Conflicting Interests

I put in my two-weeks notice today at Sport Chalet. I didn't want to have to do it. I'm not happy after having to do it. I enjoy being a bicycle mechanic. At the same time though, it's interfering with my career interests.

Today was the second time in less than a week that my duties at Sport Chalet have interfered with my job at SCEA. Last Thursday I was faced with turning down possible overtime at SCEA due to scheduling overlap. In the past, I've been able to sidestep my duties at Sport Chalet, finding somebody else to take over for me. Not this time. Lucky for me, we ended up not doing overtime that night. I didn't have to turn it down. However today, I was forced to turn down work at SCEA due to scheduling overlap. I was called in for a returning project earlier today that would run through 10pm tonight and possibly the next few days. I answered positively to the short notice request, but also notified my coordinator that I would need to leave early at 5:30pm to work at my other job. I lost the opportunity to work on the project, and as a result have lost that income due to the inflexibility of my second job. This is very costly to my career as well. The more I turn down jobs, the less likely I am to be called back in for work. Before today, I have never turned down work at SCEA. I am infuriated by this instance. My job at Sport Chalet is an expense I cannot afford.

My time is far more valuable to me than I'm being compensated for. After requesting a rate increase at Sport Chalet and being denied, I promptly gave a two-weeks notice of my intent to quit.