Money Matters
TravelJunkie1234
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Give up a work from home job?
Sorry, I know I'm wordy! I'll try to keep it short...
Short version is I've been doing some job hunting lately and have some questions...basically aside from some unpaid internships in college, I've only worked at one place so I have no idea what to expect when it comes to interviews, what's reasonable, etc. I'm just wondering what it would take for you guys to give up a work-from home position in exchange for an office-type job.
Longer Version: Currently I work at home for a small company and make about $26,000. I started off as a part-time receptionist while I was in school, then they offered me a full-time job (which I took because I was fresh out of college and the market tanked so I took what I was offered. That later turned into a marketing job) and asked me to continue working for them when I moved out of state for DH's job. In those 7+ years I've gotten 2 raises--one when I went from part-time to full-time, and the other about 2 years ago (any time anyone has asked for one they say they don't have the money). They do offer benefits, and a non-matching 401K option. The plus side of course is that I work from home, can run errands and things whenever I want or just stay in my PJs all day. I don't put many miles on my car, which saves on gas/maintenance, I don't get pressured to go out to eat with coworkers, I can make homemade meals, etc. Downside is that I was really hoping that this long after college I'd be making more money or at least be in a field remotely close to what I studied (although I don't mind what I'm doing now, and actually am pretty good at it), and after 4 years of working from home, I'm starting to get a little stir-crazy.
Now that you have some background, I've been doing a little bit of job hunting in my local area and it looks like most of the things I'm finding would require a 30-40 minute commute into the city (not including horrible Atlanta Traffic, which would probably put me at about an hour). Considering the increase in commuting costs (time and $), the fact that I would need all new work clothes (pretty sure yoga pants and tank tops aren't work appropriate, lol) and everything else, what is the minimum increase in pay that you would take to give up the work-at-home position? A lot of the jobs that I'm seeing available are offered at about what I currently make or less, and don't give off the vibe that there would be a lot of room for advancement, so I'm wondering if what I'm expecting is unreasonable or maybe just the norm in my area (at least the jobs reports that I've seen make it sound a bit depressing unless you're in sales or retail, tbh). For what it's worth, we would be just fine living on only DH's income, but if I'm going to make a switch I'd like it to be MM smart.
I think with my birthday coming up I'm just getting myself all filled with doubt with what-ifs....like what if I had decided to attend law school instead of moving across the country with DH (then just BF), what if I hadn't just jumped at the first/only job offered to me post graduation, what if we had stayed in CO where I had better job prospects in my field...the list goes on and on...
Sorry that got a bit long, I'm just feeling conflicted and trying to figure out what the best course of action is.
Short version is I've been doing some job hunting lately and have some questions...basically aside from some unpaid internships in college, I've only worked at one place so I have no idea what to expect when it comes to interviews, what's reasonable, etc. I'm just wondering what it would take for you guys to give up a work-from home position in exchange for an office-type job.
Longer Version: Currently I work at home for a small company and make about $26,000. I started off as a part-time receptionist while I was in school, then they offered me a full-time job (which I took because I was fresh out of college and the market tanked so I took what I was offered. That later turned into a marketing job) and asked me to continue working for them when I moved out of state for DH's job. In those 7+ years I've gotten 2 raises--one when I went from part-time to full-time, and the other about 2 years ago (any time anyone has asked for one they say they don't have the money). They do offer benefits, and a non-matching 401K option. The plus side of course is that I work from home, can run errands and things whenever I want or just stay in my PJs all day. I don't put many miles on my car, which saves on gas/maintenance, I don't get pressured to go out to eat with coworkers, I can make homemade meals, etc. Downside is that I was really hoping that this long after college I'd be making more money or at least be in a field remotely close to what I studied (although I don't mind what I'm doing now, and actually am pretty good at it), and after 4 years of working from home, I'm starting to get a little stir-crazy.
Now that you have some background, I've been doing a little bit of job hunting in my local area and it looks like most of the things I'm finding would require a 30-40 minute commute into the city (not including horrible Atlanta Traffic, which would probably put me at about an hour). Considering the increase in commuting costs (time and $), the fact that I would need all new work clothes (pretty sure yoga pants and tank tops aren't work appropriate, lol) and everything else, what is the minimum increase in pay that you would take to give up the work-at-home position? A lot of the jobs that I'm seeing available are offered at about what I currently make or less, and don't give off the vibe that there would be a lot of room for advancement, so I'm wondering if what I'm expecting is unreasonable or maybe just the norm in my area (at least the jobs reports that I've seen make it sound a bit depressing unless you're in sales or retail, tbh). For what it's worth, we would be just fine living on only DH's income, but if I'm going to make a switch I'd like it to be MM smart.
I think with my birthday coming up I'm just getting myself all filled with doubt with what-ifs....like what if I had decided to attend law school instead of moving across the country with DH (then just BF), what if I hadn't just jumped at the first/only job offered to me post graduation, what if we had stayed in CO where I had better job prospects in my field...the list goes on and on...
Sorry that got a bit long, I'm just feeling conflicted and trying to figure out what the best course of action is.
Re: Give up a work from home job?
Can you add a second PT work at home job (if you are interested in boosting income as the main goal?)
Never mind what others are doing - do what is best for YOU!
You will need to show a track record of success while being in a work at home position (meeting sales goals etc)
Do you have any networking connections from your current position that you can use to help get a full time job?
As far as boosting current income, I'm on salary so even though I tend to work 50+ hours a week (especially now that it's our busy season), I still make the same amount.
I have started doing some freelance work with some clients out in Colorado (helping people with social media, blogging, things like that), so that's something. It's only a few hundred more a month, but it makes me feel a bit better. Most of my connections are out in Colorado or DC and while a few of them have told me that if they have an opening that they will let me know, I'm not sure I want to do the long-distance thing with DH and unfortunately DH's industry sort of limits the places where he can find a good job.
For what its worth, I feel your pain. I moved to NOLA shortly after graduating from college. Although I was fortunate to watch my income grow by 40% in my first ten years here, it has been pretty stagnant since then. And I haven't been working at the same place the whole time either.
Last time I was job hunting, I was appalled at some of the salaries I saw for wanting a long list of skills/experience/education.
I don't know if its the South or still recovering from a bad economy or if it is like that everywhere. But it is depressing to see the average income for brand new, wet behind the ears college graduates...in other areas...making close to the same amount of money that I do after 20 years of progressive experience.
But those are the choices I made. I could move to Houston, D.C., or back to CA and make much more money, but then I would no longer have a 15-minute commute. And rents would be staggering...at least for D.C. and CA. And I like where I'm living and I like the company I work for.
I don't think you are unreasonable at all to expect to earn at least in the mid 30s with a college degree and 4 years of experience, but I'm sadly not surprised.
It's great that you are doing some free lancing! That might be just what you need to get a bit out of your rut. If I were you, especially since you do have a flexible full-time job, I would peruse the help wanted ads but really cherry pick the jobs you apply for. I find job hunting can get overwhelming and frustrating. So, if you narrow down your search to jobs that especially sound interesting and/or have a higher probability of paying well, it should help keep you motivated to keep sending your resume out there.
Resign yourself to the fact that, it might take awhile, but if you stay the course...eventually you and the right job will align. And, at least in the meantime, you have a full-time job while you are looking. Though I would take a substantial pay cut if I could work at home!
For me, it depends on your long-term goals. What do you want to do? Be invested in a career? A leadership role? More satisfying work? A stay at home mom/wife? What's the end goal?
Is there any room for growth in your current position? From my perspective, it's not just about what kind of raise you get now, but about what kind of opportunities open up as a result of you making the change. How would changing jobs move you toward/away from your ultimate goal? That's the question, not the raise.
DH and I have both talked about going back to school (DH left college to go to a trade school but would like to finish his Bachelor's, I'd like to pursue a Master's), but I wonder if it's worth it for me (at least money-wise. It would be personally fulfilling, which would make it worthwhile, I think). Our plan is to start a family within the next 3 years or so and for me to be a sahm (it's important to us that one of us stays home, doesn't necessarily matter who, but even with a Master's degree I'll probably still make less than DH) so I'm not sure if it would be worth it to take out loans to cover school.
But all that being said, I may take a look into taking some classes around here. I think part of why I feel like I'm in a rut is that I stay at home every day, with very little human interaction so I'm itching to talk to people and meet some local friends (although nothing says I'd become friends with new coworkers) and after giving it some thought I think that's what is pushing me to look for a new job, so maybe going back to school would be a good way to do that.
Thanks all for the input!
If you plan on staying home with kids I would not pay for a Master's degree or a law degree. If you want to take some classes at a community college to learn something new then go for it, but paying for an additional degree doesn't makes sense to me. If you want human interaction (understandable) join a club or volunteer somewhere.
I currently work in real estate doing online marketing...The position was basically offered to me because the owner of our small company realized that they needed to develop an online presence and as the "baby" of the company they sort of just assumed I could figure it out, which I did.
I have several bachelor's degrees, including political science, history and international affairs (along with minors in legal studies, journalism and public administration, but I don't think any one really cares about minors--they were just things that interested me). Can you tell I liked school?
I have also done internships at various non-profits, legal aid, in the CO state government and volunteered with things like the past couple of DNC conventions. Most of the connections that I made doing all of that seem to be mostly in Colorado, on the west coast or in DC, but I guess I was just hoping that all of that work would have equated to a little more money than it has. I suppose that's one of the things I gave up when I made the decision to move here with DH. Such is life I guess!
I'm thinking it might be time for me to branch out a little bit and try to do a bit of networking down here to put some more feelers out. After thinking about all this some, I'm feeling a little more optimistic and a bit less "What am I doing with my life?", so I thank you all for that!
While I realize real estate is not necessarily your calling, perhaps you can use that experience to branch out into other avenues.
For example, you currently do online marketing and one of your majors is international affairs. Maybe create a web page for your employer that specifically targets foreign investors...with an agreement that you receive a percentage of the commission from any sales that stems from that.
Or get your REA license and do the exact same thing for yourself in Atlanta (I'm assuming your employer is in another state), in addition to your ft job. Atlanta is hot market right now for rental property investments. Maybe offer property management services...though really read up on that to educate yourself and see if it is anything you would even want to do. It can be a very lucrative and there is a huge demand for good ones, but can also be stressful and a huge PITA.
Or that might all sound terrible to you
, but a little "thinking outside the box" like that might find you your next opportunity.
Before DH and I had DS#1, I worked in banking and seriously considered going back to school to get my MBA...but we we were very certain that after we had a family, I would be the SAH parent.
I am SO glad I didn't go back to school primarily because of the cost. I cannot imagine having the cost of a degree I spent money and time for "hanging over my head" as a young family. Plus, I think if I had done the master's degree I would have felt more like I "owed" it to myself to go work in the field longer/harder.
This is all a balancing act for sure, and everybody is different. But, if you know you will be a SAHM, then I would advise against going to school for so long and for so much $$$. It will be money not well spent. I agree with the PPs who suggested taking a few CC classes if you feel like something's lacking, but I think a far better scenario for you would be to get involved in some meaningful volunteer work or even a PT job outside of the house for a few hours every week.
Also, please make these inroads into things outside the home now. It will be far more difficult to do this with LOs. And, if you're worried about "being alone" now, have you examined how being a SAHM will be when there are no adults around for extended periods of time?
"Know thyself." If it's tough now for your working out of the home, how will you feel as a SAHM, when as awesome as it is, there are lots of days when we do feel "trapped" and "alone."