Thanks But No Thanks

I just got home from work and I am anxious to put this entry into my goofy blog.

I’ve worked at the same place, basically doing the same job for three years. I’m not going to go into a lot of boring detail, but I try to keep the area where I work humming fairly efficiently. I’m just an ordinary employee but I’ve taken it upon myself to keep management apprised of the area’s wants and needs. My motive for all of this is purely selfish; I want my job to be as easy as possible.

Friday I was offered a managerial position. Specifically, it is a mid-management position. I am not the highest paid person in the American workforce and with the promotion I would still be quite a ways from the top, but I would be a bit closer. I’m currently in the low $30,000 range. I would move up to around $50,000, maybe a bit more. Anyway, I was told to give it some thought over the weekend and if I could, have an answer by Monday.

This is Monday and if you can’t tell by the title of this blog entry, I said thanks but no thanks. To be honest, I had thought about it even before they asked me, just in case they ever did inquire, and I was pretty sure I would decline the offer. But I figured I would not know for sure until I was actually asked. Well, I was asked and within about a half hour I pretty well knew my decision. Still, I ran it by my boyfriend, Dan, and I called my father too, just to get his input. Both said the decision was mine. This morning I gave the pros and cons one last trip through my brain, just to be sure.

Mid-management personnel have to go to meetings and seminars. I would have to hire new employees and occasionally dismiss the underperforming ones. I would be responsible for employee evaluations. I would be at the beckon call of upper management, and hear the complaints of the regular employees. I have seen supervisory personnel forced into working long hours and a lot of weekends. I have no doubt that there would occasionally be days so stressful that a good mood would become a bad mood. Worse; there might be a time when I would be out in nature, perhaps observing a spider weave an extraordinarily complex web, and instead of seeing the wonder in it, I would be reminded of my duties at work.

I realize that the American way is to climb the “corporate ladder”. The somewhat whimsical model is to start in the mailroom and with hard work and perseverance, become the company CEO. Well, I can’t do it. It isn’t because I can see myself in a few years as a married woman raising children. It’s just because, well, I don’t want it. So earlier today I became quite humble. I stated that I was very flattered by the offer -which I was- but I would have to pass. I was ready to make a salary counter-offer if I were asked, but they did not ask. It probably would not have been accepted anyway. It was almost twice what I had been offered. If something is going to keep me from being fascinated by a spider weaving a web, it's going to cost them.