I have a job I love. I mean really, really love. I love the work that I do, the people I work with, my clients, everything. Except I don’t love my paycheck.
Mr. Armadillo is a grad student, he makes a small stipend, but less than I do. We’re not destitute by any means, but squeaking by with a bit of padding to be comfy.
There’s an opportunity, an opening in a different department in the same organization. It’s an interesting gig, a spot I’ve had my eye on since I really got familiar with the organization. I’ve applied and interviewed for it, and everybody knows I applied and interviewed for it.
We’re comfy, but more money would definitely be nice. I am completely happy doing what I do, so what if I’m not as happy in the new department? On the other hand, moving up in the company, advancing and learning is a plus.
Oh, yeah. And I have this home-based business which is growing. Slowly but steadily and I think it could be extremely successful once it hits its stride and market. My current position gives me incredible flexibility to work on that and still bring home a steady paycheck. I’m valuable, a lot of other people are leaving, and I’m trained and good at what I do, but I don’t get paid what I should, given my skills.
What I’m wondering is, how much of a pay raise would you need to leave a job that you’re thoroughly happy with?
What a hard decision! For a long time, I loved my job and the various intangible benefits it gave me. I didn’t look for opportunities to advance, because the increase in pay couldn’t make up for the intangibles I was enjoying–liking my co-workers, ability to take off in an instant if needed, enjoying my work.
This has come back to haunt me slightly now–personnel changes in my section have completely changed my working environment and now I desperately want to leave, but am kind of entrenched after 11 years in the same section, doing very specific work that isn’t necessarily applicable across my agency. Unfortunately, due to my husband’s disability I can’t afford to take a cut in pay, which is what I would have to do to move into a new field.
Now that I’ve whined about me–the problem with staying in a position that you love is that it can change at any time. If you plan to stay with your company for a while, I would consider moving up as the opportunity allows. However, I agre that it is wise to consider the amount of the increase in pay vs. loss of intangibles. I would like a 5% increase with room to advance further. Of course, the more I think about it, the more emphasis my mind keeps putting on the intangibles–they are really hard to give up! Especially if your home-based business in producing the art on your linked webpage. You need flexibility to be able to do that kind of work.
I’m no help at all…
I do bring in some money from the linked site–the business I’m talking about is the teentsy little link at the very bottom of the home page. I feel like maybe it’s not kosher to mention, but I did once email a mod and ask if it was okay to link in my profile and never got a response, so I’m hoping it’s alright.
I have the opposite problem. My job pays pretty well, but I’m growing to hate it. I’ve pretty much decided that my quality of life is more important than a good salary.
I’m pretty sure as long as your not pimping it in your sig line, your okay. I should have said it was a link in your profile in my post anyway.
It sounds like the new job is something you want; you mention you’ve had your eye on it for a while. New challenges help keep life interesting and more money is a bonus. Is the work environment in your organization pretty much the same across departments–or is it like mine where one section is happy and fun to work in and the next is a hell hole filled with plots and intrigue? So many things to think about. I still wasn’t any help.
Not quite so black and white, but the clinic is definitely fun–hard work, but fun, while the admin side seems much more businesslike (to an outsider, anyway). I wear scrubs and a leopard-print or tie-dye bandana to work now, and I’d have to wear business casual–that kind of thing.