Choosing to switch jobs is more confusing than you might think! Via Shutterstock.
My boyfriend, Derrick, just got a huge raise at work so you think he’d be excited, but that’s not the case. He’ll be able to pay off more of his $150,000 college debt and enjoy extra spending money, but he is still frantically applying to jobs and here’s why.
Derrick took the first job he was offered out of college because he was so worried about his college debt. He is overqualified for his current job as a computer tester and really wants to work as a developer. He is bored at work and is not feeling challenged. On top of that, the job is five hours away from his friends and family (and me!) in Rhode Island. The problem is that the companies he’d like to work for are offering salaries lower than what he’s making now.
Should he switch jobs even if it means a lower salary?
Pros
Family and Friends – My boyfriend travels to Rhode Island every weekend because he hasn’t really made friends in Pennsylvania. By living in Rhode Island or nearby Boston, not only would he be happier, but he would also save a good deal of money. He drives 300 miles each way every weekend. That’s a lot of gas! Those 600 miles equal about $80 a weekend or $320 a month. He also spends $25 each way on tolls. That’s another $50 a weekend or $200 a month. In total, he’s spending $520 a month traveling!
Passion – My boyfriend has always wanted to work as a developer. By taking a job in this field, he would be more passionate about his work. I think that working at a job you enjoy is important so this is a huge pro!
Opportunity for Growth – While the jobs that he is interested in are all entry level positions – with an entry level salary – the positions have opportunities for growth. The drop in salary might be worth it if he eventually reaches the same salary level, it’s just a matter of how long that will take.
Cons
Less Money – The first, and biggest concern, is that he would be taking a pay cut and it would most likely be substantial. The loss could be as much as $20,000!
Lost Opportunities – Having been with the company for a little over a year my boyfriend has been promoted twice. This shows that the company values him and are confident in his skills. Most likely, this would mean more promotions and a larger role in the company. While he finds his job tedious at times, he likes his colleagues and the overall company dynamic. Leaving means giving up these relationships and future opportunities at the company.
Risk – By leaving his job for a new company, there is a level of risk involved. What if he doesn’t like his new job? Even worse, what if he hates it? Researching a programming job and the company culture will reduce the risk of a bad situation, but there’s always a chance the job might not be what he expected.
Would you take a job with a lower salary?
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
The difference in pay between the entry level job in the field he wants and the higher level job in the field that bores him is only going to get bigger as time goes on and thus make it harder to make the jump. Not making friends in PA is likely something of a self-fulfilling prophecy, he wants to be in Boston so he’s not getting involved in the community or company social opportunities so he’s not making connections. Everyone who goes to school in Boston wants to stay in Boston, consequently the salary on entry level jobs can be much lower there than in cities that have less of a college culture. So he may find less of a salary difference if he looks for programming jobs outside of New England. I know two men who took a job he didn’t really want because he felt obligated to then couldn’t bring himself to reinvent himself because he could not walk away from the money. One spent 35 years as a lawyer. The other has 5 years left to do as a police officer before he reaches full retirement. Both were utterly miserable and consequently made everyone else in their lives miserable, costing themselves friends, marriages, and relationships with their kids. I graduated college with a degree in chemistry and went to work as a chemist making what was very good money at the time. I hated it, so I applied to law school and got in and quit my job to go to school full time. I didn’t go work for a big firm so I’ve never made much more than I would have if I had stayed a chemist but I’m a whole lot happier doing something that I enjoy and find continually challenging . I would do the research and make the change. Life is too short to spend it being miserable.
Hi Jennifer. I found your story to be very enlightening. It is true that Derrick hasn’t really done anything to get involved in the community. While he does have friends at work he hasn’t done much to embrace his community outside of the office. I think coming home on weekends is one of the reasons he hasn’t made much progress in this area.
I also agree that if you don’t enjoy your job you should switch. I think that since your job takes up such a large part of your time it should be enjoyable. It’s encouraging to hear that you made a big career change and are much happier. Thanks so much for sharing your story!
I grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and went to college outside of Boston. West Chester is a college town and it’s close to Philadelphia. There is a lot to do and unlike the rural parts of the State the Philadelphia suburbs don’t exclude people who grew up elsewhere. I know schlepping through the Conn. mystery jams and then down the Jersey Turnpike isn’t fun, but have you tried spending a weekend a month in West Chester so he starts to explore and meet people? I understand how tough it is to deal with a shy man who doesn’t make friends easily. My first husband was a computer programmer who was very difficult to get out of his shell. I really just had to drag him along kicking and screaming to get him to do anything new or even something he liked with new people but he usually wound up having fun once I forced the issue. Without you there to force the issue your boyfriend isn’t likely to make the effort to do anything that might be fun.
What really struck me was the phrase “he hasn’t made any friends in Pennsylvania”. We have lived here for 12 miserable years (we moved here from northern VA, which I loved, to help out my ill in-laws — they wouldn’t move closer to us and we were commuting back and forth every week, so I feel his pain there as well). I have made ZERO close friends, and not for lack of trying. You are considered a “newbie” here unless you were born here (my kids are considered newbies because his dad and I weren’t born here). There is no respect for education, the arts, or anything which isn’t sports or hunting. As long as you can support yourself elsewhere , FLEE WHILE YOU CAN!!!!!!! Life is too short! If I had to do it over again, I would not have EVER sold my home in a place I loved to come and live in this dump!
Oh no! Sarah I’m sorry to hear that your time in Pennsylvania has been so unpleasant. What part of Pennsylvania are you living in? My boyfriend lives in West Chester. I really think that the reason he hasn’t been able to make close friends is because of his constant traveling.
I think that choosing where you live is as important as your choice of career. If you hate where you live it might be worth considering a change. Would you ever consider moving?
We live in mid-State PA. I frequently think of how James Carvill described PA – Philly in the east, Puttsburgh in the west, and Alabama in the middle. (No disrespect to Alabama intended by me).
When you are choosing a job, you really need to look at everything it entails : the corporate culture, the benefits, the location, as well as the pay. I am a SAHM, and my husband is a federal worker with a decent flexiplace arrangement. The ONLY reason we moved here was the in-laws (and the only reason they moved here was HIS job, from which he is now retired). They refuse to move, but expect us to be there at a moments notice when they have an “emergency”. This has put an incredible strain on my hubby’s relationship with them (he hates it here even more than I do) as well as internal strains within our family. So, decisions and changes will have to be made – perhaps moving within commuter-student distance to the college that most of our kids want to attend; basically giving the in-laws an ultimatum (move or have your other kid take care of you for a while –HAH!); putting our psychological / emotional health first rather than last.
I know that the economy is not in good shape and that people have financial obligations (the curse of student loans…. Another reason for us TO move, to save OUR kids money and heartache down the line), but I hate to see a young person just going through the motions until the weekend….. This should be a time to do what you love, to FIND what you love; otherwise, he may be setting himself up for a lifetime of depression and stress, making compromises for money rather than living his life.
I’d prefer to work for less money in a job that I enjoyed but changing jobs is no guarantee that the new work or company culture will mesh with your personality or dream. I’ve made career moves that turned out to be disasters.
It appears that there might be growth within his company since he has been promoted and is getting raises. He should find out about the IT department within his own company and see if he can make a move into it. It would give him the experience that he would need to command a better salary when he does leave. As someone who has worked in software development for 26 years there have been good jobs, good projects and the company from hell.
Travelling back home each weekend is a killer. Spending all of the time on the road takes its toll physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s also harder to make friends in a new place if you’re never there to socialize. You didn’t say where in PA he was located, whether a large city or small town. Larger cities have more opportunities to get involved and to meet people. To paraphrase Colonel Potter on a Christmas episode of M.A.S.H “If you’re not where you’re at, you’re nowhere”. Travel back home less often and try to get involved until you move (bowling league, softball in the spring, volunteer on the weekends).
I wish your friend luck in his endeavor.
Hi Myke! Derrick lives in West Chester which is not too far from Philadelphia. I definitely think that there is an opportunity to make relationships but for some it’s harder than others. Derrick tends to be a little less open to meeting new people and can be a little on the shy side. I think that joining a team or group would be a great way to make friends and would help him to enjoy his time living in PA. Even if you’re not living in your dream area I think that you should make the most of it while you’re there!
Also, I think that looking for jobs within the company would be a good place to start. If location wasn’t such an issue I think that would be the perfect solution. Thanks for the advice and well wishes!
That’s great, and I think more people should share such posts. I can say that developing a business is actually way more complicated than it seems, and finding proper platforms and companies to help you with development is a challenge. I’m glad that I managed to discover api solution not so long ago, and I couldn’t even imagine how helpful it would turn out