Salary cut / Career change
Discussion
I find myself in the situation where I have worked my way to quite a senior position in my current profession, which incidentally I hate. Recently I have been offered two jobs.
The first one I looked for and accepted and involves my staying in my current industry sector but working longer hours / less holidays etc for slightly more money / bonus and in a Project Management type role which I feel will be transferable with more experience.
I have also been studying Software Engineering part time as an MSc for 2 years...more out of curiosity than anything else and have now been offered fairly randomly a chance to be a junior .net developer for a really small but really nice company. I have come to a cross roads, I really am sick of my current industry and I guess responsibility / pressure etc and really want a break and the chance to get into IT....however the salary is that of a graduate and a third of my current salary...I guess I can survive but there will be big sacrifices.. Food, clothes, heating, eating out (ever) but not the car…no way the car
Has anyone done this? am I nuts even considering it?
The first one I looked for and accepted and involves my staying in my current industry sector but working longer hours / less holidays etc for slightly more money / bonus and in a Project Management type role which I feel will be transferable with more experience.
I have also been studying Software Engineering part time as an MSc for 2 years...more out of curiosity than anything else and have now been offered fairly randomly a chance to be a junior .net developer for a really small but really nice company. I have come to a cross roads, I really am sick of my current industry and I guess responsibility / pressure etc and really want a break and the chance to get into IT....however the salary is that of a graduate and a third of my current salary...I guess I can survive but there will be big sacrifices.. Food, clothes, heating, eating out (ever) but not the car…no way the car
Has anyone done this? am I nuts even considering it?
Edited by Toobin on Wednesday 25th June 12:02
Edited by Toobin on Wednesday 25th June 12:04
What about house/other financial committments? Do you have kids?
Can you sustain your life cutting back the excess stuff like expensive holidays etc...?
You could probably easily stop spending money on stuff that doesn't really matter, but downgrading your house/flat could mean that you're happier at work, and more unhappy at home. So consider this also.
Can you sustain your life cutting back the excess stuff like expensive holidays etc...?
You could probably easily stop spending money on stuff that doesn't really matter, but downgrading your house/flat could mean that you're happier at work, and more unhappy at home. So consider this also.
No kids, partner who earns well and could support us...
Love of snowboarding would have to be curbed a little
House should be fine but also have a second I rent which would cause huge problems if that fell through..do plan on selling it but was hoping for a better market
The lifestyle change would be huge as I do go out a lot, eat out a lot, holiday a lot and go to concerts / theatre etc as much as poss..I also by anything plastic or on the end of an isle in the supermarket...but do are these just to over compensate a cr@p job in the first place
Love of snowboarding would have to be curbed a little
House should be fine but also have a second I rent which would cause huge problems if that fell through..do plan on selling it but was hoping for a better market
The lifestyle change would be huge as I do go out a lot, eat out a lot, holiday a lot and go to concerts / theatre etc as much as poss..I also by anything plastic or on the end of an isle in the supermarket...but do are these just to over compensate a cr@p job in the first place
If you can live where you do currently, drive and upkeep your TVR, and have a job which you enjoy, then go for it!
End of the day, if you're experienced/senior in one sector - after getting the groundwork out of the way you'll have no problems moving up quickly. If you have plenty of relevant transferrable skills there's no reason why you shouldn't have caught up to your previous position/earnings in a relatively short period of time.
What's worrying you, or holding you back? If it's just losing the extra luxuries, dont forget it's only temporary - till your earnings have recovered back to a similar level that they were at.
Most people couldn't afford to maintain the fundamentals of their lives (house/car) taking their pay down to 1/3 level it was. This is the important stuff IMO.
End of the day, if you're experienced/senior in one sector - after getting the groundwork out of the way you'll have no problems moving up quickly. If you have plenty of relevant transferrable skills there's no reason why you shouldn't have caught up to your previous position/earnings in a relatively short period of time.
What's worrying you, or holding you back? If it's just losing the extra luxuries, dont forget it's only temporary - till your earnings have recovered back to a similar level that they were at.
Most people couldn't afford to maintain the fundamentals of their lives (house/car) taking their pay down to 1/3 level it was. This is the important stuff IMO.
Don't get me wrong, things would be tough...I could cover my side of the mortgage, travel and bills but the rest would require sponsorship. The Tiv I could keep as long as I don't drive it 
or service it
I'm going to meet them again tonight to have a bit more of a chat about the whole thing...will keep you posted
or service itI'm going to meet them again tonight to have a bit more of a chat about the whole thing...will keep you posted
Take the job but make a point during the acceptance meeting that you are in a senior position now in a job you dislike, and are moving to a job you love, if you make this point well, you will have subconciously earmarked yourself for promotion if it becomes available.
I took a salary drop and went from a big multinational to a tiny company to go into partnership with 3 guys I used to work with; almost everyone said I was nuts, but 4 years later its turned out the best thing I've done and Im now better off than before, so I would say if you can just afford it, then follow your instincts, not the bank balance.
Good luck whatever you decide
Steve
I took a salary drop and went from a big multinational to a tiny company to go into partnership with 3 guys I used to work with; almost everyone said I was nuts, but 4 years later its turned out the best thing I've done and Im now better off than before, so I would say if you can just afford it, then follow your instincts, not the bank balance.
Good luck whatever you decide
Steve
Edited by dingocooke on Thursday 26th June 09:42
Difficult one this, my grandad used to say "money isn't everything, but there's feck all you can do without it" 
I'd be wary, it's not just a small cut, it's huge, and something you may never get back again. Is there any way that you can take a 6 month career break and check this out before you leap..? Perhaps there's some volutary work you could do in a similar company to get an idea of it..?
I'd be wary, it's not just a small cut, it's huge, and something you may never get back again. Is there any way that you can take a 6 month career break and check this out before you leap..? Perhaps there's some volutary work you could do in a similar company to get an idea of it..?
Edited by Kuroblack350 on Monday 30th June 12:25
To the o/p - everyone dreams of 'getting out of the rat race' or trying a totally different field.
Very few ever do it successfully. A 2/3rds pay cut is MASSIVE. If your standard of living remotely matches your current earnings there is a very real chance you will end up not making ends meet or anywhere near it in that .net role.
I was an I.T. Specialist on a really strong pay package, and after 7 years of really rolling in the money got made redundant, and i decided to go self employed doing something i always dreamed of, selling IT equipment, computer repairs, one to one IT training, etc. I really wanted to do something to help people, give them an alternative to PC world and maybe make a job of it in the meantime. Stuck it for a year. Crap money, ungreatful public, long hours. Took a permanent job as a Technology Manager, got head hunted into another company, then promoted to I.T. Director there. Do i enjoy it? No. Does it pay well? Yes. Does it keep me in the lifestyle to which i was accustomed? Yes.
Companies pay you because you'd rather be doing something else. Very rarely do people truely love their jobs. Its not their purpose. Take the moneyed job, and use it to have a life when you're not working.
Very few ever do it successfully. A 2/3rds pay cut is MASSIVE. If your standard of living remotely matches your current earnings there is a very real chance you will end up not making ends meet or anywhere near it in that .net role.
I was an I.T. Specialist on a really strong pay package, and after 7 years of really rolling in the money got made redundant, and i decided to go self employed doing something i always dreamed of, selling IT equipment, computer repairs, one to one IT training, etc. I really wanted to do something to help people, give them an alternative to PC world and maybe make a job of it in the meantime. Stuck it for a year. Crap money, ungreatful public, long hours. Took a permanent job as a Technology Manager, got head hunted into another company, then promoted to I.T. Director there. Do i enjoy it? No. Does it pay well? Yes. Does it keep me in the lifestyle to which i was accustomed? Yes.
Companies pay you because you'd rather be doing something else. Very rarely do people truely love their jobs. Its not their purpose. Take the moneyed job, and use it to have a life when you're not working.
Are you saying you want to take a 2/3rds pay cut to get into IT?
IT sucks!
3 types of people in IT
Arrogant Tw@s who know what they are doing
Arrogant Tw@s who don't know what they are doing
End Users who blame the arrogant tw@s even though they did something wrong themselves...
Yes, I fall into the 1st section...
Do yourself a favour, get a better dream before switching... I can imagine someone dropping 2/3rds to get a Job that made a difference - eg, Teacher, Fireman, Nurse... but to go into IT? Crazy.
Do you want to do a job swap for a week?
IT sucks!
3 types of people in IT
Arrogant Tw@s who know what they are doing
Arrogant Tw@s who don't know what they are doing
End Users who blame the arrogant tw@s even though they did something wrong themselves...
Yes, I fall into the 1st section...
Do yourself a favour, get a better dream before switching... I can imagine someone dropping 2/3rds to get a Job that made a difference - eg, Teacher, Fireman, Nurse... but to go into IT? Crazy.
Do you want to do a job swap for a week?
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