Should I Switch Massage Therapy Jobs? Work Harder for more pay, closer to home? Already a stressed student!!?

Question

I am a massage therapist working for low pay but with great co-workers/atmosphere . The drive is far and I am struggling to pay off my current tuition. I am being offered a job that pays about $3-5 more but without tips (though my tips are low anyways) This job would require that I work over double the hours (causing me to not be able to attend as much school, which means I would graduate later) and I would work doing very hard massages with only 3 minutes in between each massage to rest. Then again my other job I only get about 7 minutes inbetween, sometimes much less. This new job offer is about 5 minutes away from my house. Personally I don't really want to work doing massage for companies but being a girl and not wanting to travel to strangers houses or have them at mine, I can't work from home. I want to get a job doing make-up (I'm an esthetic student) but it's hard to do, even getting a job at a cosmetics counter is hard without sales experience. All I have is massage. Whattodo?

Answer 1

I would invest in my future now and endure the hardships of the longer drive and lower wages. Once you have the schooling that you are seeking then make a change in your position. In the short run the quick cash now seems tempting but having extra money and being too exhausted to enjoy it is such a waste.

Answer 2

Think of it this way. From afar, the longer hours might seem doable. But think how your body could feel after hours of massage. Try to picture the end of the day and how you would fee. You might feel so wiped out all you would want to do is sleep and that would defeat your purpose. If you work independently, maybe you could set up some routine that when you got to a client's house, you could say, I have to call my office to tell them where I am. It could be a fake call, but it at least would make anyone wary that somebody knows your whereabouts.