Would you take a 21% pay-cut to change to your preferred occupational field?
11Aerospace>>beer world. Currently I am a sales analyst for an aerospace distributor. An opportunity has come up to work in sales at a beer distributor.
Base is 21% less than my current salary; however, there are monthly incentives/bonuses that I could achieve with the beer dist. Beer is my preferred field but I am still on the fence.
Have you taken a pay cut to switch fields? Do you do what you love or did you go the love what you do route? Do you hate yourself everyday and constantly ponder what if questions? Are you glad you stuck with a stable job? Do you prefer salary? Commission? Salary plus commission? Salary plus bonus?
Bonus points if you work in the beer industry and have advice or insight to what that is like. Goal is to be an outside sales person for a craft brewery.
Thoughts?
- 22 comments, 16 replies
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it depends on how much 21% is and what your current and expected future expenses are
but forget what I just said and do it
@Lotsofgoats Well, the volume of money I will be saving on beer should off-set the loss ;-) just kidding. But it might help!
Interestingly enough, I am in a similar boat. I work in Special Education and I just found out that my program was taken over by a neighboring school district. They decided to pink slip the entire staff of my school, myself included, and we are now all forced to fight against each other for a list of consolidated down positions at the new program they plan to start up next year.
I got into Special education for a variety of reasons, but one major financial reason being that it is an educational shortage area...and thus eligible for Student Loan Forgiveness programs. I'm still two years away from qualifying for loan forgiveness and yet...after getting pinked...I don't know if I will end up returning.
I could take another position, one that will pay more than my teaching position, but I will no longer qualify for any of the teacher loan forgiveness programs. Thus I'm stuck at the crossroads...suck it up for a few more years to qualify for some loan forgiveness...or jump on another career opportunity.
If it helps...I'd go Beer Distribution. Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life. Unless you are fucked with student loan debt...then do what you have to to get outta that fucking nightmare.
@studerc I am fucked with student loan debt... thought of being a police officer or EMT to forgive it.. by the way. My fiance teaches special ed (moderate to severe) and just got a new job. I hope not in your district!
@studerc man, the education field is sure messed up. I'm glad I got out of that side of it before I even started my career. I sure loved teaching though.
@studerc Our school district merged with another district and did the pink slip everyone thing. It was a morale destruction process. It did not bode well for the future. Don't expect an organization that does the pink slip thing one year, to offer any kind of support the next year.
Apply for jobs everywhere, possibly including your current place. Realize that your current place is going to be hellish next year. Hellish for both staff and students. The only good reason to stay would be to try to make it less hellish for the students. This is only worth trying if you feel you can thrive under that much adversity.
There are other reasons to stay. Having a job in your field, near your home is better than a job with an insane commute, and much better than no job at all.
P.S.
Brother-in-law works at a beer distribution company here in Iowa. Loves it. Works a dual role as a salesperson and distributor to local businesses and bars. I got some stellar swag from him for Christmas as he gets a great discount on any apparel that he could "wear on the job". He enjoys craft beers and loves to "sell" a unique beer to a business as it promotes variety and craft brewery.
@studerc WOAH. That is so cool! I wonder if they are owned by Reyes Holdings? Is he happy enough with his job and the company?
@connorbush The BiL is younger than I am and I really think he is undecided as to whether or not he wants to hold onto this job for long. He's been through about 4 jobs in the past two years simply because he is struggling to find his "balance" between being kinda easy...but not boring at the same time. He seems to really enjoy his job and the company he works for is pretty laid back which compliments his style.
If you can actually afford to take the pay cut, I would do it- as @studerc mentioned, if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.
I've got a cousin who works at a brewery doing beer distribution & promotion, and they couldn't be happier.
@dashcloud cool. I work at a tiny brewery now doing tap-room and events. It is just Friday nights and Sundays. Hopefully, I get experience in beer sales at this dist. then after some time I will be in the position to migrate to a larger crafty brewery to do their sales. It is comforting to know these beer-field people are happy in their roles.
I probably shouldn't answer this question.
@katylava That sounds like a story you should tell.
@katylava spill.
@katylava Make a fake account and change some names!
I think if you're at a place in your life where you can afford to take the risk, go for it. You already trade money for happiness; is the 20% worth the opportunity to be happier for 8+ more hours per day?
@DaveInSoCal Valid point. I like that you broke it down as a commodity ish situation.
Agree. Take it from someone who is having similar thoughts but in an even wider swing. Very good paying job doing something I'm good at and have a nice career path carved out, want to brew beer for a living. It's mathematically easier for me to HIRE a brewer than to actually BE a brewer. Not that it would be easy or that I could actually afford to hire a brewer, but that's the disparity. Brewers make about what nannies make. I've thought about beer distribution/brand ambassador/marketing, etc, and it would send me into the industry with less of a pay cut, but not put me in the job that I want.
So the next option is to figure out a way to open a brewery. Good luck to you, and I hope some rubs off on me. For what it's worth, if you can make it work and it's what you want to do, do it. You probably spend 21% of your income on beer anyway.
Edit: I went back and actually read your post. Figure out what your total comp would be, not just salary. A 21% drop to go from all salary to a commission based gig isn't out of this world, and if you're passionate about it, good at it, etc, you'll be able to shrink that gap and potentially even out earn yourself.
@marklog I wish it were comission; however, it is incentive based. I just hope they do not make me push shitty beer all day for incentives, craft is my niche. Good luck with your passion.
Try to become a financial partner. The current craft brewery for which I part time has a few financial partners. They are either silent owners, work on events, or tend the tap-room one night a week then just provide funds in exchange for partial ownership.
That way you can learn the entire business, the brewing, distribution, retail, etc. Just food for thought.
Or do like my buddy does. Keep a full time job then run an events-only brewery. He makes beer exclusively for events, weddings, festivals, etc. It is kinda cool. He interviews couples then makes a beer that is their essence or whatever and bottles and brands it for weddings. Once you are well-known enough, open a tiny tasting room then keep the momentum rolling!!!! I believe in you @marklog I wish my luck to go your way!
ORR Contract brew through a microbrewery. It is a little more difficult because their volume is generally too many barrels and you would need to move it quickly. I bet some meh-ers would pay you to ship out cases to them. I know i would buy at least one!
Pretty sure I'd take a far larger cut than that to get out of my slump-hole. Happiness is pretty valuable.
Do it. What's life without taking some risks in the pursuit of happiness?
You might not end up making the money you want to make - but if that's the worst to come out of it, you're still ahead!
Ahead because if you don't, every bad day is going to end with the question "Why didn't I take the fucking beer gig?"
I took a 110% pay raise to get into my preferred field. That feels nice!
@luvche21… That must have been an incredibly tough decision. I don't envy you that one.
@haydesigner ha, when I actually got the job offer, I did tell them I'd call back the next day... I tried really hard to negotiate for an even higher salary (which is kind of normal in my field), but it didn't work. Didn't have to think twice about taking the job though :)
I took a 20% pay cut about five years ago. I don't make enough to take another 20% cut unless it's a sinecure.
However, if a 21% cut in base comp would still pay the bills, I would follow my dream rather than go through the motions.
I guess I'm lucky in that I love what I do and I more than doubled my pay by going back to school for my career. Yes, I'm still paying off a shit ton of loans but at least I can afford to do so now. In my 20's I was always the kind of person who would quit my job and find something new if I didn't like what I was doing. But those were jobs that paid $25k or $30k a year. When I finally ended up working for a company that I thought could be a true career move, I settled in and was content that I was now making halfway decent money. Turned out in the end, the company sucked, the pay really wasn't enough to live on if I ever wanted to have any fun in my life, and I had started thinking about returning to school. Fortunately, three years in the choice was made for me as they closed our department. Out of a job in March, back in school in May. Eventually I would have (probably) gone back to school but it's so easy to become stagnant and comfortable in your career that change becomes exponentially scarier the longer you wait.
Moral of the story: Do what truly makes you happy. Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, you're probably not going to remember your past lives so you should do what makes you happy in the one you're currently shitting in.
Many moons ago, I took that cut. I was a single mother and it was one hell of a lot of money. I have no regrets at all. None. I love what I do. And one of the companies I worked for after I made the change, used as the recruitment slogan - DO WHAT YOU LOVE, LOVE WHAT YOU DO!
They are not exclusive, having both is the most fulfilling career choice you can make.
Good luck with beer. Hope it is an awesome micro/mini that makes something that even beer dislikers like.
If you can afford to, do what you love. Especially (but not only) if you are young.
Life lesson: you won't look back and ask if that extra money was worth it if you dreaded the work every day.
I got into broadcasting because it's fun; it sure doesn't pay that well. But it's not as much fun anymore. The bad hours and high stress have burned me out, so I'm getting out. The industry itself is also changing, and I'm not sure there will be many jobs left doing what I like in another few decade or two, outside of live sports. Whatever I end up in will almost certainly pay better. I have the experience where I could move up to a better paying job in broadcasting, but I don't think that will address the fun being gone.
The pay cut alone isn't the factor. The bigger question is: can you afford it? If you can, don't leave yourself with regrets in the future.
Figure out if you can pay the bills without struggling or feeling deprived. If you can, absolutely do it. I took a 25% cut 8 years ago to go from running the kitchen of a private club to teaching at a culinary school. Completely worth it.
Whatever you choose, send me some beer.
Anytime you switch industries, you'll take a hit. However, there's no reason why you can't work your way up in the beer industry.
I dropped out of my career as a professor to teach yoga and do massage full time. I did it 10 years ago...it's hard. Yoga money is a joke and any real money I make is from massage. I don't get vacation, I don't get sick pay...if something happens to me physically like it did last year (tendinosis in my elbow)....I'm super fucked because I'm single.....
BUT I get so much satisfaction from helping people out of pain and discomfort. (PEOPLE LOVE ME...A LOT)
I make my own schedule, I'm my own boss, I get to sleep in...this is all after paying off my undergrad and grad degrees over ten years....
As others have said, if you can afford it, do it...rotting at your job is soul death...struggling to get by (like I do) isn't easy, but I wouldn't go back to the desk job, to the fucked up administration of academia, to the commutes and office politics, to the crappy 1-3% state raises at the university.
Life is short...don't postpone your potential happiness and freedom for $. It's all an exchange. We're all going to die, but some people are living dead because they are suffering at their jobs to make a living...if you have the opportunity to shift, why wouldn't you? You may have to wait years for another tempting alternative and how much deleterious bullshit will you take for $?
If you stop eating out you will save 20%....that's one of the main ways I can afford to be the hippie that I am. Cooking at home can save you so much...
Good luck tho!
@shells cooking at home. noted.
I say as long as your needs will be met, go for it. I took a 100% pay cut to get out of a miserable job and never looked back. I lived on savings (aka unused vacation) for a bit and had to get a little creative, but now I'm making a little more than I was before and am WAY happier.
Honestly, I couldn't cut my income that much, so I started freelance editing last year to shift careers more slowly. My hope is to keep doing the boring-but-easy work that pays OK and is steady until the point where my freelancing has enough financial stability to switch entirely.
Money can't buy happiness but love don't pay the rent.
21% from job A to B isn't the important percentage. The important percentages are what you need to live an acceptable lifestyle. If job A pays 140% of that amount, definitely take a 21% pay cut to do what you love. If job A only pays 105% of that amount, that's a different story.
Only you know what you're willing and able to cut in your budget to pay for the career change. Are there lifestyle costs that would go away if you change careers, such as clothing, commuting, and so on. Are you single or do you have a family to support? What are the long term career opportunities in job B versus job A?
Most important, are you running away from job A or toward job B?
@pavonine must think on this one. important last question.