The way I see it, any job described as “the big break” has a good chance to wind up like this. Because it’s a job people want to do, employers can shit on you every day, pay you next to nothing and if you quit, someone will be there the next day thinking “this is my big break!”
Nobody wants to sit at a desk shuffling papers all day, or picking up garbage, or selling computers. Those jobs get taken purely because the worker needs money. These jobs have to offer something financial to compensate for the fact that it’s not a desired job. I think Hampshire’s story is a great one, give the job you want a try, maybe it will work out. But, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t, expect that you may have to take a job you don’t really want, in order to get some financial security. That’s what most of us do.
FWIW I think you should take the job you want and at least give it a shot. For myself, I’d take the job that pays…being poor really sucks and having financial stability goes a long way to making things better. This assumes the job that pays is not something I’d find completely hellish to do of course but just, you know, a job.
Having said that I picked financial instability when I struck out on my own and formed my own company instead of taking the ‘job that pays’…and I’ve been pretty happy since.
-XT
p.s. Really I don’t think this is the kind of decision that one can ask advice on…you have to look into yourself and decide based on your wants and desires and your realistic thoughts on the alternatives.
Maybe there’s a way for you to have your cake and eat it, too.
Is there any way you could take the job you want, and then find some other way to rake in a little extra cash? Could you, say, pick the job you want, and then bartend, or tutor, or whatever, on the side? Could you take the job you want and negotiate set, reasonable working hours so that you could hold down a second job?
As far as the girlfriend goes–if she demands the diamond and won’t want to be with you unless you cough up the carbon, find someone else whose priorities are more in line with yours. If she’s really much more upset about the 3 hour trip between your place and hers, maybe there’s some way you could work that out.
Have you really sat down and discussed your options with your girlfriend? Are you sure she’s really set on a huge rock, or are you projecting some of your insecurities or feelings of inadequacy onto her? Despite what you may have heard, not all of us are “trained from BIRTH” to want a diamond, and many of us who have been so trained have changed our opinions on the matter. Are you even sure you want to marry her, or that she wants to marry you?
As far as your family goes–don’t let whether or not they approve of your choices sway you too much. It’s your life we’re talking about, here, not theirs. The family members you’re close to will stay close to you, no matter what you pick, and the ones you’re not so close to–well, it’s not like you stand to lose all that much by doing something they don’t like. I’m assuming that no-one else is dependent on your income, so whether or not you make beaucoup bucks doesn’t directly affect anyone else’s life but yours.
FWIW I think you should take the job you want and at least give it a shot. For myself, I’d take the job that pays…being poor really sucks and having financial stability goes a long way to making things better. This assumes the job that pays is not something I’d find completely hellish to do of course but just, you know, a job.
Having said that I picked financial instability when I struck out on my own and formed my own company instead of taking the ‘job that pays’…and I’ve been pretty happy since.
-XT
p.s. Really I don’t think this is the kind of decision that one can ask advice on…you have to look into yourself and decide based on your wants and desires and your realistic thoughts on the alternatives.
It seemed like there was a lot of cussin’. It seemed more appropriate here. Frank has noted to me that it may move to IMHO.
I honestly didn’t expect anyone to read this thread. Most threads I start fall away quickly. I just wanted to rant.
I’ve read every single response, though, and I appreciate everyone’s input. I reckon I should update later with the decision.
Thank you, everyone.
This might be so if the good-paying job being considered was actually very good paying, but this one only pays $30,000. If it paid $80,000+ and you could sock away a lot of money and retire at 45, then this might be a good strategy. (This is in fact what one of my good friends did, and I envy him. But he doesn’t have an expensive lifestyle even now.) Since according to the OP the $15,000 job has the potential to lead to a lot more, he can eventually have delicious peas thant way too. The difference between a $15,000 job (with a hope for future advancement), and a $30,000 job, though it may seem like a lot now, just isn’t enough to make it worth it if the first one is in your dream field.
Tough call given the line-up. $7.50/hr part time isn’t going to cover a 2 hr drive every day. You’ll have to move closer to make it work. You also need some kind of health insurance which will run you $250/month. That’s over a week’s take-home for you.
Since my facility is shutting down after 25 years I have the time to look back and reflect. I didn’t enjoy the work but the money made it tolerable. If I could have found a job that paid less in the beginning but more down the road I’d probably go for it but then I’m not addicted to the luxuries in life. I can live without a cell phone, cable TV and high speed internet. I can also fix my car or household products when they break.
You’ll have to be honest with yourself and also be aware of your fiancée’s lifestyle. If you can’t substitute a good library book or a game of cards for a night on the town then scraping by is going to hurt. Particularly if you’ve never been out on your own.
There are plenty of part-time jobs that will match your starting salary so a 50 hr work week would bring in another $6,000. Best of luck with your decision.
You want to look 5 years down the road. Where will the Job You Want lead you? If you will never make much more than you make now in it, you might want to pick a different job to want or maybe just do it on the side.
OK, that made me laugh. In all fairness I did call them luxuries which some people would disagree with. I remember a news reporter interviewing a lady who just got laid off and she was moaning about how unfair it was that she couldn’t afford cable. It didn’t help her cause that she appeared able to pay for it if she just went on a diet. Certainly the cigarettes would have covered the bill. And I know of at least 1 millionaire who doesn’t have a cell phone. Not only is it a waste of money it often ties people to their job.
Update: Taking the money job. Didn’t get desired job.
Starting Monday, I will be a Stooge-in-Training. I will remain a Training Stooge for two weeks until I achieve full Stooge-hood.
What a total bummer. At least you’ll be making some money, I guess.
Since that’s what life has dealt you, could I offer some unsolicited advice? Live cheap, as though you got the job you wanted, at least for a while. Having a pile of money saved will give you the freedom to take advantage of the great wanted-job opportunities that will come along in the future (and they will!).
