touch choices at an even tougher time.

[straight_down]

the u.s. job market is in the dumpster, but i am currently thinking of quitting my job. maybe someone can give some advise as to what direction i should take?

 

i have only been at this job for 6 months, and i was unemployed for a few months before that, due to being laid off from a seasonal job and being fired from another (i was working both at once). i actually enjoy my current job, as well as the people i work with, and i think they have treated me fairly. the work is fairly easy and requires a bit of critical problem solving and customer relations.

 

the problem is the pay. i basically had to take this job to create some sort of income and, as i mentioned, it's not the worst thing i've done. i actually received a performance-based pay increase within 90 days, but relative to my starting pay, it's little to celebrate. at this point, i'm living incredibly modestly, and i have picked up an on-call second job that i have been using to fund my education (more on that later). also, i have been on a diet which allows me to spend less on food. i can't conceive of affording things like health insurance.

 

beyond that, i am living paycheck to paycheck, and even that is an overstatement. i actually just got a huge tax refund, but the day after my car crapped out and now it's all going to that. and it's not so much that, as the fact that had i not had extra money i would have no way to take care of that.

 

i have gone back to school because i feel it's an investment in a better future. but right now, i don't feel like i can afford to wait that long before some things improve. my resume is spotty from having job-hopped for years, due to my own character flaws. i suppose making a move now will just add to the problem, but i can't keep living by the skin of my teeth. i figured out what a good minimum pay might be, but who's to say if someone will pay me that.

 

here are some options i have considered lately:

*sell my car and get a bike

*quit school and take a real second job

*find a roommate (although i don't think i can afford to move)

 

bottom line is: this situation is not working and i need to change it.

[LAYAAN]

Hello,

I hope someone else replies to your post too.

But would you be willing to share your age, gender, state/location, what degree you are going to school for? what is the current job (you have 1 job, n 2nd on-call job) you have? if you quit school what full-time job are you thinking of getting?

Hang in there. Really, seriously. Quitting is easy, but make sure that you have thought your decisions through before you quit school. It does not look good on resume. These are difficult decisions and need to be taken wisely.

[straight_down]

Hello,

I hope someone else replies to your post too.

But would you be willing to share your age, gender, state/location, what degree you are going to school for? what is the current job (you have 1 job, n 2nd on-call job) you have? if you quit school what full-time job are you thinking of getting?

Hang in there. Really, seriously. Quitting is easy, but make sure that you have thought your decisions through before you quit school. It does not look good on resume. These are difficult decisions and need to be taken wisely.

 

to answer your questions:

 

i am a 31 year old male from the southwestern u.s. i just started going back to school to finish my web design degree, as it's something i'm actually interested in. my job is as a service coordinator for an appliance repair company. not my first choice, but i don't hate it. i also fill in as a bartender at a friend's restaurant, and it pays enough to pay for school at this point, so that's good i suppose.

 

i just don't see this job advancing enough (if at all) to make it worth staying. based on what i perceive to be certain trends, it would be years before i would get paid a decent wage.

[pianoguy]

Start looking for a new job now but don't quit your current job. No reason to do that until you have something else lined up.

 

If you think you can get by without your car, you can save lots of money by not having one. I don't have a car and I don't ever miss having one, although it is a life adjustment (groceries can be tough). How is public transit in your area?

 

Rather than move to a new apt, could you bring another roommate into your current apt somehow?

[jenny_mcs]

Start looking for a new job now but don't quit your current job. No reason to do that until you have something else lined up.

 

 

Yes, definitely don't quit this job till you find another one.

[straight_down]

i am sending out resumes. i just don't know what i would be qualified to do to make that much more money. everyone's getting laid off these days.

 

public trans around here is mediocre at best, but my only significant issue is the heat of the day...riding a bike everywhere would be more time-consuming and it gets pretty hot here. i'd hate to arrive everywhere late and sweaty. i do live pretty close to work, so i wouldn't mind the trip.

 

and i live in a small 1 bed apartment as it is...no room to move someone in.

[thejigsup]

If you live in the Southwest, DON'T SELL YOUR CAR! People in the east always say that, but they have excellent public transportation there, not so in the Southwest, no matter where you live. The weather in the summer is often over 100 degrees and buses run every hour if you are lucky. They're late very often and you sit there sweating and end up getting to work looking a mess! Also, most people live in the suburbs out west, so you could be on a bus or train for over an hour, most likely two, before you get to work. That means you have to be ready to go at 6 a.m. Yuck! In the west you need two things to survive: a college diploma and a car.

[straight_down]

i take it you have some experience with this? do share.

[LAYAAN]

web design... I suppose that should be better than your current 1st job at that company. correct? I maybe biased but I believe that even though going to school is rough, time consuming and you are making no money at that time, if its a good degree, its worth it.

Some Qs you can answer here or you can ponder on - Do you think that you will be able to get a job immediately after you finish this degree? even in current economy? would the job growth be better? would you be able to earn more than your current job with the company? How long you have left in that degree? Can you spread the course over more time and work 2 full-time jobs instead of quitting school altogether?

I don't advise people to quit school/quit job no matter how it sucks. Making reentry is not always easy.

[lavenderdove]

>>i actually enjoy my current job, as well as the people i work with, and i think they have treated me fairly. the work is fairly easy and requires a bit of critical problem solving and customer relations.

 

So perhaps you just need a raise then. Can you try transferring to a better paying job at the same company, or getting a promotion.

 

Sometimes if you get a job offer from another company at higher pay, and go to your own HR dept and tell them you really want to keep your present job but need more money, if they like you they will give you a raise to match your job offer.

 

But definitely don't quit any job until you have a better one in hand. Perhaps getting a roommate in the meantime might help.

[straight_down]

honestly, it's a small, family-owned company with only a handful of employees. i don't see any other positions being open any time soon. honestly, i know times are tough for everyone, so i'm not even sure asking for a raise would work. the people that make the money have been there for years and helped develop the company...i'm low on the totem pole and am still considered entry-level.

 

if i were to approach my boss and bare all, i would most likely say "everyone here is great and i don't mind the work, but i just can't live off of what i make here. i've tried to compensate by living thriftily, but it's just not enough."

 

not sure if that explains my mindset.