I am unhappy.

I'm at a crossroads, and I don't know what to do. All I know is I can't keep going the same direction.

Here's the deal. I'm sitting at a bar in L.A. The company in which I've put the last four years of my life (based in L.A.) is going downhill. I might be able to help save it, but I need to move fast, and doing so means I would probably have to move to SoCal. That's a big change - I'm in Knoxville, TN.

Not that I'm not working my ass off as is. One of my best friends Paul (green-lantern) I haven't even seen in... weeks? Months? Fuck. I am a shitty friend at the moment.

I meet with our CEO in the morning. I'm basically going to tell her that we're in trouble, and I need a raise to move to L.A. It's not about the money - Los Angeles is expensive. She will probably give it to me.

The alternative is that I can basically sit back and collect another year's worth of paychecks while the company unravels. Then, I look for another job.

How do you make decisions like this? I don't know. I'm 28, unmarried, and I don't know what to do with my life.

Paul if you read this - hope you're doing well.

Hey man, I don't know if I can cheer you up at all, but are you able to tell us what part of saving the company would require you to move to LA?

I know all about building a business for years and having it unravel before me. Fortunately, for you, it sounds like other people are involved that (might) be able to help save it too. Do any of them realize the problems you're seeing at the moment?

While I (or others) might not have the immediate solution for you, would I be correct in saying it sounds like you need change in your life? L.A., from everything I've seen, is one massive change in scenery, women and opportunity. If you're not enjoying life at the moment, this change could undoubtably be a blessing in disguise.

What's your thoughts on this?

Thanks, you dont know how much I appreciate the reply.

Unfortunately if we are going to save this business, I need to move fast. You know how it goes- you get one shot, then its gone. I can work more quickly on-site than I can remotely, from Knoxville. I do think others realize the state we're in. If not, our CEO will when I speak with her tomorrow.

You're right - I do need change in my life. But I would be leaving a lot of friends and family behind in Knoxvillle. People that I love.

Thanks again... I don't open up often.

It does sound like a difficult position, but in many ways it sounds like you have your answers already.

Just remember that nothing is permanent, and there's a good chance that your CEO might even know something (or have a solution) that you haven't even thought of yet. You (as you described) have a lot of weight on your shoulders, but it also sounds like you could be a hero and save a lot of people's jobs - including your own.

If you do go to LA, plan it as a temporary venture. You're going there to save the business. From there, set up a plan to return (if that is what you want to do - give it time).

In the end, you could find your life completely changed for the better. Maybe you'll meet a girl in LA (there are a LOT of fish in that sea, I promise you). Maybe you'll be able to make the business better, stronger and more stable than it ever was. Who knows, right?

Whatever your choice is Justin I sincerily hope it works out for the best. Perhaps Shaun is right though, if moving to L.A. is an action that will keep your job, and others, think of it as a temporary speedbump in the persuit of happiness. although I'm qute a bit younger and don't quite work in the same field as yourself I can in many ways relate to your current situation. I also may be moving half way around my country to persue a change in life and steady emplyment.

Best wishes;
Jordan.

You can't move :(

We will always be here. Just keep in touch. If you can save the company, think of the opportunity it would provide you. I'd miss hanging out with ya, but there are 3S folks out there and you would make friends quickly. If all pans out, the company gets back on it's feet, you could possibly move back in a year or two.

Good Luck with the meeting this morning, keep us filled in buddy

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Originally Posted by Sean Johnson

We will always be here. Just keep in touch. If you can save the company, think of the opportunity it would provide you. I'd miss hanging out with ya, but there are 3S folks out there and you would make friends quickly. If all pans out, the company gets back on it's feet, you could possibly move back in a year or two.

Good Luck with the meeting this morning, keep us filled in buddy

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I agree with Sean. As much as the TN crew would miss you, you need to do what is best for you.

Do what's best for you...not the company. Sometimes it seems a bit selfish but if you put other people/things in front of your own needs the only thing that will result in is you being miserable.

On the other hand you're young and it doesn't sound like you're really tied down so it might be a good chance for a change if that's what you need. If the company truly needs you you should be able to get some nice perks out of them at the same time.

If your talents are that necessary to get the company back on it's feet, making that move could / would prove to be quite beneficial for you and your career if your efforts are supported and successful.
I'd say make the move.
The water's cold when you only dip your toe in, jump in and it feels great.
Good luck

You gotta do what you gotta do. Sometimes life takes us in strange directions, but it generally is for a reason. Best of luck and keep us posted regardless.

I honestly wouldn't know what to do in that situation. Friends and family are key to happiness, they are everything to me. I say do what you think feels right to you.

Unless you'd be getting substantially more money, you'll be taking it in the shorts. L.A. is an expensive place to live. My brother in law just sold a house in So. Cal for $595,000 that frankly was a dump. The same house in TN would have been robbery at $120,000.
I wouldn't move from Knoxville to L.A. on a bet. But you have to do what you have to do.
Good luck.

Damn buddy, I honestly don't know what to tell you. The greedy side says stay in TN but I definitely want you to do the right thing for you and your career. I'm not sure how happy you would be in LA. As well spoken and educated as you are you have a red neck side, shooting guns in the back yard, car jacked up in the garage. :lo5l:

On the other hand LA has lots of opportunity. I'm sure it has a bunch of positives. Never been there but I hear it's beautiful. If you save the company I'm sure you could make big cash in the future. You probably need to have your pay doubled to keep your standard of living though.

How long do you see this taking? Months? Years? indefinitely? I guess you need to weigh all the pros and cons. If you're unhappy now will you be able to be happy staying there?

BTW I'm doing good, thanks for asking. :) Hopefully you will have some time to come by, take a ride in the car and have some drinks.

Leaving is always such sweet sorrow, but you may find L.A. exhilarating.

Large dollars are an absolute necessity - don't think in terms of what you'll need, think more along the lines of ridiculous money - a figure that will give the CEO pause, because if you alone have the key, you are worth 'indispensable' money.

Think about that for a minute.

I think that if you can, you must...why else would you be thinking in these terms?

I always wanted my kids to take the chances and spread their wings.
If you try it out and it dosen't work have you really lost anything?
Just pack your bags and go home but if you don't try you will always wonder "What if"
Just fly in for NG10 so you can party with HD and I. :)

I'm in a similar position. I'm about the same age (26), and took the plunge at moving from East coast to West coast. Difference is, I left my job as well as friends and family behind (no particular order). I'm at a similar crossroads because I know the work that I'm doing now is not what I'll be doing for the rest of my life, hell might not be doing it in the next 3 months... who knows. I'm sure I can find a new job doing something I like better, but then I throw in the idea of going back to school to pursue an even more lucrative job. When I say I dont know, I really mean I don't know what the hell I'm going to do. :) Positive aspect is, I do have A job (better than ~10% of the country), I have a roof over my head, a car, and I can afford food (barely ;))

Now in your perspective, you would be able to move across the country, ALREADY have a job, be able to make more money (so it sounds), and save your company from going belly-up. Just my opinion, but it seems pretty ideal. Admittedly, I am the ultimate optimist, so I always think things will work out.. but regardless, even if the company goes under, you'd now be in a good location to find another job.

Besides, if you keep the company afloat, you'll still be making more money... have a chance to move up further in the company and live your life how you please. If it doesn't work out, I'll buy you a drink. Win/win situation if you ask me :)

Good luck with your decision,
Michael

Damn Justin sorry to hear you're unhappy man. Anyhow as for what to do, I cant tell you. I can say for one thing as much as you might not see yourself some place it might be for the best. I know I'm in quite the opposite position as you. I have wanted to be in LA (Well Irvine, oc), for the longest time and ended up getting stuck in Ohio for personal reason much to my dismay. I will say had that not happened I wouldnt have grown my business to the size it is currently (I think it would have been crippled by the high costs of operation in Cali), and I would have never landed the job I got as head of car shipments with a logistics company. Funny how that all worked out for the best for me, and I still plan to move out there someday. However for now those plans are on hold.

I guess in all that I'm saying maybe you dont see yourself in LA, but it might just be the best thing for you that you dont really see. Just something to think about buddy, Anyhow take care man

http://www.businessinsider.com/most-...-los-angeles-1

LA is #10 on the most obscene cities In America lol

Whew, thanks everyone! I was drowning my sorrows the other day. All this uncertainty with the business is stressing me out and in some ways brought up some of the uncertainties in my own life. I struggle with a sort of existential angst sometimes. :)

So I spoke with the CEO yesterday. (Today? My time zones are all screwed up.) The conversation actually went better than I ever expected - it's SO important to have good leadership, and our CEO is great. The good news is, she's going to work with me to find a balance between getting things done here and maintaining my life in Tennessee. So TN folks are stuck with me for the time being. ;) Although I might be spending weeks / months here and there in California.

I want to reply individually to people but I'm exhausted, so I'll chat with you all later. Thanks.

Congrats on working things out Justin!

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Originally Posted by Intropy

Whew, thanks everyone! I was drowning my sorrows the other day. All this uncertainty with the business is stressing me out and in some ways brought up some of the uncertainties in my own life. I struggle with a sort of existential angst sometimes. :)

So I spoke with the CEO yesterday. (Today? My time zones are all screwed up.) The conversation actually went better than I ever expected - it's SO important to have good leadership, and our CEO is great. The good news is, she's going to work with me to find a balance between getting things done here and maintaining my life in Tennessee. So TN folks are stuck with me for the time being. ;) Although I might be spending weeks / months here and there in California.

I want to reply individually to people but I'm exhausted, so I'll chat with you all later. Thanks.

---

That's great man! I was hoping you would work something out like this, a middle ground that would allow you to reach goals with this company and still have some kind of life here in TN. Just think if you moved out there and took the car you would have to put emissions back on it. lol That would suck ha ha

I tried to give you a call yesterday. I wasn't sure about the time change and thought you might be busy but tried anyway. :D

Give me a ring whenever you get some time and sanity.

Glad to hear things are looking up again man!

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Originally Posted by MK_94_3000GT

I have wanted to be in LA (Well Irvine, oc), for the longest time and ended up getting stuck in Ohio for personal reason much to my dismay.

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Ha ha, well compared to Ohio... yeah it might be an improvement. :) Have you ever lived or worked here? My standard reply when people express this sentiment - you might not want to live here as much as you think. I would probably need a $30-40k raise just to maintain the same standard of living. Seriously.

I do have to admit though - the "aura" is very appealing if you keep to the nicer parts.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by green-lantern

http://www.businessinsider.com/most-...-los-angeles-1

LA is #10 on the most obscene cities In America lol

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LOL, obscenely expensive maybe.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Intropy

Ha ha, well compared to Ohio... yeah it might be an improvement. :) Have you ever lived or worked here? My standard reply when people express this sentiment - you might not want to live here as much as you think. I would probably need a $30-40k raise just to maintain the same standard of living. Seriously.

I do have to admit though - the "aura" is very appealing if you keep to the nicer parts.

---

I'm a young kid my standard of living is pretty blah to begin with :lol: wouldn't mind living in pretty much a shack. Kinda one of those things I think I could make it get better especially now that I made my business bigger.

Anyhow glad you seem to have got things worked out to a place where you can stay where you want and save the company. Good luck going forward with it man.

Wow, here's a life lesson for you that I'm just now learning: never underestimate the power of being assertive. So as you know, I was sort of at the end of my rope, both with the company and with my own personal direction. So I decided to meet with the CEO and spill my guts, and in general since then, I've had a "say whatever I want, real niggaz don't give a f*ck" attitude. Totally unlike me.

Well, since then, I have been promoted, got a raise, and hooked up with our smoking hot accountant who is way out of my league... holy crap! :) LOL

Grats man :D

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Originally Posted by Intropy

I have been promoted, got a raise, and hooked up with our smoking hot accountant who is way out of my league... holy crap! :) LOL

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Oooh.

Careful, there.

Possible dire consequences.

Is her name Jennifer?

She hasn't seen you in the coveralls yet!

I'm glad things are working out. You deserve it. :)

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Originally Posted by j2k4

Careful, there.

Possible dire consequences.

Is her name Jennifer?

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LOL, no... why? You know an accountant near L.A. named Jennifer?

Fortunately we're a small business with no official "don't date the hot accountant" policies... but yeah I'm aware. Or are you talking about other consequences?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Granny

She hasn't seen you in the coveralls yet!

I'm glad things are working out. You deserve it. :)

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Ha ha... yeah I'm not sure I fit in here... but one trip to Venice Beach convinces me that no one fits in here. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Intropy

LOL, no... why? You know an accountant near L.A. named Jennifer?

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Actually, she's from Valley Forge, but she really gets around.:D

Glad to see the update.

i don't think you could pay me enough $$$ to live in socal. my soul cannot be bought.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by inperfectdarkness

i don't think you could pay me enough $$$ to live in socal. my soul cannot be bought.

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Ever been here? It'll change your mind... the nicer parts at least. Until you see the real estate prices that is.

Congrats bro!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Intropy

Wow, here's a life lesson for you that I'm just now learning: never underestimate the power of being assertive. So as you know, I was sort of at the end of my rope, both with the company and with my own personal direction. So I decided to meet with the CEO and spill my guts, and in general since then, I've had a "say whatever I want, real niggaz don't give a f*ck" attitude. Totally unlike me.

Well, since then, I have been promoted, got a raise, and hooked up with our smoking hot accountant who is way out of my league... holy crap! :) LOL

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Congrats Justin... You don't give yourself enough credit though. You never know, that hot accountant might be saying the same thing about you "way out of my league".

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Intropy

Ever been here? It'll change your mind... the nicer parts at least. Until you see the real estate prices that is.

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i'll take florida over socal any day. communism has poisoned that locale. that, and i'm pretty sure i'd end up stabbing a millitant illegal waving a goddamn mexican flag in my face.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by inperfectdarkness

i'll take florida over socal any day. communism has poisoned that locale. that, and i'm pretty sure i'd end up stabbing a millitant illegal waving a goddamn mexican flag in my face.

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Is it possible .. for you to not flame anyone, any ethnic group, any vehicle, anybody's personal, political beliefs or religious conviction or any thing else?
You reek of inhospitality, negativism and hatred.
Who has peed in your oatmeal, pulled your panties up in a wad and why do you chose to express your anger in a community established to share our enthusiasm with a particular vehicle platform.

Just once .. think of this forum as a no whine zone!!!

pm'd, since you asked.

Congrats on having everything work out! If you're ever down in LA for an extended time, there are plenty of us that I'm sure wouldn't mind hanging out (although I've never met with any other 3s owners, haven't had the car long). It's true that living here is expensive, and you really do have to love diversity... I haven't lived anywhere but in socal for my whole life, but looking back on it, it's hard to complain.