“Burger Boy” is what they called me. My job was to make sure the meat was ready when the customers ordered sandwiches. I didn’t even make sandwiches for the first several weeks of my new job.
In high school I worked fast food. I still say this was the most fun job I ever had, and the most stressful. I worked at a particular restaurant for five years. In those 5 years I went from “Burger Boy” to the assistant store manager, where the store manager was the only person in the store above me. Most importantly in those five years, I met the girl of my dreams.
I was still working there when I had less than 12 months until our wedding. And I had a problem.
I had to make more money.
I set my eye on getting into the Human Resources (HR) field and the opportunities in fast food at that time were pretty limited. I had no degree, and honestly did not know very much about HR. I was earning an annual salary of $19,500 plus benefits. I also had the pleasure of working at least 50 hours a week closing the store most nights.
A friend worked at one of the large corporations in the area and she helped me get an interview in the accounting department for an entry level position. Interview went well and the offer came in…$19,000 (~3% reduction). To me, it was a no-brainer. Absolutely!
Later in my career I found myself working a job in HR. I was again working well over 50 hours a week. My ability to have successful relationships with family, friends, church, myself, and even my hobbies was diminishing. If I wanted to be a successful dad, husband, or even friend, then I would have to make a decision.
I had to decide what was more important – Success at Work or Success at Home
I chose home! After some soul searching and preparation, I began looking for new opportunities. Similarly, the solution came through a friend. The interview went well, and the offer came back lower than what I was currently making. To me, it was a no-brainer. Absolutely!
In both cases the opportunities outweighed the risk. And both cases turned out great!
Getting to the decision to make a change was not as easy. I needed to be sensitive to whatever that new opportunity would be.
Five key considerations before quitting your current job to go to a new one…especially if you are going to make less money:
- Fit – Is this a company you would like to work for, or does this provide cushion while you look for the job you want? Is this a job that you would like to do? Do you want to learn what you need to about the business? Can you add value to your team and the business? Do you like what you know about the culture of the business?
- Career – Does this job help you get to where you want to go? In my first example I wanted to go from fast food to HR but took an entry level job in an accounting department. In my interview I told them I wanted to get into HR. Less than 2 years later, an opening came up, and I got that job. My accounting team was excited for me, and appreciative that I had been open with them the whole time about what I wanted to do.
- Salary – This is usually the one thing that will almost never reduce as long as you are with a company. If it’s enough to get you started, go for it.
- Benefits – In the US there is a mix of offerings that we call “benefits”. Some are required by the government (e.g. social security) and some are not required (e.g. vacation, additional retirement options) allowing businesses to decide how/what they want to provide. Take a good look at both. Example – a company who offers you $100 and matches your 401k at 6% may be a better deal than a company who offers $105 and a 401k match of 3% (if you use the benefit).
- Pray – As a Christian, it is important for me to seek God about things in my life. I also listen to friends and mentors. Even if you aren’t a person of faith, I would encourage seeking council in big decisions like this. There is a lot of wisdom in multiple counselors.
Obviously, I didn’t seek a new job to make less money. And I would not encourage you to do that either. But, I would encourage you to look at your situation and determine if the money you are making is worth the sacrifices it takes. Tough times will come and go, so you want to be sure that in the long run you’re able to focus on the most meaningful things of life.
