Potential big life change ahead...

[OmniGLH]

Well, I just can't seem to win.

I had a job I *hated*, but paid awesome.  I couldn't take it anymore, and found a new job with a 20% reduction in pay.  The job is great, the people are great.  I love going to work in the morning.  The pay just sucks.

It was just announced this morning at my job that there will be 8-12% pay cuts before the first of the year.  This translates into a loss of anywhere between $450-$650 a month, depending on what percentage they hit me with.

My living expenses haven't really reduced much since I left the hated job... so my income was already pretty tight.  I can't afford another big hit, even without racing in the budget at all for next year.

So I started off by thinking, "crap, I gotta get another job."  But now I'm thinking bigger.  Maybe I'll just dump everything and start over... go back to school and get my MBA.  I really hate the idea of starting over completely... but maybe it's a good idea.  I'm 27, single, no kids, so it's not like I'm too old to start over, and I'm not uprooting a family or anything.

Has anybody else just hit that big RESET button and just started over?

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

Know the feeling. Really BS when a company cuts its employees pay but yet their upper mgt gets raises. Or when a company expects you to LIVE the job (like Orkin does) and you eventually get so burnt out you give up and just go through the motions. DO what you think is best for you.

[lightweightgp]

why the hell do you think i went to law school?

i don't regret it.

[KBOlsen]

Jim, if you're in a position where you can hit that RESET button, for gosh sakes' DO IT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.  

Life has a way of getting away from ya... yanno?  

[boo181]

yeah i "reset" about a year ago. left a very well paying job at one of the construction companies owned by my father to go out on my own. i now have my own company and there for no boss and more time to do what i want, but far less money at this point. i know that in time i will be doing very well for my self. i'm doing ok rite now, just not as well as i had hoped or even as well as i was doing. pay days are bigger now, there's just alot less of them.

[dylanfan53]

Has anyone else hit the reset button? Yep, I did.  I got rid of my first wife, that lyin', cheatin', neurotic...oh wait a minute, you're talking about jobs... :-[ :-[

Ok, here are a couple things to think about from a guy who's old enough to need reading glasses.  I don't know what kind of job you have so take it for what it's worth.

First, you love your current job and the people are great? You're extremely lucky there.  If the place is going through a temporary problem, if the chemistry with the owner/management is good, if you could even come out ahead by not leaving and getting additional responsibilities from those who baled out it might be worth taking a longer view and sticking it out for a while to see what happens.  You can always leave later.

If the management is poor and unlikely to change, if the owners aren't solid, if the company's markets are shrinking, if the company is cutting costs because they are structurally uncompetitive (meaning that this cut is not likely to be a one time only event), if you're part of a larger conglomerate and they're cutting you back because they don't understand your business, if you like your job but only because you can block out everything else that's going wrong at the company...then RUN, don't walk for the exit and don't look back.

An MBA? It looks good on a resume, will help you get an interview and, in some cases, is required for you to be considered.  In some industries, most of your competition will have one so you don't want to go in there with one hand tied behind your back.  It will carry more weight in a larger company/more structured environment.  Depending on the industry and mentality of the owner, it may matter less in a smaller, more entrepreneurial firm.  (hey, I spelled that right the first time  ;D)

If it's easier on your budget and timeframe, an alternative to the MBA might be a more specific technical degree, certification or charter.  It immediately tells the employer that you have a specific  knowledge base and know what you're talking about.  You can expand from there.  MBA's are okay, but pretty nonspecific.

I interview quite a few people and I'll take a person with clear direction, purpose, goals and knowledge base over an MBA from an ivy league school who saunters in trying to decide if he/she wants to work for us.

At 27 I wouldn't call it hitting the reset button.  You're still young enough that this is developing further education and a career path. Many people make job changes (within reason) as they go through that process.

Sorry to be so long winded but maybe there's something in there that helps.  Then again, I've got nothing to worry about.  I stayed away from those long winded political threads...

Obligatory macho racing comment:
I think I'd go faster if I had an umbrella girl. :)

[OmniGLH]

Has anyone else hit the reset button? Yep, I did.  I got rid of my first wife, that lyin', cheatin', neurotic...oh wait a minute, you're talking about jobs... :-[ :-[

Ok, here are a couple things to think about from a guy who's old enough to need reading glasses.  I don't know what kind of job you have so take it for what it's worth.

LOL!  Yes, jobs here, not women.  :)

First, you love your current job and the people are great? You're extremely lucky there.  If the place is going through a temporary problem, if the chemistry with the owner/management is good, if you could even come out ahead by not leaving and getting additional responsibilities from those who baled out it might be worth taking a longer view and sticking it out for a while to see what happens.  You can always leave later.

If the management is poor and unlikely to change, if the owners aren't solid, if the company's markets are shrinking, if the company is cutting costs because they are structurally uncompetitive (meaning that this cut is not likely to be a one time only event), if you're part of a larger conglomerate and they're cutting you back because they don't understand your business, if you like your job but only because you can block out everything else that's going wrong at the company...then RUN, don't walk for the exit and don't look back.

The company is a VERY large, 40-year-old company, that is currently in bankruptcy in an overall very shaky industry.  I don't think I need to say any more than that - you can probably guess the company.

An MBA? It looks good on a resume, will help you get an interview and, in some cases, is required for you to be considered.  In some industries, most of your competition will have one so you don't want to go in there with one hand tied behind your back.  It will carry more weight in a larger company/more structured environment.  Depending on the industry and mentality of the owner, it may matter less in a smaller, more entrepreneurial firm.  (hey, I spelled that right the first time  ;D)

Well, I'd be looking for a more specialized MBA.  I'm technically a project manager for the E-Commerce group.  My team is responsible for all internet advertising for this company.  Emails, web adbanners, the company website, etc.  I've been working in the E-Commerce industry for a while now and I love it.  Two schools I've looked at in the past are Northwestern and DePaul.  They both offer an MBA program with a specialization in E-Commerce and Internet Marketing.

If it's easier on your budget and timeframe, an alternative to the MBA might be a more specific technical degree, certification or charter.  It immediately tells the employer that you have a specific  knowledge base and know what you're talking about.  You can expand from there.  MBA's are okay, but pretty nonspecific.

Been there, done that.  I have a computer science degree, and was halfway to a Mechanical Engineering degree.  I've worked technical jobs.  Through those technical jobs, I've learned that the technical people do all the work, and get some of the pay.  Whereas the management teams do none of the work, and collect all of the pay.

I'm smart enough to figure out anything technical that my job requires on my own.  That stuff is easy.  It's the manager BS that is a challenge for me.  I want to be challenged.  And I want all the money.  ;)

Obligatory macho racing comment:
I think I'd go faster if I had an umbrella girl. :)

You too huh?  :)

[OmniGLH]

Jim, if you're in a position where you can hit that RESET button, for gosh sakes' DO IT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.  

Life has a way of getting away from ya... yanno?  

Yeah, that is what I am afraid of.  I don't want to stick something out to find myself completely miserable later, and wishing I'd have done it when I had the chance.

But it's tough to make that decision.  I'm established.  I have a career I enjoy (albeit shaky.)  I own my own house.  Things are somewhat 'settled.'  When I think about going back to school.. part of me thinks "Ugh."  Back to ramen noodles, living in a 10x10 room, paying for groceries with quarters....

[dylanfan53]

Sounds like you've got it pretty well sorted out.  

And you probably already know that Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management is one of the best, if not the best, rated schools in the country.  DePaul's MBA program is also well regarded.  I got my MBA there.  The advantage of DePaul was that I could place out of classes and finish sooner.  My employer covered the cost in those days too.  N'western required you to take the full program, i.e. every class, whether or not you had done it undergrad.  
Honestly, Northwestern is a better program.  The name is better known outside of Chicago and will open more doors.  Although it's a tough program to get into, they used to strongly prefer candidates who already had "real life" work experience so that might be an advantage for you.  
It doesn't sound like there's any chance your current employer could help with the cost of tuition, but there may still be some companies that do.

Life is an adventure, right?  Best of luck with your decision and the timing that goes along with it.

[spyderchick]

Go to work for yourself if you can swing it.

How? Well, you have an income now, you can keep that job and build a business in your "spare" time.

Or, you can get a better paying job you don't necessarily enjoy, but use it to fund a new venture.

The cool thing about working for yourself: you are your boss, you call the shots, you make all the decisions.
The bad thing about working for yourself: You are your boss, you call the shots, you make all the decisions.

Ok, a bit facetious, but its true. It means the buck begins, flows and stops with you. You are ultimately responsible. You can hump and get business to pay those bills, or kick back and take it easy the next day. You answer to your clientele, which means the rewards can be really awesome when you do a good job. It's more than money, it's the satisfaction of knowing you did your best.

If you decide to take on employees, it means that you control the quality of you staff, and you can surround yourself with smart, dedicated, enjoyable souls who can make your job easier.

Starting a business isn't for everyone; it can get intense.  You control your own destiny. You need to be a good self motivator, though. And you need to really be ready to handle everything that comes your way, good or bad.

Something to think about, because that really is the ultimate "reset" button.

[tshort]

Well, over here in the FWIW dept, I can assure you that I've hit the old reset button a few times now, and have never regretted it.  Matter of fact, I just hit the dang thing again back in August, and am taking a sabbatical away from work for a few months.  Now I'm not as, shall we say, experienced ;), as old Don there, but I'm also not far behind him, age-wise.

So here's one thing I've learned that I'll share with you:  no job I did before I was 30 mattered much, in terms of where I ended up.  

Single, no kids, no debt (?)?   Travel if you feel like it.  Or don't.  The biggest factor for you right now is to "follow your nose."  Do *whatever* interests you (as long as you can afford it and it doesn't land you in jail...).  

When I was 26 I quit the job I was working, got an open return ticket to Auckland, good for up to a year, got a working visa, and hit the road.  Bought a backpack once I got down there, and had no clue what I was going to do from there.  Ended up having an absolute blast, and toured all over the place.  

Came back six months later - older, a bit wiser, and ready to take on the world.

You can do it, too.  

If you're dead set on getting into another gig right away, and you have a degree in CompSci, you could do worse than hire in at IBM.  They're pretty selective, but it's an excellent company and you get lots of opportunity to learn stuff and do different things.

If you want to kick around any ideas you should give me a call some time - I'm around.

[Super Dave]

Ah, yes.

Working for yourself will corrupt you though.

You get ideas on how things should be.  You can see through the cr@p that some places create.

Hopefully, you can learn to stay away from that.

Working for yourself can depend upon the industry you're in.  A niche is good, but there can be things that work to squash you...people even.  It can be fun, but you'll want to be reasonably funded if possible.

I found that I prefered to be happy and a little underfunded when compared to overworked, angry, and well paid.  Coming home tired when everyone was done with their days long before, angry with enough money to do something, but no time to do it was doing nothing but making me unhappy and feeling like I was going to have a heart attack.  

When I was 26, I dropped everything in Omaha and moved to Wisconsin to work for my engine builder.  Got screwed.  Stayed here and married his cousin.  That was the good side.  

Messed up my AMA career as a result, stayed at a job too long that kept me angry all the time.  Decided to try teaching on my own during that time because I decided the best investments of my time were into myself or my own business.  Still, I needed something to help carry me.  

Anyway, look at it all very dynamically, Jim.