What would you do?

Today I got some good news and some bad news, and I've been chewing on it all day. Let's start with the bad news.

Our Alumni, Public Relations, Marketing, and Development Director (one wonder woman) is leaving. She coached part-time at a local high school this year and was offered a full-time position there last week. While she hasn't signed her contract yet, it's pretty much a given. When she told my co-director and I the news this morning, she started crying. I'm happy for her that she has such a great opportunity, but it's clear that she loves our school and really doesn't want to leave. However, it's also clear she can't turn down this opportunity, especially since she just got engaged and is looking to puchase a home in the next year. While she hasn't signed her new contract, she also hasn't turned it down, and unfortunately our boss can't offer her what she needs in order to keep her. I know it's not just the money that she's looking for, but the new opportunities as well. (Trust me, no one enters education for the easy money.)

Well, as bummed as I am about our wonder woman leaving, I spent the entire day at camp wondering who my boss would find to replace her. My last school was looking to hire a PR/Marketing Director and I was soooo interested in the job, but they wouldn't hire me because I didn't have the experience they were looking for. It took them nearly a year to find someone to fill that role, partly because they wanted someone with $100,000 talent and they could only afford to pay that person $30,000. As a 23 year old looking for her second job out of college, I'd have killed to work for $30,00o!

Well, I found out who my boss wants to replace her: it's me.

My boss called me in her office this afternoon after camp and told me that she wanted to re-draw my contract. Again. I got an initial contract offering my 4 days, and she re-drew the contract to offer me 5 days. When she told me she wanted to re-re-draw the contract, I was afraid that the money wasn't there for day 5, which really bummed me out. Then she explained that she wants me to fill in my co-worker's position as a part-time gig. If I take it, I'll teach 3 days a week, cram my tech and website duties in-between teaching, and spend the last 2 days working on Alumni, Public Relations, Marketing, and Development.

Umm.....I'm kind of freaking out about the whole thing. On one hand, I'm positively giddy at the chance to actually use the degree I paid $30,000 for. I'd be writing again! I'd be writing press releases, grants, letters, brochures....it's what I've been wanting to do, and it's all I wanted to do right after graduating from college.

However, it'd require a lot of extra time and energy that I'm not sure I want to give. It would involve a lot of planning and begging for money from local businesses and getting support for our school events.

It would also involve maintaining THREE websites. Right now I just maintain one, and I was considering taking on extra work to help pay the bills. Crikey...I wouldn't be able to do even one other website on weekends because I'd probably be at school on weekends!

It's a great opportunity and comes with a nearly 50% raise, but I'm still terrified about all the extra work it would involve and the free time I'd be losing. It would mean some nights and weekends at school and summer hours (which would mainly involve getting the work done and not necessarily set hours). Mostly, it would mean less time with my husband and family and I really love the time we have together, especially the downtime.

I'm also concerned about my teaching sufferring. While I've got a good thing going, I won't have nearly as much time to explore and play with my lesson plans. Another downer that I just realized...most of the time when my school takes a day off for professional development, our current director attends a seminar or grant-writing session while we're all at PD. I'd have to ask, but does this mean I'm getting out of PD (which means lost CPDUs necessary to keep my certification) only to attend another "PD" session? Oy.

Here's the list I wrote up earlier and you can see why I'm on the fence about this job:

Excited:

-I'd actually be using my degree. I'd be writing press releases (I can't tell you the last time I did that) and letters and I'd be WRITING.

-It's the kind of job I wanted to do right out of college but couldn't get because I didn't have enough experience. This would give me the experience I was lacking in case my school folds and I need to find another job.

-I'd get an office.

-I'd have a part-time employee who'd report to me (HOLY CRAP) and my boss even mentioned potential for an intern (unpaid).

-It's a 50% raise.

-It looks AWE.SOME. on a resume.

Terrified/Potential negatives:

-Our PR lady is GOOD at her job. REALLY GOOD. There's no way I'll do as good a job. That's not me being negative, I'm just not as good as she is.

-I'm worried my teaching will suffer. I've got a good groove going, but I'd still feel terrible if my teaching buckled under the weight of the new position.

-Summer hours. I know, I know....aww, poor Angie, she'd actually have to work all summer like the rest of us. BUT, I wouldn't be able to do camp, which I really enjoy. The hours are flexible, and I'd even be able to work from home if I needed to, but still....

-It would be A LOT of extra time and hours, to the point that the extra $9,000 wouldn't feel like enough compensation, I fear. Lots of working with volunteers and coordinating events and spending time at school to set up events, coordinate donations, and plan parties, the back to school block party (a ginormous event) and other stuff.-I'm still hung up on the extra time.

-It's a lot of responsibility. Like, A LOT.-I'd be doing over 2 or 3 days what it takes our current person 5 and 6 days to accomplish.

I'm not completely sure I want to take this position. I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally want to write again, and this gives me the chance to build a portfolio that's got more recent examples than some news articles I wrote in 2005. Also, if something happens to my school or I lose my job and can't find another teaching job, I can apply for jobs I want because I've got at least a year experience writing all kinds of stuff, from alumni letters to press releases.

However, if my teaching took a hit, I wonder if I'd lose either position. If so...would I be back to teaching 4 days a week? Would I be PRing 3 days a week? Would I be out on my butt and have to look for a completely different job?

I know my husband will support me no matter what. When I asked him, "If you had to pick, what would you want me to do?" He said, "That's tough, because I would want you to be happy." He knows how much it pains me to not to be writing and using my degree like I really want to be. He knows it's my decision, ultimately, and no matter how it turns out, he's supportive.

I just wish there was an easy answer to this.