Temporary Leave from IT for more money.

ThePrimetimer

Hey Guys,
Been having this thought run through my head and thought I would get some feedback from the forum here. Have any of you guys left IT for more money or would you?

I have some high debt and am just not cutting it in IT from a salary perspective. I might have a chance to work at one of the refineries close as one of my wife and I's friend does the same thing and is bringing quite a bit more that I am. The thought entered my head when my wife said that she was talking to our friend about how they will be able to pay off their cars and also afford a trip to Disney land this year. I want to be in that position for my kids and it just doesn't seem like I'm getting there.

I feel that I might have to leave this career for awhile to make some money and pay off some debt, then once I can get a handle on things, try to get back into this field. So I'm just looking to see what ideas you guys had on this subject. If you had a chance to make more money to help get you out of a hole, but had to leave the IT field to do it, would you?

Thanks

NinjaBoy

ThePrimetimer wrote: »

...If you had a chance to make more money to help get you out of a hole, but had to leave the IT field to do it, would you?...

To be honest, it would depend on the circumstances:

1. How much extra I'd be earning.
2. Career progression in this new field.
3. How much I actually need the extra money.
4. Work/home balance (is there any point in taking another job, if I'll be working more hours or working away and not seeing my family, etc).
5. What other benefits came with the new job vs the benefits that came with the old one.
6. My state of mind of "IT" at that moment in time.
7. etc, etc, etc...

IMO, it's not just an straight forward Yes/No question and answer.

ThePrimetimer wrote: »

...The thought entered my head when my wife said that she was talking to our friend about how they will be able to pay off their cars and also afford a trip to Disney land this year. I want to be in that position for my kids and it just doesn't seem like I'm getting there....

We all want the best for out kids, however how necessary is paying off the car and taking the kids to disneyland?

DevilWAH

NinjaBoy wrote: »

We all want the best for out kids, however how necessary is paying off the car and taking the kids to disneyland?

Paying of the Car is not a bad Idea, but taking the family to Disneyland is no reason to change a job. I earn enough but there are still lots of things "I want", but I know that no matter how much earn it will never be "enough".

Thank full I learnt that when I was still earning very little, so now even though I know I could go find more money doing some thing I do not enojoy as much. I would rather have a fun Job, and go home feeling relaxed. Thank fully I have a wife who is more concerned that I come home happy and spend time with her and play with out daughter. Than what size the pay check is and if she will be able to go on holiday or buy a new car.

MiikeB

I typed up a longer reply earlier but then my browser froze. Basically it comes down to this:

1) If you leave your job now for a temporary stint at a refinery, when you try to come back to IT there is a very real chance you will be getting offered less than you are even making now since you won't have any more experience and you will be two years behind in technologies.

2) Why are you in debt now? If it is because you are living above your means then this refinery money is not going to fix the problem long term. If you can figure out how to live below your means now it will make the rest of your life that much more pleasant.

Devilry

Is the corvette in the avatar picture yours? If yes, then I say you are doing just fine in IT and instead of trying to make more to payoff debt, I would consider my personal spending habits before a career change.

If not, leaving a career after a long time then trying to come back is going to make you start on a lower level again, in turn leaving you with less money at some point. I say don't.

If you love working in IT, work on advancing skills/certs/education and getting a better paying job.

dave330i

The only reason I would think about leaving is if the new career had better growth path & plentiful jobs.

Roguetadhg

I can understand your circumstances. But before I get into what Me and my Fiance are doing. Take a hard look at Disney.

Just because the Jones are doing something, does NOT mean that the Does need to do the same thing. Think about it, it's a snow ball effect of **** contest - Who can get into more debt, faster? I have a friend who makes well above 6 figures. I can not, even if I wanted to, keep up to that. It just isn't going to happen. He gets paid more because he found his nitch. Now speaking from a friend who gets paid just the same as myself at Wal-mart, he does keep up with the Jones. His house is not well taken care of, leaks, bugs. His car leaks and is breaking down. His priority, for a 28 year old is Magic the gathering, YuGiOh, and other card games. He does this because a mutual friend has uncles that give him cards, games, and basicly everything he wants.

Priorities. Disney or Paying off a debt. Disney will give you more debt, and give you more stress. Really. When you pass away all your debt will most likely be under the burden of your children. Yeah, that's a gift I don't want to give to anyone - especially after I have died. Hopefully I'll be a good father and taught them some morals, and life lessons i've had to learn.

He chooses to spend his money on something that gives him an empty feeling of joy. He can't say no to a shiny card for his Black deck.

A friend of mine doesn't want to do anything but barely pay the bills. He's got talent, but not the desire or the drive to make use of his artistic ability.

My fiance has 2 school debts - undergrad and grad. Her debt together would easily give me a 2013 Nissan GT-R *drool*.

Let's take a moment to look at this car that I could easily break up with my current ball and chain for:


...Ah yes. My precious.

Anyways. Where I'm going with this is that what we've decided to do, is to well... get back in control of finances. Loans, emergencies, debt piles up and up. We decided to take a hiatus from what everyone does and make a mobile home out of our cars. Yes. That's right. Choosing to be homeless, for the sake of getting back in control of our money. Want to know how that worked out so far? I sweat balls at night, sleep 5 hours and work out at the gym :P

We both have the mindset of stop paying for things that just don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. That car is one of them. I'd rather run my current car into the ground, and then pay for another used car. We're saving money so that at somepoint we can give our family more than just a little bit of money. We'd rather give them a portfolio of stocks, bonds. Raise them with a strong work ethic, teach them the value of saving and money.

Good things will come. In time.

You want back in control of your money. Right? Leaving a job you're skilled at, love doing, and you can see yourself doing for a very very long time isn't the way. You just got to take that into your job in your hands, grip it tight, and strangle it. Go to a new job, tell them "Im your man".

You're a man. Balls up, chief. Take life by it's own and make it yours. Do what you're passionate about better. Strive to be better than what you were yesterday. Push your tech harder, faster and pound the dog !@#$ out of it until you think you can't keep going, but you can't stop. Find a way to look at the problems from a different view. Question the problems. Dare to ask "Why can't this happen the way I need it to?". Ask the stupid questions because that's how we're all going to be better, it's how innovations happen, it's how man made it to the moon, it's how you'll be able to get to Disney Land Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort. The Jones wont have anything on you.

Here's a small story - If you keep running you'll get to a point where you feel your legs become numb, feet hurt. You can keep on running but the pain of doing it sucks so much. Push it through that pain, eventually that pain will go away and you'll find a bliss of knowing you just did what you thought a second ago was insane.

You have skills. You have the smarts (obiviously). You're not a d-bag (family). You have things going for you.

To answer your question: No. I wouldn't leave my career. I love what I do. I hate it sometimes, but I can't see myself doing anything else. It's why I'd choose to stay in my position even knowing it's not easy. I want to kill of my debt, her debt, and be able to save some money. I'm trying to find a position elsewhere though.

DevilWAH

Just to add to this, 5 years ago, I had no house, a car loan + others of about 15K+, with a job that most would consider low salary (entry level help-desk pay).

My wife on the other hand who I was about meet at the time had a job on about 2/3rd of my wage. Owned her own car outright, her own house, and had a few £K sitting in the bank for rainy days.

It kind of made me sit up and think about things, how the hell could I, living at home paying almost nothing to parents for rent, be so much worse of when my wage was more out bills half of hers.

My story was Lived at home or with friends in rented houses, spent money on PC's and gadgets and if i didn't have the money borrowed it with the hope of paying back later. Her story.. Left home at 16, got a job on a farm by the time she was 18, decided she wanted a house and car so took on two evening jobs until she had saved the deposit for both.And only once she could them from savings did she buy them. And she was not some one who sat at home alone each night counting the pennies during this time! Her social life was far better than mine (and still is)

But the time out daughter was born and she was on maternity leave we had less money than ever coming in, strangely enough I was almost out of debt, and we went on two holidays that year!! It goes to show its not a simple case of how much you earn it about how you manage you money.

Even better these days no I have moved up to a much nicer wage I take the lessons with me, and I know should any thing bad happen and money gets tight again we can deal with it.

lunchbox67

It all depends on why you are in debt.
If you are there because of your choices, all a higher income is going to do is allow you to make the same choices on a larger scale ... more debt.

People need to understand the difference between needs and wants.
You need a car to get from point A to point B.
You want a specific car because it's an ego boost

networker050184

Look at it this way, who is going to be making more in five years? I don't know what you do now or what you are making, but I'd venture a guess you have much more room for salary growth. I've doubled my salary in the last five years and I don't think that would be possible in a refinery type environment.

My advice would be to stick with it and continue your progression in your career. Then again, you have to do whats best for your family. It's surely a tough decision but try to think of the future and not just the now.

blargoe

There are MUCH less expensive ways to have fun with the family and less expensive travel options than going to Disney. I know that was just an example that you gave based on what your friend is doing, but really, the most important thing is that you are there for your family.

Regarding changing jobs, unless you want your full-time career to be working in a refinery, I don't know that I would let debt be the reason for making that change unless there were no other way out. Long term, if you intent to stay in IT, then continue working in IT now, curb your spending, and look for other options. Whoever said that if you leave IT and try to come back later, that you will end up worse off in position and salary, is right.

You can always supplement your day job with something part-time nights/weekends. 10-15 hours/week at $10/hour is still going to be about $400/month... set this money aside exclusively for paying down debt only, and do not use it for anything else. Use your extra money to make extra payments on your smallest debt, and when that's paid off, take the amount of that previous debt's payment and your extra income to pay off the next one.

RouteThisWay

I agree with Networker.


Also, just because your friend says all of these things doesn't make it true. You will find that the outward appearance of someones lifestyle sometimes doesn't reflect their true financial state. For all you know, they could be paying off their cars- and then putting the Disney trip on credit cards. Or not even paying off the cars at all and simply want to boast. Not saying your friend is this way- just be careful of falling into the trap of believing the outward appearance they want you to see rather than what is really going on.

swild

4 years ago, I had a similar choice to make. I don't know how much you are making now or how much you want to be making, but let me tell you about myself.

18 months ago, I was making $11/hr, working the graveyard shift, 32 hours a week. If you do the math, that's less than $19k a year. Ouch.

I decided to improve myself and got a couple of low level certs which landed me a new job making $17/hr. Nice step up.

I proved myself at my new company and earned a promotion to $22/hr, that's $46k a year.

Now, I just finished my undergraduate and am interviewing for jobs (that I am fully qualified for) making anywhere from $70k up to $110k. Currently, I'm considering an offer to relocate my family to Chicago for $105k.

18 months ago I was 27. If you would have told me then that I would be qualified for a job paying six figures before I was 30, I would have laughed in your face.

I am not saying that it was easy. In fact, I am saying that it was NOT easy. In 18 months I've earned 17 certifications, including CCNA and CISSP, and did the equivilant of 2 years of college courses through WGU. I did it because I wanted to make a nice living in my chosen field.

Let's go back to that terrible graveyard shift job. When I took that job 4 years ago, I left a position paying nearly $50k (due to ungodly overtime) because it was pushing me out of the IT sector. I was good at that job. I could have stayed with that job and would now probably be working in a mid-level business position making about $60k(before overtime). That was the obvious short money path. The long money path is much harder, but I will be happier and making even more than I could have.

They say that you can't buy happiness, but that's not true (see GT-R pic above). I'll tell you what you really can't buy: my in-laws are proud of me for sticking to my dreams and providing real stability for their daughter.

~~~~~~~~

If you get out of IT for the money, you will never, (let me repeat that) NEVER get back in. To get back in to IT, you will have to take a major pay cut and (like someone said earlier) probably to less than you are making now. That will not be possible when you are providing for not only your wants, but also your family's. Not to mention that you will be behind the tech curve for people that are younger than you so it will be even harder for you to get re-employed in IT. I would sell the 'vette (at a loss if you have to), move to an apartment, and buckle down to pay off the debt. I sold my pristine Mustang and bought a used Civic so that I could do the same.

drkat

Woah.... hold up a second doggy...

I'd quit IT in a HEART BEAT if it meant something different and paid well.. I'm not married to IT. I'd also consider taking the kids to disney actually a pretty good thing... the car will die and you'll have to fix it.. the memories of taking your kids on a trip will last forever..

kriscamaro68

I am not sure that the OP is saying he wants to go disneyland, I think he just wants to pay off bills. Either way there cant be much in the way of decent paying jobs in Belgrade. I have been there and there isn't much. Montana in General wasn't very good unless you go to missoula or billings. I would say look out of state and you will have better luck.

drkat

I'm just saying that we have a finite time on this earth and honestly to be spending it working a thankless job for low pay or even good pay isnt worth it.. I mean if i'm dead.. i dont care about my bills

swild

drkat wrote: »

I'm just saying that we have a finite time on this earth and honestly to be spending it working a thankless job for low pay or even good pay isnt worth it.. I mean if i'm dead.. i dont care about my bills

Gotta say 2 things about this. First, "a thankless job... for good pay isn't worth it." I completely agree. Who wants a thankless job? Go work for an employer that gives a $hit about their employees.


Second, "if I'm dead... I don't care about my bills." THIS IS WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICA. This live-fast,-die-young,-and-leave-a-good-looking-corpse attitude (that I hope you said in jest) is no joke. Your kids will disown you when they realize they will be stuck paying your bills. I know because I did. I went to Disney as a kid. I have shown how much I appreciate the maxed out credit card that was in my name. Starting out into life $10k in debt is a real eye opener. I haven't spoken to them in over 5 years all because they "wanted me to have everything I wanted".

drkat

Been there, done that.. Had bad credit at 12 because my parents did such things.. but I'm just being light about it.. There needs to be a balance between the finances and the job and the activities.. of course

zenhound

Debt doesn't actually pass to your next of kin, FYI. It gets taken out of your estate, if you have anything. If you don't, the creditors are just SOL. Now, they WILL call you and try to get you to pay it through guilt ("Wouldn't they want you to make sure their debts were paid?") but it just doesn't work that way. The appropriate response is to tell them to get bent and good luck suing you for it.

That said, I wouldn't leave IT if it is something you like doing for a living. You'll have a much harder time getting back in. I left to go back to school in a non-IT degree and am now stuck in nowheresville. Don't do it unless you're really sure you don't want to work in IT anymore and are confident the new field will work out. In my opinion, at least.

ThePrimetimer

Thanks a lot Guys! Great responses. That's why people ask for advice is to make sure that they didn't skip something.

As for answering some of your questions, I don't see myself doing anything else, or it's just hard for me to see it. Most of my family works construction and have for years, but it just never suited me. Even now, my little brother is making $33/hr, which is great money, but just something I can't see myself doing everyday. Neither can my wife. So to answer that question, I don't really want to leave IT, I'm just wanting to find a way out of this hole.

The other couple of posts I saw were telling me to sell the Corvette in my avatar. Well, I did, about 2 and half years ago when my first son came along. I knew it just wasn't going to be practical. However, I loved the car and just keep it since I think it looks cool.

Also, I was just using the Disney comparison to say that they are making enough to be able to go on a trip like that. I know one day, I'm gonna take my kids (myself included, as I've never been), just because I want to give them a better childhood than I had. It does feel that way when you see others doing something you want to do. You just get the mindset that "if they can do that, I can too." It's just hard to see others close to you be able to do the things you can't.

On the part of trying to better myself, always. I'm about a year away from my BS-IT at WGU after which I plan to hit the ground running on my Cisco to become an expert in one thing. I'm sure that this will pay off in the future, it's just that I want it now, instant gratification. Hard to break that cycle. I know that there's money in this field, it just takes that experience and time to get there. 4 years in IT and it still hasn't sunk in as far as it needs to.

Although Montana is not the next tech-hub, both my wife and I have family and friends here and its hard to leave that. We live a couple of hours away and get to see them every couple of months, but its hard when your son is scared of his uncles cause he hardly sees them. This might change when the kids are older, but my wife and I just feel comfortable here at the moment. This might make it a bit harder to find that perfect job.

Anyways, thanks for all the comments guys. I gotta stick it out because I see myself going places in IT and just can't anywhere else. Just wanted to get some ideas from others.

astrogeek

ThePrimetimer wrote: »

I'm about a year away from my BS-IT at WGU after which I plan to hit the ground running on my Cisco to become an expert in one thing.

So if you leave now you would throw away all the work you have been doing at WGU as well as your career in IT....not smart if you ask me.

ThePrimetimer wrote: »

Although Montana is not the next tech-hub, both my wife and I have family and friends here and its hard to leave that. We live a couple of hours away and get to see them every couple of months, but its hard when your son is scared of his uncles cause he hardly sees them.

Most people don't want to move to get a better job, that's why most people complain about how little they get paid. The answer should be obvious here: You need to be where the jobs are. Are your family and friends paying for your kids future college costs, or those vacations you dream about? Didn't think so... And I could be wrong, but I thought working at a refinery required a lot of time away from home? At the very least I'd imagine you probably have to work very long hours, so is that really a good idea to give up time from your family for a bump in pay? Money doesn't raise kids, only parents can.

I think giving up on IT so early for a blue collar job that you aren't even really interested in is a horrible idea. You should never make a job change simply because you need more money, that choice will haunt you forever. Do you really want a job you despise going to every day? Or do you want to have a job you can be happy with and your family will be proud of?