[baoi]

I have a dilemma. Please help me.

I am currently on Co-op. Co-op is basically an internship that is more like a real job. I have to work 40 hours a week and I am like a real team member, not just some kid who runs around getting coffee for people. It's a great opportunity for me to be there and i've gained lots of valuable experience already.

The co-op lasts 6 months. I started in January, so i am nearing the middle of the co-op. I believe that my work there has been a tremendous help to my Marketing team and I've done A LOT for them.... (sometimes i feel like i've been taken advantage of, the amount i do compared to the regular full-time staff there...)

So, the dilemma is that, ALL OF MY FRIENDS is going on a trip to Europe. You know where the story is going...

I know, the first reaction of this a big "NO!" But, the tickets are super cheap. They're going to the UK, France, and Italy!! I have the cash, and i can go, no questions asked. But going involves asking 8 days off of co-op.

There are 3 total co-ops at my company. One has taken about 10 sick days already (LITERALLY, NOT KiDDING!!) and the other, well, she probably left early twice... and I had to come home ONCE because i was super sick.

so, I really need your help. I think that my hard work there has warrant me a 6 day vacation, but is 8 days pushing it?

Please give me pros and cons of each situation. Help me decide what I should do.


[edit]

So, i've decided to only take 5 days off. leaving early in the weekend and coming back late next weekend.
I've asked a few of my co-workers, and it seems like it's edgy, but probable.

I won't be going on the entire trip. I will take the 5 days off of work, plus 4 weekend days to explore Rome and Florence with my pals. there is about 15 of us who are DEFINITELY going.

what do you think of this situation now? It's still probable, right?

[carebear]

how long is your total co-op period? and do you plan to stay with this company afterwards? I'd say if the co-op period is a whole semester or longer, and esp if you don't see yourself with the company in two years, then definitely go for the vacation. honestly, being a guy that graduated a year ago, you should definitely try to enjoy yourself as much as you can before you leave school. (not at the expense of a serious job opportunity though..)

[baoi]

^ thanks for the comment. Co-op lasts 6 months, and i am only a middler (3rd year).. My school is a 5 year school, 4 normal school years and 1 co-op year. I have to do 2 co-ops. This is my first co-op and i don't plan on staying with the company, but i need a goodGREAT recommendation from them for future job opportunities.

[naoto]

Are you popular? How many friends do you have? I ask this because if I was popular (which I am clearly not) and had 500 friends on facebook, I would stick with my coop. I know job experience is more important and the right thing to tell you to do is stay where you are. But for me, I love my friends so so so dearly. I don't really know if I am going to pass up an experience to go on vacation with them to europe. I have never done that and I would never forget that experience either, which is also important.

[ayahuasca]

why dont you just talk it over with ppl at the company? you can always negotiate a compromise such as doing overtime to cover the extra hours. As an example, I worked as a contractor for a company for 3 years and all my holidays were unpaid but i did enough overtime each day during the week and even a weekend or two to cover the expenses for a two week trip to japan and china. As long as a win win situation can be worked out i don't see how you can't take your holiday and still look good.

[fossilain]

I would talk it over, but I think an 8 day vacation might be pushing it. Ask for some overtime or even try and reduce your vacation and meet your friends along the way?

[Pogichinoy]

Ask your employer for some time off, if they cannot grant the days you require, then meet your friends half way thru the trip. It's important to enjoy your youth and time that you have, but to also find a common balance with work and play.

I have friends who have worked too hard, and others who have played too hard. Of course both have pros and cons but its what you want that matters, and having to live with the consequences of your actions.

[[HyuNi]]

When I was a summer intern, I took two weeks off of my 4 month internship to go to Bolivia for a missions trip.
I told them ahead of time and stressed how important it was to me, especially because I wouldn't have another opportunity to go.

I say do it.

You'll regret not going if you don't and no matter how hard it is to find a job these days, if you keep yourself valuable to the eyes of employers, you'll find a job. Keep that GPA up, be involved in school and activities, and keep yourself well-rounded. Plus, you'll be working the rest of your life. Live life, work later.

btw, I'm working for that company now and really thankful to be working there.

Not directly related, but...
I help recruit for my company and there's so much faking and lying going on, it's ridiculous. Don't try to predict what the company wants... show them who you really are and they'll find you. You may be able to find a job by trying to be that perfect applicant, but if you're not who you seem, even if you get that job, you'll most likely not like working there.

[HERMIT]

I'm going to attack this from another perspective and say just stick with working at the Co-op. The long-term future benefits of sticking to your work obligations, I believe, far outweighs the short term gratification of the present by going on this trip - but only based on the actual logistics of this particular trip as you've described it.

The reason I say this is that I too am coincidentally planning and going on a trip to Europe (UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands) and I'm finding it to be a real effort in planning out my itinerary of things to see and take in - and yet I'm going to be there for 3 weeks. So seriously, I cannot imagine how much you will actually get out of enjoying all of UK, Italy, and France in just a mere 8 days. And if those days include travel days to and from Europe, your time to enjoy the sights you expect to see is further diminished to essentially 6 days, to be realistic. So what does this essentially boil down to - an average of about 2 days per country? Now, factor in just the travel in between the three countries and now you're talking about really spending at the most 1 -1.5 days at leisure in each country - which, upon further presumption on my part, would simply boil down to just the 3 major cities in each country you intend to visit: London, Paris, and Rome. Just how much are you going to be able to see in each of these places with the limited time you have? I'm only half-joking here, but you probably would get more out of doing your sightseeing on Google Earth and clicking on the "street view".

With all this said, Europe quite frankly is not like Disneyland, where you can easily get from one place to another and you can enjoy one attraction in just a short period of time. Furthermore, I'm sure that between you and your friends, there might be attractions that you may not all agree upon in visiting - or worse, there won't even be enough time for you to be able to visit what you had intended to see. In short, given the parameters of 3 countries to visit in just 8 days, I think you would be sorely rushed throughout your trip and ultimately it will feel like it wasn't worth it. (Now, if you were visiting only one country, say Italy, then it would be a different story). Believe me, you will probably come back and wish that you had just saved your money and planned a much longer and more leisurely trip to Europe. Moreover, once you return from your trip, you could conceivably be all jetlagged and not as motivated to turn around and get back up and running in resuming your work at the Co-op.

In conclusion, I'd say put off going on this trip unless you are sure of what the logistics are in seeing all those places in such a short span of time - and that you are agreeable to it. Otherwise, I would just as soon save my money and reward myself with a much better-planned trip to Europe in which I would be staying there longer than just 8 days.

[lockinsocks]

8 days aren't really worth it for a vacation trip especially in Europe where there is just so much to see.

If I were you, stick through the CO-OP, save all that money for a future trip that is longer!

Imagine if you miss 8 days of school for a trip like this, how would that be?

[baoi]

thanks for the responses! very helpful, especially you Hermit.

I am going to ask my boss for a 5 day vacation .... I hope everything works out... I'll keep in touch

[709394]

I'd see it more as a ...this is prob the only chance in a long, long, longgg time when EVERYONE has the time to go on a trip together...nevermind the logistics part... even if it was for a few days, I'd still do it

[HERMIT]

[edit]
So, i've decided to only take 5 days off. leaving early in the weekend and coming back late next weekend.
I've asked a few of my co-workers, and it seems like it's edgy, but probable.

I won't be going on the entire trip. I will take the 5 days off of work, plus 4 weekend days to explore Rome and Florence with my pals. there is about 15 of us who are DEFINITELY going.

what do you think of this situation now? It's still probable, right?

That sounds a hell of a lot better. Given that Rome and Florence are the only stops you will be seeing and you are cool with that, then the 7 full days (excluding your round-trip travel) would be much better managed. Working in the two weekends to creatively add 4 non-work days is a pretty savvy piece of travel planning as well.

Now, the only obstacle is securing the time off from your Co-op. Hopefully they would be agreeable to it. I just hope for your sake that the prospective time that you plan to take off doesn't happen to fall at a time where your presence at the Co-op is critical to them.

Just curious, but have you guys figured out your modes of travel and where you all will be staying? Especially because there are so many of you, be sure you guys have international/world cell phones handy. European cell phone coverage operates at a different frequency than the US, so unless any of you guys have an "unlocked" cell phone, the cell phones you do have are pretty much rendered useless. Seeing that there are 15 of you traveling together, it's almost likely that some of you will get separated to do their own thing or preferring to lag a little bit behind while the rest move on. If this is the case, then you definitely would want to have that kind of easily accessible communication available to you so that you can keep your sightseeing touring around cohesive. It would totally suck if some of you got lost and you ended up wasting a lot of your precious time searching for them or waiting for people to rendezvous with you at a specified meeting point.

But anyway, I'm going off topic here. If you want any input/advice for your trip, feel free to PM me. I'm not the big expert but since I'm planning a trip as well, I might be able to impart some things I've figured out along the way.

[Pogichinoy]

what do you think of this situation now? It's still probable, right?

Definitely probable, go for it!

[carebear]

definitely go for it.. you only live once and you only have one youth have fun!

[baoi]

Yay... glad to say i am going to Italy!! Thanks for all your input!!

Got the week off this morning... and decided to go to the book store to research the Italian cities..

So, i will be going to Venice then taking a ferry ride down the coast to a small city and then traveling inland to Rome, after that we will travel to Florence.


My airline is SwissAir. From the mixed reviews that I've seen on the internet, i think they're on the better side of borderline.

And, yes I will definitely get a cellphone. I hope everyone else is smart enough to get one too..

[Pogichinoy]

That's great news! Have a fantastic time.

One important thing I learnt in my travels throughout Europe was: SOLDES.

Which means SALE. Clothing sales woohoo!

[HERMIT]

Got the week off this morning... and decided to go to the book store to research the Italian cities..

So, i will be going to Venice then taking a ferry ride down the coast to a small city and then traveling inland to Rome, after that we will travel to Florence.

Congrats on making the decision and being able to take the time off! I sincerely hope you plan well, make efficient use of your time, and are able to see the sights that you hope to see.

Given the limited time that you have, might I suggest checking out these websites for the "hop on/hop off" bus tours for Rome and for Florence? In short, these are double decker tour buses that run on dedicated routes that specifically take you to all the main tourist sites in each of these respective cities. You literally can hop off the bus at any of the tour stops, take your time at one particular place, and then hop back on another bus (which arrives at that stop every 30 minutes). The cost is pretty reasonable (about $32 for two days in Rome/ $27 for one day in Florence). I think seeing that you only have so much time to go around in each city, this hop-on/hop-off bus option would be your most effective method of sightseeing since you have the issue of transportation around the city conveniently addressed - and moreover, that transportation takes you directly to the places of most interest to you. You would have no fuss messing around with city maps and trying to decipher and navigate your way around Rome and Florence's network of mass transit.

Bon voyage!

[Temoin la Nuit]

Skipping Milan?.. no way.. Milan is crucial!

Best opera house in the world, best shopping in the world. Both are enjoyable, even if you're not normally a fan of either.

It's also fairly close to Venice - a day trip.