Just about 3 years ago I found myself lucky enough to work, as a temp, for the company I now work as a full-time employee today. At the time, my job was meant to be temporary and I was expected to be let go once they didn't need me anymore. Lucky for me the changes they were planning that would have ended my chance to work for the company were put on the back burner allowing time to earn my spot and convince management to hire me full time. It was the happiest day of my life to have the opportunity to work for the largest cement company in the US. I had plans to take advantage of this to finally move up in life.

I eventually found an opportunity to begin my journey towards the top as a position that would give me more chances to advance became open. Since then I felt the world was mine for the taking. But all this came to a screeching halt when the economy started taking a downturn. Opportunities to move up began to disappear; raises and incentives became history; and job loses and cut backs became the new theme and motivation.

Just a year ago my brother moved to California following his company and made me an offer that at the time a chose to refuse. He wanted me to move to Cali to work with him, but considering the cost of living in Cali is a bit higher than Florida in some places (much higher in others), the amount of money offered was not enough to make me wanna deal with earthquakes and the weird laws that Cali is known for, not to mention it would not make up for the cost of living difference.

As time passed and the economy began to spiral out of control, I found out my brothers company was till doing good business. Not sure why but sounded like something I wanted to be part of. In talking with my brother I found out he was interviewing someone near me here in Florida. I figured why couldn't I work with him from here too. Turns out the job was not something I would not qualify for but he did say something I was interested in. He said he will be looking for a technician to help in demonstrations of the product. The skills required would be something new I would need to learn, but I believe I can do the job. The problem? It requires me, again, to move to California to get the job. The difference? I would get paid twice as much, maybe more, than what I earn today. The idea of making over $50 thousand a year makes me wanna do the Mambo. It's like a dream, something I have always wished I could do but never thought I could achieve because I never went to college. Twice as much money sounded like a good enough incentive to move to Cali. I f my wife was to find a job, even part time, would be even more money that what we make together today. And after doing some research, found out that the cost of living where my brother lives is not that much compared to what I pay today. I was excited about all of this and asked my wife if she was OK with the idea of moving so far away from her family. She seemed doubtful but agreed. I quickly called my bro and told him to let me know what I needed to do and when.

I was very excited that an opportunity like this came. To make that kind of money was like a dream come true. Currently, the way things are going at my job, I don't even know if I will survive the wave of lay-offs going on. Knowing my brother, I feel more secure working with him. But, as the title says, all this excitement was gone in 60 seconds when my wife came to me on Saturday afternoon, after she got home from work, and told me she did not want to go to California. She began to list he reasons (excuses) for not wanting to go. Everything from not knowing the place, not having family and friends and being afraid of earthquakes. I felt very disappointed for I found myself having to give up this opportunity since I did not want to force my family to move somewhere they didn't want to be. The kids is another story, regardless I have to do what I think is best for them and whether they wanted to or not, I would have moved. It's my belief they would have adapted just fine just like they did when we moved to Puerto Rico and then to West Palm Beach.

Right now I feel like any chance I had of ever succeeding in life has just abandoned me. Now I am stuck working for $12 an hour with now raising in the horizon, no opportunities to advance and no jobs out there. The chances of going to school for any degree are slim, it would still require at least 2 years before I could get any kind of diploma. My situation has not improved at all, if anything it may be getting worse. And with lay-offs looming over me every day or if my wife would lose her job for what ever reason, it only makes me feel more like crap.

I wanna think that we are not taking this opportunity because we don't think it's worth it. But I can't help but thinking my wife was very selfish in her decision. To claim that she won't have any family of friends there is very selfish seeing as I have no family in Florida and hardly have anything that can be called real friends, more like acquaintances. I find myself questioning if I should call my brother and tell him we changed our minds, I think we are gonna regret it. But I don't want to force my family to do this. What a dilemma.