Poll: Salary vs. quality of life

[JohnC]

I've already made up my mind, but I'm going to throw this poll up anyway. I'm just curious what some of the rest of you would do, especially given the security clearance question.

Would you take an 8% effective pay cut?

Consider the following pluses:

Much smaller company (10 employees vs. 500+).
Results-only work environment (no set hours, work from CVille Downtown Mall office or anywhere).
100% health care and gym membership for Jess and I (and family). Paid short/long-term disability insurance for me.
Very short commute (10 minute walk, <5 minute bike ride vs. a 30 minute drive to the current job).

And the following minuses:

Less perceived stability (commercial vs. govt).
Company has a single large client in a single niche of the healthcare market, starting to diversify, but hasn't happened yet.
Eventual loss of high-level security clearance (after holding it for 10 years).

[HAULN-SS]

i would have voted yes if you were 35+, but cutting pay will follow you for a while.

[Apoc]

Last guy in at a company with 10 people and only 1 client during economic difficulty? No way.

[JohnC]

i would have voted yes if you were 35+, but cutting pay will follow you for a while.

That's an argument I hadn't really considered - I've definitely been more focused on the "effective" nature of the pay cut, and what I might be able to do to make up the difference. Thanks.

And for what it's worth, the actual salary cut is more like 11%, but the new company would be paying for the healthcare/insurance/gym/etc which makes up a portion of the difference.

[BLINGMW]

assuming 8% doesn't make $$ tight, I say go for it. If they let you go in 3-6mo, do you feel you could find another (maybe less than ideal) job pretty easily?

no surprise coming from someone who probably wouldn't move to NOVA or ATL for double the $!

[WRXtranceformed]

Are you not able to negotiate your salary with the new company to a similar amount that you're making now?

[JohnC]

Are you not able to negotiate your salary with the new company to a similar amount that you're making now?

Let's assume that doing so would make this whole poll completely pointless :lol:

[Goodspeed]

i would have voted yes if you were 35+, but cutting pay will follow you for a while.

Explain?

<-- noob.

[Evan]

none of that adds up. at all.


you dont mention if you like the new work better, are burned out / bored in your current job , would be much happier at the new job.
thats the only thing that could make that make sense. (to me anyway)

(btw, short term and long term disability is cheap, so are gym membership. so take that into affect as money, not as really cool benefits that catch your eye and might seem more significant than they are)

[JohnC]

none of that adds up. at all.

Lol... fair enough. I am definitely bored with the current job, and openings at the current company are plentiful but not particularly exciting. The work environment itself (commute + office + surroundings) is mind numbing, and there is very little flexibility in work hours or location (which is an artifact of the company itself and our client). I've been in the same basic industry for 10 years now, and I'm getting pretty restless.

(btw, short term and long term disability is cheap, so are gym membership. so take that into affect as money, not as really cool benefits that catch your eye and might seem more significant than they are)

Yup - I've definitely taken that into consideration, that makes up some of the disparity between the 11% salary difference and the 8% effective difference.

[.RJ]

I would be hesitant to do it solely for losing the clearance. But if you think you can get by fine without it, I'd go for it. Better location and more interesting work is worth something, but then again the grass is always greener.

[Ryan T]

Have you met the other people working at the new place? Do you know how the business operates and what changes in your work habit/ethic you are expected to take? If you hate the people you are going to work with/don't think you'll enjoy what you are doing I certaintly wouldn't take the cut just to work in a small company.

[JohnC]

Have you met the other people working at the new place? Do you know how the business operates and what changes in your work habit/ethic you are expected to take? If you hate the people you are going to work with/don't think you'll enjoy what you are doing I certaintly wouldn't take the cut just to work in a small company.

I do know the people at the new place - I've worked with them before, and that's how I was informed of the opening in the first place.

[Mike]

yes, yes, yes, yes.... NO!

don't give up your clearance.

[Sijray21]

i don't think maintaining the clearance is a good enough reason to stay at a job that you're not happy with. it's linked to money and positions that require the clearance that will likely not be more fun than the job he's currently working. if he's had one before he can get one again (i got mine back after i left working for the government).

as long as it doesn't make things too tight financially i say do it - the commute time isn't too bad for you currently (IMO), but having a really short commute is pretty sweet - i have a 2-minute commute myself and i love it.

[JohnC]

So obviously I took the new job. Interesting side note, the soon-to-be-ex-employer wants me to do some occasional part-time work for them, which makes the transition smooth, keeps me in the loop on the .gov side, and most importantly, allows me to keep the clearance active.

[HAULN-SS]

i would have voted yes if you were 35+, but cutting pay will follow you for a while.

Explain?

<-- noob.

Taking a backward step means that you're about 2 'raise cycles' behind where you would be, and this assuming you get equivalent raise percentages at each company. If he sticks that out for say 10 years, he's minus salary*1.05^10 dollars (5 percent raises) at the end of the 10 years in total money... for a 50k salary, you'd be 30 grand behind where you would be after 10 years, not counting inflation, blah blah blah..keeping it simple. AND when you change jobs, a lot of employers want to know what you made at the last job. Having a lower number definitely has an effect here.

[Sijray21]

So obviously I took the new job. Interesting side note, the soon-to-be-ex-employer wants me to do some occasional part-time work for them, which makes the transition smooth, keeps me in the loop on the .gov side, and most importantly, allows me to keep the clearance active.

doesn't that also negate the 8% decrease? :wink:

[JohnC]

In light of the recent job advice threads that popped up, I figured I'd follow up on mine.

After almost a year at the new job....

Best decision ever. I make less money (less now than 3 years ago), but I've never been happier. I wouldn't go back to government contracting at any salary.

[WRXtranceformed]

I'm actually in the same boat. I'm considering taking a significant pay cut if a certain job opportunity comes back up again, but it would decrease my stress level exponentially and would be more stable in terms of my monthly paychecks (it would be easier to budget). I guess this means I'm getting old and getting out of my risk vs. reward years (although I'll always have that element in me)...but it would be nice to know exactly what I'm making month in and month out, vs. having huge months and average months.

I also have to take care of my own benefits and retirement right now, which would be a huge advantage of moving to said position and would cut my professional overhead significantly.