Should I change jobs?

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: mAdMaLuDaWg

Originally posted by: Tiamat

Originally posted by: *kjm
I did it about 3 years ago for about a $30k loss...... I'll never look back! Money is not everything in life.

How long had you been working at the higher salary? Do you already own a home and a car?

I guess for me, I'd rather stick through it for a few years to get financially situated post grad-school (loans and stuff like saving for downpayment).

Own a home + car. Not worried about the home as I got it for a good deal and I could rent it out to cover my entire mortgage plus some.

Otherwise I have no other debt.

Well, shit, who cares then? I'd drop that job like a sack of dirt. Nervous breakdown? Who wants to live like that? I'd rather be dead. Doing it shortterm to get situated one thing but do you really want to live like that forever? Plus, its pretty hard to get laid when you work 14 hours a day and your hair is falling out from stress.

 

[SpunkyJones]

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: mAdMaLuDaWg

Originally posted by: Tiamat

Originally posted by: *kjm
I did it about 3 years ago for about a $30k loss...... I'll never look back! Money is not everything in life.

How long had you been working at the higher salary? Do you already own a home and a car?

I guess for me, I'd rather stick through it for a few years to get financially situated post grad-school (loans and stuff like saving for downpayment).

Own a home + car. Not worried about the home as I got it for a good deal and I could rent it out to cover my entire mortgage plus some.

Otherwise I have no other debt.

Well, shit, who cares then? I'd drop that job like a sack of dirt. Nervous breakdown? Who wants to live like that? I'd rather be dead. Doing it shortterm to get situated one thing but do you really want to live like that forever? Plus, its pretty hard to get laid when you work 14 hours a day and your hair is falling out from stress.

Lol, this makes me laugh, but its also completely true.

 

[Casawi]

I mean mid 20's you are supposed to work hard and stuff, so I would just focus how to manage the stress. I used to stress a lot about my job too, but I learned over the last couple of years that's I need to do better... I have not been stressing as much for sure, and have more responsibilities too.
You know I keep telling myself things like "It is what it is now, no need to freak out, just figure what the next step is" stuff like this. It also helps that I think my boss has more to lose than I do... so I will leave the stress to him hahaha

 

[soulcougher73]

Work to Live, not Live to Work.

Id do it with the information youve given. If you wrok buddies are real friends then they will still be there if you change jobs. And if persuing you Masters is something you actually want to do then take the opportunity and do it. Money is not everything in life, and less stress is always welcome. Youll learn this the older you become

 

[Insomniator]

life >>>> money

The amounts are variable, but no one making 100k at a job they despise is happier than someone making 50 (or even 30) at a job they love.

 

[BoomerD]

I guess it makes a difference how big of a percentage of your total compensation package that $20K is. If you make $40K, then hell no...it's too big of a hit, but if you make $150K, it's not such a big deal and your quality of life may actually get better.

Stress kills lots of people...I always found that if you just don't care, stress can't get ya!

I personally would have no problem making the change if the percentage isn't too much. I like my time off, and better quality of life = more happiness overall.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: tasmanian

Originally posted by: mAdMaLuDaWg

Originally posted by: Xanis

Originally posted by: Strk
How big is the pay cut?

This.

'bout 20k.

Dont do it. Thats like a new car every year

that's crazy.

OP, get a gym membership, still make at least 19k more per year than the new job would pay, work out your stress, improve your health, etc....

"incidents at work?"

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: mAdMaLuDaWg

Originally posted by: amdskip
Would the cost of living be cheaper? Grad school free? Overall payoff when done for future employment?

Well, I was planning on dorming so yeah it would be cheaper. As for quality of life, I dunno. I'm sticking my excess earnings in my savings account and haven't splurged on anything expensive for like a year.

Grad school is likely to be free but it wasn't going to be much anyways.

well, after reading more into it, then I think the 2 years it would take to get a Masters is well worth the potential life quality improvement, plus the higher-paying job you would be able to get afterward.

Or at the very least, a less stressful place that would most likely pay at your current level. Nothing to lose by improving your education--ever.

 

[skyking]

It's good that you get such a decision thrown at you early in life. Getting to go back to school + less stress would be well worth it for me. Take the long view; jobs are hard to come by now, but in 5 or 6 years that masters could leverage you into an even better position with good conditions.

 

[LS21]

Originally posted by: zinfamous


that's crazy.

OP, get a gym membership, still make at least 19k more per year than the new job would pay, work out your stress, improve your health, etc....

"incidents at work?"

after 14 hours at work, + commute, what time does one have to work out?

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: LS21

Originally posted by: zinfamous


that's crazy.

OP, get a gym membership, still make at least 19k more per year than the new job would pay, work out your stress, improve your health, etc....

"incidents at work?"

after 14 hours at work, + commute, what time does one have to work out?

Even if you did manage to cram a workout in, proper nutrition and rest are important components of any training program. It would be difficult to do either if you are working 14 hours per day.

 

[thegimp03]

First, I think you should communicate these issues you've been having to your boss and ask them for some time off or a leave of absence/sabbatical. If they truly care about you and want you to stay, you should get it. Maybe they're unaware of the point you're at, i.e. close to nervous breakdown/quitting. If you get the time off, take the time to really think about it and reflect on what you want. Maybe you'll be completely refreshed and wanting to go back into it. With a job like that, being constantly challenged and working with people your own age is extremely important. The last thing you want to do is quit without communicating at least to your boss, get that new job with the University, and regret your decision 6 months from now because you're bored out of your mind and aren't challenged.

That being said, in the long run, money isn't everything in life and if you're going to be happier working at the University and getting your Masters degree, you should do it. Yeah, it's a paycut, but what's an extra $20k a year when you have no extra time to do what you want?

 

[Chryso]

If it made my life better I would do it in a second.

 

[oiprocs]

If I didn't have student loans I'd leave my job. Not from stress, but from boredom.

 

[Aharami]

Im guessing you make around 80-90K and would go down to 60-70K. While normally I'd say dont do it - 20's is when you're supposed to work hard and get ahead so you can dial it down a bit when you have a family in your 30's, if you're going to go back and get your masters, do it. Because you need time to study for your masters and your current job wont give you any time for that.

 

[mAdMaLuDaWg]

Thank you all for your advice. I mean it when I say that I really appreciate how everyone has chimed in with their thoughts. It really means a lot to me.

I have a lot to think about in the coming weeks. If I do make the decision to jump ship, I want to make sure that I do it for the right reasons, not solely as a cop-out.

There are a few factors that are on the top of my mind. Number 1 is the fact that being under so much stress over the years has taught me A LOT. I've developed personally tremendously from when I started. I don't want to be doing this forever though and I also feel that being in my mid-20s with no wife, kids, or family to look after gives me the luxury of devoting my entire life to my job. But I am planning to settle down next year or the year after, so it has to end soon.

Another thing is that I will have to rent out the condo which I absolutely love living in.. however, the amount of time that I actually get to "enjoy it" is minimal. In fact, a lot of my weekends are spent worrying/working about my job for Monday. Part of it is the fact that I don't handle stress too well. In fact, I completely freaked out at work today because one of my systems failed for 5 minutes due to a hardware malfunction. I need to work on not stressing out so much but I find that very hard to do.

Then there are co-workers who I'd hate to not see every day. We've grown tremendously close to each other because we've been through the whole learning experience together and are like brothers.

I should also clarify that every workday isn't a 12-14 hour work day... I'd say the average is around 10 hours. The past month, I easily averaged 13 though.

Communicating the issues to my managers is probably a good idea. Although I don't see what they could do about it. Almost everyone on my dev team is going through the same thing as me, its just that I probably handle it worse than most people. But I'll think of a good way to bring it up.

I did go to the gym during for an entire year. While it helped tremendously, my workload soon picked up like crazy and I had to give it up. I do know people who do a quick workout during lunch-hour or before they get into work, but thats a bit too much for me.

Another thing is that I'm in my mid 20s and by the time I finish my Master's, I'll be in my late 20s. I hope that won't be a factor when being considered for a job at the end of it.

 

[spidey07]

Stress is a mind and mental health It killer, it will cause mental illness and that is a medical fact. doesn't happen overnight, it's a slow process. If it really is affecting you that much then learn to cope or move. I don't mean "learn to cope" in a derogatory fashion, but there are ways to cope. Take me for example = I just don't care anymore, that's how I cope.

 

[VinylxScratches]

Is it really a paycut? If you're making 55,000 now but working 12 to 14 hours a day you're making like 16 bucks an hour if you avg 13 hours a day.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: mAdMaLuDaWg
Another thing is that I'm in my mid 20s and by the time I finish my Master's, I'll be in my late 20s. I hope that won't be a factor when being considered for a job at the end of it.

Hell, I was 27 when I finally got my Bachelor's Degree, following the years which included community college, a few temp jobs, lots of retail work, and general indecision. Now thanks to a few unlikely coincidences, I've got a very pleasant job at a nice company. Granted, the starting salary there was about 20% lower than figures available online for national averages, but after spending 4 months there as an intern, I knew it was worth it.

My commute ranges from 5-40 minutes, depending on which facility they need me, though it's usually 5 minutes. On random days, someone will bake some dessert item, or there will be donuts in the morning. Or they'll have a good sales week and order pizza.
Management is very approachable, they have reasonable goals, and the treat employees like people.

Prior to this, I'd never really had a job that was both engaging and low-stress. It's nice.
The day still starts at 8am, which is somewhat less-than-nice, but I guess it's not 7am. And the workday is an 8hr shift + 1hr lunch, nearly every day.

For me, I do rather enjoy the low-stress job. I've worked jobs that suck (not 12-14hr + nervous breakdown "suck," but "suck" nonetheless), and I have little desire to do that again. Now, "unwinding" when I get home is usually done by the time I walk all the way to the livingroom, which is about 6 feet beyond my front door, not come home and try to take a nap while dreading the fact that you're just going to have to go back to work again the next day.

 

[sonambulo]

How badly do you want that masters?

 

[VenomXTF]

I'm in a similar boat as you. I'm also from NYC, mid 20s, manage the tech department/lead developer (so at times a lot of stress), trying to start my own company (so no free time), and want to get my masters and/or MBA. I'm actually interested to hear what you decide to do and how it works out. Would also be great if you could PM me more info? Which school and about the position/salary, more info on your condo (I'm looking to purchase soon)?

 

[Pegun]

OP, one big factor for me would be one detail you haven't provided us. If you work full time for a university, most of the time they will pick up the classes. In principle, most universities pay less because of this fact and thus you don't have as much of a pay cut. On the other hand you get some schmuck like me would works as a "student worker" and still has to pay tuition which makes the pay cut less worth it. But as a lot of others have said, the stress isn't worth it.

 

[LS21]

Originally posted by: mAdMaLuDaWg
In fact, a lot of my weekends are spent worrying/working about my job for Monday.

lol. FYJ