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Help on career, Dream Job vs Money Job
precisionk
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I work in IT and make $50k a year and I hate going to work everyday.
I have been looking around and applied at a few games, one in which has to deal with games, which contacted me.
It is essentially my dream job in a nutshell. I would be marketing these games and going to cons and stuff and pretty much being a creative force and creating that buzz in the industry.
Only one problem:
It pays half of what I make currently. After seeing what my checks would look like, my heart fell to the floor. After looking what I pay for rent and what they pay, one of my checks would be entirely eaten up by rent and I don't know if I could get by.
Has anyone been in this situation? What do you do? Love or money?
I have been looking around and applied at a few games, one in which has to deal with games, which contacted me.
It is essentially my dream job in a nutshell. I would be marketing these games and going to cons and stuff and pretty much being a creative force and creating that buzz in the industry.
Only one problem:
It pays half of what I make currently. After seeing what my checks would look like, my heart fell to the floor. After looking what I pay for rent and what they pay, one of my checks would be entirely eaten up by rent and I don't know if I could get by.
Has anyone been in this situation? What do you do? Love or money?
precisionk on
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For me, it's not even a contest. I'd deal with making much less to retain the sense of excitement I get when I go to work in the morning. Not dreading work gives me a much higher quality of life I think.
In your situation, I'd like to point out that you can also perhaps move up in the company to make more money annually. I have to admit that $25,000 a years is pretty slim for a job that's going to take up a lot more than standard hours and probably include a lot of overtime, but like I said earlier - there's something about having a job you love.
If you hate what you are doing you are going to be misserable. Its going to affect your quality of life negativly no matter how much money you are making. If you have fun and feel fufilled by the end of the day then there is no amount of money that is worth replacing that feeling.
Get a new appartment if you have to. Make whatever changes you need to. You will feel so much better to be doing what you love instead of what just pays the bills.
You can't live forever dropping yourself down to $25,000 - but it's worth toughing out for a little while if this really is your dream job.
I spoke with the girlfriend about it and she is willing to make some sacrifices to make it happen. I am 23, so its not like I have too much to lose at the current moment. I will keep this updated to let people know what I decide.
This is the one I ask myself the most.
I would say yes. The tough part would be going from rich(in my mind) to poor.
If so, then the experience is going to be worthwhile IMO.
Also, as far as money is concerned, why not look for some local contract agencies for some part time work that can help you get some more money while also working the job you think you'd love to do?
Then take the budget and make sure the salary you'd get at this new job at least covers your necessities, like rent, food, and deodorant. Call this Test A.
If this other job passes Test A, then subtract your monthly/annual salary from the amount you'll have to budget for necessities to get your disposable income. Now, compare your disposable income to the things you want, like games, technology, socialization, hookers, whatever. Most likely you will want more than you can afford in this category (everyone does) but this is the key: is your desire to work in the games industry more important than the things you cannot afford with your disposable income at this new job?
That's really the thing. You do NOT want to struggle, trust me. Even if you think you'll want to struggle for a job you'll enjoy more, trading off a bad job for wondering if you'll make rent/ends meet is not a good barter, trust me, you put financial piece of mind first. If you can afford to work at the second job and you don't mind decreasing the things you can currently buy and do with your disposable income from your current job, why not? If you can't make ends meet with the new job or if you'll just eke by, I personally recommend strenuously against it...
...unless you think the position has realistic growth potential. Meaning you honestly think you can procure a better/higher paying job from this new one.
It's really a lot to think about, and most of it is personal and deals with your current financial situation plus your goals and how realistic you think those goals are. Without knowing all these details its really hard to proscribe a course of action for you. So to sum up I think a realistic budget would help and a realistic assessment of where you see yourself in a year or two (not "five" or "seven" or "ten" like idiotic interviewers ask because you certainly don't want to struggle for 5+ years...figure out whether or not you have a good chance to be in something better from this job in a year or two). Then stick all these thoughts in a blender, add ice, bacardi, and a few strawberries, and drink it slowly while you sleep.
This.
It's easy to just say "do what you love', but at the end of the day we also have to be realistic and say 'do what pays the bills'. You need to make sure that you can create a realistic budget that you can not only keep within, but continue to store a few dollars a week into savings. Because it's all good to say that you just make it within budget, but what if you have an emergency and need more money?
Perhaps try to change your lifestyle abit and lower your expenses? Lease a lower end car, move into a smaller place, don't eat out as much, etc. I know people that hate their jobs, and they get so frustrated they wouldn't care if they didn't get paid to do something they loved. It kills me to see them, but if they want to keep living the fancy lifestyle, they have to pay for it somehow.
Thats just my thoughts. Good luck!
If it's a good company than it might be something to consider.
25k is not a lot though and you are putting yourself on the line if it doesn't work out.
If it were me I would not make that sort of leap unless I had a healthy savings to survive with incase things didn't work out.
Is this an actual marketing job or is it more like community/PR?
I know how you fell to. IT sucks so bad, but damn the pay is good.
I appreciate the well thought out post Drez and you make quite a few points.
You do make a good case. I lead a decent lifestyle and I don't ever struggle with anything at this point. My bills are pretty much rent, food, car payment, insurance and maybe one or two credit card bills which have at total $1500 on em. Though where I live is kind of expensive and payments adding up, I am not sure I could completely get by, though I haven't seriously crunched the numbers.
I kind of feel at my wits end in the IT field. I did it because I was kind of forced into by my parents and I just picked something because I am so retardedly indecisive, I did something I was decent at and had some interest. Mind you my interest left me as soon as I got out of college. I also got an amazing deal to go to a college getting an associates due to my father working for it and only paying $3k instead of $30k, while nice, wasn't what my mind is set at.
I have been racking my brain probably for the last two years, trying to figure out what I do and I see this come up and say "hey this would fit me awesomely." Now I am not sure on the growth potential or what not in this job, but I do know there are higher positions then the one I would be taking.
Though the guy who called specifically said that the pay scale in this company and field doesn't not increase great amounts as it does in the IT field.
I don't really have a savings per say as I am a "spender". While this does me absolutely no good for this situation, I do know when it comes to crunch time, I can be as cheap as the next person.
This really pains me if they decide to interview me and offer me the job. Because I really want it, but I don't know if its realistic without either doing some sort of 2nd job or side work.
It is both. Marketing for certain games as well as community and pr for others.
Can you say what company it is? I can only think of one major game development studio in the Twin Cities and I'm not sure I would want to work there. But if I'm wrong, then who knows. At any rate, put in a good word for me if you quit your current job
I host a podcast about movies.
Don't say who it is. I interviewed with Blizzard a few years ago, as a GM for WoW. I mentioned on here that I hadn't been in the first round of hires (really, I was trying to tell people that they were still hiring), but it came off to them as me bitching and complaining in public that I hadn't been hired.
Point is, you never know how someone hiring is going to take what you say. Also, it will show them that you can't keep your mouth shut about ongoing business dealings.