Would you take a 10% pay cut to work somewhere more interesting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Currently going through this internal battle. Current job pays great, I’m left alone, my boss trusts me, etc. but I am BORED. Industry is established, processes are old, nobody has a desire to modernize or fix things because quite frankly we don’t have to.


New industry is tech. It’s sexy and has a lot of opportunity to shape how the company will ultimately become more profitable. I believe in the service and the ability to scale. But it pays less & I don’t have the internal reputation I do now.

Yikes. Sounds like a disorganized startup or (yikes) a private-equity owned tech company.

Literally nothing OP said gave any clue if this was a wholly owned subsidiary, late stage startup, early stage, etc.

The fact it’s a 10% cut leads me to believe it’s a late stage that’s turning profit. Much less risky.


Get a clue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I took a 50% paycut to become a teacher and have never looked back. I am so much happier.

I did it pre-kids though, when the only person who would suffer at the loss of income was me. Is the 10% pay cut fun money? Or tighten your belts money?

This. Big difference if it’s 40k from a 400k dual income salary or 30k to 27k and food matters. Going to assume it’s the former since you’re even considering it and you’re at a point this is feasible

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depend on a lot of other variables-

For example if I was a single parent making 200k or under and didn’t try have sufficient retirement savings or college funded then no. If I was part of a dual income household netting 400k+ and savings were on track then absolutely.

This. It should pretty much be the mantra of this forum. "It depends on the details."

[Anonymous]

Yes obviously it depends on the details hit assuming your budget can handle it (or why would you ask) and overall it’s notably better (commute, coworkers, leave, benefits etc) then I would in a heartbeat. Twice I’ve taken 25% pay cuts— once to cut my hours to a reasonable level and once bcs I was bored out of my skull.

[Anonymous]

When I got bored at my job about a month ago, I started doing online jigsaw puzzles periodically during the workday. That cured my boredom.

To me, that was a much better solution than quitting my well-paying, cushy job with people I like, and starting over.

[Anonymous]

I have never taken a cut nor would I.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely. I’m actually doing it. New job comes with more pto, higher 401k match and a pension.

My main reason for switching is more interesting work though.

[Anonymous]

That's an easy yes for me.

[Anonymous]

I did it ~15 years ago with a pay cut from $80k to $70k for a more interesting job but also for my husband’s job relocation. (Yikes! Even now I thought about it.) With the experience I gain from this job I eventually landed a GS 14 position at fed, where I finally felt like my lost pay in the last decade was worth it.

[Anonymous]

I did take a paycut couple months ago. Love the job, hate the pay, can't shake off a feeling that I should have negotiated better and got more money.
Bottom line - I would never do it again

[Anonymous]

So many factors that only you can determine. I think if you can afford the payout, go for it. I have been BORED in a cushy job for over a decade and regret not leaving earlier. The longer you stay, the harder it gets to leave. I'm working on my exit plan, but it's really like pulling teeth at this point because I've become so comfortable.

[Anonymous]

What difference are we talking here? 300k to 270k?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Currently going through this internal battle. Current job pays great, I’m left alone, my boss trusts me, etc. but I am BORED. Industry is established, processes are old, nobody has a desire to modernize or fix things because quite frankly we don’t have to.


New industry is tech. It’s sexy and has a lot of opportunity to shape how the company will ultimately become more profitable. I believe in the service and the ability to scale. But it pays less & I don’t have the internal reputation I do now.

Yikes. Sounds like a disorganized startup or (yikes) a private-equity owned tech company.

Literally nothing OP said gave any clue if this was a wholly owned subsidiary, late stage startup, early stage, etc.

The fact it’s a 10% cut leads me to believe it’s a late stage that’s turning profit. Much less risky.


Get a clue.

Not pp, but your assumption is equally baseless. You don't even know what his/her current salary is. So many know-it-all's here,

[Anonymous]

I'd start a consulting firm, keep current job as one client, take on more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes but tech isn’t necessarily greener. For starters there are a lot of aggressive men in that business you spend a lot of energies dealing with their shitty personalities.

THIS THIS THIS. And I say this as a woman who has been in IT since 2001. Lots of egos and people who think they are better than you. Lots of men in leadership positions who do basically very little and who rely on women to manage everything to get things done.