Week 1 – Compensation as a Motivation Factor

Two months ago made the decision to quit my job. I was struggling to complete my degree while working full time, and I decided I needed to focus on school. Recently, I was offered an internship at a financial planning firm. I was hoping to allow myself more time to focus on school before going back to work, but I decided to seriously consider the opportunity.

Throughout the interview process I was honest about my reservations. I let them know that although I was interested in the role and I needed the income, I would be hesitant to accept an offer because I needed to allow myself enough time to focus on school. After four interviews, I received a call from one of the partners of the firm offering me the position. Most importantly, his offer included the ability for me to work limited hours, the ability to make changes to my schedule as needed, and the option for them to hold the position for me until I completed my degree in June. After a week and a half of contemplation I finally decided to accept the position starting in February.

I am confident that although the monetary compensation was a significant contributing factor to my final decision, I would not have accepted the offer if it weren’t for the additional nonmonetary compensation of flexibility with my academic schedule.