Dilemma; Which One?

I need to start thinking about looking for work.  I've been blessed to get this deep into summer and still work full-time hours.  Normally I'd be out on my behind shortly after Memorial Day.

Nevertheless, it appears as though the season in both test scoring places is coming to a close.  How I close with them is my current dilemma.

The last huge project I had during the day came to an end early this week.  Well, after putting a lot of hours and working through the weekend.  But late last week I was notified that starting Monday I was shifting to another project, one that appears to be late and needed people.  I guess I could have refused, but it's assumed that I didn't have a problem moving, and I don't.  I was told that there would have been only two or three days of work after we got done with the huge chunk of work, and I was told that this late project was going to go on for longer than that.  So I jumped at the chance.  I've been working full-time hours and we're still so behind that we are working this weekend, too.

But then the other test scoring place, the one where I last worked nights for them, magically called me up Wednesday.  When I left I told the contact person that if anything dropped in to give me a call, but I never really expected her to do that, or for something to come in.  Something did -- a math project, which would only last a week, but this place pays a quarter/hour more and is much closer.

Here's the problem, or at least here was the problem as of a couple days ago.  The project I'm working on now really doesn't have an end date.  They need it done as soon as possible; when seems to be a mystery to everyone I talk to.  Moreover, this project is part of a huge conglomerate of projects in all subjects (writing and social studies and math) that have been woefully behind.  There is/was talk that as soon as we're done with this, we're jumping onto yet another project the company needs bodies for, and God knows when that'll be finished.  Lot of panicking means a lot of work for me, chronically unemployable me, who has to make hay while the sun shines.  But they don't know for sure about that, either.  In other words, they don't know much about anything.  We've just been working until told to stop, and that's not a great way to make a living.

Meanwhile, there is one huge drawback to this math project.  It is a field test, which are questions that kids have answered but don't count.  Those are questions that are being workshopped, in essence, to see if they work or not.  I like these because after we grade the answers we are asked for feedback for how did these students answer and whether or not this would be a good question.  I will say that it feels as though the state Departments of Education never take our advice and go with the question that is most often misinterpreted by the kids.  Nevertheless, I love giving my opinion, and I feel good about the illusion of power.

Anyway, the problem with these sorts of projects is that the drop-dead date can vary wildly.  I have only done one field test with this particular company before, probably in my first year, and it seemed like it went on for a long time, though I don't remember the particulars.  My more recent run-ins with field tests have been at the other place, the company where I'm working now, and -- well, I got fucked and fucked and fucked.  This is a different company, and yet I'm not entirely certain we're going to last a whole week.  We might not less even half a week.

So there's a calculus in my head based on incomplete information that I needed to make this decision: Do I stick with the current company through whenever this current project ends in the hopes that I get moved onto the next project, or do I bounce and take this field test job which is also of indeterminate length?

I had until Friday to tell the other company my plans.  In the meantime, after asking around I got two definitely maybes about my future of working there.  One, this current project should end either Monday or Tuesday.  And two -- and I got this news Friday morning -- they will not be moving people onto a new project after the one I'm currently on ends.  It appears as though I'll be done for the season with these guys.

Those two pieces of news, especially the second one, convinced me to tell these guys that I have a job interview Monday and a dental appointment Tuesday, and therefore I will just leave before the project is over.  I'll work through the weekend, but that is it.  And I will hope that the field test I will be working on is more like the one I did with those guys seven years ago and not the ones from the other company each of the past two years.  The break-even point seems to be Tuesday.  It feels as though that if we get cut loose, we'll get cut loose that day.  And Tuesday is the day of the week where, if we reach Tuesday, any money I might lose for getting cut loose on that day while the other company continues to chug (possibly) through the end of the day will be negligible and thus acceptable.

Oh yeah ... I thought I'd be done with everything by now.  That's why I set up an experiment at the U. next Thursday.  I still might make it even with the projected work dates for this field test.  I'll know for certain, maybe, Tuesday as to whether we'll last through then or if I'll have to reschedule.

Hey, who knows?  Test companies are allowed to screw over temps like us.  I could certainly be making the wrong decision.  We'll see, I'm afraid.

Oh, by the way: My old scoring room, the one that had only two or three days of work after I left there, is still working.  In fact, they're coming in today.  Maybe they're slow, maybe they were given work.  Regardless, if I had stayed, it wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world.