How Much $ Would You Sacrifice To Be Happy In Your Career?!?

Yesterday I had 2 good conversations with customers... didn't have the time for it, but I felt I just had to talk to them. The one customer thanked me and told me it made his day to talk with someone that cared and he just enjoyed the conversation.  The other customer said it was fun talking to me and wished me a great weekend.   Little stuff like that is all I can hope for now.  The bad part is for every one of them, there are 10 other Idiots.......   Hang in there folks, there are still good people out there. 

 
Depends on how bad things currently are? If they are worth giving up 50k annually bad... then it is time to move on.

Have you tried negotiating your pay w/ Losi to see if you can close the gap?

 
I worked for 26 years at my old place liked it til the last few years and owner passed away his son took over i knew i wasnt going anywhere upwards, and could see it wasnt going to get better.

We moved to az made good money on the ca house to have a small payment on home now wife went to work full time and i continued to help old company out since he was begging for help as his other employees all left as well i would go every other week and was fine with that but he didnt want to work anymore in office and was avoiding calls.I got crapped on in the end,I passed on part time work trying to help as well

But now i work with my brothers comapny doing the same thing i just like that i can pretty much have a flexible sch and work as much as i need to.The pay is fine i make more going back and forth vs a part time job here,I like that i usually have a week off at a time and making ends meet easier than when in ca.I was working 50-60 hrs a week min to barely get by.If my kids were younger i would be working locally but since older its different.Doing things midweek is relief as the trails are empty,the desert shooting area is near empty and summer the lake is nice.I take happiness over money anytime now.

 
Is the 50k cut going to make you happy at work but then miserable at home due to missing the 50k and what it allowed you to do during those off hours?

 
Been running my own business for 20 years now, no employees (but family is on payroll). Best decision I ever made. Came from a Fortune 500 massive corporation where I was just a number. If they can find someone else to do your job for pennies less, you're done.

Don't miss that stuff at all.

Good luck whatever you decide.

abc

 
Do it, is the new job here or out of comiefornia that might make a difference also.

 
Orange_R said:
Let me preface this with saying, I love what I do, but HATE where I do it. I've been here nearly 30 years(the only job I've had since getting out of the Marine Corps) and the company just getting shittier every year. I am in design and development for medical and dental small equipment and make a very good living doing it. I have an opportunity to go work for Team Losi/Horizon Hobby in the product development department designing and developing R/C cars and since this has been a passion since I was a young kid it would be awesome to be able to do so. My only issue is it would be roughly $40-50k less per year because I'm coming in at the bottom. Seems like a no-brainer to find something more but I can't get this thought out of my head. So, as the title states, could you? would you? make that kind of sacrifice to be happier in your career or am I just being a dumbass? TIA :cheers:
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i went from 150k a year to 48 for a state job.  everything was paid for except house so i was able to do it. For 21 years I never had a weekend, any holiday off other than vacation and then I had 4 weeks and would burn 2 just to make labor. the deal breaker was I couldn't even take a lunch to watch my 5yr old play soccer at the Ymca leauge on my lunch break without some vp or dm calling blowing my phone up. My DM had decided to office in my store. So I said eff it im done. I walked into his office and said Im resigning effective immediately. He said your one of the best I have man, I need you to stay. I told him had you told me that ONE time in the past year we wouldn't be having this talk. Never before did they not march you out the front door, take your keys and you were done. Oh hell he said can you give me a 3 week notice and work it all out? Seriously? I was hoping to walk out today and have 2 weeks off. But i worked my 2 weeks. when it was all over albertsons sold out, didn't give 2 chits about me. 

I started mowing lawns on the side, which exploded into a monster for me being a solo operator. Started it so my son could make some money and he was probably 9 at the time lol. He rode the zero turn and can cut with the best of them.

I lasted at the state for 8 years until i was recruited away and have been here 9 years.

IT IS DOABLE, depends on how bad you want it.

 
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You mentioned a $50k cut to “start out at the bottom,” what’s the difference in pay for the job position you think you’ll get after a period of time?

 What’s the turnover rate / historic stats on moving up the ladder, do you have to wait for someone to die to move up?

I retired at 50, my peers told me it was a stupid decision. I looked everything over and decided I had enough to live comfortably. I wouldn’t trade the last 10 years for any amount of compensation.

There is no right or wrong answer to your question but one thing is for sure, you’ll never be as old / young as you are today again.

 
 I would strongly consider how strong the future is in RC cars. About a year ago a track that I used to go to a few days a week closed. There's nothing close enough around me anymore that's worth packing everything up and driving for a couple hours of track time. Just last weekend I did  search to see if there was anything around, but no luck. I've probably got 3-5k in all of my stuff and now its just more crap to store. My point is, even if the drop in pay is worth it to you, make damn sure the industry is strong enough going forward to guarantee you'll have a job down the road. Virtually everything that is a luxury, (watches, cars, toys, etc)has had a huge drop in value this past year because people are scared of where the economy is doing. 

 
Sounds like you are ready for a big change.

Doesn't sound like the offer you have is the right one though.

Get out of California then figure out the next step in the career ladder, because where your at is killing you more then who your doing it for.  

 
I’m an owner operator truck driver leased to a company in a local town and it’s a job I really enjoy. When Dad died a few years ago I decided to cut back my days from 5 to 4 days a week at the average loss of about $60k a year. It was the best thing I could’ve done. It has allowed me to take my place as the head of the family, care for my mother and handle our family affairs much more effectively. If it’s something you really want to do, and can afford it, go for it.👍

 
AlpineFunco said:
Is the 50k cut going to make you happy at work but then miserable at home due to missing the 50k and what it allowed you to do during those off hours?
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that's the million dollar question

 
Surf and Dune said:
 I would strongly consider how strong the future is in RC cars. About a year ago a track that I used to go to a few days a week closed. There's nothing close enough around me anymore that's worth packing everything up and driving for a couple hours of track time. Just last weekend I did  search to see if there was anything around, but no luck. I've probably got 3-5k in all of my stuff and now its just more crap to store. My point is, even if the drop in pay is worth it to you, make damn sure the industry is strong enough going forward to guarantee you'll have a job down the road. Virtually everything that is a luxury, (watches, cars, toys, etc)has had a huge drop in value this past year because people are scared of where the economy is doing. 
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OCRC? The industry is stronger than what it looks to be, many of the closures including our local stuff was due to someone making a better offer to the property owner for the lease. We've lost quite a few indoor locations due to that.

 
dbart said:
To get into something that is your passion and get paid for it sounds like a dream.

The fact of getting paid to do it, hopefully won't take the passion away since now it is your job!

There's an old saying though:

"If you Love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life" (Reading what @Mac wrote above is why I wrote that hopefully the passion won't go away)

Sounds like a great opportunity if you can swing the hit on the pay. 

What if....you get into it and it isn't all you seem, can you go back to what you were doing easily?

Don't burn any bridges. Maybe your company would understand this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and no hard feelings but if it doesn't work out, the door is open type deal??

My boss did that to one of our designers who thought she wanted to work in the museum industry...it was her passion (She thought) he was bummed but was totally cool with it for her to give it a shot and if she didn't like it...the door was open! She came back a year later........however, she then left again 6 months later. Torched that bridge let's say!

:lmao:

Whatever happens, discuss everything you can think of with your wife and if she's on board...what the heck, go for it!

We're on this little ball of rock and water for a limited time, make the most of it!

:cheers:
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she just wants me to outright quit lol... I can't take that big of a pay cut :lol:  

 
Orange_R said:
OCRC? The industry is stronger than what it looks to be, many of the closures including our local stuff was due to someone making a better offer to the property owner for the lease. We've lost quite a few indoor locations due to that.
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Yep OCRC. Totally understand their lease situation, and I have no idea how strong the industry is in general. Just trying to give some sound advice no matter what field you're looking at, but especially what amounts to a expensive hobby and an economy that is questionable. 

 
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