Would I be crazy to turn this job down???

happypartygirl

Hi,

So basically I had a very good job up until about 3 months ago when I was so stressed/burned out (see my other posts) that I felt I had no choice but to leave. I couldn't sleep at night etc.

Now for the past 3 months I have been looking for a new job. I had lots of ideas of jobs that I would like to do but I can't get work in any of these fields (lack of experience in the area, no jobs at the moment in the areas I am interested in). Well, I can't get any job to be honest! I have registered with several recruitment agencies and have been applying online too.

Now, a job offer has presented itself to me, which I feel I have to consider seriously. Essentially I have been offered the exact same job that I was doing before, for another company - for 13K more per annum.

So now the salary is now 40K basic, as oppose to 27K basic, and although I ended up HATING the last job, and I wince at the thought of doing it again - Would I be crazy to turn down this sort of money? When I can't get anything else anyway? I am 22 btw. I just dont want to repeat the cycle of taking a job and being very unhappy again. The only reason I am considering accepting is because I can't get anything else at the mo.

I guess it comes down to would I prefer money or happiness and I would prefer to be happy. But then again I am broke and money would also make me happy.

Sorry for rambling. Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

drunkmonkey

40k is very good going for your age....that's a lot of extra partying to let the stress out...

This job might be a lot better and you could be very happy in it, Go in with the right attitude and a happy persona and see how it goes.....Jobs market isn't great and as they say don't look a gift horse in the mouth...

do you mind if I ask what you do.....

cronos

What type of job is it out of interest? What would you be doing on a day to day basis?

MayMay

For me happiness comes before money every time. I have worked in jobs before that paid well but I hated it so I decided to go back to doing what I love. It's not well paid but I love it and I'm the happiest I've ever been. All the money in the world isn't worth it to me if I'm miserable.

BUT you haven't given this a go yet, just because you didn't like your last job doesn't mean you might not like this one. You have to give it a shot anyway. If you don't like it and aren't happy fair enough, leave, but it's worth a shot especially as you said that you can't get any other work and are broke. I would give it a go anyway, the worst that will happen is that you don't like it and you have the option to leave it.

niceirishfella

Feck you'd be mad not to take it.

take it like this - take the job, enjoy the pay, do some out of work up/retraining to enable you to move in the career direction you want and then get the job you want in about 2 years.

Set out a life/Career plan.........set out your goals/challenges and use this new job and moeny to get you there..........your only 22...go for it!;)

happypartygirl

yea i was in account management, built up a very good base of clients and now the competitor has offered me a job there as I had hit very high figures in sales, have some good contacts in the industry etc.

However, my last company but ridiculous pressure on me and kept pushing and pushing me for higher and higher until I was a nervous wreck.

Anyway, this new company might be different but it also involves an awful lot of cold calling which I also HATE.

Sorry if I sound like I am being very picky and ungrateful but I just don't want to take the job if I will be back to square 1.

AARRRGH

If you have money problems, take the job and keep your head down until your debt is paid off and you have three months wages in a rainy day fund.

If you do not have money problems, do not take the job. Your happiness is more important than money.

You are very young. You have lots of time to explore potential careers and make mistakes. Do not fall into the trap of doing a job you don't like - you will regret it when you're old and looking back on your life.

Eoin

happypartygirl wrote: »

Anyway, this new company might be different but it also involves an awful lot of cold calling which I also HATE.

Is that 40K basic, or 40 OTE?

If you think the problems were more because of the old company, rather than the job you were doing, then give it a go. If you think it's the nature of the job, then give it a pass - why go back to the same miserable time you had.

It's excellent money for someone your age, but you have a lifetime to earn more money, and enjoying your early 20's properly is more important.

happypartygirl

40K basic.. was on 27K basic before and earning about 45K including my commission.. this is now 40K basic + laptop + commission so its an excellent package. However I do have some savings (not loads - 4K) so it can keep me going for a little bit yet and I dont know if I should take it out of desperation/fear that I won't get anything else.

leeroybrown

I don't remember your other threads offhand but based on what you're writing here I get the impression that your problem with the last job was the pressure that you were placed under by management and not the actual work itself. I think the keys points you need to weigh up is whether this new job will be any different to the last one in this respect and also if there is anything that you can do differently to avoid being in that situation again.

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

mountainyman

happygirl the fact that they are paying you more means they value you more and will treat you better.

40K a year for a 22 year old is great. You must be good at what you do. That means that if you do it somewhere else you might like it.

I couldn't even imagine earning that kind of money (I'm 23). What do you need to go into that field, out of curiosity?

newestUser

happypartygirl wrote: »

Hi,

So basically I had a very good job up until about 3 months ago when I was so stressed/burned out (see my other posts) that I felt I had no choice but to leave. I couldn't sleep at night etc.

Now for the past 3 months I have been looking for a new job. I had lots of ideas of jobs that I would like to do but I can't get work in any of these fields (lack of experience in the area, no jobs at the moment in the areas I am interested in). Well, I can't get any job to be honest! I have registered with several recruitment agencies and have been applying online too.

Now, a job offer has presented itself to me, which I feel I have to consider seriously. Essentially I have been offered the exact same job that I was doing before, for another company - for 13K more per annum.

So now the salary is now 40K basic, as oppose to 27K basic, and although I ended up HATING the last job, and I wince at the thought of doing it again - Would I be crazy to turn down this sort of money? When I can't get anything else anyway? I am 22 btw. I just dont want to repeat the cycle of taking a job and being very unhappy again. The only reason I am considering accepting is because I can't get anything else at the mo.

I guess it comes down to would I prefer money or happiness and I would prefer to be happy. But then again I am broke and money would also make me happy.

Sorry for rambling. Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

As someone else said, because the problem might have been the company, not the job, this might be a good move for you.

I don't like the general tone of advice in this thread so far however. You can't say 'oh you'll have so much money to blow off steam with when you're not working' and assume that all's well. Your job defines so much about you. It alters your personality to an extent. It defines which circles you move in. If you're miserable in your job, it'll affect your personal life. You'll come across as moody and depressed to people, it's not attractive, and frankly many people would judge you badly if you persisted in a job you hated. Especially if you give out the vibe that you're doing it for the money.

I think maybe you're too young to handle the stress that comes with the job. Maybe you're not ready for this job.

On balance, I would say don't take the job. If you're miserable in your job, misery elsewhere will ensue, and this is the voice of experience speaking.

AARRRGH

newestUser wrote: »

It alters your personality to an extent.

I agree with this. It's so important to leave a job which makes you unhappy.

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

Thomas from Presence

Agreed. There's so much money involved in that position your getting offered that you could probably do it for a good while and save up the difference and have a nice lump of money to check out other options like becoming more qualified in the career you would ideally like to get involved in.

Cadet?

Thomas from Presence wrote: »

Agreed. There's so much money involved in that position your getting offered that you could probably do it for a good while and save up the difference and have a nice lump of money to check out other options like becoming more qualified in the career you would ideally like to get involved in.

Have to say I agree with this completely. Of course money shouldn't be the first thing on your mind when you're choosing a job/career, BUT....you're young, you would be earning loadsa dosh which, if you were serious about your other career you could use towards further education/a year out etc.

Short term pain for long term gain is what I say.

AARRRGH

Cadet? wrote: »

Short term pain for long term gain is what I say.

I would agree with this, as long as it is short term pain. The problem is most people end up putting up with the pain for life!

newestUser

While I agree that having virtually any job is better than having no job, if this new job is the same as the old one, it's not a viable long term option.

I'm not so sure about the 'no pain, no gain' school of thought. It's a line of thinking that I followed when I was younger, and I think people can put up with a lifetime of misery in their jobs because they think that it's necessary to suffer in order to be successful. While hard work and a certain amount of stress are neccesary to succeed, being unhappy isn't.

If I was the OP, I'd try investigating other options in order to broaden my horizons. It's a tricky business finding out what you want from your career. What kind of people do you want to work with, what levels of stress do you want, what type of work, what industry, what work-life balance, etc. Try and see the bigger picture, new experiences in different jobs can give you the maturity and insight needed to make the right choices for you. Working in this job you've been offered may put a few bob in your pocket towards whatever you want to do afterwards, but it's possibly not going to enlighten you as to what you should do afterwards.

That said, with the times that are in it, maybe the OP should just take whatever job she can!

Keano

Never ever take a job for the money. It clouds your judgment. Make a list of the pro's and cons and do not include money in the list.

dan_d

You're not being pickey.Someone in my line of work, which is quite stressful and a 55 hour week is the basic assumed hours of work, told me they'd take 10 grand less for a 9-5 job.
We're only out of college 3 years, it's taken us til now to cop that.Unless you reall,really need it, no money is worth your life, or your health.Just to be really extreme, what's the good in being the richest person in the graveyard??!!!(though it won't get that far!).If you can live comfortably, then that's what matters.

Climate Expert

Keano A Legend wrote: »

Never ever take a job for the money. It clouds your judgment. Make a list of the pro's and cons and do not include money in the list.

That is ridiculous. Money should be top of the list by some distance.

newestUser

Although money is a consideration, I wouldn't say it should be the top criterion by some distance when making career choices. Your career decisions have repercussions, both short term and long term, for your professional and personal lives. Just taking jobs which offer the most money probably won't work out for the best.

luckat

What about giving yourself a time limit: take the job, but make a bargain with yourself that if you're unhappy after three months, you'll quit.

If you're *a little bit* unhappy after three months, start looking for a new job while you're in work, rather than looking from a no-job position - a very different scenario.

If you're happy but not sure, give yourself another three months.

That way, you won't feel trapped, and you'll constantly be judging the situation.

I feel for you about the cold-calling. I hate getting those calls, and it never occurred to me that the person calling might hate it just as much.

happypartygirl

just thought id give you an update. I have accepted the job.I have decided to give it a go, go in with a positive attitude and to give it my best shot.However, if I find that it is going the way it went the last time I will just have to walk.I don't know if this is good or bad but I thought I should give it a go. I am not willing to let my health suffer this time over any job - I am still in councelling from the last 1 because as I said it made me a nervous wreck - I was getting panic attacks etc.

ollkill

I would say take the job only on the following premise. I worked in a job like yourself and ended up a nervous wreck as well. Left the job and some time later like yourself was offered a job in the same line of work for way better money. I am still in that job and the reason is this.

1. When i leave work i never think or talk about it. Ever. It takes time to do this but after a week or so it really worked. When people asked how was work going i would say fine and leave it at that.

2. At work i decided that i would do the job without getting stressed. Harder than it seems of course. If someone is badgering me to get something done quicker i will say yes and do it in the same time. After a while they realised i was getting the work done and no amount of telling to do it quicker worked.

3. Before i took the job i repeated to myself not to get overworked again. All they can do is fire me. I would rather get fired(which i haven't because i find i get as much work done now as i did before as i'm not stressing myself out.) than stay in a job that ruled my life.

Hope that helps but the big one is number one. They don't pay you when your not at work so don't think about it. Slan.

ollkill

haha just saw you took the job. good luck with it.

AARRRGH

happypartygirl wrote: »

I am still in councelling from the last 1 because as I said it made me a nervous wreck

My advice to you is to continue going to counselling for the first few months of the job.

Best of luck.

happypartygirl

Thanks for the advice OllKill, yeah you are dead right I think I will take it with a major pinch of salt, and when 5.30pm comes, switch off and not think about work any more and not take it so seriously. Thank you

veritable

if you are going to counselling for job stress, there is something wrong with you if you want to go back to the same job. find something you like and then you will becoe very good at it and the money will inevitably come

Eoin

veritable wrote: »

if you are going to counselling for job stress, there is something wrong with you if you want to go back to the same job.

It's not the same job, but the same role in a different company. Hopefully the old company was the problem, and not the type of job.

Best of luck OP - don't let the money cloud your judgement, it's not worth it if you are very unhappy.

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

Darragh29

Just sent you a PM on this OP...

homeOwner

happypartygirl wrote: »

Hi,

So basically I had a very good job up until about 3 months ago when I was so stressed/burned out (see my other posts) that I felt I had no choice but to leave. I couldn't sleep at night etc.

Now for the past 3 months I have been looking for a new job. I had lots of ideas of jobs that I would like to do but I can't get work in any of these fields (lack of experience in the area, no jobs at the moment in the areas I am interested in). Well, I can't get any job to be honest! I have registered with several recruitment agencies and have been applying online too.

Now, a job offer has presented itself to me, which I feel I have to consider seriously. Essentially I have been offered the exact same job that I was doing before, for another company - for 13K more per annum.

So now the salary is now 40K basic, as oppose to 27K basic, and although I ended up HATING the last job, and I wince at the thought of doing it again - Would I be crazy to turn down this sort of money? When I can't get anything else anyway? I am 22 btw. I just dont want to repeat the cycle of taking a job and being very unhappy again. The only reason I am considering accepting is because I can't get anything else at the mo.

I guess it comes down to would I prefer money or happiness and I would prefer to be happy. But then again I am broke and money would also make me happy.

Sorry for rambling. Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

My two cents, give this second company a chance. You have only 1 experience of working and you got burnt out. It might be very different in the new place. You are only starting out in your working career, give it a chance before you give it up.

Keano

Climate Expert wrote: »

That is ridiculous. Money should be top of the list by some distance.

And where should your happiness be on the list???


Congrats OP - good luck with it.

Climate Expert

Keano A Legend wrote: »

And where should your happiness be on the list???


Congrats OP - good luck with it.

Happiness is not part of a job spec, its something personal. But I can tell you not having enough money to live a decent lifestyle will have a serious effect on your happiness.

dazberry

veritable wrote: »

if you are going to counselling for job stress, there is something wrong with you if you want to go back to the same job. find something you like and then you will becoe very good at it and the money will inevitably come

There's a reason its called workplace stress and not job stress, because quite often its not the job (i.e. the work) - its the workplace that causes the stress - bad or unsupportive management, unrealistic and/or changing deadlines, poor or dysfunctional team working etc. If you ever find yourself in the middle of it you'll understand.

D.

AARRRGH

dazberry wrote: »

There's a reason its called workplace stress and not job stress, because quite often its not the job (i.e. the work) - its the workplace that causes the stress - bad or unsupportive management, unrealistic and/or changing deadlines, poor or dysfunctional team working etc. If you ever find yourself in the middle of it you'll understand.

D.

This is good advice.

I am doing the same job now that I did in my previous employer, but I was miserable there - horrible atmosphere, horrible staff, horrible company!