I Ain't No April Fool

The good news is: I was just offered the job with the four-hour long interview.

The bad news is: The salary is low. As in, lower than my "worst case scenario projections low." As in, lower than what I made at my last job by a couple grand.

Which makes for one big dilemma facing ye olde hey pretty on  this ultra fine Tuesday afternoon evening.

The fact is, I am unemployed, the current job market sucks balls and there are few jobs out there that I am interested in. I am also really bored and growing very tired of eating peanut butter sandwiches. Oh, and there's a recession looming.

Added to that is the fact that I really like the job that was offered to me. It's a step up in regards to responsibility and the issues are great. And the title is the bomb. My resume, while already pretty banging, would sparkle like there's no tomorrow with this title at a nationally reputable non-profit organization.

I have worked at non-profits before and am well aware of the funding constrictions that they face. But on the other hand...a pay cut? Seriously?

It's not as if I'm asking to maintain some sort of lavish lifestyle. I live with four other people is a decrepit house with dirt cheap rent. I seldom go away on vacation. My clothes are okay but certainly not extravagant. I rarely take cabs anymore or rack up huge tabs at expensive bars or restaurants. My only real financial splurges are the occasional visits to the NARS counter at Nordstrom's and a $70 haircut once every five months.

I was raised in comfortable upper-middle class environment, but thanks to my parents and their "noble" leftist politics, have grown up to believe that the jobs worth taking involve standing up for good causes and that pricey wine is better appreciated when you can afford fewer bottles of it.

If my parents ever had any concerns that I would never understand the "true value of a dollar" they can rest assured that it has not been lost on me.

Every day I see my peers, people of similar intelligence, accomplishment and motivation making significantly more money that me. I see them buying homes, planning for the future and I can't help but feel a twinge of resentment. While I know that it's bad to compare the path of other people to your own, and that life happens differently for each of us, it still pisses me off.

I also know that there is more to life than earning a lot of money, but that platitude is normally uttered by people with six-figure salaries who hate their jobs, not people who earn a fraction of that and consider Whole Foods a special treat.

So, I have a couple of days to mull the situation over. And my potential boss has a couple of days to dig around in the organization's finances and come up with 4k more a year (yes, I am negotiating). Or even 2k a year. I'd take the job for even a slight pay cut.

In the meantime, I will be crunching numbers like mad, trying to decide what I am willing to live on, and how many organic baby carrots I am willing to live without.

In the comments section tell me if you ever took a pay cut for a new job and how that worked out for you.

Comments

[Shannon]

I took a $10,000 pay cut to quit a job I hated and temp. Dumb, sure, and a huge challenge, but in the end I'm a whole lot happier than I would be if I'd stayed in the job that made me miserable.

Can you negotiate for perks instead, like extra vacation time?

[Ryane]

Congratulations on the job offer!!

Four years ago, I took a job that paid me...oh, $7K less than I had been making and let me tell you, it wasn't easy. In my case, I had to work a second job to make ends meet, but in the end (ie: now), I have to say it was worth it...It wasn't easy by any stretch (and to be honest, it still isn't b/c I still work a part-time job, only now, I love my part-time job and work out of my house..but that is another story), but when I think about still being in my old job, I shudder and am so glad I took the pay cut.

If you really think you will like the job, and can make it work however you need to (worst case scenario, getting a second job?) then take it. Having a job you love, doing something you really like...far outweighs having a job you only-kinda-sorta like, but that pays well. At least it does in my opinion.

[Kristin]

Six years ago, I took a $15,000 pay cut. More stability, better benefits, a different career path - something pushed me into it but at no point have I had an extra $15K, especially not six years ago. Somehow (with credit cards, discipline and a whole lotta hope) it worked.

Of course, I still think you should try to negotiate and only take it if it feels right. They're lucky to get you, at any price.

[Tilly]

I took a paycut when I moved to Chicago in order to have a paycheck. (It didn't hurt that it was at a prestigious university.) It paid the bills and I was able to get some beneficial work experiences under my belt. Also, I met Fiji on the (longass) train ride up to that job since he worked up there too. And I am SO thankful I did.

Uhh, sorta got off track there. ANYWAY. Are there options for a promotion down the line? If so it may be worth it.

[EclecticBlue]

Hmm. I wasn't able to get the salary I wanted at my current job, so I negotiated for an extra week's vacation. To me, time off is as precious as money, but it also sounds like I wasn't facing quite as big a drop-off as you are. But hey, you can't put a price on loving your job ...

(And I hear you on the guilty anger when people around you buy houses and seem to move forward while you're perpetually stuck in the same place.)

[Zandria]

Arrghh...definitely a big decision. I'd have to say, since the title is so cool and all, that I'd probably go with the lower salary -- especially if I didn't have any other prospects in mind that I was in love with.

My first "real" job was at a call center, and I worked there throughout college. I've never made as much money in subsequent jobs as I did at that call center job...but I HATED it. So yeah, my sanity is much better than a higher salary. :)