My sister is currently at a crossroads in her current position. On one hand she has been with the company for 8 years and actually enjoys the work that she does, and is very close with her boss. On the other hand, she has been with the company so long, and her pay has not improved with her job duties as it should, and she feels as if she is taking significantly less money for doing a job that would pay her more elsewhere. Should she give up the company that she has grown with over the past 8 years, the company that gave her a shot at such a young age so many years ago in order to make ends meet financially?
Choosing which direction to go can be challenging. It is making a decision based off of what needs need to be met in certain areas more than others. It is a great experience when your job meets all of your needs, something you love, good relationships, feeling worthwhile, all while providing the necessary financial compensation you need to live your life and provide for you family. Although, this is a rare thing to find, a job that checks every box.
In a recent conversation with my sister about her current situation, it is clear that the issue isn’t that she is unhappy with the work that she does, she just is stressed about her family’s current financial situation. As the current Public Relations Assistant, she is regularly interacting with the community, taking pictures, traveling for events, and then uses her expertise to create the monthly town’s newspaper and online newsletters for the community. She loves the job, her schedule is flexible, and her boss is someone she has a great relationship with. She expressed to me that she was putting her resume out there and looking for work, so far as to move out of the area for other career opportunities if they presented themselves. My sister even applied at the local coffee spot, Dutch bros., because she knew that she would make a higher wage working there.
I gave my sister some feedback about places she was applying to, Dutch Bros. for instance, and asked her if that was a place that would make her feel worthwhile. She would be trading one feeling for another. She might be making more money, but the demographic of the position, of the company, is something completely different. I asked her if she saw herself working at Dutch Bros. long-term, if she thought she would fit in amongst the generations that generally work that job… She did not think so. She would be trading her dignity, life fulfillment, and accomplishments for the chance to make more money short-term.
So would it be worth it? Sometimes we have to make that choice so we are able to make ends meet. It doesn’t seem fair to have to make these choices and I wish it were as simple as getting the all-inclusive package with the company’s we work for, but more often than not, we receive one thing in exchange for another.
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