What Would You Do? - Los Angeles,CA

In my opinion, I would stay were I was at. Even though the non-profit would pay off the 120K student loan, what if it goes out of business? Right now in this economy that is happening a lot more in the non-profit businesses. My sister works for a non-profit that was doing great for a long time and now, not too well...
I do understand happiness in the job, but you really need to take a good look at it, I think it may not be a happy move like you are hoping for.

There is something to be said for being happy with what you do. But putting food on the table matters more. I'd think long and hard before leaving job that pays $25k more. It would take you forever to get back to the $65k.

I would go a few months stashing away 30% of your gross income. See if you can live that way. If so, then you can absorb the pay cut, plus you'll have some cash saved up for an emergency. If you can't, then you'll know that you "CAN'T" make the switch because you cannot afford it.

Additionally, if you stick at your current position (or one with equivalent pay), if you ARE able to absorb the pay cut, then you could have your loans PAID OFF in 5 or 6 years with no obligations to stick around to get the "benefit" of your loans being "forgiven". Why not pay what you owe? You'll come out ahead. Especially since you already know you don't even want the job that is available to you right now. And in this economy, I think longevity at your job would count for something. Like maybe job security?

The grass is always greener on the other side and if you are not in the financial position to make the move now I would not dream of taking a 25% pay cut.

What is so alluring about the nonprofit sector? I would say that most nonprofits rely on government funding for support and with every government struggling that is the last place I would want to be right now.

Stay with your current job b/c very likely your current "bills" are attached to your income. You are talking about cutting out a 1/3 of your current income. That's not a minor pay cut.

You have pretty much said that you don't want this job b/c it doesn't sound interesting and won't lead to a better career in the future. I would suggest looking for some volunteer opportunities to increase your nonprofit experience on your resume.

To me, it sounds too risky. You are cutting your paycheck by a third to take a job that you don't like any more than the one you have now, based on a small chance that it will help point you more in the direction you want to go. Don't forget the benefits either - would this other job provide the same level of benefits? Because those should be counted as part of your income too - putting money aside for retirement, paying for health insurance, etc. My aunt worked for a non-profit all her life and now she has nothing to show for it - no retirement benefits and she has to live strictly on her Social Security income in Section 8 housing.

Would volunteering with a non-profit be an option?

you'd be foolish to take a lower paying job unless you know for Certain that you can live off of less and be happy and in my experience with friends. Pretty much no one can. So I think it would be foolish. Once you get use to a lifestyle it is yours. 25K less a year is a lot. Well lol for us since we only make about 10K more then that a year and we are a family of 5. That being said can you live off of less. Yes you can we do it with 5 of us. But we have never known more. We live very confortably within our means.

I work for a nonprofit. In fact I have been in NP almost my entire career. You will take a HUGE hit no matter where you go if you want to be in nonprofit. I did a stint in a for-profit company and when I went back to NP, took a $35k hit but gained some wonderfully important advantages for family and life.

It seems that to jump from document processing (and I am not sure what degree that is - legal??) to HR or operations is a big one. You should consider taking some classes at night or online and then start attending SHRM (society for human resource management). If operations is your goal, look to business classes (think eMBA).

Stick with your steady while you train for the future and even when you do take the pay hit, it will be cushioned because you won't be forced to grind away and "build" your way up. You'll come in to the job you want!

Good luck with your decision.

In this economy I would go with the most stable of positions. If you are not 100% ready to jump into the new job, then I wouldn't do it.

No-don't do it. Wait for something better. But the thing is you CAN get an in at a nonprofit by VOLUNTEERING! Find one that interests you and volunteer your time there and get to know all the players. This will:
*show them how great you are so that when a job comes up there you will be considered
*start your network in that field....you can let them know that you would love to work in NP and to keep their eyes open for you. Additionally you will have a source to ask questions and get advice from about how to break into the field.
*you can find out firsthand if you like the field

I would suggest sticking with your good paying job and taking classes to get what is required for HR / Operations. I think Victoria had a good suggestion about stashing your money and not touching it...kind of practice for living on less income. I believe everyone should have at least 6 months living expenses saved up "just in case" anyway.
From your edit: I would say that you have a lot of student debt that needs to be paid (you can't not make a payment for 10 years---that's a really long time). You are in a better position to pay off your debt with a job that pays, right? Perhaps you can do some research, talk to people, see what you're missing to get this job you really want, and go from there. Then you'll have a direction to start moving toward---getting a degree, volunteering your time, whatever it takes.

Good morning SS-
I completely understand where you are coming from with being at a job that is merely tolerable. I too am in a position that pays me a decent salary but this is not what I am passionate about. Additionally, I work with agencies, most if not all, are Non-profits that provide services based on grant funding. That being said, I have seen some of our most prominent NP agencies suffer budget cuts this year and not a huge hope on the horizon to get those dollars back. As a result, they have had to make a lot of position cuts. Most people who get into NP work do it for one of two reasons:
1) They believe in the cause and it isn’t about the money; or
2) It is merely a stepping stone of experience for the next, better paying, job.
So I would look at why you want to go to a non-profit, determine if their cause is what drives you, and go from there. Also, is it HR/Operations that you really want or Non-profit work? Maybe those lines need to be better defined. Someone below mentioned volunteering at one to get your foot in the door and get you the experience you need. See about becoming a Board member of a Non-Profit and get an up close look at the inner workings of a non-profit. Part of my current job allowed me to be a Board Member of a Non-profit for serving under privileged youth and I will tell you, it is all about passion and very little about salary. My hope was to one day secure employment with that Non-Profit and after 5 years on their board, I saw their staff go from 6 PT & FT staff, to one and ½! On a final note, I would take out the caveat of forgiven student loans. That is a bonus we would all like to have but that shouldn’t be a driving force. Again, with all the government cuts I wouldn’t be surprised if that is taken off the table when you hit your 9 years and 11 months with a non-profit. I hope this helps at least give you some food for thought.

I would only make the move if I was really bummed about the current job and dreading going to work everyday. It does sound like what you are looking for tho, and you would be amazed at how much you probably really wouldnt notice the money change all that much. Tough decision.

I would stick with your current job. Never take a job offering less money. You'll regret it later. If anything, find a job with the skills you already have, offering more, so you can pay your student loan off within 10 years.

I would go for the other job, especially if you are not liking your current job. It will give you the experience and they could possibly cross train you into the HR area or Operations. All I can really say is do what makes you happy. Good Luck!

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Honestly, I would only take the paycut if the job offered something I wanted. Like more flexability to be with my fam, etc... or I thought I would LOVE the work.

I would take whatever will make you happiest in the long run! My dad got trapped in a union truck driving job at 18 because he was getting married and then they got prego with me 6 mos later. He has been at that job he HATES for nearly 35 years and is counting the DAYS till he can retire. It stinks living with someone who hates what they do day in/day out. He did it for the reason you mention -- financial stability and so they wouldn't have to struggle. You will have to budget more and be more frugal but IMHO happiness is more important as long as you can still put food on the table, clothes on your family's back and a roof over their heads. It will have to be a joint decision with you and your spouse as to whether you can "swing it"....but it is hard to get a job in a certain realm if you have no experience -- and this is experience in what you want to do. Given your student loans, I would say any additional "education" in this area is probably out of the question so you need experience to get to your end-game. Best wishes and good luck with your decision!