On Tuesday one of the agencies called me up about a temp assignment, for about 4.5 weeks - just a few hours after I arranged an interview for a different temp job. I still went to the interview and... got the job... which doesn't start until next Friday, however, so I decided to try the first job out, and that's where I've been for the past 3 days. And I'm really really really really not liking it...
Today I got a call from yet another agency, and they offered me a temp assignment which will probably go until the end of my stay in Australia. This one is real data entry and starts on Monday...

Help.... help... help... I don't know what to do.

I hate my current assignment, but it has the advantage of excellent location, which cuts down my travel time. They're also quite flexible with hours - let me start at 8:20 and leave at 4:20 instead of 8:30-4:30, which means I can catch the earlier train home. They pay slighly better than the other two jobs, and I don't really have to work much....
It's supposed to be data entry, specifically processing invoices for a supposedly very busy accounting department... I hate the office (hot, stuffy, and they refuse to turn the heat down!), and the people there creep me out... four elderly men, who are extremely slow and take forever with the simplest tasks - the guy who pre-processes the invoces takes 40 minutes with one (and it's a 5-minute task, maximum). My "lots of work" consisted of barely dozen invoices today... the rest of the time they have me doing odd jobs, which they can't explain well, and what's worse, they're unable to give short, specific answers to simple, specific questions...
I hate the thought of spending 4 weeks there. But I also hate the thought of letting the agency down - I've finally found a good consultant and I don't want to mess up our relationship... I'm sort of thinking of taking the other job - it's call centre work, so something I want to get more experience in.
The second job has the great advantage of being in a call centre. It's till the end of July, but it's likely that I'll get more work after the initial 3 weeks. They're willing to let me 35 hrs instead of 38 or 40, which would be great, I could have some life, but on the other hand the location isn't as good and I've heard that this company sort of really works the workers. It's a bit out of the way, but I worked out a good connection to get there - BUT if my first train is delayed, which unfortunately happens quite often, I'm screwed.

And the third job... it's real data entry, which also is something I want to get more experience in. The workplace is supposed to be more casual, but they're very inflexible with work hours - it's either 9-5 or nothing.

I also might be getting yet another temp job at the end of July, which would be call centre work, but I don't have their final answer yet. If it works out, it works well with either job 1 or 2, both of which finish before this one is due to start.

I could continue with job 1... Or tell the agency that I don't like it but can stay there till Thursay so that they can find someone else, and then go to job 2 on Friday. Or just go to job 3 on Monday and forget the other two. Or I could try job 3, and if I don't like it, go to job 2 on Friday. I guess I could also try job 3 and I didn't like it, I could go back to job 1...

Anyone have any advice...?

I think it is wonderful that a while back you had no assignments and now you have choices. It may seem to you that having too many choices is not a good thing and it can be daunting for someone who has difficulty deciding. Take it from me, I used to be the master of indecision.

What I have learned, particularly from my courses with Landmark Education, is to make the best of the opportunity of choice. You can weigh, compare, consider, analyze and still not be able to make a clear decision. In the end, it comes down to you - just choosing.

Listen to your heart - what will bring you the most enjoyment, peace of mind, satisfaction? For many people, time (working and travel hours) and money drive our decisions about working. What many of us do not see is a dollar or two here and an extra hour or so there will not really make a difference in deciding between job opportunities. What really makes a difference is how will you feel about your time while there?

Life is short - we don't know how much time we have - consider how wisely you are spending the time you are granted each day when you wake up in the morning, still alive. I personally have learned over the years that it is much more important to me to enjoy the 8 hours I spend 5 days a week on a job than to get home a little earlier or make a few more bucks. I am hearing that job 1 is not fulfilling - it is robbing you of your personal well being, sense of contribution, the need to be challenged, and opportunities for personal relatedness to your co-workers.

I hear your commitment to the agency and I support your idea of having an honest communication with them regarding this assignment. It would allow you to honor your commitment by giving them the opportunity to work something out that would not leave them hanging and mutually agree that this is not the assignment for you.

After that, I would encourage to powerfully choose. And the key to powerfully choosing is to do it after consideration, weighing, etc. Choose and then be satisfied with your choice. That will take something - like resisting the urge to doubt yourself and wallow in regret. Trust yourself, choose, accept it for whatever happens and then choose to make the best of it. Even with job 1 - you can powerfully choose it and choose to focus on what's possible rather than what's miserably so. Please PM me if you like more info how to do that!

mscat

sounds like you hate job 1. if you hate it now, think about how you will hate it by the end of the week.

JMO but i say go for number 2. sounds like you like the prospect of it and there is some flexibility. only issue is the train - you can't control it. so long as you do everthing possible to get there on time, i would hope they understand it is not your fault if a train is delayed (not because you miss it due to being late).

i guess at the end of the day you need to remember it is a temp job - its not a full time permanent so you shouldn't be overly concerned with the long term effects of the job.

if it were me, i would probably think about which job will give me the experience i need to get the next temp job and which was the more friendly in terms of transport, etc.

It's a hard choice to make.

But the best advice I could give you is take which every job you think you'll be happiest at you have quite a choice. But I think having a good work atmosphere is essential for having a good work day.

And also if you choice an assignment where the environment is not the greatest then change your attitude about it. Remember change the things that you can and those that are out of your control don't place to much energy into them.