this past thursday at the socialmediaFTW conference, i learned that 94.5% of all blogs end up being abandoned. and as friday was my 2 year bloggy-versary (though i’m not blogging with quite the gusto that i once did), i wanted to take a minute to celebrate the accomplishment of actually lasting this long. even if i stopped today, i’d still have been blogging longer than i managed to stay married, or longer than i have ever gone to the gym consistently.
in addition to celebrating my unlikely survival in the blog universe, i also have something else kind of exciting to celebrate. on october 12th, i’ll be starting a new job!
it’s pretty exciting stuff actually. it’s a position where i will have a chance to learn something new, better benefits, and a whole bunch of vacation (even snow days!), and an actual ladder to move up (you know, if they like me). unfortunately, with all this awesomeness, comes one minor downside: SUBSTANTIAL PAY CUT.
not so substantial that i can’t pay my bills, but substantial enough that the cushion i had grown accustomed to having has become more of petite throw pillow. very petite. and i’m scared.
but i’m positive that sometimes it’s worth making monetary sacrifices for happiness. i know people who have given up their jobs to stay home with their kids. i know people who have worked crap minimum wages jobs and lived like monks so that they could paint all day. sometimes, moving up isn’t just about bigger paychecks and 401ks. for me, moving up is aiming my cannon toward a career path that i think could be “the one”, even if it means $7,000 less dollars in my pocket at the end of the day.
for all of me that is freaking out about the downgrade, there is a matching part of me that is excited to see if i can make it work. excited to have an excuse to eat out less and shop less and be resourceful again like i was when i lived in the suicide apartment (minus the bologna sandwiches). and unlike hiding my credit cards in the freezer or stashing part of my paycheck in a secret bank account, this isn’t an exercise.
so yes, broke207 just got broker than ever. and chances are it won’t be nearly as sparkly and fun filled as it is in my fantasies. you, on the other hand, can have yourself a grand old time watching me struggle to get back to the surface.
anyone out there have any good advice for a girl who just traded $7,000 for a chance to find out if career fulfillment isn’t actually just a myth purveyed by colleges to make you feel less bad about your student loan debt? (seriously, anything but ramen. GO.)
broke 207 
supplemental income! turn ye not to the red light trades, but instead open an Etsy account or sell collectibles you’re willing to part with on the Ebay? That’s how I’ve made $6k less per year work for the last two years! 🙂
yeah, but you have a thing that you do! i’ve never been able to find an etsy idea that really worked for me. i’m jealous of your niche!
I for one admire your decision. I know that I would be taking a pay cut if I landed a job in a field that I found fulfilling. Perhaps your success will inspire me to someday make the leap.
thanks corey. here’s hopin that it doesn’t completely blow up in my face. what’s your dream leap?
Grats on the new job! I know how you feel about taking the pay cut. I did that when I moved to Maine, and I just did it again working at Baxter Brewing, but man, I love working there, and I love living in Maine. So, it works out in the end.
i actually know a lot of people taking pay cuts for happiness lately. it’s kind of weird. you would think that people would be holding on to every dime they can grab in this shit economy… but i almost think that it has made people reevaluate their lives a little and decided that maybe chasing those dollar signs isn’t worth it after all.
Congrats! There is a lot to be said for job happiness, it’s the reason I am at a job I agreed to only work for 1 year but am still there 3 years later. I like being happy, for me autonomy is huge but I freely admit earning less can be rough at times. Especially when my peers are headed towards 6 figures and well 6 figures is nowhere in my future.
Sometimes we have to take a leap of faith and trust that it will all work out. Congrats as well on making 2 yrs with the blog.
thanks! i’m not that excited about the pay cut, but i’m hoping that the happiness will distract me. 6 figures seems like a delusional dream for me too, and i’m sort of ok with that. not having any money keeps me from being lazy and taking the nice things that i have for granted. i think it’s easier to be satisfied when small luxuries feel like big ones. or at least that’s what i tell myself so i don’t feel like a failure 😀