parents are at work. If you have the opportunity to work for extra money in a way that allows you to be there for your children, I would say you are blessed. I would also say that you should feel very positive about yourself if you are raising responsible, caring, educated children.

By Ginny~moderator on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 03:40 pm:

Not sure where Ginny comes into it, but I have been thinking about this thread and agree, Michelle, that those are the "last" hours when I'd want to leave my children alone. Kids age 12 and 15 are in a particularly "dangerous" age group in terms of peer pressure, temptation, wanting to assert their independence, feel "grown up" and do "grown up" things, etc.

If the issue were paying or not paying the mortgage or utilities, that would be one thing, but - at least in my opinion - as long as your job is paying for luxuries rather than necessities for your children, the one necessity they really need from you is your time and presence.

That said, have you considered taking some courses at a community college to increase your employability assets? And, of course, just spending an hour or more a day (in half hour increments) typing will increase your typing speed. 8000 keystrokes a minute? maybe you mean 800? 8000 is absurd; that would be 133 strokes per second. I type about 80-90 words per minute, with an "average" word being 5 characters, so that is 400 or so characters a minute, and that is considered pretty speedy in the legal secretary world. (I am also quite accurate, so I don't lose "points" for errors very often, but then, my first typing class was in 1953, so I've had lots of practice.)

By Anonymous on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 04:54 pm:

I can type imho pretty quickly, but I that is when I'm really not thinking about it and i am not under the pressure of being timed for a test. Ginny that is the number believe it or not 8000 keystrokes per minute for data entry positions. I went back to my emails of communication with the guy from the temp agency to verify it. At least that is what he is telling me. I know taking classes would help me and maybe eventually I can do it.

Also, my dh comes home 3:30 4:00 each day, it wouldn't be that they would be here by themselves because that isn't the case, I would be the one not here, well it's for the best and if I can take some classes here and there and change my situation.

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 06:29 pm:

Good grief, that's an insane typing level! I can type reasonably fast, but I'm sure it's not that fast. I'm sorry you didn't get the job.

By Tarable on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 09:58 pm:

Okay 8000 is faster than the world record holder! by almost 10 times...

133 keystrokes a second is faster than the eye could see your hands in other words your hands would be blurry if you could type that fast.

I think he is really wrong.. and if this is the guy that graded your test and told you you didn't get the job because of it I would question someone else because maybe you should have gotten the job.

By Dawnk777 on Friday, July 25, 2008 - 12:29 am:

Data Entry job description

Employers often specify what they want in terms of certain levels of speed and accuracy and give pre-hiring tests. Typical requirements are either a typing speed of 45-50 words per minute, the ability to input numbers on a ten-key keyboard by touch, or a data keying speed of 10,000-12,000 keystrokes per hour (about the same as a typing speed of 40-45 words a minute).

8000 keystrokes an hour, would make a lot more sense to me.

World's Record in Typing

Typing, Fastest. Mrs. Barbara Blackburn of Salem, Oregon maintained a speed of 150 wpm for 50 min (37,500 key strokes) and attained a speed of 170 wpm using the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard (DSK) system. Her top speed was recorded at 212 wpm. Source: Norris McWhirter, ed. (1985), THE GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS, 23rd US edition, New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc

WOW!

By Reeciecup on Friday, July 25, 2008 - 08:55 am:

Just trying to be funny, Ginny. You always stress the importance of naming your sources on the debate board and I couldn't list where I've read about kids being alone leading to problems. No offense meant!

By Ginny~moderator on Friday, July 25, 2008 - 03:14 pm:

No offense taken. It does sound like something i might say - certainly it's something I believe - even though I was a WOHM and my kids were latchkey kids. But the oldest was 15 and extraordinarily responsible and truthful.

And yes, I do think it is important to name sources whenever possible, and label opinion as opinion.