Just wondering what people's thoughts would be if they were faced with the same work dilemma...

So, I'm a recent casualty of the downturn in mining, but moreso due to the actions of a psychpathic manager and a back-stabbing collegue, but that's a story for another thread.

As most would know, jobs in engineering are very thin on the ground at the moment and having been out of work for some time now, I need to find a job, pronto.

I've been offered a job with a company that does some very interesting work, but the pay is significantly less that I was on previously, and truth be told, less than the skillset I have deserves.
But as I said, the nature of the work is interesting and I'd be good to learn about what they do.

The dilemma is, do I take this job, or do I hang out for other potential jobs to come through, which the pay would be more on the level I'm after, but may or may not be as interesting?

It's a bit of a 'bird in the hand' situation I guess.

What would you do if you were in this situation?

So do you need to eat and pay bills?...... If you do you have the answer.

Take the new one, with the forethought once told to me. Each day there is an opportunity that passes each person, most miss them. Don't let this one slip by, as you never know what it will unfold into. If you have good skill sets, the new company will spot these and awayyyyyy you go

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mineral1 said..
Take the new one, with the forethought once told to me. Each day there is an opportunity that passes each person, most miss them. Don't let this one slip by, as you never know what it will unfold into. If you have good skill sets, the new company will spot these and awayyyyyy you go

+1 on that

^ What they said.

I was in a very well paid role, but after many years with the same company I was getting bored and felt that I was stagnating.

I left for a role that paid much less, but the work was very varied, challenging and I had the opportunity to learn a whole new industry. They have now extended my original 2yr contract for another 6 months and are currently looking at ways to put a permanent role together that better utilises my skill sets...

PS - You adjust to the change in salary.

+1 to the advice above.


i'm not trying to be harsh or knock your self esteem oceanfire but with reggards to this:
" but the pay is significantly less that I was on previously, and truth be told, less than the skillset I have deserves. "
i have had instilled in me that what you deserve is dictated by your effort, and the level of appreciation of those thereby indebted to you. the type of thinking you have here will be a road block to future opportunities as you apply your standard of remuneration to others that may see your skills vastly differently in terms of value. it is of course harder with employment, as you will be conscious of industry rates and going current levels, but in the bigger picture most of those rates have been inflated in WA, and some belt tightening is inevitable with the current engineering market

without going to far down another road i apply a version of the ideology above in most areas of life, and soon learn who not to "try hard" for as they don't reward you be it with monetary, in kind help or simple respect, whereas you also learn who you are happy to do things for purely due to the happiness it brings and the reward of your own fulfillment. but i digress.

take the job - give it your all. i'm sure you will find success.

You don't have a job, you need a job, you've been offered a job. Which bit is the dilemma?

From experience it is easier/less stressful to get a job when you already have one.

Accurate or not, people often assume that if you are out of work that there is a reason, other than choice.

If you currently have a job, there is the assumption that you are good at it.

So, on that note, take it. If it doesn't work out for you, then worry about your options.

Wouldn't there also be quite a few engineers looking for work too? Forget about the lucky one or two that may land the ideal job with a great salary and think of the others that may not find any opportunities.

I wouldn't bank too much on getting a salary like you may have had in Engineering (associated with mining) over the last couple of years. Engineers are a dime a dozen at the moment, and with fewer and fewer large scale EPC packages being awarded at the moment, most people are bidding work to stay afloat as opposed to making a profit. Clients know it and are driving labour rates down. If you have a "reasonable" offer, take it. If better comes along later, reassess then.

Agree with everyone saying take the job. Salaries are likely going to fall over the next few years in engineering, so best get used to less cash in hand. I know what it is like to lose a job and have to take a big (30%) pay cut, but it eventually gets easier and if the new job is more interesting with new skills to learn jump on it! Focus on gaining new skills as having too niche a skill set actually kills your marketability

More important than salary do the hours work for kite surfing?

Seriously, if they know you are taking a pay cut then you may be able to negotiate some less costly benefit like work hours (9am till 15 knots?).

I'm an engineer too. I don't see engineering turning around any time soon.

Don't take the job. Leave it for someone who will appeciate and stick with it.

Not good to start with a job and jump as soon as another slightly better one comes along.

Better for you to wait for the role and rate that you have been used to, and deserve.

Stick with the wait. The market will get better.

What is the role? What is your skill set/profession?

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Radmac said..
Don't take the job. Leave it for someone who will appeciate and stick with it.

Not good to start with a job and jump as soon as another slightly better one comes along.

Better for you to wait for the role and rate that you have been used to, and deserve.

Stick with the wait. The market will get better.

What is the role? What is your skill set/profession?

This advice is all very good if you don't have any liabilities and can live on nothing. Sure, it sounds like the best thing to do if you can choose to have a job where you think its perfect, but those are not that common.

'The market will get better'? Under what assumptions are you making this? Is this a guarantee of some kind? It is easy to fall into a trap of thinking things will get better and find that they actually get worse for a little while.

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Radmac said..
....
What is the role?

What is your skill set/profession?

" a job with a company that does some very interesting work, but the pay is significantly less that I was on previously, and truth be told, less than the skillset I have deserves. But as I said, the nature of the work is interesting and I'd be good to learn about what they do."

I'd guess the job is a moderator on Seabreeze.com.au forums and the skillset is digging holes in the desert ?

Thanks for the good advice, guys.
You pretty much confirmed my thoughts on the matter, it's good to have a sounding board like this to clarify things.

Definitely taking the job and I'm not a job-hopper, so once I commit I'm in fully.
Will be a good change of scene and job role, should learn some good stuff that I've been wanting to get involved with for a while now, and as you say, it could go anywhere.

@mazdon - yeah that did sound a bit snobby , that's not me at all, didn't mean it to come across that way; I was always taught to put in an honest day's work for an honest day's pay.

@KiwiDave - good point! that's definitely something I need to negotiate, but they seem pretty easy going to allow that sort of flexibility.

Cheers, much appreciated, all.

Work sucks.

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japie said..
Work sucks.

japie wins

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japie said..
Work sucks.

Work that you don't enjoy sucks!
If you enjoy your work it's like going on a holiday every day.

I'm always jealous of people in interviews when they say they really love their job and don't know what they would do if they couldn't do it.
I always thought they must be really good liars but apparently some people actually do love their job.

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oceanfire said..
I've been offered a job with a company that does some very interesting work, but the pay is significantly less that I was on previously, and truth be told, less than the skillset I have deserves.
But as I said, the nature of the work is interesting and I'd be good to learn about what they do.

What a bitch of a situation to be in!! I really feel for you mate.

What a hard choice to have to make.

The work is on offer but are they paying enough to make it worthwhile me getting out of bed.

Throw it up to the brains trust and see what they say.

What other personal problems have you got that people on the internet you don't know and who don't care can help you with??

Grow a pair of balls mate and take a commission only job.

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cisco said...

oceanfire said..
I've been offered a job with a company that does some very interesting work, but the pay is significantly less that I was on previously, and truth be told, less than the skillset I have deserves.
But as I said, the nature of the work is interesting and I'd be good to learn about what they do.

What a bitch of a situation to be in!! I really feel for you mate.

What a hard choice to have to make.

The work is on offer but are they paying enough to make it worthwhile me getting out of bed.

Throw it up to the brains trust and see what they say.

What other personal problems have you got that people on the internet you don't know and who don't care can help you with??

Grow a pair of balls mate and take a commission only job.

Yeah! Take that!

You sure told me. Good work, champ.

He probably won't tout his skills on here to stay within Laurie's rules, but I got in touch with Oceanfire through this forum and he did some CAD design and 3D-printed prototyping for me. I was really happy with the results and cost. If anyone has an idea/design and need some drafting and/or prototyping it sounds like the man has capacity at the moment!

Good luck mate.

Cisco what's rubbing your cracker.

Take the job until you find a better one and then move onto another one. YOU GO TO WORK TO BENEFIT YOURSELF not your boss

The business only survives if the people are there to benefit both parties, the business and yourself.
If you're there only for you own benefit it usually becomes obvious to the boss and you will be the first one out the door when times get tough.

How about for a reality check on yourself do some labouring work or even deliver boxes for a courier company. Then you will realise you are a bit precious and should take the job that you are overqualified for and suck it up in order to support yourself and family (if req)

Or you can pop on down to Centrelink and see what other unemployed people think about your dilemma..

Simular prob here...Hate the job I am in....pays pretty good....hate going to work....hate being at work....hate sundays because work is tomorrow...

Looking for a job that I know will defiantly pay less but will make a large part of my life happy.

As long as I can pay the Bills, eat and buy new toys every now and then, that will do me...

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RPM said..
How about for a reality check on yourself do some labouring work or even deliver boxes for a courier company. Then you will realise you are a bit precious and should take the job that you are overqualified for and suck it up in order to support yourself and family (if req)

Or you can pop on down to Centrelink and see what other unemployed people think about your dilemma..

Well that's the thing isn't it?
We study and increase our skills so that we can make the most out of out working life, otherwise we'd all be labouring and delivering boxes.
That's the story we're all fed, right? So is it too much to expect to be able to earn what you think your worth?

I guess it is at times when we get caught up in the boom end of the economic cycles. The main thing is being able to be realistic about the current state of things when the bust end of the cycles hit, and making the necessary adjustments to your circumstances.

So, as I stated previously, I wasn't meaning to come across as precious, just using this forum as a sounding board as there are a lot of experienced people on here who speak a lot of sense, and whether or not I know then, or they me, there is some great knowledge to be gained and experiemce to learn from if you just ask.

That's what makes seabreeze so great.

Oh and as well as reading what the surly, paranoid, nut-case, over enthusiastic, angry and just plain crazy people have to say.

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oceanfire said..

RPM said..
How about for a reality check on yourself do some labouring work or even deliver boxes for a courier company. Then you will realise you are a bit precious and should take the job that you are overqualified for and suck it up in order to support yourself and family (if req)

Or you can pop on down to Centrelink and see what other unemployed people think about your dilemma..

Well that's the thing isn't it?
We study and increase our skills so that we can make the most out of out working life, otherwise we'd all be labouring and delivering boxes.
That's the story we're all fed, right? So is it too much to expect to be able to earn what you think your worth?

I guess it is at times when we get caught up in the boom end of the economic cycles. The main thing is being able to be realistic about the current state of things when the bust end of the cycles hit, and making the necessary adjustments to your circumstances.

So, as I stated previously, I wasn't meaning to come across as precious, just using this forum as a sounding board as there are a lot of experienced people on here who speak a lot of sense, and whether or not I know then, or they me, there is some great knowledge to be gained and experiemce to learn from if you just ask.

That's what makes seabreeze so great.

Oh and as well as reading what the surly, paranoid, nut-case, over enthusiastic, angry and just plain crazy people have to say.

Btw, get a haircut

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fingerbone said..
Simular prob here...Hate the job I am in....pays pretty good....hate going to work....hate being at work....hate sundays because work is tomorrow...

Looking for a job that I know will defiantly pay less but will make a large part of my life happy.

As long as I can pay the Bills, eat and buy new toys every now and then, that will do me...

Had a quantum change in attitude toward work when I finally came to my senses and realised that the toys just dont do it anymore. The novelty wears out quicker than the toy. My time doesnt have a price on it.

^ Nailed it

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japie said...

fingerbone said..
Simular prob here...Hate the job I am in....pays pretty good....hate going to work....hate being at work....hate sundays because work is tomorrow...

Looking for a job that I know will defiantly pay less but will make a large part of my life happy.

As long as I can pay the Bills, eat and buy new toys every now and then, that will do me...

Had a quantum change in attitude toward work when I finally came to my senses and realised that the toys just dont do it anymore. The novelty wears out quicker than the toy. My time doesnt have a price on it.

So...you don't work?