gcvmom
Here we go again!
So husband got hired at this company after 6 months of unemployment. Took a 30% pay cut, not counting the expense of the 100-mile roundtrip commute. BUT he loves the work and finally has the job he was trying to get promoted to for years at his old company (but due to politics and prejudice it was always an unattainable carrot). He's actually been promoted to a higher position in the five months he's worked here.
Ironically, the day he accepted this position, the same job was posted at another company in the same industry and much closer to home. We just let the "what-ifs" go on that one because the job you HAVE is always better than the job you COULD HAVE had.
Well guess what? Yesterday he got a call from a headhunter about the position at that other company (apparently they have not yet filled it -- which has us wondering). The pay is equal to what he was making before he lost his job, so 30% more. AND it's about 1/2 the distance to travel, and in a much nicer area, blah-dee-blah-blah. But it's not at the same level he's now at thanks to his increased responsibilities at this place.
So now he's feeling torn: Stay at this job where he feels very useful, appreciated, respected, but misses out on a lot of family life, long commute, tired, and less money.... OR disappoint his friend who hired him and go over to the other place, earn more money, drive less, be less tired, hopefully get more family time, but possibly not get the same opportunities that he's getting now?
I told him that the other company will always be there, and that he should take a year, maybe two to expand his skill set at his current job, enjoy the challenge, and then think about moving on to the place that's closer.
I suppose he could also use the other company as a means of leveraging a higher salary... but it's not even so much about the money as it is the time. You can always budget around less money, but you can't get the time back.
Ironically, the day he accepted this position, the same job was posted at another company in the same industry and much closer to home. We just let the "what-ifs" go on that one because the job you HAVE is always better than the job you COULD HAVE had.
Well guess what? Yesterday he got a call from a headhunter about the position at that other company (apparently they have not yet filled it -- which has us wondering). The pay is equal to what he was making before he lost his job, so 30% more. AND it's about 1/2 the distance to travel, and in a much nicer area, blah-dee-blah-blah. But it's not at the same level he's now at thanks to his increased responsibilities at this place.
So now he's feeling torn: Stay at this job where he feels very useful, appreciated, respected, but misses out on a lot of family life, long commute, tired, and less money.... OR disappoint his friend who hired him and go over to the other place, earn more money, drive less, be less tired, hopefully get more family time, but possibly not get the same opportunities that he's getting now?
I told him that the other company will always be there, and that he should take a year, maybe two to expand his skill set at his current job, enjoy the challenge, and then think about moving on to the place that's closer.
I suppose he could also use the other company as a means of leveraging a higher salary... but it's not even so much about the money as it is the time. You can always budget around less money, but you can't get the time back.