Ahhhh, home at last.....

[Mark H]

Wow,
Nice to be home at last. I've come home for the weekend to a blustery cold winter wind, snow, and iced beer. Smile. Anyway, seems as though the "approach" issue is being revisited and it got me thinking. One variable that hasn't been addressed too much is time. I mean vacation time.

As I sit and think of my own strategies and read of others strategies, it amazes me how different we all are...in our approach. SOme guys advocate small agencies, others big agencies. SOme advocate no agencies. SOme advocate snail mail others email forwarding. Whatever. Something that is important is vacation time. It's not an issue for me and won't be. I'll have 7 weeks a year when I graduate so time isn't that big of a deal. It started me thinking about the poor guy with only 2 weeks a year. His approach is going to have to be different than, say...the guy with more weeks to work with. I"m curious as to what IS the best approach for the guy with only 2 weeks to work with. I've been to the FSu 5 times in 17 months. What does the guy with 2 weeks a year do? Is he more pressed knowing that if he doesn't click on this trip it'll be 50 more weeks before he can try again? I"m curious, any opinions?

Mark H.

[BubbaGump]

... in response to Ahhhh, home at last....., posted by Mark H on Jan 18, 2002

If a person has only 2 weeks vacation a year I think they have to do more up front work on writing some women instead of taking just a looksee trip and meeting girls cold. I think I have about 12 days a year now, but I changed jobs last year and that search time was lost.  Companies always push me into getting there right away so there's no time off between jobs.  

Another problem I got into is last year my boss would mess up my plans by saying I had to cancel my vacation because of important meetings.  Of course I didn't tell him where I was going.  He thought I was just seeing my friends.  Getting a visa forces you to plan ahead further on a trip to Russia or Ukraine.  

I kinda hoped I would be laid off but no such luck yet.  Just quiting my job would not be a good option for me.  Older workers become more limited in their job choices as we move up the ladder.  I can't get a job that pays this well again and I know a lot of people are out of work.

[Mark W]

... in response to Ahhhh, home at last....., posted by Mark H on Jan 18, 2002

I have more than 2 weeks vacation, but my projects at work tend to make it difficult to use up extended vacation time.  A strategy I like to use is to make trips around work holidays where you gain the additional holidays off and take advantage of the down time in the office.  Obviously, thanksgiving and Christmas work the best.  I was in Kiev this year.  Left on the 20th returned on the 6th of Jan.  Allowed me to leverage the holidays and weekends and conserve days off.  Of course the down side of this strategy is you have to be willing to give up the US family time during the holiday.

[WilliamF]

... in response to Ahhhh, home at last....., posted by Mark H on Jan 18, 2002

"What does the guy with 2 weeks a year do?" - you ask? First, in these times, be thankful he has a job, second, bet thankful he has a job  which provides a paid vacation, and third, hope he he gets lucky.

[Deckard]

... in response to Ahhhh, home at last....., posted by Mark H on Jan 18, 2002


but that's just me... and several on this board told me I was crazy .

I won't dispute that, but I wasn't going to have the opportunity to make several trips a year, so I really had to make my trip long enough. I felt it was worth the risk of quitting my job in order to allow for all the time I needed as I really didn't want to feel rushed.

Otherwise, I think my options would have been a 2 week vacation at the maximum.

-Deckard

[BubbaGump]

... in response to I quit my job..., posted by Deckard on Jan 18, 2002

I don't remember if you ever got married or not.  I remember Oatmeal lost his job over his search, but did get a girl in the process.  A couple of others spent a very long time in Ukraine.

[MarkInTx]

... in response to Ahhhh, home at last....., posted by Mark H on Jan 18, 2002

Actually, I get four weeks a year. Problem is, my company recently got bought out, and they started the vacation days back over at zero.

So, even though I normally get more than two weeks, I find myself in a similar boat. I hardly have any hours accrued.

What I am thinking is that you need to tell yourself, it's going to take at LEAST two trips before you narrow it down and get serious.

Go the first time with the idea of meeting a lot of ladies. By the end of the week (which is two full weekends if you plan it right) you start winnowing it down.

Go back home with the idea you will write for maybe two months, and then be back. (Also, getting the ladies you're  interested in an account at an internet cafe, too....)

So... go in April... hope you'll find maybe four women that really interested you and that you clicked with. (Probably have to meet about twenty to find them...)

Two months of regular emails... then, if things have clicked, back to see her again -- and this time its personal...

If nothing works out with the group of ladies you were most interested in... reset the clock, and do it again. I don't see any other way of doing it. You just can't go with the feeling of "pressure" to "pick one". All you will get is a problem, IMHO.

That's my idea, anyway.

Not what I did last time. But what I plan to do this time. I'll let you all know how it works out...

-M-

[Richard]

... in response to Ahhhh, home at last....., posted by Mark H on Jan 18, 2002

I think that where a person with little or no vacation time feels the pressure is in building a relationship after he has met someone.  After going through an involuntary job change, I find that I have gone from four weeks vacation to none.  I would like to hope on a plane and go back for another much needed visit but I am hesitant to ask for time off after delaying my start date to accommodate a trip that was already planned.  At least my 90 days probation is almost over …

I think that the people who feel the need to connect with someone on their first / next trip are going to feel that pressure no matter how much time they have available to them as that is more a function of personality than available time.

[MarkInTx]

... in response to Re: Ahhhh, home at last....., posted by Richard on Jan 18, 2002

Yeah... four weeks down to none...

Me too...

Must be something new that they're doing to cut costs!

[Richard]

... in response to Richard, I feel your pain, posted by MarkInTx on Jan 18, 2002

I worked for a money center bank that merged with a major investment bank.  I got caught up in the fallout.  

The bright side was that the severance package allowed me to finalize plans to go back to Kiev without a job in hand.  I got the job offer 5 days before my planned departure and ended up finalizing my start date over the internet from Crimea! This cloud had a gold lining instead of a silver lining.