The More I thinkEmployment Advancement Vs. Loyalty

The grass is not always greener on the other side. I was in the same type of dead end situation and left for another job thinking it was the right choice. It sounds to me you have the ideal situation with time off when sick and you child is sick little gas usage. THINK LONG AND HARD... is this what you really want. can you do a trial run with this new job and if it is not for you go back??

The new job doesn't sound that different to me.
No sick time when you have kids just is not workable.
No ones getting raises for the last 4-5 years so I'd be cautious of promises that could be somewhat empty.
1 week vacation after one year sounds low to me.
I've never had less than 2 weeks a year and after 15 years of service I have 4 weeks of vacation a year now (9 paid holidays).
If you can find a better deal, definitely take it, but this new job doesn't sound very different than your current situation.

You now get paid $13.92.

New job would pay you $13-14/hour. That is basically very similar to what you have now.

New job: No vacation until 1 year after. No paid sick days. 4 day work week at 10 hours per day. $200 for medical and you pay the rest. (so your paycheck will be eaten up by the cost of your medical insurance each pay check). So you may not be making more money at this new job.

Present Job: you can get off whenever you need to, you get sick days and per your child needs, you get paid $13.92, you have off whenever school is closed (that is more than you would get per the new job and you only get 1 week vacation AFTER being employed with them for 1 year), your current job is located only 1 block away from home, gas costs are less too.

You feel stuck in a rut: to me, you have to figure out IF... you feel stuck in a rut because of your job.... or just due to your personal life and personal reasons. IS your feeling stuck in a rut because of your job... or just because you feel bored and perhaps, can find some Hobby or other interests to do as a Mom?

New Job: Advancement would be contingent on IF.... you go to school to be a CMA. And they would then pay for schooling. Are they going to pay for it 100% or just a portion of the costs of schooling and you have to pay the rest???? (2) Do you even want to go to school and know what that will entail in terms of time spent studying, time spent at home and with your child, and can you afford to go to school? In terms of costs and in terms of the amount of time you would be home or not, due to school responsibilities??? And... will the new job pay for your school books AND supplies too? School books and supplies costs a lot as well. This is another cost.

You said you need more money and so have been job searching... but, the new job... is paying about the same as your current job... plus you'd be working 10 hour days 4 days a week and spending more in terms of gas and per your medical insurance costs.
So, would you even be making "more"... at this new job???
Your paycheck will be eaten up by medical insurance costs and gas costs and you get NO vacation for the 1st year. And no sick days. So if you are sick and/or your child is.... you will not be paid and have to pay for childcare if/when your child is sick and has to stay home.

Go to the interview and do your very best! Then, you will know more than you do now about the similarities and differences between the two.

There is NO loyalty from companies for their employers any more. You need to only be loyal to yourself and what will be best for you and your family. I've worked in Outplacement for four years and have worked with hundreds of people who have been laid-off by the companies they may have felt some "loyalty" to. It was not returned.

When I make decisions, I look at all the factors logically and rationally, then in the end I go with my gut feel. After an interview, you'll have more of a gut feel for this new company. And, interviewing is always good practice.

Hi L., only you can answer that question. Take the interview and see how you feel about the place, the staff. Ask them questions about the culture, career prospects, etc. You may not even get the position in which case you don't have to worry about this! If you DO get an offer, then yoiu need to figure out what your priorities are. The money actually doesn't sound that different except you wouldn't have your summers off so I guess annually, you'll pull in more money. That being said, there's a great deal to be said about flexibility and summers off when you're a mom! If that flexibility is smoething that you don't need/won't miss and you really want to focus on starting a CAREER and not a job, then you owe it to yourself to go for it. But really think about this long term to see how you want your life to be. Envision not having summers off and no sick days (how is this even possible?) and see if you're willing to make the sacrifice. Only you can make the final decision!

Hmm..I have a bit of a different take.

Do you need the summer off/flexibility to care for your kiddos? Do you enjoy the freedom you currently have at your existing job? Is your existing job in jeopardy or are you just testing the waters?

Sometimes more money seems REALLY appealing - until you look what you have to give up to get it. For example - my bf was offered this amazing job as manager of HR and was in line to get a $10k raise. She was ready to walk - but then we started talking about flexiblity (she has young kids and currently works a 6am to 2:30 schedule) which wasn't an option at hte new job. She would have to put her kids in daycare longer - pay more for that - and she would not have the come and go options she earned at her current job.

Weigh the benefits. Think about what you REALLY want. Money isn't everything - and I find more and more with the kiddos - it's actually LESS important in a work environment when compared to scheduling options, time off, etc.

Good luck.

I am going to kind of repeat what Christy Lee has said but with a twist.

GO GET THAT JOB!!!

You never really work for a company or a boss you always ever only work for ME, INC. The pay check doesn't come to anyone else but you for the hours you put in. Speaking of hours, your pay stub may say you are getting paid $13.92 per hour but when you factor in the summer off in which you probably should be saving a portion of that money to cover your down time you are essentially making less than that when you annualize it. Unemployment isn't comparable to working in the terms of dollars.

I say go on the interview because interviewing is a good practice skill to have. You know way too much about the benefit package at this potential employer which may leave you very little room for negotiating once they have actually offered you a position. Did they tell you about their compensation or did you find out these things on your own? I don't believe their benefit package will work with what you are looking for in the terms of hours. I say keep looking for new employment for your ME, INC. but go on the interview.

Good luck on the interview. Your gut feeling afterward will tell you more. I will say this: There is something to be said about flexibility.

I have mixed thoughts on this. The first being, if you want to advance you WILL need to change jobs. Loyalty in employment should not be the deciding factor (it can be a tie breaker but shouldn't be the biggest reason to keep you because when push comes to shove the business is looking after the business NOT you so you have to look after you).

You don't say what your current benefits (regarding medical and/or schooling are). $200 towards medical is not much but it is better than nothing. No sick time and one week after a year when you have kids is not much time at all. You're rate of pay wouldn't be much different but they would pay for school....you would also have to work over the summer which means you would have childcare expenses. You currently have off (with pay?) when you need it.

Personally, I would stay where I was unless you really want to be a CMA and move up but I would love to have the income that you have now and still have the flexibility that you allows you off in the summer and whenever else you need it. I would also talk to your boss about a raise (but keep in mind, many people have lost their job in the last four years or took pay cuts).

GO GET THAT JOB!!!

You can do this.

I know you feel loyal to your boss and current employer, but they aren't exactly being very loyal to you, now are they?

I've learned very quickly...nobody is going to care about your career advancement. YOU have to do it. So go get that better job. Don't actually quit the job you're at until you have the other one in the bag...but go interview and don't worry about your old position. It will be filled, especially in this economy.

Based on what you describe, it sounds to me like the issue isn't really loyalty vs advancement, it's whether the potential advantages of the other job outweigh your current job's known advantages. You mention flexible time, stability, and no commute costs; I assume that you get along pretty well with your co-workers now because you didn't mention any issues, and a pleasant work atmosphere is really important. Before you can make a decision, however, you need the full picture, so I think you should definitely go to the interview and get a really good sense of the job, the people, and so on. If you get offered the job, you'll have enough information to make a good decision about where you want to be. I know I'd be a bit concerned about the 'no sick time.' What are you supposed to do if you or your daughter get sick? Just curious... Also, I wonder about the 'raises depend on you wanting it' idea. We all want raises! I hope the company can be clearer about what employees need to do for raises, whether they generally try to keep salaries comparable to the cost of living, etc. B makes some good points about what you might NOT be getting from the other job. Good luck with everything!

I don't understand what you mean by raise if you want it. No job is raise if you want it. Everyone wants a raise, how many do you think get it.

A lot of people I know haven't got a raise in three or four years.

What you need to do is quantify the pros and cons. What are you giving up, what will you be getting. A lot of times if you do this properly you will find a new job isn't worth it.

1: Never worry about accepting a job until you have been formally offered a job. Interview them when they interview you, and weight all facts. Don't sweat leaving old job unless the new job is offered, then of course, if it's the better job, you take it.

But I'm confused. It sounds like the exact same salary with much less time off-though I guess it's more money with so many more hours. I may be misreading though. If the salary is similar to your current one, I would keep job hunting. 8 years is a long time, but you have a pretty good gig with your schedule. Only leave for a better one.

Oh, and if someone said "raise if you want it" that's often code for "We'll never give you a raise, but we have to act like if you are really driven you'll get one". Of course everyone "wants" a raise. That sounds insincere, and would be a red flag for me.

You don't owe loyalty to your employer because it's a business relationship. You show up, you work, they pay you. They don't pay you very much. If the arrangement stops working for them at any moment they can fire you for any reason or no reason at all except, "It's not working out" or "It's not in our budget."

If you have the change to work more hours year-round and make more money than you're making now in a position that has room for growth, then I wouldn't hesitate to take it as long as the interview goes well. Remember that during the interview, you're interviewing them as much as they're interviewing you.

And no, just because your boss is on medical leave that doesn't mean you have to suck it up and stay.

I completely agree with B.

Make a list of you 10 most desired job-related items. Ex:
1. salary
2. advancement
3. autonomy
4. distance
5. benefits
6. sense of accomplishment
7. nice co-workers
8. good boss
9. attire
10. hours/vacation

weigh the pros and cons for each job and see which comes on top.

You sound like you're being much too nice! People leave their jobs when better things come along. Every employer in the world expects this. If this new job really, truly is better for you, then stop thinking "should I take this" and start thinking "how can I mitigate the transition for my current employer." Is your boss reachable at all while on leave? If so, talk to him/her. Also, talk to the new employer and try to negotiate a delayed start date. But, there will never be a perfect time to leave your current job. You need to think about your future. No one else will do that for you.