Remembering the perks

Often I find myself getting an itch to move onwards and upwards. Or really, just onwards.

I WILL do this one day. Eventually my goal is to work in a hospital or someplace unionized once my son is in school primarily for the benefits and higher salary, but for now, my job is what it is, so when I find myself beginning to scratch, I remind myself of the major perks with my current employer:

First and foremost, I know my job, the population and the resources available very very well. This is important because we do not have a great deal of supervision within our agency.

I also know what to expect for the most part from those above me, which at times, is not much, but other times when it is truly needed, they will usually have my back.

I have a great deal of stability, and don't expect to get fired or laid off anytime soon.

While I have to pay out of pocket for my health insurance, I know that in most cases, if I went somewhere else that paid for this, I would probably make the same as I make now after I pay for my insurance, because it would probably come with a pay-cut. (I can't go to a hospital or someplace unionized yet that pays more with employer-paid benefits because I don't have my license).

Yeah. No LMSW yet. My social work license is not required to do what I do, though. Becoming a licensed social worker is something I have been putting off for a long time now and there's really no good excuse for it, outside of my sheer laziness around studying for the test, and getting all the crap together from various places you need to sit for the exam.

I also have a pretty decent team, and really like most of my co-workers. Many of them have also worked at my agency for years. We can rant to each other when needed too. This is a big one because environment is everything when working in human services. Our work is hard enough, if we don't get along with our colleagues and the team doesn't mesh, this is probably the best recipe for job misery.

I, for the most part, also know what I am walking into each day.

If anything unexpected comes up, I have many people I can turn to if needed to help me work through a problem if I don't know what to do, both inside and outside of my company. Another major one is I do not have to be on-call WOO HOO boundaries!!!!!!!!!

My supervisors trust me and respect me, and I am not micromanaged.

I could probably advance within the company if I wanted to. (Right now I don't want to.)

The office is a close drive to my home in a cute little town.

Most of the people I work with go above and beyond and really care about the clients we serve, even when the people we work with are being difficult or even impossible.

Overall, my agency is not perfect, there are some things I do not like, however, on a whole, they are a pretty decent place and are well-known and respected throughout the state.

I am sure there are a few more I could list if I thought about it more, but my little one just woke up.

Typing this stuff out has been really helpful............I've been feeling a little down that I go back to work on Monday, but at the same time, I am really looking forward to it. I am thankful that I am employed and I am also thankful that I can say that I really enjoy what I do and where I do it.