Ask HN: How much of a pay cut would you take?

1 points by username317 12 years ago | 8 comments

I'm a software developer with around 10 years of experience doing mostly server side development with some client-server and a few web apps thrown in. I work at a company where I make a decent amount of money for the area. I think the average here is around 95K and I make around 35-40K more after bonuses. Unfortunately I'm not happy here. My job has become tedious and frustrating and it's getting harder and harder to get out of bed and go to work each day. I recently talked to a recruiter in my area and he confirmed what I was suspecting - I am not going to find that very easily.

I don't have any of the hot skills like iOS or Android but plan on doing some things in my spare time to boost that. However it is hard to motivate myself when I get home tired and somewhat depressed to do anything other than throw back a few beers and stare at the TV.

I can afford a pay cut. We don't spend a ton of money. I just can't get over the thought of taking a step backward. Even though I could still be paid well at my next job, knowing it probably won't be as high as it could be is worrisome. My logical side says that happiness and less stress is worth a cut in pay but my greedy ego doesn't agree.

So how much of a pay cut would you take if you weren't happy? And how would you get over it? Or would you wait it out until you found something comparable? Or are you still just hanging on to that good paying job because you don't think it will be better elsewhere? I think I've worked with those people from time to time and I don't want to become them.

lsiunsuex 12 years ago |

I think you basically just described my situation at my last job. I was making good money but I hated the people I worked with and was generally not happy. I was laid off from that job last year and have been freelancing since.

Being laid off caused me to pursue freelance more seriously and made us realize how excessive we were living. We cut back on wasting a lot of money on everything from going out to eat to movie rentals, to buying garbage we didn't need.

Because I was unhappy, I felt like I was dieing at my old job; like the world was passing me by. I was there for almost 8 years...

If you can take a pay cut and be happier somewhere else, I'd say do it. Money is not everything. I'd say learn some new things on the side and pad your resume a bit. Maybe it helps you get a job you do like with the same pay your accustomed to.

Money is a tough thing to figure out. We all want to get paid our value, but living expenses, family, kids, retirement all come into play.

username317 12 years ago | |

Yes, that is exactly how I feel now. Fortunately i have only been here for 4 years. Freelancing scares me a bit, but maybe being scared is a good thing. Better than feeling like dying!

chrisbennet 12 years ago |

You can think of it as a pay cut or, assuming your getting valuable skills in the new job, you could treat it as getting paid to go to school i.e. making an investment in your career. LIFE IS EXTREMELY BRIEF. It really is worth the effort to find a job you like.

Another way to make that sort of money is contracting. You get to pick your own projects and if the project isn't working out for you, you know it won't last long before you're doing something new someplace else. In my experience, the biggest problem was lack of exposure to colleagues I could learn from. I was usually hired because they didn't have my expertise in-house and I did most of my work from home.

username317 12 years ago | |

Around here it seems that contractors are tied to contract houses that give you little flexibility and less than awesome pay. However I should look into it more. Yes, life is definitely brief.

zende 12 years ago |

One of the things to also consider is where you live and if you're effected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is a form of depression. It sounds like there's more going on than just your job, and you have to consider if your feeling about things have changed during the Winter.

It may be worth the effort of focusing on ways to improve your mood by exercising and spending time with friends to get you to a better state. That will let you think more clearly, have more energy for side projects, and seek out new employment or go out on your own.

There's usually a lot more going on with our mood than we initially think.

username317 12 years ago | |

The feelings have been going on for about a year, though they have been getting worse lately. I think you have a valid point. Thanks for the feedback.

CatsoCatsoCatso 12 years ago |

You're throwing around huge figures there. I'd be over the moon just to have my pay at 20k, or to even get a bonus. Of course I would be furious to take a pay-cut.

Try and remember that people are out there earning far less than you are. It might even make you feel better. Crevecoeur puts it well:

>It is strange that misery, when viewed in others, should become to us a sort of real good

If you're earning as much as you say I really can't fathom how you can be miserable. Perhaps a hobby or some fresh air would do you good.

lsiunsuex 12 years ago | |

I had to re-read the pay rate a few times myself.

Money fixes a lot of problems. But if your not happy with the work your doing or the people you work with, no amount can fix that. You can put on a fake smile for sure (i did for a long time) but that gets old real fast.