Work more hours in fun jobs or fewer hours in "bad" jobs?

[Selah]

I have a number of part-time gigs that make up my new work life in Israel. Some of them are lower paid but are so easy and pleasant to do, that it doesn't even feel like work. I am energized and not depleted by doing them. However, I recently started another gig that pays very well but demands that I work with my weaknesses. (My personal weaknesses include not being very organized, not being a great self-starter, and not good at time management.) This gig assigns a big data entry project that involves multiple spreadsheets, going back and forth between spreadsheets and textbook files, working with visual placement of information in the textbook, and so on. It demands a high knowledge of Excel (which I don't have any formal training in, much less the program...I use a free OpenOffice version of it), and a rapid use of it. Once you get an assignment, you have several weeks in which to complete it. You are supposed to work on your project "a little bit each day, in your spare time" which in theory sounds great, but in practice, for me, is almost impossible.

On the one hand, I'd rather spend two hours doing something I love to make the same money I'd earn doing one hour of this work. On the other hand, I feel that if I really looked at the unpleasant gig as a way to practice overcoming my weaknesses (i.e. learn to become better and time management, self-starting, and using Excel), I would be more effective overall in my work life and in my personal life.

The first project I did in the "bad" gig is now complete. Honestly, although I got it in on time, I made a lot of mistakes that I had to correct. I really struggled with this project and found it very difficult to understand conceptually as well as practically. My supervisor got frustrated with me because on multiple occasions I just didn't "get" what she told me, and she took care to point out exactly how many times she'd given me the same informaton. "Selah, I believe I have already told you three times that you are to put one asset in the A column, and one asset in the B column! Good night!" was a recent message she sent me on Skype, cutting off any more chances to ask her to clarify.

On the other hand, I did do it correctly, ultimately, and now that I've gone through this sharp, short, and deeply unpleasant learning curve, I dare to hope that the next one might be bettter...or at least easier and quicker. We get paid by the project, not the number of hours it takes us to do, so it would benefit me to get very fast at this type of work. Also, the company does provide good benefits if you can stick with the work for three months, a year, and then three years.

What do you think?

[SteveinMN]

I think life is too short to spend on tasks you don't like. If this job is an object lesson for you, maybe completing a few projects is a good thing. But to stick with a job for three years or more when it does not play to your strengths makes it a very long commitment.

[catherine]

I agree with Steve that spending hours contributing at a level that doesn't suit your best potential just doesn't make much sense. However, I do believe that we can't expect ALL our working experiences to be "fun." I LOVE the idea of the Nearings of dedicating 4 hours of your day on "bread labor."

I consider my "bread labor" to be my work in market research. While I am very lucky that I learned at a rather late stage (46 years old) that I had a skill set perfectly suited to this work, I don't see it as my ultimate calling--I see it as a means to pay down debt and earn my daily bread. That's the main reason I quit my corporate job--70 hours a week was WAY too much of my life energy to be dedicated to my job.

So now, in between projects, or after I spend 5 hours a day working on reports, I work on other hobbies, like my blogging and permaculture pursuits. I am NOT quitting my "day job" to dedicate myself to higher callings full time at this point. That would be dumb.

So, in answer to your question, I'd rather spend a few hours on a more or less mundane job that pays well enough so I can work on the fun stuff the rest of the time.

[lhamo]

Since you have climbed up a good percentage of that steep learning curve already, I would consider taking on at least one more project to see if it goes more smoothly. If you still find it difficult/unpleasant, then maybe it would be better to focus on other things.

But a lot of the career advice I have been reading has been saying that working to your strengths is generally the best approach. So if it really is not a good fit for you then stopping now is also a good choice!

How's that for wishy-washy advice....

lhamo

[Selah]

Lhamo, you nailed the crux of the matter right on the head, to mix metaphors! Catherine, I too feel that "bread labor" doesn't necessarily have to be fun or exciting, especially if you can plug your nose and get on with it relatively quickly. If you do fewer hours of it to meet your monthly "nut," then you free up time to do other things that may not have anything to do with earning cash, but are deeply enhancing and life-affirming. And Steve, you're right, life IS too short to mess around with too much tedium and hassle. If it were a fulltime job, there's no way in heck I would ever accept it. Since it is sporadic and well paid, though, and I don't have a full time job or much hourly work that pays well, I'm tempted.

I've pretty much resolved in my mind to take the next assignment, if they offer it to me. If I can do it with less drama and trauma, great. Even though it might not be working to my strengths, if I can figure out shortcuts to do a great job very quickly, it might be worth the investment of time for a big payoff financially. But if I'm still beating my head against the wall, I'll just complete that assignment and gracefully move on.

Thanks for your responses.

[artist]

Excell can be a pain to work with at times when you aren't used to it. I know it took me a while to adjust to how it worked. I do feel that after doing a few jobs with it, the ease of using the program increased and now I rather enjoy it. In addition you are having to adjust to how your employer wants the spread sheets layed out. Once you are used to how they wish them to look, that too will become easier. Personally I'd give yourself another one or two projects and then see how you feel about it. Learning any new program can take time and feel like a chore, but once you've got it.... well then you can begin to see if you enjoy this type of work.

[Selah]

Thanks, artist! Indeed, just before reading your post I checked my email. Lo and behold, there was a message from my supervisor asking me if I wanted to do another project. She said "you've worked very hard to train yourself and you got that project in on time. Now's the time to cash in on all that hard work." I accepted, telling her frankly that I was choosing to think of it as a way to get paid for working on my weaknesses and learning a new skill, which was a good thing!

[SteveinMN]

Good luck with it, Selah!