To get me to switch jobs, it'd take ...
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I probably shouldn't have voted. (Score:5, Interesting)
The work I do comes in one to two month spurts from clients coming in to hire us. You could say I'm like a contractor. For this reason, it'd be hard to lure me away from where I work because the other employer would have to increase the pay by that much and guarantee that I wouldn't have unpaid downtime... which they really cannot do. Where I work now they try really hard to keep the work coming in and they've been applaudingly successful.
Although I can be bought, my employer has earned enough of my loyalty to the price would have to be really high. Yeah, I know that's a contradiction, but frankly anybody with a family to support has a price-tag. Actually that's probably why 'steady' is more valuable to me than 'more'.
Re:I probably shouldn't have voted. (Score:5, Funny)
"clients coming in to hire us", "You could say I'm like a contractor", "I can be bought"... you don't happen to be a gun-for-hire, do you? ;)
Re:I probably shouldn't have voted. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I probably shouldn't have voted. (Score:5, Interesting)
I see this very often. Once you have a family to support, priorities change drastically and it becomes all about stability rather than interest or self-fulfillment. I see a lot of people stuck in horrible jobs, abused by their employers, working crushingly high work loads, and terrified to even look for work because they're worried they'll be fired. In this economy, that can be synonymous with losing your house and worse. And employers KNOW this and will consequently treat you like crap more and more until you burn out or break down.
Re:I probably shouldn't have voted. (Score:4, Interesting)
And employers KNOW this and will consequently treat you like crap more and more until you burn out or break down
And..... that's why I work where I am now. It's run like a business, but is a lot more friendly and the owner actually cares about the employees. Times are tough, as in many industries, but with sparingly few exceptions everyone is sticking around and working harder. Nobody is abused, nobody is yelled at, nobody is treated like crap everyday. Occasional disagreements, but they're resolved and the environment is fairly stress and negativity free.
That's why %50 is not remotely enough. I learned a long time ago that work environment trumps pay every single time. Biggest mistake young people make is putting up with that shit in the first place instead of just finding a way out and leaving. A horrible work environment takes a toll on your health, and affects your life outside of work quite a bit.
I'm thankful everyday I get to work with the people I do.
Re:I probably shouldn't have voted. (Score:3, Insightful)
Of course there's loyalty in the business world. If your boss treats you fairly you're less likely to jump ship even if someone else offers a little bit more. On the other hand, if your boss is a real jerk, you'll leave the first chance you get.
And from the other side it works the same way. "Loyal" employers may not be able to avoid layoffs but they can be upfront about them and try very hard to find another job for you through their business networks.
Thats hard (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Thats hard (Score:5, Interesting)
I Voted 30% myself. But really it still depends if it is worth it. If you really like your job, and you can support yourself and your family, the extra money may not be worth it.
I recently got a new job at 20% more. I liked my old job, however I was struggling to support my family. They were too many things that needed repairs that I couldn't afford to fix, asked my boss for my Bonus he said, sorry times are too tough for a bonus. So I looked for a better paying job, and I got one. Do I like my new job more then the old one? Not really, but the extra money for myself and my family is worth it.
I can relate! (Score:4, Interesting)
This job switching stuff was a lot easier when I was single... Back then, it was just a matter of "Does the job sound like fun?" and/or "Does it pay better than what I make now?"
With a family with 3 kids, it's so much more complex. We've got two "special needs" kids on the autistic spectrum with ADD/ADHD. Relatively mild issues compared to some -- but still makes their school a big consideration. If I got paid even 60% more, but it required moving to an area where the schools were questionable -- it might be a deal-breaker for us (especially considering all the other hassles of moving to a new area).
Plus, in our case, my wife and I both have our mothers still alive and willing to lend a hand with watching the kids. Relocating means giving up that benefit too -- and when you price out the cost of a babysitter or nanny these days, that can be significant!
If I stick to only local jobs? My options are pretty limited, and I've had more than one time where I interviewed for a job, made it to almost the end where it was down to me vs. one other candidate, and didn't get it. And not that much later? Turns out the place restructured things or had financial issues or ?? and that job went away anyway. So I'd rather have a paycheck every 2 weeks that I feel reasonably sure is going to be there for a little while than jumping into a complete unknown where they SAY you'll make a little more.
Re:I can relate! (Score:5, Interesting)
Good for you you made the decision based on being a good parent.
I'd never wanted kids because I'd not like to have them anchoring me down to one location, and being a drag on my lifestyle (traveling, fun hobbies, fast cars, loose women...etc). I know I'd not be happy if I'd had kids and possibly even resentful for them having curtailed the fun in my life. Sure I'd get the benefits of having kids...but when balanced out in my mind....it just isn't worth it.
Then again..comes to your experience. If someone asks me "hey, do you miss having kids"...how would I know? I know I like my life so far and really enjoy it....I see what other friends have to do and go through with kids, and just isn't something I'd want to do. I am the cool "uncle" or even real godfather to many of my friends' kids....and that's plenty enough for me.
But if you have them...be prepared to sacrifice for them, that is parental responsibility..something I see being shirked way too much these days.
Congrats..sounds like ya'll ARE a responsible set of parents.
Re:Thats hard (Score:2)
Go for it.
Try telling your boss that you're dropping to half time. Don't ask, just state it as a fact. Or else just quit.
Re:Thats hard (Score:5, Funny)
Go for it.
Try telling your boss that you're dropping to half time. Don't ask, just state it as a fact. Or else just quit.
And when they fire you, tell them I'm perfect for your cushy job.
Not interested (Score:5, Insightful)
I am a machinist. I could find a better paying position easily, but I chose to stay where I am because it's a 10 minute commute, against traffic, the shop is air conditioned and my hours are fairly flexible (this helps when you have kids). I could find a job that pays 25% more pretty easily, but the added commute and the other (invisible) benefits I listed are worth more than that to me. It's a matter of picking what's important to you. The other side of the equation is adjusting your living expenses to yourself really chosen income.
Re:Not interested (Score:5, Interesting)
Likewise. For me, it's not so much about the benefits as the work. I'm a research scientist. I could get a 50% pay increase by going into consulting, but I'd be doing less interesting work, and in a more stressful work environment.
Then, too, are lifestyle issues. To switch jobs and stay in my field, I'd need to move to another city. So before any other considerations, my spouse would have to agree to move with me... which would mean he'd have to be satisfied he could find a good job in the destination city as well. Besides that, we'd both have to agree on the desirability of the new city (I'd like to move to the tropics; he thinks it's already too hot in our cool temperate location. I'd like to move to a city a little bigger than where we live now; he'd like somewhere about the same size, if not smaller). And then, we'd have to agree that it was worth uprooting ourselves and our mortgage and establishing a new social circle.
So after all that, realistically... double my current pay and we'll talk.
Re:Not interested (Score:3)
Most people don't interpret "benefits" as meaning that, in this context. To me, "benefits" means the child care and fitness services my employer offers, health insurance, flexible work hours, frequent flyer lounger membership, company cars, salary sacrifice options and so on. In other words, things deliberately offered by an employer to attract or retain employees.
Re:Not interested (Score:2, Interesting)
As an engineer in a non-air conditioned shop, I can tell you that we lose guys all the time to other shops with air conditioning. We have a huge shop with high ceilings, so air conditioning it may not be practical. On the other hand, portable individual air conditioning units exist which blow a 6" duct of cold air onto the worker, and we don't even have those.
I don't have to deal with the heat, being in a (mostly) air conditioned office, but the penny-wise, pound foolish attitude of my employer is discouraging and I would leave in a second.
working on interesting projects (Score:3)
Yeah, my choice wasn't on the list. The list seemed to focus entirely on money, but what would make me want to change jobs would be an opportunity to do something interesting.
I finally categorized that as "other benefits," since working on interesting projects is a benefit.
Re:working on interesting projects (Score:2)
Agreed, heavily money-weighted here. I'm working helpdesk at an outsourced IT services company in the middle of London. The commute and the pay are fine, but if I can do something about the killer hours, the arsehole customers and the cow-workers/PHB, I'm gone. Speaking of which, I have an interview to get setup for later this week, as quietly as possible.....
Re:working on interesting projects (Score:3)
If I can do something about the killer hours, the arsehole customers and the cow-workers
Ha ha... silly typo there. *Everyone* knows that it's "cow-orkers"...
;-)
Though personally, I've always wondered what orking a cow involved. I'm not sure I want to know- if it's really unpleasant, this *would* explain why you want to leave your current job...
Exactly (Score:5, Insightful)
I just can't understand why a person would even consider a 2-hour commute, let alone a half-hour commute. That isn't free time. That time is part of an obligation, time that would be yours if it wasn't for the obligation. The commute is part of work, not seperate from it. If you work 8 hours a day with a 2-hour commute each way, you aren't working 8 hours a day -- you're working 12 hours a day. It doesn't matter that you can play with your smartphone or look out the window. The bottom line is that you wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the obligation. The commute isn't your time -- the commute is your employer's time, yet he doesn't have to pay for it. Every minute of your commute -- even if it's only 10 minutes, you are working for free.
I suspect this is something most people don't realize or even consider until at least age 35.
Re:Exactly (Score:4, Interesting)
Now my office is in the suburbs, one mile from home. More than a few of us would take over the janitor's job before we'd commute into the city again.
My wife is having our baby tomorrow morning and that's changing my point of view about commuting. I'd basically do anything to support the family. Doesn't matter how far I go or what I do. Especially if it means she can stay home and be a mother for as long as she wants to.
Re:Exactly (Score:3)
I just can't understand why a person would even consider a 2-hour commute, let alone a half-hour commute. That isn't free time.
I agree, but the only people I know who do that length of commute have not done it by choice. They commute from areas where the one high-tech employer has closed down, and they have kids in school coming up to exams, mortgaged houses with negative equity, a spouse with a higher paid job in the area, body buried under the patio, or something else that makes moving difficult.
Re:Exactly (Score:3)
Also depends how you're commuting - are you driving or riding?
Re:Exactly (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Exactly (Score:4, Interesting)
Also depends how you're commuting - are you driving or riding?
This is key.
I lived in the Santa Cruz mountains for a while, and accepted a job in San Bruno. Commuting 100 miles a day might seem crazy to a bunch of people here, but when you're doing it along some amazing motorcycle roads, it starts to sound pretty plesant. It improves when the employer has a 10:00 start time, avoiding pretty much all traffic. It gets even better when there is a commute reimbursement program.
I know a bunch of people who will happily ride 50 miles on the freeway just to get to my commute.
Re:Not interested (Score:5, Insightful)
My first thought was "Where are the quality of life options?"
It's 2012. If you're capable of reading Slashdot, you probably make enough money to be comfortable. Hell, most people below the poverty line in the US have air conditioning, satellite or cable TV, a mobile phone, a computer, and more than enough healthy food available. That sounds pretty comfortable to me.
So the hell with more money. Give me life, fucker!
It'd take (Score:2)
about five minutes
I picked 30% higher (Score:2)
Mainly because I assumed this would mean moving to the private sector, and so having less vacation and worse benefits.
But really, it would depend on the circumstances. If the offer was for some awesome, interesting job - it might not take much of an salary increase at all.
Re:I picked 30% higher (Score:4, Interesting)
Bigger $$ made it easier for me to jump out of my comfort zone and take a bigger risk (going off on my own, hiring a sub-contractor etc). Now I'm free to be the one who makes the mistakes and I'm loving it. My health has actually improved significantly due to a drop in stress (which would have been worth the leave alone). Of course I was also lucky to have a wife that makes a healthy wage so if things didn't pan out we'd still be able to pay the mortgage and feed ourselves.
Job Satisfaction and Stability (Score:2)
I'm fairly happy with my current job and with the people I work for. And I'm working at a moderately stable company - most of the interesting offers I've seen the last few years have been with startups (i.e. expect to work there about 2 years before they collapse), and I'm old enough that it takes longer to find a job, so I'm relatively risk-averse, and doing the startup-to-startup job hopping game is tougher than when I was 25. Of course, if we start laying people off next year, as we've done some years in the past, I may have different opinions about changing to a risky job.
Re:Job Satisfaction and Stability (Score:4, Interesting)
And I'm working at a moderately stable company
This matters. I would not jump ship for even a 100% pay increase if it meant going to a job with a medium or higher risk of losing it through no fault of my own.
In today's job market with an official unemployment rate of 8-10% (and a real rate around twice that), having a stable job with decent benefits in a non-volatile company is a godsend.
It's not always about the money... (Score:5, Insightful)
My mortgage is paid off. I get a pension from my last job [there for 23 years]. I can commute to work in 10 minutes, and I like the work and the people there. My wife makes six figures at her job... Nah..I don't need another job, even if it did pay a lot better. What would I buy? More toys? Ho hum.
Re:It's not always about the money... (Score:3)
Re:It's not always about the money... (Score:5, Interesting)
My dad did something like that. When he became 72 they stopped paying him and he started collecting retirement, but they let him keep his office. He'd planned on working until the satellite his experiment was on died and he had analyzed all the data, but the damned thing lasted longer than he did.
Re:It's not always about the money... (Score:4, Informative)
When your wife is making 100K, you can't say its not about the money. You already have the money.
Re:It's not always about the money... (Score:3)
You graduated in 99. I did in 09. Go fuck a tree.
Re:It's not always about the money... (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not always about the money.....?
That's a phrase I hear from hippies, who are too baked to give a shit, or people who already have all the money they need.
Until I become one or the other, it's ALL about the money.
I have all the money I need. You know why? I don't want much. Most physical possessions are more trouble than they are worth, the rest I consider disposable.
Constant advertising has programed people to want everything now. Avoid brain washing adverts as much as possible you will buy less junk and have more cash for the things that matter, like holidays.
Re:It's not always about the money... (Score:2)
Re:It's not always about the money... (Score:4, Insightful)
What sort of people are these who can afford to go on vacation twice a year, and can afford to take an airplane to do so? I am in the top 10% of household income according to the statistics, I drive a 12 year old car, I don't have expensive toys or hobbies, and I fall short of meeting the bills every month. The idea of even one multithousand dollar vacation a year is a pipe dream. I think the problem is that I have children. In fact, we had one girl and then unexpected twins. My wife had a child from a previous marriage, so we are supporting 4 kids. I am convinced that in order to satisfactorily support 4 children, you have to make $120k a year. And I don't.
Re:It's not always about the money... (Score:5, Interesting)
You hit the nail on the head, there was a great tv program I watched recently talking about people who end up filing for bankruptcy, and one of the comments was something like: "This is a family making $180,000 a year, and filing for bankruptcy, and when the financial guys explain to them that they can't afford the cars, ski-doo, etc, they panic, they consider those things a minimum for them, they feel they are poor without them...."
The word "poor" is like "cold"; it's very relative to where you live, your choices, and what external stimulii affect your understanding of the word.
As a kid, I grew up in a lot of fishing and mining communities, I have seen poor (poor is when you tear part of your house down to burn to stay warm in the winter, where you have 5 or 6 cars parked in the backyard and hope one of them starts to get you to work and/or you can scrap enough parts from them to keep one going, where 3 or 4 generations of families are living under one roof (with only 3-4 bedrooms too), where you keep your socks on at night since the first person up in the morning has to load the fire into the fireplace to warm up the house, and on and on.... This was all in Canada less than 30 years ago!
The funny part is, I knew people in all the above conditions (and even lived in a few of them myself as a kid), and yet I never heard them talk about being poor, or even acting poor, and, I never considered myself poor as a kid either. Now, jump ahead 30 years and my father-in-law thinks I am not "providing" for my family since I refuse to have cable TV in the house... He has satelite tv with all the features ($100+ per month easy) and yet he doesn't watch TV (sorry, if he remembers, he watches one show (I think it is one of the law-and-order type shows) once a week). I'm guessing that a HUGE percentage of what we call poor is nothing more than perception (caused mostly by advertising), and thus poor is relative.....
Re:It's not always about the money... (Score:3)
(poor is when you tear part of your house down to burn to stay warm in the winter, where you have 5 or 6 cars parked in the backyard and hope one of them starts to get you to work and/or you can scrap enough parts from them to keep one going,
That's "First World" poor, the kind of unstable poor that results from oscillating between a taste of middle class and falling back again. Poor people in the Third World don't own cars. They have never been able to afford to buy, fuel, or maintain one. Ownership of any kind of car is a status symbol.
Re:It's not always about the money... (Score:3)
This. Instead of trying to get more money, try to figure out how to get along with less money.
Re:It's not always about the money... (Score:5, Interesting)
I have all the money I need. You know why? I don't want much. Most physical possessions are more trouble than they are worth, the rest I consider disposable.
From "Fight Club": the things you own end up owning you. I don't make a habit of building philosophies upon movies, but that quote is so true. When you own a lot of stuff, you have to keep it somewhere. You have to maintain it. You have to upgrade it. Taken to the extremes, you end up spending a lot of your life on just having... stuff. There are quite a few people who reject the idea [guynameddave.com] and advocate paring your possessions down to a minimum.
I'm not quite in that group but I definitely empathize with them. Personally, I've gone the route of keeping fewer, nicer things. I have a few really good shoes. Some nice, well-fitting clothes. A really nice laptop. Decent furniture. An older vehicle in excellent condition. Rather than collect a load of junk, I'd rather surround myself with a smaller number of things that I truly enjoying having.
As it turns out, it's also a lot cheaper to own a few really nice things than a lot of junk. My budget easily covers the things I truly want after ignoring the things I've just been told that I should want.
Make me an offer (Score:5, Interesting)
18 months ago, I was solidly "What, and leave all my friends behind?"
Then all my friends got laid off or contracts not renewed. Well, my technical friends. So now I'm the lone tech guy in a sea of Business Analysts, and my manager-of-the-month introduces me as the all around tech guy.
My job search is on the back burner as I complete a Masters degree, which means I'm not reaching out but I do return calls (which come daily, thanks to the lay-offs which dispersed my friends so I now have contacts at most of the companies hiring in the area).
While I'm looking for a 10% (at least) bump, I voted one single penny.
Location (Score:2)
Depends on location. You don't move across the country for 10% or even 30%. I recently moved a few states over for about a 50% raise.
I would switch a job that doesn't require the uprooting of my family for less than 10%. I would even take a pay cut if the job brings more satisfaction in and out of the workplace.
Nothing (Score:2)
I just came from unemployment, and my new job has better benefits, pay, and I enjoy it much more than my old job. Even if it didn't have that list, I am just happy to be working full time again, after being bounced around like a prison bitch in temporary work for a year.
Screw that (Score:2, Interesting)
I'm a public servant who works in Defence (not the US DoD though, hence the 'c' instead of an 's'). My primary specialty is FPGA work, among other things. I'm not paid as much as I would be if I was working in the private sector, but from what I've seen around me it'd take a significant pay rise for me to want to leave, for the following reasons:
(1) I work reasonable hours, with a reasonable level of flexibility. Almost everyone else I've seen in Engineering in the private sector works very long hours. I like having spare time at the end of the day.
(2) We have great representation from a variety of unions. Even if you're not part of one, there's enough influence to ensure we get treated fairly and aren't taken advantage of as a collective.
(3) It's not a toxic work environment. By that I mean, I don't have to worry about someone trying to bully me, or get me fired, or try to have to compete with others in a dirty manner to appear the better individual for a promotion (promotions work differently in the public sector). It's just... a nice place to be in.
(4) There aren't too many places where I live which have a use for an FPGA specialist. I don't want to move if I can help it.
So yeah. So long as I get a comfortable wage, the desire to obtain more money is less important that actually enjoying the work and not dreading every work day.
Quite a bit (Score:2)
As a CS student with a part-time sys-admin position, I'd need a good pay bump, stability, and plenty of benefits to get me to abandon school. As for the sys-admin position--well, that's why I'm a CS student on the software development track.
Re:Quite a bit (Score:2)
I'm unemployed (Score:2)
I'm one of the 8%+ of Americans without a job, you insensitive clod.
Re:I'm unemployed (Score:2, Funny)
So... "One shiny penny would do it."
Too mean?
It is not about the money... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:It is not about the money... (Score:5, Funny)
... it is more about the quality of the management I have to report to. You can pay me all you want, but if I have to report to an ignorant asshole, I'll pass on the position.
Say goodbye to the Vice-Presidency then.
Re:It is not about the money... (Score:2)
Re:It is not about the money... (Score:2)
This. I would have ticked the option "It's not about the money." As long as I make enough to get by other factors (commute, hours of employment, holiday, work environment) would play as important a factor as salary on deciding to move from where I am now.
Re:It is not about the money... (Score:2)
Me, I'm quite the other way around. If you earn 50% less than current average wage for what I do AND report to an incompetent manager... I would switch to working for another incompetent manager if money is good. I also spend 9 hours a day working but I prefer having enough money to live a bit better rather than be poor and have a great time with my manager. My manager is not as important as my family.
Missing option (Score:3)
The job itself (Score:2)
Are we such a bunch of whores that $$$ and insurance are all we care about?
Re:The job itself (Score:2)
Not all of us.
I voted 'one shiny penny' because I'd love a new challenge. If more money is on offer I'll take it though.
Re:The job itself (Score:3)
Were I given the option, I would trade this ultra-competitive, abusive rat race for a pastoral lifestyle without a second thought.
Depends on the job (Score:2)
If I had to go from my last job to emptying bedpans, it would have taken a heck of a lot more than a 50% raise. If it's judging bikini contests, sign me up.
I work in Germany (Score:5, Interesting)
Benefits (but not from the job) (Score:3)
I voted "benefits" but I'm not really interested in the dental plan or the 401K. My wife and I are trying to move from Minnesota to North Carolina for a change of climate and to be close to family and friends. She just finished her degree this Spring, we have no kids yet, and I'd like to go back to school for an advanced degree as well - so unless we want to be tied down here for another 2-4 years, NOW is the time to move. I don't want to take just any job; I definitely want something that doesn't look like a hole in my work experience. But if I could find work in my field and the location was right, I'd take a 25% pay CUT.
Re:Benefits (but not from the job) (Score:2)
Personally, I'd prefer the same amount of pay, but 25% fewer hours.
Money doesn't do it for me any more (Score:2)
Screw finding another job (Score:2)
I know it's easier said than done, but why not start your own company? Hang your own shingle? Granted you'd need an idea and work some long hours to start, but once you get going, wouldn't you rather do what you love and not look over your shoulder for approval from a boss?
Re:Screw finding another job (Score:2)
Well, unfortunately, you have to be wealthy to start your own business, which means you have to work hard to get that money or inherit it or something. Contrary to what you might see on TV, banks don't loan based on good ideas or a sound business plan. The SBA, also contrary to what you might think, also doesn't loan money until you have established your business and no longer need the money.
This is how I get promotions and raises. (Score:4, Interesting)
Fastest way to get a raise, Start shopping for a new job. Screw being loyal to your job, they are not loyal to you.
Since when did /. .... (Score:2)
All of the above (Score:2)
What about pay cuts for rewarding work? (Score:4, Interesting)
I was expecting the poll to be about how much of a pay cut you would take to work at a job you enjoyed more than your current job. Or does everyone on Slashdot already work at their dream job?
For me... (Score:2)
Pay, fringe benefits, people, loyality, closer location (35 miles for the current job), my high paid time off (PTO) hours and rates, hours, risks, economy, etc.
How about (Score:4, Interesting)
Who about those of us who actually get less than we could elsewhere but get a lot of job satisfaction?
To annoy certain people, let me explain where I work. I work for the British National Health Service. I have been told that I could get more money in some other jobs but I really enjoy working here and believe in the idea of universal health care. I do not work with patients. I work in IT and am here to help the people who do look after patients.
We get less than 1/3 of the money per patient that your health 'care' systems do. I like to think that I am doing my part to make all this work and hope to stay working for the NHS for a long time. I am not a hippy and would love to be rich. I just think that there are more important things.
Should've added this option (Score:2)
30% salary but... (Score:2)
A couple months ago, I popped my head up and took a look around the local job market based on my experience (Indianapolis, IN cyber security, security architect, and cyber security compliance). Talked to a few companies, dusted off the suit to sit down w/ one, and it got tanked at the end of the interview. The SVP was asking about my current compensation (I freely give that out to perspective employers) and he mentioned how great the bennies were. I responded w/ how my current bennies would have hit the proposed Cadillac Tax on health care plans as well as being 10 years into a pension plan. Needless to say, the company was unable to come close to my overall compensation.
Prior to all this, I looked at what leaving my current employer would cost me on just the pension. Assuming an expected live span of 85 yrs (had to pick a number) and retirement if I left at age the same time I qualified for the full pension, I would need to increase my salary by nearly 45% to make up for the loss of the pension. The equation changes a bit if I were leave and to retire at age 65 vs 58 if I stayed and got the pension.
The short of it is that the pension is truely golden handcuffs, and while I may sound like I'm complaining, it is a good problem to have!
Working at CERN, wouldn't even want to change (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm working for a CERN experiment (which 99% of the time means what it means for me, I work at a home institute to do CERN related work). It's one of the experiments (CMS) that just announced the discovery of a new particle (likely the Higgs boson) and I was part of the gang who actually worked at least part time over the years on Higgs searches so I can claim a small bit of discovery like everyone else in the experiment.
There's no way in hell that I'd change jobs now. Possibly from one institute to another, but I don't really see why I would as right now I have a permanent position (even though I'm only 30), ability to travel pretty much as much as I want and have a nice home for my family just outside the city. Changing institutes would mean moving to another country or permanently to CERN, which even for double the pay wouldn't balance out for me.
It'd have to be orders of magnitude higher salary (and I'm earning much more than the average researcher or even IT expert does in my country) AND an interesting job for me to even contemplate this. And it would take more than 50% salary cut for me to even start looking for alternatives and in those cases probably as part time job so that I can continue doing what I do right now.
Re:Working at CERN, wouldn't even want to change (Score:3)
Well actually majority of research these days is computing. And CERN and experiments are in fact hiring people for computing jobs a lot as well. The jobs vary from writing code to automate a lot of the data quality monitoring systems and detector monitoring etc that can reduce human involvement or assload of repetitive tasks to actual code optimization work. Some of the best experts in computing I've met have been working in CMS without any physics background at all. I remember when they first started to really investigate the code physicists had written they managed to reduce some submodule resource needs by 3 orders of magnitude so that instead of 2+ GB RAM to do tracking the code used 100MB and worked 1000x faster without any need to change the physics algorithms. There are experts in compilers who really tune the compilation processes to make sure the code works across all compute centers while taking advantage of newest register sets in brand new CPUs etc. Just recently the whole codebase that's in C++ swapped out malloc to jalloc to be able to keep taking data at high pileup and same compute resources without blowing the RAM budget etc.
Money Matters, BUT...... (Score:3)
I would gladly sacrifice a LITTLE bit of money for a programming job where I knew:
- I would be working with happy people
- I would get a lot of alone time away from meetings to
actually code.
- I would have the chance to learn and try new things on
the job
- That programmers were respected.
- I would have a shorter to an area I like
Those things matter as much as a small salary difference to me.
-
Househusband (Score:3)
My demands are simple (Score:2)
For me, it'd take two simple demands:
1. A tech job someplace with an actual tech sector (and preferably a tech culture to go with it).
2. Enough extra pay to adjust for the inevitable increase in the standard of living there as opposed to the middle of nowhere, where I am now.
I'd make the standard joke about how if I'm dreaming, I'd also want a pony, except I'm in the middle of horse country right now, making that joke more depressing than much else.
Benefits (Score:3)
I'm not sure how prevalent this is in the rest of the world, but the "benefits" option seems distinctly a US phenomenon as health care is mainly provided by the company. IE no job, no health care. In other parts of the world that I know of such benefits are not tied to the job. And while I am not trying to drag this into some sort of healthcare political debate, I've always though the US model was crazy.
Re:Benefits (Score:2)
Oh I agree - I don't know why my company (which builds Lidar systems for space and airborne platforms) also sells health insurance... but that is precisely what we do.
Re:Benefits (Score:4, Informative)
Commute time (Score:2)
DC area commutes are hellish. So I took a job 10 minutes from my house reachable by back roads.
I work as I want (Score:2)
I work for myself. I wouldn't work for someone else unless it was short term and for millions of dollars net per year. Being self-employed, having my own business, is far better than doing someone else's bidding. If anything, I work for my customers and that is a far better relationship than employee-employer.
Interesting choices (Score:3)
While I am currently employed in the public sector, I am looking to move on as soon as I can. I don't really care about medical benefits as I'm healthy but I do value getting time away from the people I work with.
What I really want is a slightly better paying job so the 10% pay increase would be fine, but, as odd as it sounds, I also want more responsibility. I want to show people how things should be done as far as laying out plans, communicating those plans and implementing those plans. Where I work, it's a series of random events which are done in the vain hope that something will work with almost no communication between bureaus.
I've even gone back to school to get another degree (Information Systems) to help fill in the blanks but that hasn't helped. So for now, I'll take whatever the yearly pay increases are until something comes along. Or win the lottery. Or write my book.
I'm after a shorter commute (Score:2)
Same pay and benefits would be fine, but driving 50 minutes twice daily sucks, and it'd be nice to work in the same town I live so that if my kid has an emergency I can deal with it easily.
Cold Blooded Poll (Score:3)
That is one fuckin' cold-blooded poll.
What job?
Bad day (Score:3)
Write in: Get me out of fscking Texas (Score:3)
Roughly 90% closer to mountains and 1000% more snow is what it would take for me.
I like my job, but the endless hundred-degree summers and the wingnut politics here have me at my wits' end.
More Than They Want to Pay (Score:3)
Short commute (Score:3)
Current job is only about 5 to 10 minutes from my house. It would take a lot of $$$$ to convince me to give up more of *MY* time.
Cheers,
Dave
Leave your friends behind (Score:5, Funny)
After a "chasing the dream" move that backfired.. (Score:3, Insightful)
...I'd say that pay is important, yes -- but to me, now that I've gone through a crap environment and found a good environment, I'll have to say no money can compensate for a crap environment.
When the job owns you, consuming your every minute, it's not worth having.
Just my 1.6Â¥, mind you.
Missing poll option -- A Better Location. (Score:3)
I live in farmland in the Midwest, and all it would take for me to switch jobs would be a good job near Minneapolis where my friends live, or maybe in Philadelphia with my family. I'd take a pay cut if I had to.
I've been living alone surrounded by 200 acres of corn for long enough, I'd like to rejoin the human race. It's a shame that there are no jobs for satellite physicists in either of those big cities.
Some are willing to take a pay cut to switch jobs (Score:3)
Around three months ago i found myself in a job that i hated - I spent 5 out of 10 weeks on the other side of the world, the pay was good, but not good enough to justify the frustration the job involved. I decided to leave, and my new job paid roughly ~30% less than my old one, and ever since i started i haven't regretted it for a second. In fact, i am currently on the clock, sitting in my couch at home, while my toddler son is playing with a SATA cable that belongs to him. I voted 50% pay increase, as that's what's closest to the 100% pay increase it'd cost my old employer for me to go back to them.
Still winning, as expected (Score:2)
I'm a software developer with nearly finished degree (I expect that I'll graduate within a year despite doing more work than studying). They pay me 18 euros (=22 dollars) an hour, so assuming 22 days * 7.5 hours, that's 2970 euros or 3645 dollars a month (44k dollars a year), which I find pretty good for a 22-year old who hasn't yet graduated in this economic situation.
When I graduate, I expect to be able to negotiate about 10% immediate raise, so 10% isn't enough to get me change jobs for money. I'm treated decently (My boss isn't an idiot, I am not micromanaged, I can work from home part of the time as long as the job gets done, I have very flexible hours, etc.) and while some other job might have even more benefits, I'm not interested in taking the risk, so 20% wouldn't be enough. Actually, 30% wouldn't be enough if the new job wouldn't be flexible enough for me to finish my degree but assuming it'd be... I don't think I could ignore that significant jump in wage this early in my life. It'd probably open up a whole new range of career paths.
Re:Still winning, as expected (Score:2)
10% raise will put from from 18 euros to 19.8 a 1.8 Euro/hour raise. I am not sure about Europe (They say they pay more closer to 50%), but in the US, us ordinary citizens pay close to 30% of our income to State and Federal Taxes. So your 4 Euro raise will be close to 1.2 Euros. Still using Standard US Estimates we work 40 hours a week for 50 week (2 week vacation) 2000 hours. So that is 2,400 euros in your pocket (based on US taxes, and vacation times). However I heard it is not uncommon for Europe to have 50% of their taxes and a 6 week vacation, and a standard work week is 35 hours. So your 1.8 raise will be a 0.9 euro raise after taxes. and you will be work 35 x 46 hours giving you about 1,500 euros more per year.
Now I am not debating if the US is better then Europe, As in the States while we may get more money (and often US stuff is cheaper), we need to pay for more things, so it may balance out... But if you are going to determine if it is worth it to get a raise based on percentage you need to factor in taxes and your hourly rate.
When you make less 10% or 20% raises are not that much. But if you make more then those 10% or 20% really do factor in a lot of money and can effect your quality of life more.
Re:Missing option. (Score:2)
I'm the lost employee! Paid but forgotten.
Don't rock the boat...
So you just want your red stapler back?
Re:Company is cutting health benefits (Score:3)
Join IEEE. In a year you can get insurance through their group. Cheaper then individual, especially once you get older.
When I was your age I also calculated that I could get individual cheaper then my co-pay. Turns out the company CFO (small CO, 3 letter people had big egos and titles to match) had a sick kid. He was pissed when I told all the young people there how to get cheaper insurance. We would have killed the group. Instead we forced them to give us fair co-pays.