Would you take a lesser paying job?

[Retro Rob]

I sure didn't mind and I will explain why:

I worked for a company for about 4 years recently and I have to tell ya - I did like they pay, the freedom (working in the field) and the line of work, not the company.

The schedule was pretty brutal with rotating shifts (including 7-day on call during that time, including weekends) and endless overtime... which was really mandated in the from of an option. Turning off your phone when arriving home put you the doghouse with both co-workers and management. Stress was very high, and I was thinking about quitting for a couple years for a less stressful job.

So after leaving the company, I was offered a similar job by a competitor offering better pay (about $7/hr more), but with a caveat: 3 weeks away from my wife for training, frequent travel, overtime galore, and basically no quit time and bi-weekly rotating shifts (weekends included in that). I was floored by that offer. It was worse than the place I left.

We talked it over and I decided to pass on it. Why? Well, my wife wanted me home and not working away from her out of town all the time, and I wanted to be home too every night - and not come home dog-tired.

Now I have a much lesser paying job, (compared to the offer I passed on) working full time, and don't have hardly any stress. I'm home every night no later than 4:30, work zero weekends, and really enjoy the work. Sure, we don't have as much cash as we would had I taken the other offer, but I'd trade that in for being home and having time for more important things than work.

Just wondering if anyone else would have done the same -- passed up on a good paying job, or take a lesser paying job if they became more happier by doing so.

 

[Dirigible]

Took a $30k pay cut. Best move of my life.

 

[gevorg]

You did the right thing by balancing work and life, rather than chasing the highest paycheck.

 

[Retro Rob]

Took a $30k pay cut. Best move of my life.

You did the right thing by balancing work and life, rather than chasing the highest paycheck.

That was the hard part -- taking the paycut, but I wanted balance.

In today's world, it seems hard to get the best of both -- good pay and good balance. You have to sacrifice pay for balance or balance for pay.

Many give up the balance for the pay, and get burned via layoffs/paycuts/payfreezes or just flatout unappreciation and thanklessness. Long term, it really isn't worth it, IMO.

 

[MovingTarget]

In the end, you will never live your life wishing you had worked more overtime or stayed in contact with your manager more.

 

[herm0016]

I am facing a similar situation. looking at about 30% cut to move to the city and have a life. It is a hard decision to make.

 

[Chaotic42]

Absolutely. Maximize the happiness in your life. If you're miserable at work, you're going to be miserable in general.

 

[Retro Rob]

I am facing a similar situation. looking at about 30% cut to move to the city and have a life. It is a hard decision to make.

yeah I hear ya. family/balance is more important, just like the bottom line is for them in comparison to you.

30% is a lot to lose, though. See where you can cut back on your living expenses and it'll make the choice a little easier and the finiancial impact less hurtful.

 

[Jumpem]

Right now, no. When the student loans and mortgage are paid off, sure.

 

[Retro Rob]

Absolutely. Maximize the happiness in your life. If you're miserable at work, you're going to be miserable in general.

I have a family member who nearly lost his mind. Working 35 years at one of the Big 3 and long story story short, lost his wife and kids.

Granted, the guy has a decent retirement and made some really good money, but at the end, he seems pretty miserable now. Bet that started during his work tenure. D:

 

[Gunslinger08]

Nobody ever dies wishing they had worked more. I think a lot of people lose perspective on time. Every minute you give to work is one you don't get back to spend on your real life. Do something you can enjoy and don't let it take over your life.

 

[velillen]

After working 8 months pretty much 7/12's the whole time with very few days off ( thanksgiving pretty much), i will never do that. Dont care how much money you pay me. Only reason i put up with it was i was away for work and really had nothing to do but work. had i been home i would have burned through plenty of sick and annual leave.

I want a stress free, lower overtime, and ability to take time off when i want job. And thats what i have now. Most of my overtime hours comes during the week which i dont mind since im a morning person anyways so im up anyways ( 5:30am to 402pm for 10's). Have the ability to work more if i need the money. But i can still be *cough* sick when its a powder day in the mountains and it doesnt effect anything really.

 

[brianmanahan]

my job makes me miserable about %50 of the time. its not that the company is bad, but the position which requires me to manage a whole team, plan work for the next year, and work on all sorts of side initiatives in addition to the main project. it makes me feel like my brain is going to explode most days of the week.

the problem is i can do a decent job at it, as long as everything in my life is put by the wayside. i dont want to, but only do it because i was put in the position when other people left. at one point i asked to go back to my old lower-level position, but i was just transferred to manage an even more stressful position on another team which required months of 60-70 hour weeks to get up to speed.

so yeah, if you are man enough to go somewhere you think you will like even though it pays less money, id say go for it. for some reason i cant bring myself to do it. i keep thinking i will get used to it... but maybe ill just put up with it for years and try to save as much as i can so i can retire early and have a life without all the mental stress someday.

 

[SKORPI0]

Turned down a 20% "promotion" to work at another location but had to drive additional 3-3 1/2 hours (roundtrip), 600 miles/week to work compared to current commute. That's about 910 hours (23 weeks) I'll never be paid for/gas $$ spent and actually end up netting less. Stayed with the company a few years more and found another well paying/less stressful job and pretty much near from home.

 

[Svnla]

If you are single, sure, earn as much money as you can. But you are married with a wife. As long as you can cover all your bills and have some left over for raining days = golden.

No one in their death beds ever say "Geez, I wish I could have spend more time at work".

I used to work at a place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. M - F and NO freaking OT pay (salary). Of course I transfer to another department later with normal 40 hours and lower pay. Less stress and better co workers.

 

[Chris A]

No man laying on his death bed ever said I wished I had worked more.

 

[OlafSicky]

Took a $30k pay cut. Best move of my life.

Explain?

I quit a very well paying job without having another lined up.

 

[hans007]

I quit a really easy job to take a much more difficult one to get some new experience and the challenge. I probably get about 10% more now but its been a year and a half so I probably could have gotten that at the previous place.

I did learn a lot but am really burned out now so im not super sure it was the right move but you never know. I guess if I thought it might make my life better I'd take less like you are considering. Its sometimes worth a try if you aren't really enjoying your life and the opportunity to try a change is there at all

 

[Fenixgoon]

would i take a pay cut for vastly improved job satisfaction? abso-fucking-lutely.

 

[zCypher]

No. It depends on your situation really. I like my job, the perks and benefits are decent, there's frequently opportunity to do overtime - but not doing so is never a bad thing. I can just coast along at 37.5hrs/week and it's fine. I get a bonus every year, and at a minimum I get 2-3% cost of living per year. I don't have any stress from my managers or coworkers. The worst thing that can happen is the agent calling me didn't do all their troubleshooting (heh, oh well).

I max out all my contributions at work so I get the most company match possible. High contributions and high taxes result in a rather underwhelming pay. I'm not expecting to pocket any decent money until after I have my certifications and have moved on to the next role. Another stepping stone.

If I was further into my career and could afford to get by with less, then it would be a different story. As is, I'm just now starting to be able to get by and still save a bit of money. There's no way I could take a pay cut now unless I was utterly miserable and had no choice.

 

[brainhulk]

nope

 

[Deeko]

I took a pay cut when I left my last job. I let for similar reasons - I was on call all the time and I was tired of the poor work/life balance. Now...much of the pay cut was due to stock bonuses, and while I knew it would be a cut, I didn't quite know how much, because the stock quadrupled in that time. That made the resulting pay cut quite large, which makes me grumble a little, but overall I'm happy with the decision.

 

[sze5003]

I can't afford to with the amount of student Loans. I took a paycut coming from my first job already. Only to find out that its more stressfull, more work, and more on call. Gotten two raises but with the new taxes going up I'm still making less than when I started. Can't say I'm happy.

Eventually it gets to a point where I get burned out and start using vacation days to relax or I start coding side projects at home that I think are fun instead of the work I do at the job.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I've turned down promotions because of the increase work that would be associated with it for the unbalanced increase in compensation. But some people out there only think about promotion, promotion, promotion, regardless of the imbalance.

 

[CraigRT]

Yup, life is more important than work for sure.
I take days off in the summer to go riding with buddies 'n stuff. No regrets!!!
If I couldn't do that, the job is not for me.