Author Topic: Advice Needed: Job Hunt  (Read 5116 times)

Apple_Tango

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Advice Needed: Job Hunt
« on: December 12, 2017, 07:45:43 PM »
Ok here’s my dilemma. I’m changing careers and I have found 2 jobs that I like, and am in round 4 of both interviews. One of the jobs is only 2 days a week but provides full benefits. However this is a somewhat dead-end job with no promotion material. Pay is $36 per hour. On the other 5 days per week I can make between $55-100 per hour on call from my current career that I’m transitioning away from, but this high income stuff is sporadic. I can also use the time to do some other side hustles.

The second job pays $22 an hour, 5 days per week but needs a flexible schedule on my part, including some weekend work. This job has MUCH more potential to transition into something great, but does not allow “moonlighting”. So I wouldn’t be able to pick up extra side work without my boss’s permission. In my heart I already know I want this job.

But here’s another twist- the job I really want wouldn’t start for 90 more days due to licensing. Is it immoral to accept the first job, if I already know that I will be quitting in 90 days? Ideally I could do BOTH jobs. But with the “no moonlighting” thing I’m not holding my breath.

2Cent

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Re: Advice Needed: Job Hunt
« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2017, 03:58:40 AM »
If the job is 5 days and the other 2 you'd be working every day. No employer would accept that as you'd be exhausted. Financially it seems the first job would be better as it would pay a lot better and leave you time to pursue run a seemingly profitable side business.

To put it in perspective. You choose between $880 for 40 hours per week with irregular working days (this is a really bad thing!) over $576 for 16 hours a week plus a job that gives you on average $78 per hour. To make up the difference you'd have to get an average of around 4 hours per week from your current job. So that would mean equal pay for half the working hours! This is not counting the savings you'd get from not having to drive to work every day and other things you'd have no time for if you'd have to work all day every day.

Maybe start by finding out how likely it is you will actually get that really great promotion. Sometimes they use this as bait to get people to work low paid jobs and squeeze you for years before giving anything.

Also something really great can start in those other 3-5 days a week. Especially if you have a financial baseline of 576 per week. And if you have any plans for a family and your spouse is also working, you could reduce day care to 2 days a week so that is a huge saving. Basically you could build a great life outside of work which is kind of the point of this website. 

Now ofcourse if your goal is to do a certain type of work, or you are confident that you'd earn more in a short time then you could always take it. But I would say as you grow older you'll appreciate how valuable your time is and how much you are giving up for a possiblility to earn more.

Apple_Tango

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Re: Advice Needed: Job Hunt
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2017, 06:59:05 AM »
Great advice! I will clarify some reasons why I am interested in the lower paying job that will take up more of my time. I guess I should have put this in my original post. The job with the higher pay working 2 days a week (by the way, they are 10 hour days which is a bonus)  is in a role that has about a 50/50 chance of becoming obsolete in Oct 2018 due to changing regulations. In the interview I asked what the future of the position looked like and the hiring manager basically shrugged her shoulders. It is possible they will still need me for transitioning to the new system, but I would be the last one hired on a team of 5. So that’s not great job security. Plus since the skills learned wil be obsolete throughout the entire industry, it won’t necessarily lead to a new, better job in a year unless they provide training on the new system...but see shrugged shoulders response above.

The lower paying job is a work from home position, with occasional travel reimbursed at $0.54 per mile. So that’s some good tax free money! Plus honestly there is HUGE room for growth and good benefits including 20 PTO days starting from day 1.

The other thing that is *really* swaying me is that no matter when I transition out of my career, there will be a pay cut. Right now I’m single, no kids, and am renting a room from my mom. So there really is no better time to start over than right now. Later on I might be stuck in a career I don’t like due to the good pay.

« Last Edit: December 14, 2017, 07:11:32 AM by Apple_Tango »

2Cent

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Re: Advice Needed: Job Hunt
« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2017, 11:09:29 AM »
Ok, if you're young and single with no real attachments it is probably better to focus on the future than on imediate earnings. Work from home is definitely a plus as well although flexible schedule and working from home can lead to lots of unpaid overtime as you live in your office.

Still, with the 10 hour days thats $720 a week. And if you can work for 90 days thats almost $10k assuming you have no other work. I don't know what the work is, but could there be an option to work fulltime for those 90 days and then stop instead of working 2 days a week until October? I would not take the job pretending to stay long and then leave. It's a small and connected world and you also would not want others to do that to you.

MJseast

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Re: Advice Needed: Job Hunt
« Reply #4 on: December 14, 2017, 11:39:43 AM »
Since you are actually considering the first job, and it's available now, I would take that and see how it goes. Assuming that you're not signing a contract agreeing to stay for a certain length of time, you are under no obligation to stay, and they are under no obligation to keep you. Take it and see how it goes. You may end up loving it and by the time the other job starts, you may just want to stay. Or not. I think if they are not able to tell you the future of the position and it's likely to be obsolete in less than a year, they've also got to expect that you may not stay until the end.

Apple_Tango

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Re: Advice Needed: Job Hunt
« Reply #5 on: December 14, 2017, 01:45:01 PM »
I went for the final interview of the 2 days per week job. It was a group interview, and I actually got a really really good vibe!!! If I am offered the position, I’m going to take it. I am going to keep the interview process  going for the other job with lower pay so that i have options in case this job really sucks. But if all goes well with the 2-day Job , i will likely decline/defer the lower paying job offer until next year if I need to. The lower paying  company is pretty much always hiring and if my 2-day job comes to an end in October, then I can reapply at that time.  But if I am provided training to keep going, and I really like the job, then I might stay on. Plus I do intend to still be making 55-100 per hour on my current.....let’s call it, “consulting” job on the other days when I’m not at work. The main reason I’m trying to transition out of this field  was due to burnout, but if I get to pick my clients and make more money on the side, I think I can handle it on a part time basis!

Thank you all for the advice!!!! It was very very helpful. I agree that the “flexible work from home” type of job would probably make it hard to separate work from personal time, and I would be giving up a lot of money for a year.

soccerluvof4

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Re: Advice Needed: Job Hunt
« Reply #6 on: December 15, 2017, 04:06:12 AM »
Since you are actually considering the first job, and it's available now, I would take that and see how it goes. Assuming that you're not signing a contract agreeing to stay for a certain length of time, you are under no obligation to stay, and they are under no obligation to keep you. Take it and see how it goes. You may end up loving it and by the time the other job starts, you may just want to stay. Or not. I think if they are not able to tell you the future of the position and it's likely to be obsolete in less than a year, they've also got to expect that you may not stay until the end.


This! ^ the more options the better and as Employers say minimum it takes 90days to see if an employee is any good you can flip that and say it might take 90days to see if you like it.