Big Step

So I've decided to take a big (to me) step. I'm taking a 'leave of absence' from my restaurant job, starting Feb. 17 and ending May 26.

I'm not sure I will be going back.

My excuse is school and after this weekend/upcoming week, I'm definitely realizing how much time school is going to take up this semester. Now I don't feel as bad for using it :)

But really, I had an on-line test tonight, then Monday night we have our 'receptive'* and 'expressive'* tests in ASL Linguistics and same on Thursday for Fingerspelling and Numbers. Plus I will have homework due by Saturday for my on-line class, as well as three discussion posts, and then homework and a rough draft for a paper for my other residential class. I underestimated the time I would need to spend working on each class and I know the demand will only increase.

It's not just not really wanting to work there anymore. It's the constant driving back and forth and watching my gas gauge drop down by about 5 gallons, round-trip. Working at the restaurant is actually costing me money some days, other days I will just barely cover the gas expense. I've worked there for almost four years now and I'm pretty burned out. I don't know how I went to high school, did sports year-round, worked at the dealership two nights a week, and was the closing host every single Friday and Saturday night, often working until 2 in the morning. I worked my butt off and was ranked the #3 employee of the restaurant out of everyone and yet the salary I make there right now is only $7.50 (I started at $7.25). Granted, I moved to the 'car-side' position and yes, to serving (which I dislike) and really, just had no patience for it anymore. Instead of the smiling, happy, and personable person I usually was, I was just done with it. I think I realized (and I'm still realizing) that this is not going to be my job for the rest of my life. I don't want it to be and it won't.
Granted, that was a very short phase where my patience was thin and I'm back to my normal self (pretty much), I think it's because I realized that I was spreading myself thin and for what? I definitely didn't feel like they really appreciated me, rather they found someone who was willing to comply to everything and anything.

I try hard to not feel guilty about leaving, but it's difficult not to.

I'm going to miss everyone (well, mostly) =[

But, I'm probably going to take a few weeks, get some VERY important items taken care of (applications applications applications!) and then probably start looking for a new job. Those few weeks will be really nice, especially for school, but I know I'm going to start feeling guilty if I'm not making more money....and that I'll have all of this free time for a new job......

Hopefully I'll even be able to find a new one! Oh well, I can always just go back to the restaurant after my leave is up and work there until I find something......


*A receptive test for an American Sign Language course is where the instructor will sign the questions to the students who have to write down what the instructor is signing, thus allowing the teacher to see how much the student actually understands and is taking in.
*An expressive test for an American Sign Language course is where the student signs for the teacher, thus allowing the instructor to view how the students' signing skills are increasing.
You will never have one test without the other.