DivaEroticus wrote:
I envy you your ability to not only accept change, but to actually change.  You're doing what's best for you, and that's the key.  Knowing you, I know it will be a successful change.

Well, when I finished my trainer's certification course, back in summer 2012 and got one of the first jobs I applied to, I knew that I didn't want to work in chain gyms for very long. I took that job planning on making it a learning experience, using it to grow and learn for a year or two, then moving on. I accomplished that - I learned; I got experience through a reputable company, and now have client references, and a small list of successes. I'm so much better off today than I was a year and a half ago, and the job served its purpose. I wasn't really expecting things to become so blatantly obvious when it was coming up time for me to move forward into the next stage, however. I was expecting a gradual transition, something more natural. Some time around August, it was like the floor fell out from under me, and suddenly I'd gotten all I could get out of it, and it was time to look elsewhere for opportunities. When I was done, I was really, really done.

DivaEroticus wrote:
I envy you your ability to not only accept change, but to actually change.  You're doing what's best for you, and that's the key.  Knowing you, I know it will be a successful change.

+1

Too many talkers, not enough doers...

Hugs.

*Pops bottle of bubbly without spilling a drop* Here's to positive changes, although they may be hard at first!

Eurocat wrote:

+1

Too many talkers, not enough doers...

Hugs.

*Pops bottle of bubbly without spilling a drop* Here's to positive changes, although they may be hard at first!

God, I wish I was closer to you guys so we could have a party for real. I'm sitting in a coffee shop, drinking espresso, with that post-tears frog in my throat

Koryn Locke wrote:
I really appreciate all the support. You don't know how much it means to me.

I never knew that quitting a job would be so hard. I guess it all depends on how invested you are/were in it, and that job held a lot of meaning for me - at least when I first started. That's obviously changed, because my life has changed, and my needs have started to become more apparent. It's really been a serious learning experience, all around.

And that is what life is all about.

Koryn Locke wrote:
but that direction requires taking a big leap out into space, which is terrifying.

I'll bet you'll look back on this and see it as a good move.  The only thing you mentioned that could backfire is the 8 weeks notice thing.  In my experience, the more notice an employer has (beyond 2 weeks), the more they get up to shenanigans...though I understand you're doing it with your client's best interest in mind. 

I don't know what your plans are, but I hope you can find a way to make training work for you as independent.  I've recently come to the realization that in the new economy being paid what you're worth just isn't on the table for most careers.  Capitalism is a runaway train and the bottomline is the only thing that matters. 

If you're ever going to enjoy the fruits of your surplus labor, you've got to work for yourself.  Sorry to get all Marx up in SF2 but after 5 years at a corporate desk job I've realized most companies see you as nothing more than human capital.  And they'll expend tremendous amounts of energy to try and figure out how to make you cheaper, faster or replaceable. 

I'd rather work 60-70 hour weeks and run my own show than 40 - 50 hour week for someone else.  And now I'm going down the long road to find a way to make that happen. 

I hope you can do the same.  Best of luck!

Compass Rose Studios wrote:

I'll bet you'll look back on this and see it as a good move.  The only thing you mentioned that could backfire is the 8 weeks notice thing.  In my experience, the more notice an employer has (beyond 2 weeks), the more they get up to shenanigans...though I understand you're doing it with your client's best interest in mind. 

I don't know what your plans are, but I hope you can find a way to make training work for you as independent.  I've recently come to the realization that in the new economy being paid what you're worth just isn't on the table for most careers.  Capitalism is a runaway train and the bottomline is the only thing that matters. 

If you're ever going to enjoy the fruits of your surplus labor, you've got to work for yourself.  Sorry to get all Marx up in SF2 but after 5 years at a corporate desk job I've realized most companies see you as nothing more than human capital.  And they'll expend tremendous amounts of energy to try and figure out how to make you cheaper, faster or replaceable.

I'd rather work 60-70 hour weeks and run my own show than 40 - 50 hour week for someone else.  And now I'm going down the long road to find a way to make that happen. 

I hope you can do the same.  Best of luck!

^^^That. All of that.

Koryn Locke wrote:
I never knew that quitting a job would be so hard

just shows you are dedicated.

Compass Rose Studios wrote:
I'll bet you'll look back on this and see it as a good move.  The only thing you mentioned that could backfire is the 8 weeks notice thing.  In my experience, the more notice an employer has (beyond 2 weeks), the more they get up to shenanigans...though I understand you're doing it with your client's best interest in mind. 

I don't know what your plans are, but I hope you can find a way to make training work for you as independent.  I've recently come to the realization that in the new economy being paid what you're worth just isn't on the table for most careers.  Capitalism is a runaway train and the bottomline is the only thing that matters. 

If you're ever going to enjoy the fruits of your surplus labor, you've got to work for yourself.  Sorry to get all Marx up in SF2 but after 5 years at a corporate desk job I've realized most companies see you as nothing more than human capital.  And they'll expend tremendous amounts of energy to try and figure out how to make you cheaper, faster or replaceable. 

I'd rather work 60-70 hour weeks and run my own show than 40 - 50 hour week for someone else.  And now I'm going down the long road to find a way to make that happen. 

I hope you can do the same.  Best of luck!

They told me I had two weeks, and that was that. If I'm not actively making sales, I'm costing them money to keep on, even to finish out with my clients so they won't feel cheated. The gym I work for cares NOTHING about the clients; they're just numbers and dollar signs. If I had any question about that, the fact that it was company policy to be gone in two weeks ... it just kind of proved it to me. If you work there, either you're constantly generating new revenue as quickly as possible, with as many people as possible, or you're worthless and out asap. It's really that cut and dried to them.

In all honesty, I'm pretty radically left-wing. There's not much that makes me more pissed off than conventional American capitalism in all its pomp and exploitation. I just try not to think about it too hard, because I have to live in a world where people's ideas about what constitutes success are totally fucked up.

One of my big dreams is being able to buy a mini-farm with a bunch of land, invite everyone I care most about to come live and work with me, and try to get as close to self-sustaining as possible, with people sharing labor and resources - which is REAL capital, real value. It's probably naive, and generally when I mention that, people laugh about me being a socialist to the bone, but ...I yam what I yam.

Compass Rose Studios wrote:
...I've realized most companies see you as nothing more than human capital....

human resources that can be trade and replaced as any other resources.
Resources aren't capital but expenses

Koryn Locke wrote:
They told me I had two weeks, and that was that. If I'm not actively making sales, I'm costing them money to keep on, even to finish out with my clients so they won't feel cheated. The gym I work for cares NOTHING about the clients; they're just numbers and dollar signs. If I had any question about that, the fact that it was company policy to be gone in two weeks ... it just kind of proved it to me. If you work there, either you're constantly generating new revenue as quickly as possible, with as many people as possible, or you're worthless and out asap. It's really that cut and dried to them.

They care about their clients.  Well, they care about keeping their clients - that is  their revenue.

What they are probably concerned about - and not telling you - is that you will continue to be a trainer and would use the eight weeks to steal their clients.  (The issue is not whether or not you personally would.  Many people have stolen clients (or client lists), so a lot of companies ignore what they think of their employee and, to play it safe, either kick the (now former) employee out immediately or reduce their opportunity to divert clients to someone else.)

Koryn Locke wrote:
One of my big dreams is being able to buy a mini-farm with a bunch of land, invite everyone I care most about to come live and work with me, and try to get as close to self-sustaining as possible, with people sharing labor and resources - which is REAL capital, real value. It's probably naive, and generally when I mention that, people laugh about me being a socialist to the bone, but ...I yam what I yam.

I agree.  My plan b's similar to that if plan a doesn't work out.  But the initial cost would be substantial.  I'm also exploring options with less savings required.

Compass Rose Studios wrote:

I agree.  My plan b's similar to that if plan a doesn't work out.  But the initial cost would be substantial.  I'm also exploring options with less savings required.

It feels like money has caused me nothing but misery since I was a little kid. I don't want to have much to do with it. I don't even really want to get more of it, or accumulate it. I want to build a life based on producing things that are real and have value and produce life and happiness, and something that when you put love into it, will regenerate itself. People say that about business building, but I don't see that many people investing love into creating successful businesses. Mostly they're just putting greed and swagger into it. It seems like the businesses people actually start out from a place of love and faith just end up failing and getting closed,
or being sold to someone who will turn it into another greed-factory. Success in this system isn't built on doing what you care about, and caring about those who rely on your product or service. It's about ripping them off to get ahead and that just plain sucks.

Koryn Locke wrote:
...
I've been in and out of school so many times now. Most people who say that, say it because shit comes up and they can't finish the programs. I finish everything I start, but end up back again eventually just trying to find something that works. At least in that regard, I'm a really well-educated person. Lol

Life intervenes and you are moving through towards completing your goal.

It took me 15 years from start of my associates degree towards completion of my MS degree and about 6 school transfers due to location of living and cost of school.

I stopped for a year in the middle and went part time a couple of times, (and was working full time,) I knew I had to complete. It changed my life.

YOU are putting yourself BACK on track. Congratulations!!

Jen

Koryn Locke wrote:
...
One of my big dreams is being able to buy a mini-farm with a bunch of land, invite everyone I care most about to come live and work with me, and try to get as close to self-sustaining as possible, with people sharing labor and resources - which is REAL capital, real value. It's probably naive, and generally when I mention that, people laugh about me being a socialist to the bone, but ...I yam what I yam.

Like a modern day commune? I know they are here and international and just did a search and see they are now called, "co-housing" or intentional living or ecovillages. http://www.ic.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/2 … Ithaca_New

MyrnaByrna Jen B wrote:

Koryn Locke wrote:
...
I've been in and out of school so many times now. Most people who say that, say it because shit comes up and they can't finish the programs. I finish everything I start, but end up back again eventually just trying to find something that works. At least in that regard, I'm a really well-educated person. Lol

Life intervenes and you are moving through towards completing your goal.

It took me 15 years from start of my associates degree towards completion of my MS degree and about 6 school transfers due to location of living and cost of school.

I stopped for a year in the middle and went part time a couple of times, (and was working full time,) I knew I had to complete. It changed my life.

YOU are putting yourself BACK on track. Congratulations!!

Jen

Like a modern day commune? I know they are here and international and just did a search and see they are now called, "co-housing" or intentional living or ecovillages. http://www.ic.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/2 … Ithaca_New

Well, I finished my bachelor's in 2004, then went through an online learning program to get my trainers certification, which took another year, and now yoga teacher school will take another year so it will be six years altogether. It took me only 4.5 years to complete my bachelor's, but then doing all sorts of things after that trying to find out how to make myself marketable in a practical way has added up to an incredible amount of additional schooling. I also have to re-update my basic trainers cert in 2014, and get a group exercise cert as well. That will require some continuing education credits, on top of already being in a yoga teacher program, and then large tests for both the cert update and the group ex cert.

Koryn Locke wrote:
Well, I finished my bachelor's in 2004, then went through an online learning program to get my trainers certification, which took another year, and now yoga teacher school will take another year so it will be six years altogether. It took me only 4.5 years to complete my bachelor's, but then doing all sorts of things after that trying to find out how to make myself marketable in a practical way has added up to an incredible amount of additional schooling. I also have to re-update my basic trainers cert in 2014, and get a group exercise cert as well. That will require some continuing education credits, on top of already being in a yoga teacher program, and then large tests for both the cert update and the group ex cert.

http://www.ic.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/2 … Ithaca_New
You are doing it.
By the way I checked out the links above for ecovillages and cohousing and the first one above has loads of information and contacts.