Take a Pay Cut
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- akrokdesign0
some fresh air will be good for you. :-) go for it.
- Raniator0
I hope so.
- neue75_bold0
yes, it can, I've done it twice and in retrospect those are the only two jobs I've learned anything positive from..
- cool, good to know i guess. the money is where the shit is.jimzyk
- well, I did say in retrospect, sometimes you need distance to appreciate what you had..neue75_bold
- studderine0
i took a pay cut from my last gig. ya gots to do what you gots to do.
- i meant to say, im earning less at my current job than my previous jorrrb.studderine
- FallowDeer0
mmm I did the same thing, took a job with a paycut so id be working on better projects etc, didnt work out!
- TheBlueOne0
If you can afford it, do it.
Also, wouldn't hurt to ask the new boss about getting a little something extra against the longer commuting costs, if any.
- monoboy0
Trend setting agencies can always pay less, designers love kudos.
I took a cut to work at an agency. Mainly for the client list, cool studio and reputation. It's long hours and hard work for less, but some of my best work came out of it.
Do it. But make sure they know you ain't know mug. Ask for bonuses for awards and pitch wins. Only fair.
- satogami0
any new chaange of work environment will always be a good move. dont think of the pay at the moment.. now its time to re-structure your life style around your new salary. perhaps you can negotiate a bonus or a raise after 3 months. if this doesnt work you can always look for stronger income elsewhere, but try to work those clients and those gigs that as you say is leaps and bounds better than the current... at least that mental feeling will give you that boost of emotional energy to strengthen your drive to succeed.
good luck.
- grafisk0
If you can afford to work under that eduction in your wage, then go for it! Ive reduced my wage once before to get into the agency i just left, it was also equal to 10k, but 2 years later im leaving and gaining a 30k increase in what i was on, so it works out for your next step!
Goodluck!
- neue75_bold0
The only word of caution I'd throw out there is, try and manage you're own expectations a bit. I mean, try not to actually expect anything from this new job. Take advantage of the good clients and environment, but ultimately it's only you that can make the most of it.. What monoboy said sounds familiar, usually the better the agency, the smaller they are, and the longer the hours which generally leads to burn out.. Usually they can be quite competitive internally too, which for some is nice, others prefer a more collegial environment.. anyways, best to go in positive but not expecting the place to make you a better designer with a better folio, if it does happen, then it's great to be pleasantly surprised, rather than upset that things didn't work out the way you expected..
- k0na_an0k0
there is so much more to a great job than just a salary.
in my experiences it's often times been the little things that made the job so great. the people, the work, a boss who knows his shit and is more than willing to take you under their wing so you can grow as a designer, the office space, chairs, is there a coffee shop nearby, do they have a creative lounge,... so on and so forth.
i've had a few jobs where i've had to take a pay cut but the work, environment and learning experience more than made up for it. i've had the exact opposite too... working for a shite company that throws a ton of money at their employees hoping they won't notice how bad all of the above are.
i hope it works out for you jersey!
- boobs0
Ask for weekly prostitutes to make up for some of the pay loss. Or a few hours alone with the receptionist naked.
- LOKi0
hmmm.... considering doing the same thing right now, moving from a big agency to a small one that I used to work at that is undergoing some major restructuring. The drop would be pretty extreme, but they're dangling partnership within six months, which is enticing, but I don't really understand what that means.
- dividend. ie: you get to share in the company's successmonNom
- BonSeff0
negotiate vacation time to help offset the pay difference
- thatboyneave0
This is a great thread with some useful nuggets of wisdom.
I recently shifted jobs, for the same salary as the previous gig but a better working environment, and I'm learning heaps from the people there. Lost a parking spot in the city but now I’m riding a bike to work so I’m getting fitter - there’s an upside!
Ultimately I guess it's up to you to weight a few grand against your job satisfaction. Maybe later in life with kids and an oppressive mortgage to worry about you might think differently, so enjoy it while you can :)
- exador10
some realy great points and opinions in this thread, primarily kona and bonseff....definitely try and get a little more vacation time, and maybe a bit if a bonus structure etc...also, kona is bang on the money....I've worked at big shops and small, and without a doubt more often than not, the smaller shops where i didn't make quite as much helped me grow as a designer, and i learned a ton..(plus the daily working atmosphere and social/camraderie etc was a big plus as well....)
it's like you're building a wall...each gig, each job is a brick...sometimes the bricks are shitty and won't help build anything, but sometimes they're made of gold....
probably a crappy analogy, but you know what i mean :)
- DaveO0
If the agency you are going to is small, it's a wicked learning curve. Not sure of your current position / experience but going to a smaller agency against a big one can be really good for your experience and skills – I learned SO much when i went from a company / department of 40 to one of 4.
- jerseyred0
THANK YOU ALL - such great views and opinions in here and only 2 posts that reference crack and prostitutes, overall a great turnout.
I actually prefer working at companies compared to agencies so this isn't a shop, it's actually an airline where the fringe benefits include free standby airfare for me, +1 and my parents. Some of the projects include an iphone app, airplane headrest display graphics/animations, airport monitor graphics, a ton of web and email projects, and act as a liaison between the company and a well known agency.
They made an offer and I countered ( I always counter, why not?) so I'm waiting to hear back but what's also curious is that I was contacted out of the blue for the position and after meeting the team I learned that it's just a perfect fit culture wise, work wise, and time wise. I need a change having been at the same company for 3 years and it's simply perfect timing.
Sometimes it's hard, in this industry, to project the long term benefits of taking a new position. How will this benefit my craft, how will the projects improve my portfolio, what new things will I learn, and how does having blue chip brand name experience effect my work experience, and can this lead to a promotion. Ahhh, the beauty of the unknown, but one thing I know for certain is that feeling, the desire to work on great projects, drives every decision I make and that can only lead to success.
- ximeraLabs0
I'd say if you can afford the pay cut, and the bonus points at the new company outweigh that I'd go for it. Happiness in a job goes a long, long way.
- d_rek0
The best perk we have where I work are the dealers around the corner from our building - Get some rocks baby!