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Four-Day Workweek, here I come

Posted By: RSColonel_131st

Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 06/29/18 12:47 PM

Allow me to share this great news with you guys smile

I've just signed to reduce my working hours from 40 down to 34 and a four-day week, meaning from now on Wednesday will be free to do as I like. And what I'm going to do is to push my Psychological Counseling education ahead (I'm at the end of the second year, next April is the exam).

So basically I'm going to have a full day each week to move into self-employment. Start promoting my services, set up a website and my printout materials, write my Diploma Paper, find clients for the mandatory practice hours...

Five years ago I would never have considered that I'd ever do something else in my life than IT work. Funny how that goes.
Posted By: bones

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 06/29/18 12:51 PM

That's so cool! More power to you man! I thought you were going to say you were going ot spend the whole day simming, haha.

Joanna is also considering going into self employment with her BCBA. She is doing limited contract work right now in addition to her full time BCBA job, but it would be better for Ridley if she can stay home more.

Good luck to you, hope it works out great and soon!

v6,
boNes
Posted By: theOden

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 06/29/18 12:58 PM

Big Congrats RS, this will be a milestone for you.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 06/29/18 01:02 PM

Congrats Colonel and I hope it works out for you.

I tried the whole self-employed thing about 20 years ago but I discovered that it's not for me.
Posted By: RSColonel_131st

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 06/29/18 01:18 PM

Bones, I had to look up what BCAB is and not sure I understood it yet smile

I think that being self-employed next to a baby can work really well. The counseling classes around here are full of women getting back into the work life after having children.

Yes Oden, it does feel so. As the months passed preparing this I really noticed how much I had started to not enjoy my IT job any more - the tasks and environment is really not giving me that satisfaction it once had. I'm going to stay in IT for the next years, for sure, and maybe for a long time seeing that it pays really well and has good job safety. But I want one, better two days a week following what feels like a calling, not like a bread-earning labor assignment.

Panzer, what did you try? I hope that the duality of employed and self-employed will help me set up the business well. It's true that it's a lot of motivation, and ironically currently even a risk of over-motivation (not talking anough time for myself and other things). Lots to learn in that department.

Have to say my boss is pretty cool - he told me he's okay with changing hours either way, so I have the security of being able to return to full-time, or cut off a few more hours once I have plenty clients.

Only crap is that Austrian tax law really punishes people who run dual-work setups.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 06/29/18 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by RSColonel_131st

Panzer, what did you try?




I was an agent for New York Life selling mostly life insurance and annuities. I just didn't like the pressure of having to sell, sell, sell all of the time and having to look at everyone I met as a potential client. The job was 100% commission based so no sales, no income.

I lasted about 2 months. smile
Posted By: theOden

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 06/29/18 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by RSColonel_131st
I really noticed how much I had started to not enjoy my IT job any more

The only reason you need to try something new.
Posted By: Raw Kryptonite

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 06/29/18 01:38 PM

Life is so fulfilling when you’ve got a plan to work on that excites you! Congrats!
Posted By: - Ice

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 06/29/18 04:17 PM

Congratulations, you part-timer you!! biggrin I hope it gives you the fulfillment you seek!
Posted By: BD-123

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 06/29/18 05:58 PM

"Four-Day Workweek, here I come"
Hardly! It sounds as if you are going to pack more into the 'day off' than your average salaried workday!
Hope it goes well old chap; best thing I ever did in my working life was take the plunge to set up my own business.
Posted By: bones

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 06/29/18 06:49 PM

Originally Posted by RSColonel_131st
Bones, I had to look up what BCAB is and not sure I understood it yet smile




BCBA stands for Board Certified Behavior Analyst. It is a psychologist from the school of thought of BF Skinner. It approaches psychology from a behavioral perspective, and thus makes it really functional for teaching parents how to deal with autistic children, or teaching autistic patients to be able to live more independently.

Which also means that every move I make is highly analyzed, haha just kidding.

v6,
boNes
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 06/29/18 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by bones

Which also means that every move I make is highly analyzed, haha just kidding.

v6,
boNes



Don't all women do that with men by default?
Posted By: RSColonel_131st

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 06/29/18 07:41 PM

^Yes but it means she is extra good at it biggrin

Thanks Bones for the explanation. All the best for her to set that up as working from home - seems a good thing to try.

Originally Posted by theOden

The only reason you need to try something new.


Yep!

What I found interesting: How easy it is to not feel that and keep going in our hamster wheel. I mean, looking back: 2015 I spent a month in Malta with a view to migrate there. 2016 I applied for the job at KTM Motorcycles in Salzburg which would have had me move out of my state. Then end of 2016 I started this training.

So basically the writing was long on the wall that I need a change of situation, my eyesight was just too bad to read it. Only after one of my colleagues quit in March and the pressure from my boss to spezialize in certain Datacenter IT Technologies increased even further did I really take heart and make that step away from IT (and because my best friend who's in the same class also did). And I did take quite a few days to calculate my expenses and figure out if I'm save enough with less cash. But in the end it all works out beautifully.

Originally Posted by BD-123
"Four-Day Workweek, here I come"
Hardly! It sounds as if you are going to pack more into the 'day off' than your average salaried workday!
Hope it goes well old chap; best thing I ever did in my working life was take the plunge to set up my own business.


True. I calculated that in the last year I spent on average 10h extra each week, next to my normal job, for this development. Funny thing is, it never feels like work. What did you set up as a business?

Thanks guys for being along to watch the ride smile Even as (or maybe just as much because) we had a lot of sad news recently, this community is so cool to be part of.

Posted By: bones

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 07/02/18 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by bones

Which also means that every move I make is highly analyzed, haha just kidding.

v6,
boNes



Don't all women do that with men by default?


Yes, but my wife has the scientific method backing her up!

v6,
boNes
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 07/02/18 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by bones


Yes, but my wife has the scientific method backing her up!

v6,
boNes



So now you're really screwed! wink
Posted By: RSColonel_131st

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 07/02/18 02:09 PM

It means she can prove she's always right biggrin
Posted By: MarkG

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 07/02/18 03:38 PM

That's awesome RSC, congratulations! cheers Seems like your career is really coming into focus while doing what you *want* to do. I vote to make you the SimHQ resident psychologist(?), especially with the relationship stuff as I'm not sure Mechanus was qualified. smile

I probably could have used a few mental tune-ups over the years, but I didn't want to pay for it since I never felt overly depressed. Like the promise I made ~10 years ago to seek medical attention if I become concerned with my physical health, the same with mental health. If I ever do go in for a checkup, I'm not sure if I'd see a psychologist or psychiatrist (not sure of the difference).

As you eluded to, there's some really dark clouds over the board right now (and I hope those affected continue finding strength and consolation[?] in this community, for as long as possible). I try to suppress thoughts of life being so short and uncertain that I need to live every day full throttle, with overwhelming passion for life (and love). Being anxious about it just adds stress, while trying to keep a fast pace consistently is hard to sustain (as I found out in NYC).

Anyway, I hope they provide you a nice space in SimHQ Towers to put your couch or booth... smile

Attached picture 41THEuPwUFL__SY300_.jpg
Posted By: RSColonel_131st

Re: Four-Day Workweek, here I come - 07/02/18 03:41 PM

Thanks David!

Hmm, might be a lot of business in SimHQ Tower biggrin
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