How much of a pay cut would you be willing to take?
-
I'm fed up with my current job and see very little in the way of prospects going forward. I have an offer on the table for another job that I think will be really cool in ways my current job can never hope to be. But, and here's the rub, it would involve taking a hit in the region of $16k/yr in salary (and the health benefits are about twice as much too). My head says "NO!", but my heart says "erm...maybe?"
I took a 7% cut to take my current job and I have never regretted it. The job is more secure, more interesting and I am appreciated by my boss and colleagues far more than any previous job.
- Life in the fast lane is only fun if you live in a country with no speed limits. - Of all the things I have lost, it is my mind that I miss the most. - I vaguely remember having a good memory...
-
Sometimes you have to take a step back to give you the opportunity to take a leap forward. I've taken two pay cuts while changing jobs in my career, so far I haven't regretted that at all. The first time I did it, I was leaving a really secure job but it was boring as heck... so I took a pay cut off the back and moved to a more expensive area, I loved the job though.... I was with that company for about four years and in that time frame they doubled my initial salary. They saw my dedication to the job and how well I fit and made sure I was well rewarded. Probably one of my best career moves was taking that pay cut.
Yeah, my potential future boss kind of pep-talked me over lunch with how he thinks I should be able to make it back up in a "few years". I was thinking about my salary over the last 8 years at my current position and (I think) it works out as making 28% more now that when I started. But we usually get good bonuses (target of 15%), but we just got an e-mail saying bonuses will be down this year because sales weren't as good as they hoped.
-
I've done it before: taking a cut of 50% was my largest (but that was mitigated by a massive reduction in commuting distance and thus cost) It depends on a huge number of factors, and money is only one of them. Life style factors come into it as well. Enjoying your job **is**important: you spend 1/3 of your life asleep, 1/3 at work and (it seemed to at one stage) 1/3 commuting to work. If you can afford it, and it improves your work / life balance, and it will be a lot more enjoyable, then look at it seriously.
If you get an email telling you that you can catch Swine Flu from tinned pork then just delete it. It's Spam.
OriginalGriff wrote:
Enjoying your job **is**important: you spend 1/3 of your life asleep, 1/3 at work and (it seemed to at one stage) 1/3 commuting to work.
It's funny you should mention that. My boss's boss was trying to give us a pep-talk about how he sees the importance of developing staff (despite the fact that we don't have a dedicated budget for training) and said something about how we give them an hour of work, they give us money for it, and at the end of your life you won't be able to give that money back and get back those hours. Which made me think "holy crap, I need to find a new job", which I think was the exact opposite of what he was trying to achieve.
-
I'm fed up with my current job and see very little in the way of prospects going forward. I have an offer on the table for another job that I think will be really cool in ways my current job can never hope to be. But, and here's the rub, it would involve taking a hit in the region of $16k/yr in salary (and the health benefits are about twice as much too). My head says "NO!", but my heart says "erm...maybe?"
I very rarely leave a job (been laid off plenty of times though) and when I have I have usually regretted it. And it's about percentage.
-
OriginalGriff wrote:
Enjoying your job **is**important: you spend 1/3 of your life asleep, 1/3 at work and (it seemed to at one stage) 1/3 commuting to work.
It's funny you should mention that. My boss's boss was trying to give us a pep-talk about how he sees the importance of developing staff (despite the fact that we don't have a dedicated budget for training) and said something about how we give them an hour of work, they give us money for it, and at the end of your life you won't be able to give that money back and get back those hours. Which made me think "holy crap, I need to find a new job", which I think was the exact opposite of what he was trying to achieve.
Wow. :omg: Is your name Dilbert? If not I think the pair of you have the same boss..
If you get an email telling you that you can catch Swine Flu from tinned pork then just delete it. It's Spam.
-
I'm fed up with my current job and see very little in the way of prospects going forward. I have an offer on the table for another job that I think will be really cool in ways my current job can never hope to be. But, and here's the rub, it would involve taking a hit in the region of $16k/yr in salary (and the health benefits are about twice as much too). My head says "NO!", but my heart says "erm...maybe?"
That all depends on your expenses each month. Wilkins Micawber's famous quote from Charles Dickens' David Copperfield comes to mind.
If there is one thing more dangerous than getting between a bear and her cubs it's getting between my wife and her chocolate.
-
I'm fed up with my current job and see very little in the way of prospects going forward. I have an offer on the table for another job that I think will be really cool in ways my current job can never hope to be. But, and here's the rub, it would involve taking a hit in the region of $16k/yr in salary (and the health benefits are about twice as much too). My head says "NO!", but my heart says "erm...maybe?"
I once took a 15% cut to leave a job I really did not like to join one that was great - the best decision I ever made! It really all depends on what you value - I tend to follow the bliss rather than the money in the belief that if I am doing what I want to do the money will follow, which so far has proven to be true. Good luck in making the choice :)
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
-
Yeah, my potential future boss kind of pep-talked me over lunch with how he thinks I should be able to make it back up in a "few years". I was thinking about my salary over the last 8 years at my current position and (I think) it works out as making 28% more now that when I started. But we usually get good bonuses (target of 15%), but we just got an e-mail saying bonuses will be down this year because sales weren't as good as they hoped.
Wjousts wrote:
my potential future boss kind of pep-talked me over lunch
By the way, don't do it because someone talks you into it, do it because you think it's the right opportunity.
-
I'm fed up with my current job and see very little in the way of prospects going forward. I have an offer on the table for another job that I think will be really cool in ways my current job can never hope to be. But, and here's the rub, it would involve taking a hit in the region of $16k/yr in salary (and the health benefits are about twice as much too). My head says "NO!", but my heart says "erm...maybe?"
The last job I has was stressful but paid well, after the place closed its doors in 2001 I took a $14.5K year hit to get the job I have now. I am so much happier where I am now, the ulcers went away, the stress is completely manageable, I actually look forward to going to work and think of it as being paid to play. Sure there are frustrations[^] but they only last a short time for the most part. Good luck in whichever decision you make.
It was broke, so I fixed it.
-
I'm fed up with my current job and see very little in the way of prospects going forward. I have an offer on the table for another job that I think will be really cool in ways my current job can never hope to be. But, and here's the rub, it would involve taking a hit in the region of $16k/yr in salary (and the health benefits are about twice as much too). My head says "NO!", but my heart says "erm...maybe?"
Don't take that one. Look for another one. I made a move to a place that was much better atmosphere than I was in, and I thought I would do anything to get out of the old job. Now I am making exactly what I was, but I should have been more firm about pay. In the end, you won't be happy if you don't get the correct pay.
If it moves, compile it
-
I'm fed up with my current job and see very little in the way of prospects going forward. I have an offer on the table for another job that I think will be really cool in ways my current job can never hope to be. But, and here's the rub, it would involve taking a hit in the region of $16k/yr in salary (and the health benefits are about twice as much too). My head says "NO!", but my heart says "erm...maybe?"
The only job I have really liked was when I was working for myself (contracting and selling software I wrote). I've liked a lot of the projects, but management too often gets in the way of enjoying being in the office. Different management can make work a lot more (or less) tolerable. If they don't make up the hit in pay soon enough, you can always go find another job. Really the only work that satisfies me is when I'm working on my own or with friends on a startup idea in my spare time.
SS => Qualified in Submarines
-
OriginalGriff wrote:
Enjoying your job **is**important: you spend 1/3 of your life asleep, 1/3 at work and (it seemed to at one stage) 1/3 commuting to work.
It's funny you should mention that. My boss's boss was trying to give us a pep-talk about how he sees the importance of developing staff (despite the fact that we don't have a dedicated budget for training) and said something about how we give them an hour of work, they give us money for it, and at the end of your life you won't be able to give that money back and get back those hours. Which made me think "holy crap, I need to find a new job", which I think was the exact opposite of what he was trying to achieve.
Wjousts wrote:
holy crap, I need to find a new job
Perhaps you answered your own question. As a corollary, which I call Murphy's Law of Programming, whenever I am in the midst of a programming problem and I am tired of looking at Google, I will go to a colleague. The question is no sooner out of my mouth than I think of the answer. "Never mind." Sometimes it helps to just put it in words.
What me worry?
-
I'm fed up with my current job and see very little in the way of prospects going forward. I have an offer on the table for another job that I think will be really cool in ways my current job can never hope to be. But, and here's the rub, it would involve taking a hit in the region of $16k/yr in salary (and the health benefits are about twice as much too). My head says "NO!", but my heart says "erm...maybe?"
Wjousts wrote:
My head says "NO!", but my heart says "erm...maybe?"
Presumably you already negotiated with them. And regardless if you turn it down that make it explicit that you would accept if they offered you more money. In that case they might up their offer.
