How much money would you like to earn?

Discussion in 'Employment & Jobs' started by Ozzie, Oct 31, 2007.

  1. zebulebu

    zebulebu Terabyte Poster

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    Holy shite.

    And I thought I was doing well!

    You know what? I looked down at the offer I was made a week ago and thought "I can't believe they want to pay me this much to do something I love doing". I'm still absolutely baffled - and think that someone, someday is going to find out - that I get paid to do what I love. I look at all those tossers in the city, or working in shitty office jobs and pity them. It took me a while to decide what I really wanted to do in life, but finding IT made me realise what 'career-minded' meant :)

    PS: I haven't actually accepted the new job offer yet - any positions at your place? :biggrin
     
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  2. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    This entire discussion reminds me of a radio talk show I listened to while the wife was making a quick trip into the grocery store last night.

    This gal calls in and says she's a stay at home mom with two kids. She's making 35K a year just doing part time work as a teacher for an online college course. She had just been offered a job a month ago for $75K plus bonuses for around another $60K a year plus matching IRA and some other perks. The company had come looking for her. She hadn't gone looking for anything. She and her hubby had talked it over and decided that the extra money she would clear after child care expenses and the increase in their taxes was worth giving up being a stay at home mom so she turned it down.

    This week the company called her back and upped their base offer by around $60K a year with even better bonuses and benefits. She called to talk to the talk show host about whether or not she should accept it. After they talked it over she decided that she would just wait until her youngest would be in school in a couple of years. She and her hubby didn't need the money all that much as basically their only debt is their mortgage, and he already makes almost $200K a year.

    I look at what I'm making compared to that, and well, I make peanuts, literally. You know what? I don't care. I'm doing something that makes a difference in the lives of people who are having a real struggle. I know. I've been there and done that. I've gone through exactly what they are experiencing, and if I can ease the time it takes them to get back on their feet, to help them get through it in a shorter time, that's worth more than money to me.
     
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  3. dmarsh
    Honorary Member 500 Likes Award

    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    Money's not everything, but it can sure help ;)

    Loads of people in major cities of first world countries earning six figure salaries, while people in the third world are lucky to get $1 a day, go figure.

    As for the negotiation, just realise thats what it is, companies that don't even put a range down are playing hardball, its 'you show me yours and i'll show you mine', or 'whats your minimun', they are leaving the door open so they can lowball you. The most obvious counter tactic is to ignore their feelings and just plain ask what the job pays, after all its a pretty important piece of imformation ! Most compaines have a figure in mind, have costed it with accounts etc, very few companies really have a wide open figure.

    Of course all this depends on how strong a position you think you are in, but remember half of negotiation is having the balls to front people out.

    I've also heard of people in finance getting offers in the city, when they turned down a £125k job it was doubled to £250k. Like I said IT's not about the money, you should do it because its a passion !
     
  4. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    Then there is the opposite tactic companies will use. They demand to know up front, before they have even seen your resume, before they have even thought of making a choice as to who they will interview, how much money you're going to ask for. If you reply that the money is up for negotiation, or what the job is worth on the local market, that's the last you ever hear of them. Been there and done that. It's just another tactic to make the salary issue completely one-sided, and all in the company's favor.
     
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  5. onoski

    onoski Terabyte Poster

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    What he said and QFT:biggrin. At the end of the day as long as you're getting job satisfaction and are happy with what you're doing as a career then the rest is almost insignificant.

    Don't get me wrong money is very important but should not be the main deciding factor. Just my two pence worth of opinion:biggrin
     
    Certifications: MCSE: 2003, MCSA: 2003 Messaging, MCP, HNC BIT, ITIL Fdn V3, SDI Fdn, VCP 4 & VCP 5
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  6. grim

    grim Gigabyte Poster

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    some where between 50 and 100k should do. planning on emigrating when i'm older so wage may not mean anything, depends where i end up :)

    grim
     
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  7. greenbrucelee
    Highly Decorated Member Award

    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

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    I would like to emigrate at somepoint, somehwere like Texas or Miami (but in the bit that misses the tornados),

    Or Austrailia, just somewhere warm really.
     
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  8. mattwest

    mattwest Megabyte Poster

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    Some good advice i once had is to take work out your bare minimum requirements. So lets say that 20k to make ends meet (just an example)..... then you work out you "good" or middle figure. So lets say 25k. Finally your dream figure.... the one that would make you jump for joy...so lets say thats 30k.

    So you take your good figure and your dream figure and you have your range. So in this example it would be 25k - 30k

    It works easier when they give a salary band. So if the salary said 22k - 26k. You could say "Well i'm ideally looking for a role with a salary of between 25k and 30k. I see from your job spec that your offering a salary of up to 26k so i think we definately have something to work with".

    Whats the worst that can happen? - You can haggle down. But its better to haggle down from a high number than down from your minimum number!!

    If they dont give a salary band and you cant find out.... then do yours sums. Work out bear minimum and what you would like. At least that way you would be more prepared when they tell you the range.

    Personally and it sounds ungrateful, but i wont apply for a job until i know roughly what salary is offered. One job for a sys admin is offered at 40k, then next for 15k. If i want 30k then there is no point wasting my time and that of the recruiter if i am going to turn the job down due to the salary at the last minute.

    I recently got a new job and the salary offered was "up to 37k" So i asked for 35K. I didnt want to push 37k and market myself out plus that left 2k for yearly increases. I was offered the job on 34k basic, so cant complain too much. But i also do on call work which bring in another 4.5k plus my weekend job.

    Finally when i was 18 i set myself the goal of 45k by the time i was 30.... so i'm not far off at age 26. In the future i'd like to earn maybe 60k or 70k.... enough to afford a mortgage, bills, a decent lifestyle and to be able to put some money in the bank. Anymore than that is cool, but only if its a good job and doesnt rule my life! Sometimes money isnt everything! (But it helps!!) :twisted::D
     
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  9. Phoenix
    Honorary Member

    Phoenix 53656e696f7220 4d6f64

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    Thats true
    to a point
    personally if work was totally satisfying or not, if it takes away too much from life, its not worth it
    a great job has a healthy work/life balance,
    I read something once that said, in this millennia, Work is something you do, not somewhere you go
    a very true sentiment, our jobs can be done from anywhere in this connected world, and that balance is just as important as anything else
    I love my job sure, but I want to be able to enjoy my passion in my own time, as well as at work, otherwise it will get to the point where its no longer your passion :)
     
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  10. onoski

    onoski Terabyte Poster

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    Agreed:biggrin, thanks for the break down and balance brought into the equation as I couldn't have said this better.
     
    Certifications: MCSE: 2003, MCSA: 2003 Messaging, MCP, HNC BIT, ITIL Fdn V3, SDI Fdn, VCP 4 & VCP 5
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  11. greenbrucelee
    Highly Decorated Member Award

    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

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    I dont really want a lot of money, but I do want a job that I enjoy and that pays me enough to allow me to enjoy life outside of work.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, Security+, 70-270
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