# has anyone ever given up a reasonably paying secure job for an €8 an hour job?



## moneygrower (25 Jan 2006)

..given up a reasonably paying secure job, (just under €30,000 a year),that they feel is pushing them over the edge for an €8 an hour job that's in the new field they want to go into it, and not regretted it?


----------



## RainyDay (25 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever...*



			
				moneygrower said:
			
		

> ..given up a reasonably paying secure job, (just under €30,000 a year),that they feel is pushing them over the edge for an €8 an hour job that's in the new field they want to go into it, and not regretted it?


I've just taken a substantial cut in salary to move from public sector to a private sector position. It was primarily a work/life balance decision, to allow me to spend more time at home and less time in work. Happily, I'm a good bit away from €8 per hour, but I've still had to deal with a substantial cut.


----------



## Marion (25 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever...*



> I've just taken a substantial cut in salary to move from public sector to a private sector position



This must a first 

Marion


----------



## ClubMan (25 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever...*

I suspect that it's actually vice versa?


----------



## RainyDay (25 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever...*

Oops - should have been other way round - private to public!


----------



## extopia (25 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever...*

Maybe you moved at the right time


----------



## ClubMan (25 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever...*

Timing the job market is a mug's game!


----------



## z107 (25 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever...*

I always thought that public sector employees got paid far more than their private sector counterparts, especially if they've been in the job a few years.

To answer the question, AFOAF gave up a high paying bank job (doing software development) to work in a bar outside of Dublin. Last report is that they have no regrets.

If you feel the job is 'pushing you over the edge', then you should certainly go for it, before you do go over the edge. You probably find that you can change your lifestyle to consume less, and 'fit in' to your new income.


----------



## ClubMan (26 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever...*

If you feel that you are going over the edge (and I'm not sure how seriously you meant that comment or if you were just using it as a turn of phrase) then you should make sure that you are not mistakenly attributing this situation the job alone or in the main rather than other contributory factors. You could end up making a rash decision with long term consequences that does not address the underlying issue(s) after all. If in doubt try to talk it over with a trusted contact/friend. 

If you did mean the over the edge comment seriously then feel free to post more details seeking advice or else consider contacting a suitable source of assitance (including the Samaritans).


----------



## sandrabing (26 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever...*

I gave up a €30,000 job too have to say I was getting fed up of the area I was in. I couldn't bear the thought of this been my career for the rest of my life. Went back to college to studying something I have always been interested in. Took a part-time job that pays a little over minimum wage. The first year it was hard adjusting to the drop in earnings but I love what I am doing. I don't dread the thought of getting up and going to college or my part-time job like I used to when I worked my other job.

My advise is to think long and hard about the financial implications of your decision. Also i found it very hard to find part-time work because I was so overqualified so if you notice yourself having this problem 'dumb down' the CV....it works.


----------



## moneygrower (26 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever given up a reasonably paying secure job for an €8 an hour job?*

Thanks Sandrabing that's really helpfull. One of the reasons I think I might be happier is that I never minded not having a bean in college cause I liked what I was doing. 
By the by, over the edge meant that I feel so f**ked over in my job that it's causing me a lot of stress and leaving me feel depressed. Other aspects of my life are pretty great, suhc as I have a loving supportive husband, which is why I feel it's a practical issue rather than one of underlying issues, though perhaps underlying issues are the reason I have put up with this so long. I feel sure a change of job is the answer I'm just afraid of jumping from the frying pan into the fire.


----------



## ClubMan (26 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever given up a reasonably paying secure job for an €8 an hour job?*



			
				moneygrower said:
			
		

> it's causing me a lot of stress and leaving me feel depressed.


If this is the case then you should seek advice from your _GP _about this. If you are really suffering from depression, whatever the cause(s), then you need to seek medical attention.


----------



## blue (26 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever given up a reasonably paying secure job for an €8 an hour job?*

Moneygrower,

I did this too - total U-turn in my career and started my new career path.  Went from 45k to 20k & went back to college to qualify in my new chosen field a year later.  When changing jobs I made sure I had no outstanding debts and some savings for big expenses like holidays, weddings etc to get me used to the lower salary & reduced spending. 

I changed about 4 years ago & I don't regret a thing!  Sadly, it doesn't make getting up any easier, but I'm way happier now I'm doing a job I love!!


----------



## ribena (26 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever given up a reasonably paying secure job for an €8 an hour job?*

Moneygrower, I too left a job that made me miserable 6 years ago.  I had no job to go to, worked part-time in a restaurant for 2 months earning something like 4 quid an hour until I landed the job I'm in.  The day I handed in my notice was one of the best days of my life.  It was a huge weight off my shoulders and I went home that night feeling exhilerated.  I have no regrets and would do it again if the same circumstances arose.  Go for it, if you don't like what you chose to do next you can always go back to your current field in a different organisation or in a slightly different role.  Best of luck


----------



## moneygrower (26 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever given up a reasonably paying secure job for an €8 an hour job?*

Thanks folks, this is just what I wanted to hear!
Clubman I appreciate your concern but I know myself well and I'm not in need of medical help, just a change of career. Thanks.


----------



## RainyDay (26 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever...*



			
				umop3p!sdn said:
			
		

> I always thought that public sector employees got paid far more than their private sector counterparts, especially if they've been in the job a few years.


New joiners to the public sector start at the bottom of the scale. But even apart from that, there was a considerable drop for me. But I'm probably getting paid about the same hourly rate - just working a lot less hours!


----------



## Winnie (27 Jan 2006)

If there was a job I thought I would love I would definitely take a pay cut to do so......... You only live once & there is no point in spending so much time doing something you hate..........

But for me .... I can't think of anything I would actually enjoy doing & while I don't love my job, and sometimes I hate my job, most days I feel quite neutral about it


----------



## ClubMan (27 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever given up a reasonably paying secure job for an €8 an hour job?*



			
				moneygrower said:
			
		

> Thanks folks, this is just what I wanted to hear!
> Clubman I appreciate your concern but I know myself well and I'm not in need of medical help, just a change of career. Thanks.


Fair enough but people suffering from stress and depression may not know or admit it. You have posted enough about these issues to make me, for one, concerned that this is something you should consult with your _GP _about. Feel free to take or leave my suggestions.


----------



## ribena (27 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever given up a reasonably paying secure job for an €8 an hour job?*

You can be stressed and/or depressed in a certain situation or because of the situation in question but once you remove yourself from it the feelings evaporate.  If they don't, then seek advice.


----------



## ClubMan (27 Jan 2006)

My point is that one could be stressed/depressed and, due to the problems that this can cause with correct analysis/perception/cognition of the situation, might mistakenly identify something (e.g. one's job) as the cause and then find that having acted to change this (e.g. pack in a "good" job for a lower paid or unskilled one) find that the problem persists and one could then be in an even worse situation...

Or maybe the problem is that people use the terms stress and depression too casually to refer to less serious cases of discomfort or unhappiness?


----------



## levelpar (28 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever given up a reasonably paying secure job for an €8 an hour job?*



> I'm just afraid of jumping from the frying pan into the fire.


 
HI, I read somewhere recently that  "a life lived in fear is only a life half lived"  So go for it


----------



## vjoc (28 Jan 2006)

A friend of mine had not been feeling himself for the past few months. He was struggling with his job until it eventually became too much. After a few tests he was diagnosed with depression resulting from his job. This was the last thing he would have thought. He has now been on sick leave for a few months. He's considering moving to something totally different, which will involve a serious pay cut as he currently grosses over 100k.


----------



## tomthumb (29 Jan 2006)

I can identify with the effect of a job can have on you.  In the last few years our small company has gone downhill as regards this area.  A few months ago I posted re Boss being a Bully as the effects were so worrying.  I too am actively seeking work, which will be at much lower paid, but if this weight can be lifted on my shoulders, it would be worth it.  Had doctor tell me this recently so I have to go, no choice.  Its terrifying making a change but once done, it can only get better.  Good luck!


----------



## chihiro (29 Jan 2006)

5 years ago I got very stressed in a teaching job (not for the first time but more strongly than ever before), absolutely HAD to get out. It had taken over my life. Didn't go to the doctor or take sick leave even though I prob could have. I knew the problem was that job so i handed in my notice, worked a few months, went on a short sun break and started a lower paid job in a bank for 6 months, paid me about £7 old money. Enjoyed the change of scene and while the hours were longer I didn't take work home with me in my head anymore. The money was less than what I was used to but it paid the bills.
then moved back in home for a year while i went back to college and did a pretty tough full time post grad in an area i was interested in. Involved a loan as I hadn't saved for it but luckily the course was EU subsidised and I lived at home. 
Unfortunately the jobs market took a nose dive in that area when I graduated so I went substitute teaching for what i thought would be short term. Took a full time teaching job again. 
Recently was made permanent and even got a little promotion (my course helped me get it). Still find my job stressful but i'm not particularly unhappy in it at the moment. 
Out of the blue and nearly 2 years after my application  I've got a job offer to consider, very well paid, civil service, linked with the area i studied. I'm going to go for it, luckily for me I can always go back teaching if it doesn't work out.  I will regret it if I don't give it a shot!
Very few people love their work and I'm sure the majority just plod along with fairly neutral feelings, but if your job makes you really unhappy and that feeling doesn't shift when you leave at the end of the day and you carry it around with you in your head you should do something about it. Maybe the same job in another establishment or maybe a different job or maybe just some time off to work things out. Different folks diffrent strokes!


----------



## michaelm (30 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever given up a reasonably paying secure job for an €8 an hour job?*



			
				moneygrower said:
			
		

> Thanks folks, this is just what I wanted to hear!
> Clubman I appreciate your concern but I know myself well and I'm not in need of medical help, just a change of career. Thanks.


Unless you are sure about this you should consider consulting your GP.  Clinical depression is far more common than you might imagine.  It is not a sign of weakness to recognise this in one’s self, and to take remedial action.


----------



## kazbah (30 Jan 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever given up a reasonably paying secure job for an €8 an hour job?*

I was talking to a friend about this over the weekend.  In my peer group (mid twenties) most of my friends have a NUI Degree under their belts.  An awful lot of my friends HATED their chosen career and have retrained or are now happy to work in a bar/shop etc.  

Myself I have made the decision to do a HDip in an area I am interested because I am unhappy in my current field.  Is it something that effects a lot of this generation or has it always been like this?  My parents tell me in their day you just got on with it and you weren't meant to enjoy work.  

A lot of my female friends look forward to being homemakers in the future and see this as a way out of the work market.  

I just have no motivation at all.  Now that I have made the decision to retrain - applying myself to the current job is nigh on impossible but it very well paid.  I will be taking about a €10k drop in salary plus the cost of a year out of work.  To me happiness and job satisfaction would make it all worthwhile.


----------



## A.Partridge (2 Feb 2006)

*Re: has anyone ever given up a reasonably paying secure job for an €8 an hour job?*

Dear Moneygrower,
How refreshing it is to read a post from someone who is willing to eschew all that Mammon has to offer in favour of ...happiness. 
You certainly don't come across to me as someone who is depressed, but simply someone who has the maturity to see the bigger picture of your life and the direction you want it to take. You know we can all be taken in by the great Celtic Tiger mantra of 'make more money = make more happiness' - but it doesn't necessarily follow.

Looks to me like you have listened to the 'inner voice' - which is really important, because your own instinct to do what makes you feel good can usually be relied upon 100%. Believe in yourself, don't listen to the detractors, and go for it.


----------



## dweller (5 Feb 2006)

Hi there,
I did. Best decision I ever made.Needed more job satisfaction.Don't mind being poor.I prefer to be doing something I enjoy than to waste my intelligence on on moron supervisors.


----------



## ClubMan (6 Feb 2006)

Was it the best decision that you ever made? What about this?


----------



## tyrell (6 Feb 2006)

Go For It Moneygrower.
Just Arrived Into My Own Office I Dont Want To Be Here I Would Take A Drop In Income For My Sanity.i Am A Senior In The Company And The Stress Is Concerning Me.anybody Know Of Good Out Door Jobs . Park Ranger, Forestry, What Qualification Would You Require For These , Anybody Know Where To Start???????.


----------

