Taking a lower paying job. (seeking advice)

In My Humble Opinion
1

My current salary is 41000 per year, I work about 50 hours per week, and I hate my job! I have worked for this company (off and on) in various capacities since 1988. I used to like it. Over the years, a lot of changes have taken place. Almost none of these changes are good. The latest change in ownership has brought in the most dishonest bunch of pricks that I have ever seen. I am convinced that they are going to run the company into the ground within the next few years. Everything is about the bottom line TODAY, future be damned.

But, like a good little slave, I keep showing up. Day after day, year after year. Because I make 41000 per year. Because it’s what i know. Because I have bills and 2 teenagers to support.

Anyway, that’s the work situation.

2 years ago, I decided to go back to college to finish a degree that I started way back in 1986, before a descent into alcoholism intervened. (It has been 6 years since I’ve had a drink). I just started my Junior year at a certain university studying for a degree in electrical engineering. So I go to school full-time and I work 50 hours a week. I don’t sleep much.

The only good thing I can say about my job is that they will allow me to set my own hours. They really don’t care when I work as long as the work required is done to their satisfaction. Most of the time, I devote weekdays to school, show up to work early Saturday morning and work straight through to late Sunday night. If I can get everything done on the weekends, great! If not I will pull another all nighter on Tuesday or Thursday. Like I said, I don’t sleep much.

I live about halfway between work and school. The University is about 50 miles to the East and work is about 45 miles to the West. I spend a lot of time on the interstate.

So the point of all this is that this morning I was offered a job that is 3 miles from my house and I pass right by it on the way to school. The manager of a small grocery store offered to hire me as her assistant manager for 12.00 an hour. She said she would work around my school schedule. The company also has a tuition reimbursement program that will reimburse 80% the cost of tuition, fees and books. Plus they will pay commission. She said that my commission would be exactly half of hers, and she usually gets between 600 and 800 dollars per month.

So I started adding all of this up:
12.00 per hour, 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year - $24,960
80% of the tuition, fees and books - approx $6,000
Approx 350 per month commission - 4,200
Money I won’t be spending for gas to get to work and back - approx $2,080 (Not to mention wear and tear on my car.)

Add it all up - $37,240

$3,760 per year less then I make now. It’s doable, but I will definitely struggle at times. But then I think about the time saved. 10 hours of work less per week plus about 7 hours of commuting time less per week. 17 hours per week or 884 hours per year freed up! 17 hours a week is an extremely valuable amount of time in a life that is currently averaging about 4 hours of sleep a night!

I’m soooooo tempted! I have never worked in a grocery store before, so I really have no idea what it is like. I imagine it would be very tedious. But I do like the manager, we chat every morning when I stop in for my daily dose of caffeine. Plus it would in no way be permanent. If everything goes as planned I will graduate in the fall of 2014.

So, my friends, what do you think? Is it worth losing 3760 per year in income to free up 17 hours a week? I’m thinking it is, but then I have only slept about 3 hours in 3 nights.

Anyway, I have a circuits test tomorrow so I need to get back to studying… I’ll check back later for some good advice, encouragement, whatever. Thanks for reading all of this.

2

I would definitely consider it. The income is basically a wash, so I’d look at all of the other intrinsic values of the new job (less stress, nice people, whatever.) Interesting opportunity for sure.

I’m curious how the commission works at a grocery store. I’ve never heard of that before, is it common for that industry?

3

One thing that you didn’t mention is how well you are managing on your current salary. Do you have an emergency fund? Retirement savings? Any college savings for your kids? Or are you living paycheck-to-paycheck?

If you are managing to save a little on your current salary, and are not constantly struggling to pay your bills, the benefits of the new opportunity might outweigh the loss of money. What it really come down to is where is that lost $3760 going to come from? I think you need to sit down and make out a budget (there are numerous budgeting tools on the web that can help you remember to include all of your expenses), and see whether you can live without the extra money.

4

I think it all comes down to what would make you happier. Money be damned (as long as you can still make ends meet at the end of the day).

I’m on the verge of taking a $30,000 a year pay cut because in my current job I’m travelling 3-5 days per week, and I’ve got two young kids at home. My wife and I are currently figuring out what it would take to make ends meet, because working a job that keeps me at home 7 days a week would make all of us much happier. Money be damned (as long as we can still make ends meet at the end of the day).

So: Would you be happier working at the grocery store for the years until you graduate? Less stress? More free time? Etc?

5

That’s about what I’m thinking, too - the money is a wash as long as you’re still paying the bills until you graduate.

I think it’s important to remember that you think you’re current company is going toes-up in the next few years, too - it’s probably not a bad time to get off the sinking ship.

I did the math, and the 17 hours you save each week with the salary reduction adds up to your time being worth about $4.25 an hour - is your time worth $4.25 an hour to you?

If you think you can do the job, I think you should go for it. Like you say, it isn’t forever - life is for living now, not for some indefinite time in the future. How much is two years of not being miserable worth to you?

6

For 17 extra hours a week, I think it is worth it.

7

I have no idea how it works, I’ll have to find out more about it. Also I’ve never worked or really even paid any attention to the grocery industry, so no idea if it is common or just this company.

I’m never struggling to pay bills, although with the cost of tuition and the added expense of driving 100 miles a day round trip to school, I’m not saving anything either. I am finding myself spending a lot of money unnecessarily, which would have to stop if I take this job. For example, rather than take the time to cook at home, I’ll go through a fast food drive through somewhere.

Definitely like the idea of more time. I think that is going to be the deciding factor.

Good points, thank you. As I’ve been studying for the test tomorrow and looking at the time, knowing I still have the calculus homework to do before tomorrow, I’m realizing that tonight is another night that will be about 3 hours sleep, if that. 17 hours extra a week would be a luxury!!

8

In 1998 I faced a similar dilemma; keep my job at the Mega Whopper Engineering Co. with a long commute, or go to work in town for our small suburban city and take a $3,000 pay cut.

I took the City job and the pay cut and it was like being let out of jail. If you can manage on the grocery store pay, I’d say go for it. The mental health benefits alone are priceless.

9

If you do it, I would go into total austerity mode for the first three months–absolutely no extra expenses that you don’t have to pay. Rice and beans type living. That will allow you to see how your actual income from this new job works out (since there are a lot of variables there), and hopefully build up a little nest egg. Then, when you loosen your spending back up to your new income level, it will feel comfortable, not restrictive.

I would also really want to see the commission plan and the tuition reimbursement plan in writing. Make sure it doesn’t turn out they only reimburse if you take classes in retail management, or you have to be there 5 years first. The store manager herself may be vague on the details.

Also, check out the insurance situation. Premiums, level of coverage, and deductables may be very different.

10

I think the change would be worth it, but also keep in mind that a management position means your schedule is less flexible. She is giving you the hard-sell on this job right now, and it’s quite possible that the 40 hour weeks you anticipate will turn into 50+ hour weeks if, say, another assistant manager gets ill.

My biggest question is how you’re managing to do all of this while only getting 3-4 hours of sleep a night. That is less than the bare minimum for most adults to even function. Getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night would be something I’d highly prioritize in your situation. If taking this job will allow you to do that, great.

11

As long you can get the commission formula and all other compensation in writing, it’s most likely worth it.

The approximate time savings and gas/mileage alone probably puts the local job ahead of the current one.

12

Do it. I can’t see a downside to this for you. You’ll be making only about $72 less a week. You probably spend more than that on gas for your current commute.

And I can tell you from extensive experience, and granted this was at a huge national chain not a small one-off or local chain, working in a grocery store can be a good experience. The low-level floor positions suck, but those in management had it pretty good. I would imagine you would have a much wider range of responsibilities in a small store, but for the most part I would expect the job to involve a lot of scheduling, dealing with vendors, overseeing employees, probably some accounting, etc.

13

I hate to be a wet blanket but do NOT do this. This economy is totally different from any economic times we had since the Great Depression. It’s not a good time to take a pay cut.

First rule is NEVER change jobs while you have a major life move going on. Stick this job out till you finish your degree.

You have to be realistic, you’re trading a known entity for an unkown one.

Your new employer said she would accommodate your school hours. Well that’s all good and well for her to say, but will she? I know lots of people who have been promised this and that on a job interview and it never materialized. Right now you said, your current job can accommodate your. You don’t really know about the future job.

A grocery store assistant manager works a ton of hours. When lower level workers call off, it’s YOU the assistant manager that will be expected to pick up their slack. You said, your current employer let’s you make up the work whenever.

This will not be possible at a grocery store, which you HAVE to be there at certain times. You can’t put customers off, to accommodate you, no matter what this new boss may say.

You say they have a tuition reimbursement plan. Did you look it over? I had one in my past employer and they never cover the total cost. There was always a set limit to how much per year you could get. And there were restrictions on how it was paid out. For example, I got laid off and so when I finished school I will get nothing for the course I took this summer.

She said what her commission was. Did you see it? Did you see it on several pay stubs? This is quite the joke at my last employer where they would tell new hires this. They weren’t lyin top sales people made that, but only because they had been their and had the clients already. New people only made 10% to 20% of what they were typically promised on interviews.

Seems like you planned out a budget which may be true, but how can you be sure?

Finally look at security, do you really want to take a new job and have the grocer fold? What happens when you go from $12/hr to minimum wage. This could easily happen if the new company folds, lays you off, you don’t work out or whatever.

Then not only might you be making minimum wage, you might make nothing and the school you paid for, you’ll have to drop the class to work or look for new work.

It’s far too risky despite whatever stress you feel to change jobs while you have a major life change, school, going on.

Trust me, I got two months notification and I have a B.A. and I’m 3/4 through my masters and all I got was two part time jobs, 24 hours a week a minimum wage.

You think your crummy job stresses you now? Think of how much worse it can be if this new job doesn’t work out.

Every thing that interviewer said to you is only conjecture till you actually get employed. People say things on interviews to get good candidates. The only real way of knowing is to find the old assistant manager and ask him or her why she left.

14

My only concern is how flexible the new job hours really will be. Retail is pretty hard to reschedule things – the store’s got to be open during its open hours. And I would think an Assistant Manager at a smaller store will probably be spending some time covering floor shifts (restocking, or receiving or what-not). For managerial tasks, there’s probably a fair amount of things (ordering) that could be done at 8:00 AM or at 11:00 AM, but have to get done by 3PM come heck or high water.

If at all possible, try and get to the store for a little while and see what your duties really would be, and really nail down how flexible they are for timing. Then see if that works with your school schedule.

15

You might also think about your next job. You are completing a degree in engineering. Whatever you are doing right now may sound more technical and professional on your resume than “grocery store assistant manager” which has some pretty blue-collar connotations.

I guess it seems like this is a better job provided every single thing she is telling you is exactly true. But if even one thing is being a little exaggerated–the flexibility, the tuition reimbursement, the commission–you are really seriously fucked. So I guess it comes down to how much you trust her (and those insurance premiums. Those may be $300/month you don’t expect).

16

You’ll also save money in taxes. With two kids and the lower salary you may start to become eligible for things like the Earned Income Tax Credit etc.

17

At this point I’m so tired I can hardly think and I’m having crying fits for no reason at all. Thanks to everyone for their advice. I’m going to stop in tomorrow morning to talk to her about all of the concerns brought up in this thread. Also, talking to her other assistant is a very good idea.

I’ve finished the homework for tomorrow but I have a project due Thursday that I haven’t touched yet but I’m too damn tired to even think about starting it tonight. I’m going to bed. I’ll update tomorrow what I find out from her and the other assistant. Good Night…

18

Another thing you might consider is slowing down school a bit. It really doesn’t matter, in the long run, if you graduate in May 2014 or December 2014, and taking one fewer class each semester would also free up some time.