# What if you were offered your dream job, but had to take a 30% pay cut?



## spidersam (Dec 5, 2019)

Say you’re starting to save for your first home, making decent money, and then your dream job comes around. Only thing is, you’re back to your starting salary, and maybe that house won’t be as big or you can’t vacation as far away, or you can’t spend as much money on the hobbies you love. What would you do?


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## Tez3 (Dec 5, 2019)

spidersam said:


> Say you’re starting to save for your first home, making decent money, and then your dream job comes around. Only thing is, you’re back to your starting salary, and maybe that house won’t be as big or you can’t vacation as far away, or you can’t spend as much money on the hobbies you love. What would you do?




Ask your mum.


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## Flying Crane (Dec 5, 2019)

Having worked for many years in a job that I never enjoyed, I say you take the dream job.  Decide if the money still meets your fundamental needs.  If so, then it’s a no-brainer.  If not, consider how you might supplement the income to make ends meet, or how you might reduce expenses.  

Seriously.  Vacations are great, but limited in duration.  Owning a house, or a bigger house is great, but not everything.

We spend lots of time in our job.  If that time is unpleasant, it sucks your soul.  To have a job that you enjoy, that is fulfilling and satisfying, is huge in your overall happiness.


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## Deleted member 39746 (Dec 5, 2019)

check and mate, what if you do your dream job as a hobby.


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## jobo (Dec 5, 2019)

spidersam said:


> Say you’re starting to save for your first home, making decent money, and then your dream job comes around. Only thing is, you’re back to your starting salary, and maybe that house won’t be as big or you can’t vacation as far away, or you can’t spend as much money on the hobbies you love. What would you do?


 Whats dream about it ? my dream job involved doing very little for a considerable amount of money whilst travelling the world and then skiving in various exotic cities for a week or so, living on an exspence account. i had a coffee bill at one hotel of 1500 dollars, it was great till i got fed up of the travelling. then it wasnt a dream job anymore i just wanted to be home with my wife dogs and mates

So i got another dream job that paid less money but gave me a social life, i never really liked the job much, but no more airports at 6 in the morning, and i got to skive in London and Glasgow for a day or three

Then i decided that the whole working for a living thing was bogus and took early retirement, where i live on a relative pittance, but dont have to get up at all and when i do, i do just want i want with the rest of my day, it is indeed a dream job, i just wish id done it years before

So whats dream about it ?


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## Buka (Dec 5, 2019)

I’d take my dream job, movie critic. And get a part time second job. If I could pick that second  job it would be as a food critic. 

Damn, that would be good.


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Dec 7, 2019)

I don't actually know what my dream job would be. I'm passionate about a lot of different things. So I guess it would depend om what job I'm being offered.


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## CB Jones (Dec 7, 2019)

spidersam said:


> Say you’re starting to save for your first home, making decent money, and then your dream job comes around. Only thing is, you’re back to your starting salary, and maybe that house won’t be as big or you can’t vacation as far away, or you can’t spend as much money on the hobbies you love. What would you do?



Sorry....but No way I have to take a pay cut to be a Shortstop in the MLB or Safety in the NFL.

I’d be rolling in the cash.


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## Bill Mattocks (Dec 8, 2019)

spidersam said:


> Say you’re starting to save for your first home, making decent money, and then your dream job comes around. Only thing is, you’re back to your starting salary, and maybe that house won’t be as big or you can’t vacation as far away, or you can’t spend as much money on the hobbies you love. What would you do?



I'm at the other end of my career. I got tired of driving 2 hours every day and working 60 hours a week. Took a pay cut for a job 10 miles from home that believes in a 40 hour work week. I'm happy.


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## dvcochran (Dec 8, 2019)

Bill Mattocks said:


> I'm at the other end of my career. I got tired of driving 2 hours every day and working 60 hours a week. Took a pay cut for a job 10 miles from home that believes in a 40 hour work week. I'm happy.


Smart, very smart.


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## dvcochran (Dec 8, 2019)

spidersam said:


> Say you’re starting to save for your first home, making decent money, and then your dream job comes around. Only thing is, you’re back to your starting salary, and maybe that house won’t be as big or you can’t vacation as far away, or you can’t spend as much money on the hobbies you love. What would you do?


In a reasonable amount of time, does your dream job meet or exceed the earnings of your current job? 
Plan the plan.


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## Steve (Dec 8, 2019)

My dream job is one that gives me enough time and money to pursue my hobbies, and save for retirement.   I am good.


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## JR 137 (Dec 11, 2019)

I just got my “dream job” in a sense. More than doubled my salary. Great opportunities to promote. Now I work 4 ten hour days instead of 5 eights. Generous stock option. Full health insurance offered for a good price, but I’m on my wife’s plan because it’s significantly cheaper (NYS teacher’s union is pretty good at that). Great retirement matching.

Only downside is my work week is Thursday-Sunday, so no weekends off. But the weekend bonus is a good part of my pay. My wife asked how long I plan to be on weekends. My response was whenever it’s convenient to take a $21k pay cut. Or whenever I promote far up enough to break even on getting off weekends.

Aside from compensation, the single best thing is when my day’s over, it’s over. I can’t access company email off campus unless I request it and it’s justified for my work duties. I’m not going to request it anytime soon 

So I guess you don’t always need to take a pay cut to work your dream job. My current job is far less stressful and aggravating than my former career. It’s mentally and physically demanding, but nothing too strenuous by any means.


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## pdg (Dec 12, 2019)

dvcochran said:


> In a reasonable amount of time, does your dream job meet or exceed the earnings of your current job?
> Plan the plan.



But what if the job with the most money makes you depressed and unhealthy and you end up constantly asking yourself why you didn't follow what you really wanted to do instead of following the cash?

More money is usually nice, granted, but if it becomes a necessity to have that money only so you can afford a bunch of inconsequential 'things' and activities in order to distract yourself from the realisation you're trading the majority of your waking time on earth for a job you don't actually like doing then you have to question the source of the motivation.

If I get the chance to contemplate my life on my deathbed, I know for damn sure I'm not going to regretfully think "I wish I spent more of my life working a job I hate so I could've had a newer car".


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## JR 137 (Dec 12, 2019)

pdg said:


> But what if the job with the most money makes you depressed and unhealthy and you end up constantly asking yourself why you didn't follow what you really wanted to do instead of following the cash?
> 
> More money is usually nice, granted, but if it becomes a necessity to have that money only so you can afford a bunch of inconsequential 'things' and activities in order to distract yourself from the realisation you're trading the majority of your waking time on earth for a job you don't actually like doing then you have to question the source of the motivation.
> 
> If I get the chance to contemplate my life on my deathbed, I know for damn sure I'm not going to regretfully think "I wish I spent more of my life working a job I hate so I could've had a newer car".


But there’s a flip side to working more and making more money - buying and providing a good home for yourself and family. I’m not talking extravagant, just something with adequate space and a little more in a good neighborhood with good schools. Making enough where you can send your kids to college without sacrificing everything you own. And being able to retire comfortably. 

I didn’t have those opportunities with my last job. It made me miserable and made me feel like a failure, to be honest. I’ve got those things with my current job. That’s a big part of why it’s my dream job. I’m not going to be driving a current model Mercedes or the like every year and stuff like that, but the important stuff will be taken care of without a huge ordeal.

If it took me 60 hours a week to earn the money I’m earning now, I wouldn’t go to my deathbed with any regrets. So long as I provided what I needed to, that’s all that matters. Working myself into the ground because I’m chasing some idiotic goals like a multi-million dollar mansion in the hills and an exotic Italian sports car would leave me with quite a bit of regret though.


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## pdg (Dec 12, 2019)

JR 137 said:


> But there’s a flip side to working more and making more money - buying and providing a good home for yourself and family. I’m not talking extravagant, just something with adequate space and a little more in a good neighborhood with good schools. Making enough where you can send your kids to college without sacrificing everything you own. And being able to retire comfortably.
> 
> I didn’t have those opportunities with my last job. It made me miserable and made me feel like a failure, to be honest. I’ve got those things with my current job. That’s a big part of why it’s my dream job. I’m not going to be driving a current model Mercedes or the like every year and stuff like that, but the important stuff will be taken care of without a huge ordeal.
> 
> If it took me 60 hours a week to earn the money I’m earning now, I wouldn’t go to my deathbed with any regrets. So long as I provided what I needed to, that’s all that matters. Working myself into the ground because I’m chasing some idiotic goals like a multi-million dollar mansion in the hills and an exotic Italian sports car would leave me with quite a bit of regret though.



And that's more of a sensible balance.

If you can't provide enough without working excessively, it causes a multitude of problems.

But you get a different set of problems (imo) when you cross over to the mindset that no matter what you get, it's never enough.


Personally, I wouldn't work 60 hours every week and that comes from my own childhood experiences.

For a while, my dad left the house at 6am, commuted for 2 hours, worked 10 hours then 2 more hours to get home, at which point it was pretty much time for him to go to bed to be ready for the next day, 5 days a week. Sometimes on Saturday too.

Yeah, we had a bit more money (although due to his boss and the way the company was run, not as much as it should have been), but I was effectively without a father for that time.

I completely understand why he did it, but in all honesty I would've preferred he didn't. From conversations I had with him before he died (18 months after retiring) I got the feeling he felt the same way.


It's all a case of priorities really, if we can tick over on good enough then there's no way I'm going to sacrifice time spent doing things I really enjoy (mainly with my kids) just to try and move up a level.


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## dvcochran (Dec 13, 2019)

pdg said:


> But what if the job with the most money makes you depressed and unhealthy and you end up constantly asking yourself why you didn't follow what you really wanted to do instead of following the cash?
> 
> More money is usually nice, granted, but if it becomes a necessity to have that money only so you can afford a bunch of inconsequential 'things' and activities in order to distract yourself from the realisation you're trading the majority of your waking time on earth for a job you don't actually like doing then you have to question the source of the motivation.
> 
> If I get the chance to contemplate my life on my deathbed, I know for damn sure I'm not going to regretfully think "I wish I spent more of my life working a job I hate so I could've had a newer car".



I agree but that ,to me, is a cliché ending I wish on no one. I am going to call it the "family model". This doesn't mean it is blood relation all the time but most often is. The family model to me included parents, adult family with influence, teachers, coaches, college advisers, people in the working world, athletes, dancers, and the list just keeps going specific to the young persons sphere of influence. We all know about, and some still remember those few to several years in your teens when you were or should have been trying to figure out what you want to do in the near future. 
For me this included very few people from my family but there are a number of cornerstone characters in my life that guided and molded my decisions. I
I can say with certainty I knew I wanted to be a EE from about 15 years old. However, I ignored common sense and wisdoms for several years, just working a job and doing most of the stuff 'wild' teenagers do. 
We grew up pretty rural. Moving away from the family home at 18 was an unwritten rule that we all understood well. So for a few years I just got by. I got a full ride to college but had to work to have anything else. We also had/have a family farm that demanded time. I still remember struggling with the time constraints; figuring out what I 'wanted' to do and what I needed to do and how they reconciled.
 Sports always came natural to me. It was never an issue of whether I would play football and continue going to school. Then, late in my 3rd year my father discovered he had cancer.  My oldest brother had already moved quite a distance away and my other two siblings were doing their own thing. So it was pretty easy to stop college/football and pick up the slack at my fathers construction company and the farm. In hindsight, it really solidified some notions I was already having. 
After my father passed, my new wife and I eventually bought the farm. About 10 years later I went back to college and finished with two Masters degrees. 
There are a ton of benchmark events in the middle of it all. I never remember working a fixed hour job and then thinking I needed to find something else to do. My life has been full to overflowing the whole time. We have had up to 4 business going at the same time. One of which is my original Dojang. I never proactively think 'I am not going to engage in that activity unless it makes me money'. I know a few people like that and I do think they are unhappy most of the time. 

My apologies; I know I am rambling but it is a needed distraction.
A very, very close friend of our family, Thomas Warren "Bubba" Gant had a massive stroke yesterday morning. Think of the most fit 31 year old and he will trump them, and he is 51. The doctor said a major artery in his brain twisted, probably like that since birth. The family is taking him off the vent this afternoon.
Please lift Bubba and his family up. I believe in the power of prayer.


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## JR 137 (Dec 13, 2019)

dvcochran said:


> I agree but that ,to me, is a cliché ending I wish on no one. I am going to call it the "family model". This doesn't mean it is blood relation all the time but most often is. The family model to me included parents, adult family with influence, teachers, coaches, college advisers, people in the working world, athletes, dancers, and the list just keeps going specific to the young persons sphere of influence. We all know about, and some still remember those few to several years in your teens when you were or should have been trying to figure out what you want to do in the near future.
> For me this included very few people from my family but there are a number of cornerstone characters in my life that guided and molded my decisions. I
> I can say with certainty I knew I wanted to be a EE from about 15 years old. However, I ignored common sense and wisdoms for several years, just working a job and doing most of the stuff 'wild' teenagers do.
> We grew up pretty rural. Moving away from the family home at 18 was an unwritten rule that we all understood well. So for a few years I just got by. I got a full ride to college but had to work to have anything else. We also had/have a family farm that demanded time. I still remember struggling with the time constraints; figuring out what I 'wanted' to do and what I needed to do and how they reconciled.
> ...


I’m going to “like” the post, but I’m not liking the last part. My prayers go out to him and his family. I’ve seen that a few times; always very painful for everyone around.


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## _Simon_ (Dec 14, 2019)

Thinking of and praying for you all @dvcochran, I hope you're all okay and can find peace, love and support with your loved ones and us too.


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## pdg (Dec 14, 2019)

Condolences @dvcochran - difficult times. I hope you all find the strength within yourselves to deal appropriately.

(I'm not going to be hypocritical enough to offer prayers that I neither do nor have any belief in...)


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