Rex Kickass Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Long time readers of this board may know that I used to live in Michigan. Gave up radio, traveled Europe. Got back into radio - in a small town, was real unhappy with my life... but happy with my job. Unfortunately, life trumps job in the game of "winodj action card battle." So I'm living in NJ, with a job that I don't much care for, but I'm making a LOT more money. However, I also have a lot more expenses. New car, and much higher rent. My roommate situation has disintegrated and I need to find a new place to live quickly. I found out I may have an opportunity back in Michigan, the same station I worked at when I started on soxtalk. The money is 40 to 50% less than I'm making now, but its in my passion. Right now, neither option seems entirely economically feasible. So what should I do or where should I go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Prawn Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 If you could survive on the money at the potential job, I would look into it. But this is coming from someone who is relatively unhappy with her job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Cost of living should be much cheaper in Michigan right? Maybe you could afford something roommate-free? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreye Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 28, 2005 -> 11:24 AM) Cost of living should be much cheaper in Michigan right? Maybe you could afford something roommate-free? I was going to say the same thing. I ahd a job I was very unhappy with, took the paycut (BIG time) and am now much happier after getting another job within the industry and a promotion. Take the gamble to be happier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted February 28, 2005 Author Share Posted February 28, 2005 At this point the idea is purely theoretical... but a good possibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilJester99 Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Go where you are happy...if the money doesn't make you happy then it shouldn't be that huge a deal to give some up...unless you're a high maintenance mofo lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted February 28, 2005 Author Share Posted February 28, 2005 I lived out of a backpack for four months on 25 dollars a day. I'm anything but high maintenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 QUOTE(mreye @ Feb 28, 2005 -> 10:58 AM) I was going to say the same thing. I ahd a job I was very unhappy with, took the paycut (BIG time) and am now much happier after getting another job within the industry and a promotion. Take the gamble to be happier. I got into the industry the same way. If you want to move closer to home, take the leap. If not, stay where you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 QUOTE(winodj @ Feb 28, 2005 -> 11:16 AM) I lived out of a backpack for four months on 25 dollars a day. I'm anything but high maintenance. Tell that to the poor coffee tables... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreye Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 28, 2005 -> 12:22 PM) Tell that to the poor coffee tables... That took longer than I thought it would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 QUOTE(mreye @ Feb 28, 2005 -> 11:22 AM) That took longer than I thought it would. I was on lunch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 I'm just an old fart who is still searching for the meaning of life, so I don't know squat. But I can tell you this. Your job does not have to be your identity. Having passion for a job is a great thing, but it is not necessary to enjoy life. I figure you need to look at things one of three ways. 1. Can you find a way to enjoy your life (assuming you are not based on what you said) with your current income? This means that if you are unhappy with your job, can you still perform it well enough to keep it and keep the money coming in? If you can, then can you make changes to your personal life so that you can enjoy your time away from work more? Can you afford to lose the roommate? Are there other aspects of your life you can improve on? Are there aspects that you can focus more of your free time on that will give you more enjoyment? If you can find a way to love your personal life and have the money to have a great time and enjoy life, then dealing with a less than perfect job is doable. But if you aren't happy outside of work, a crappy job will make life harder to enjoy. 2. Will enjoying the newer job/location and making less money keep you happy? Now? In 6 months? In 2 years? If you don't have the $$ to do the things you want outside of work, then is happiness from 8-5 worth it? 3. Is there a third alternative? Can you find the time to research a way to make more money, yet do the work you really enjoy? Is there another job/company/location that will provide that for you? Can it be done now or would you have to put in your time and pay your dues to make more money in whatever industry you love? Is radio what you really want to do or are there other industries that can provide a better combination of job satisfaction and compensation? -- Don't get caught up in line of thinking that your job is your identity. Our job is a part of all of us, but if the rest of your life is in order, a job CAN be a means to an end. -- That said, doing what you have a passion for can be very rewarding. If you can combine both a rewarding career and a personal life you enjoy, that is the best of both worlds. But you have to have a minimum amount of money to be able to enjoy life outside of work. For every person that amount is different, but being happy in your job, yet poor can only last for so long. Eventually your job will become less enjoyable because it is not providing you with what you need for personal enjoyment. -- Make sure you aren't just wanting to go back to the old job because you are unhappy where you are now. Sometimes, we want to go back to that old girlfriend when we are not happy or lonely, because we remember all of the good things. We remember the bad things less vividly. If you go back for the wrong reasons, it won't take long to realize it and then you will be looking again. That is not in your best interests or of the girl (company) you are going back to. That is not to say you can't or shouldn't go back if you really feel that is where you belong, just make sure you are going back for the right reasons. Rather than giving you answers, you now have more questions. Hopefully you can find some answers when thinking about these and other questions. It is different for every person and the answers are rarely black and white. Sometimes you just have to look at it from all angles, make a decision and take a chance. In mind, finding balance between enjoying what you do at work and what you do outside of work is the key. Where that balance is for you is the answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigHurt35 Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 It sounds to me like you're going to need a roommate in either case. If I were you, I'd try to find another roommate in Jersey, since the other job will require a 40-50% paycut (!). I don't think it'd be that difficult to find one, as the high cost of rent and car insurance on the coasts ensures a large supply of roommate-seeking singles. It also seems to me that the lower cost of living in Michigan will not offset that huge drop in income. Additionally, moving back to Michigan will cost you money (probably around $1,000, depending on how much furniture you have). If I were you, I'd hold out for something away from the coasts that pays reasonably well. It might take a year or two, but it'd probably be worth it in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxy Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 I would take the pay cut to do something you love. But in the words of my grandma, "Your feet will take you to where your heart is." The best non-answer ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted February 28, 2005 Author Share Posted February 28, 2005 I asked your picture of Noam, but he was no help either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxy Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 QUOTE(winodj @ Feb 28, 2005 -> 01:15 PM) I asked your picture of Noam, but he was no help either. Yeah he usually gives me two stock responses: As soon as questions of will or decision or reason or choice of action arise, human science is at a loss. -or- Colorless green ideas sleep furiously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sox1422 Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 QUOTE(winodj @ Feb 28, 2005 -> 04:16 PM) Long time readers of this board may know that I used to live in Michigan. Gave up radio, traveled Europe. Got back into radio - in a small town, was real unhappy with my life... but happy with my job. Unfortunately, life trumps job in the game of "winodj action card battle." So I'm living in NJ, with a job that I don't much care for, but I'm making a LOT more money. However, I also have a lot more expenses. New car, and much higher rent. My roommate situation has disintegrated and I need to find a new place to live quickly. I found out I may have an opportunity back in Michigan, the same station I worked at when I started on soxtalk. The money is 40 to 50% less than I'm making now, but its in my passion. Right now, neither option seems entirely economically feasible. So what should I do or where should I go? I think the ESPN Radio has na opening for a Pre and Post game host for the White Sox. You should look into that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sox4lifeinPA Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Rex Hudler: "I'm just an old fart who is still searching for the meaning of life." The answer to the meaning of life is 37, just FYI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmmmmbeeer Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 http://www.homefair.com/homefair/calc/salcalc.html see how your salary translates from one location to another. I live in Tulsa these days but would need to make nearly 50% more per year to live the same lifestyle in my hometown of Oswego. Obviously jobs tend to pay more to compensate for the differences, so when a Chicagoan says he makes $90K/yr it may sound like a s***load but it's really not all it's cracked up to be. I really don't like the job I'm currently in but I'm living comfortably and have learned to just realize that work is work, not life, it's nothing more than a means to pay for my real life which most definitely takes place outside of work. Companies/employers only hired you for their own gains, you've got to keep it even and only agree to work for your personal gains, don't allow yourself to get attached to a f***ing job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxy Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 QUOTE(mmmmmbeeer @ Feb 28, 2005 -> 06:46 PM) http://www.homefair.com/homefair/calc/salcalc.html my hometown of Oswego. You graduate from OHS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmmmmbeeer Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 QUOTE(ChiSoxyGirl @ Mar 1, 2005 -> 03:05 AM) You graduate from OHS? Yeah, class of '94...my brother graduated in '98 and my sis would have graduated in '99; Eric, Tim, and Sarah Carlson. Are you an OHS alumn? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 WDJ, Money doesn't buy happiness, but the lack of money certainly buys stress and unhappiness. Be certain to make enough to cover the living expenses. Is this the same job where you couldn't be who you are? That would be the biggest no way Jose to me. Rex mentioned something about the job isn't the be all in this. I remember playing a Chess tournament at Northwestern a dozen or so years ago. Beautiful building on the lake, great views, so I at least enjoyed getting trounced in my bracket. I lost in the first round to the eventual winner. As we were sitting in the kibitz room, playing over the game, we talked about what we did for a living. This guy was brilliant, very high IQ, active writer of obscure topics in equally obscure magazines, perpetual student, top flight Chess and Bridge player, and worked on an assembly line doing mindless, routine labor where he could use his brain for things he felt were important. He earned enough to pay his basic expenses. He loved his life. He commented how everyone around him hated that same job. When they asked him why he loved the job, he said love it while you have it, then love the next one. To that I would add, fake it until you make it. Go into work today and pretend it is your lifelong passion and you are excited and happy to be there. Peace my friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxy Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 QUOTE(mmmmmbeeer @ Mar 1, 2005 -> 03:05 AM) Yeah, class of '94...my brother graduated in '98 and my sis would have graduated in '99; Eric, Tim, and Sarah Carlson. Are you an OHS alumn? Yeah 2000. But I don't know any of your family. Weird! Small world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted March 1, 2005 Author Share Posted March 1, 2005 So I'm thinking lots about this. I really can't decide right now if I would be happier in Michigan or happier here. I like the area, but I don't know that I can afford it. If I stay here, its a lot harder to change my employment because it pays well enough... so getting back into my passion would be more difficult. But if I move, I basically end a relationship that seems to be growing pretty well. The dilemma continues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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