To give up my business for temporary job

[AutumnLeaves333]

After I finished my degree a couple of years ago I discovered I couldn’t find any kind of job that I could make work as a single parent with limited childcare available, so I set up a dog walking business which has been fairly successful and allowed me to be a bit less reliant on childcare. However for various reasons I don’t enjoy the job to the point that it’s making me depressed.

With my dc being a little bit older now I tentatively approached a company I had done work experience with during my degree enquiring about job vacancies and they have come back to me offering a 6 month contract which I would need to start by the 27th of may, I might be offered a permanent position after this period but there are no guarantees.

I feel so torn now, firstly I would be leaving my dog walking clients with very little notice,
and I don’t think it will be well received, and secondly I would be giving up a successful business for what might only be 6 months of work and then I’d be unemployed.

On the other hand even if I don’t get a permanent role at the end of it this job could be a big stepping stone for me to kickstart my career using the degree I worked so hard for!

I really have to decide what to do TODAY so I can’t let my clients know ASAP, unfortunately I also have the worse cold/flu thing I’ve had for a very long time and my head feels full of cotton wool and I’m not feeling capable of making good decisions, so what should I do?

YABU stay at current job
YNBU give up business and start new job

YNBU...its good for your CV even if you dont get permanent position.

New job 100%! If the dog walking is making you miserable, and this temporary contract is in the field you trained for then it’s a no brainer I reckon. Even if you don’t get kept on after 6 months that’s 6 months experience which will put you in a good position to apply for other jobs in the industry

New job. Life is too short. You regret the things you did not do etc.

You say you don’t like your current job .

Yes there is a possibility it might not lead to a job but does mean even if it doesn’t you have six months experience in a more relevant role .

I gave up my business of ten years after the third lockdown . I’d had enough - was financially successful still but wasn’t emotionally for me .

I took a job - that was a temporary contract extended once but then role ended after 5 months . I walked into another job - in fact was offered two . I don’t think without the first job I would have got either of the second ones . I have been in my current role nearly 3 years now .

Thank you I’m relieved to see others think this this is a good decision. I’m still worried about telling my clients, I live in a small town, one of my clients is my DC teacher I really don’t want to let people down at short notice!

Go for the new job.

You’re depressed by the dog walking. So that has to go, sooner or later. You’ve been given an opportunity, that’s not going to be easily repeatable with two years out of the industry. Once you’re a few months in to the role, if it looks like it won’t be extended, start applying for other jobs, with this recent experience under your belt.

New job. Your clients will understand.
I did something similar to you and the 6 months led on to another short role, which opened up even more opportunities. Nothing is forever and you can go back/change your mind/do something else if it’s not right for you.
it is scary, but sounds like a good decision for you!

If you hate the dog walking, take the job

Can you sell your dog-walking business?

Not really, and definitely not at such short notice. I will contact other walkers and pass on dogs to them where I can, but the service I have offered is different to what most walkers do and a lot of the dogs I walk wouldn’t be suited to other walkers.
I did contact a new walker while this was in the pipeline last week and see if she would be interested in taking on all my groups as they are but she didn’t have space!

There’s a reason why you put the feelers out in the first place, being SE isn’t a walk in the park even in your line of work 😬 So I would say go for it- if there’s no sign of a permanent contract by the end of month 4 update your CV and start applying for new opportunities.

And with respect to your clients, if someone I regularly engaged said to me, “I’ve been offered an excellent opportunity in my original field of study and after a lot of consideration I’ve decided to go for it”, my (selfish, I admit) annoyance at the inconvenience of finding someone else would be completely outweighed by thinking, well, fair play and good luck.

Let them know and find them numbers for new dog walkers in area...you won't feel so bad then

Good luck, @AutumnLeaves333 . You strike me as resilient and resourceful; I hope everything works out for you. Come back and keep us informed?