Hi! I'm writing to request much needed (!!) advice on a potential career move. I've just been offered a new job, 3,000 miles away in my dream location, and have accepted it. But I'm having misgivings and am afraid that I may not be happy with the job once I get there.

My question to the I Ching was: "How will my new job work out?"

The answer was Hexagram 60 with no changing lines (static).

Since this is a major, life-changing decision, any insight would be very, very much appreciated.

Sincerely, raggatt

60 is about limitations, both setting them and the need for them. It might help with the interpretation if we knew why you think you might not be happy in the new job. I could see a variety of things this could mean. It could just reflect your own misgivings, it could mean the new job will offer limited success or satisfaction or it could be advice for how to approach it. Does any of these feel right to you? Can you elaborate a bit more on your situation?

Dear Seeker: Thanks for your response! The new job will involve land use planning and zoning. Basically, telling people what they can and can't do with their property. Reviewing development plans, writing reports, answering public questions at the front counter, rewriting the City Master Plan and Zoning Ordinance, etc.

My reservations are that I now have a really great boss, great co-workers, managable workload and no stress. Plus, I just got a raise. I also have family here.

I'm afraid the new job will be MUCH more work, more contentious, the new boss sounds kind of flaky and unprofessional, the department sounds kind of chaotic, I'll have to run a department and manage at least 3 people (I don't manage anyone now) for the same pay. My future assistant, who's in the Army Reserve, has just been called up. But the cost of living is a little lower and it's where my husband wants to be (on the ocean).

I took a job once before on the coast that crashed and burned so bad that I quit in tears after only 4 months, due to horrible management & unpleasant co-workers. Once bitten twice shy for sure, especially when leaving a job I like.

Thanks again for your response. I have to call the new boss today and give her a starting date, but I'm panicking!

Sincerely, Raggatt

P.S. By more contentious, I mean, now I don't deal directly with the public, and no one yells at me. Being on the front line of issuing development permits means people are constantly annoyed with you, bugging you, and giving you grief. It goes with the territory.

Hi Raggatt-
Considering the job, I'm going to focus on the line in 60.0 that says
"Bitter limitations do not invite commitment."
I have a little insight from the other side as a private sector land use planner (& architect), almost the opposite profession. My job is to tell clients what they Can do, and I get to create on a big scale, design whole new towns, etc, and still get to use my environmentalist ethic.
To an extent, the public sector is all about Limitation, telling people what they cannot do. The people who seem happiest in these positions, particularly when there's no direct accountability, tend to be passive aggressives. They get to hide behind rules, say "no" and "not yet" a lot, and lob technical problems at developers from behind an army of government staff. Problem is, if you don't need to feed on this kind of satisfaction, it does generate a lot of ill will and resentment, bitterness if you will.
This may not even refer to you or your attitude, but to coworkers and the general climate at the office. This tends to get pretty adversarial, us against them. It's an atmosphere that not everyone can thrive in. If your question is about your happiness, I would weigh this aspect carefully. If you choose to pursue it, my own opinion is that local governments can benefit a great deal from the more enlightened bureaucrats who can use criticism constructively and work for win-win scenarios that are respectful of property rights.
b

Dear Bradford: Thank you! I actually worked issuing permits in this same community from 1998-2001, but as a County versus City planner. My work experience was mixed, alot of frustration and satisfaction both. I learned ALOT about dealing with the public and enjoy the role of educator, listener, and peacemaker. At the same time, I burned out after awhile and so I've limited myself to purely long-range planning since then (no permits).

I got the job based on my experience which I'm sure would serve both me and community well. I think I could go back to staffing the "front lines", but add to that a nice but flaky boss who sounds like she's got one foot out the door, unknown office dynamic, much increased work load, and management responsibilities....PLUS family and a great job where I am....

Why go? It's the central Oregon coast where my husband and I spent the happiest 3 years of our lives. We've been literally pining to return ever since we left, and cross country job searching is grueling at best.

I know this is long-winded, but I'm desperate to make a decision. Hexagram 60 seems to cover everything you point out. Since it's static, it seems like the limitations will be unchanging. Given my fear that I'll be in over my head, I'm thinking this reading is telling me not to go...But I've invested alot of time, energy and $ in the interview and am very afraid of making the wrong decision.

Again, thanks very much for your very perceptive response.
Sincerely, Raggatt

And if you get there and it isn't what you want, Oregon hasn't got an abundance of similar jobs, or for that matter, an abundance of jobs period. Maybe the Yi is telling you that if you accept it, you will have to limit yourself to whatever it ends up being, for the foreseeable future. Moving is always expensive.

Why don't you ask a few more questions, specifically about how successful you will be in the job, how happy you will feel once you are there, whether the job will work out well for you, whether you will stay a long time in the job, etc. I wouldn't make this decision on one throw. Also, the coast is beautiful, but the weather there is really dismal in the winter, which you say you know, having lived there. I lived in Oregon 13 years and the first three were okay, also. After that I pretty much had 6 months of depression a year for the duration of the rainy season. Ask a few more questions - post them here if you want and get some help with the interpretation. And let us know what decision you make.

Good luck.

Pam

"Hexagram 60 seems to cover everything you point out. Since it's static, it seems like the limitations will be unchanging."

Wrong. A hexagram with no activated lines is *not* static - it portrays a situation that is as dynamic as a hexagram with no activated lines. It just means you're dealing with an archetypal situation, rather than an aspect of the archetype.