Would you change jobs to make a dollar a week more?

[TruthIsAll]

The seminal year in my life was 1965. Viet Nam was just starting to heat up. I graduated college in February. Shortly afterwards, I had an interview with an large defense company just five minutes from my home. I didn't get the job. I was very dissapointed and resigned to being drafted.

A few weeks later, I had another interview for an Actuarial Trainee position with a large insurance company. This time I got the job. One hundred twenty five bucks a week. In the big city, too. I was excited. Free lunches and lots of girls.

The first day on the job, I came home from work and there it was: a belated job offer of Manufacturing Engineer from that defense firm. One hundred twenty six bucks a week. Almost uncanny, like they knew that they had to beat my salary, even if it was just by one buck.

But my pride said no, I won't take it. They turned me down once - so fuck 'em; I'll stay at the insurance firm. Besides, I liked the girls. Of course, my parents wanted me to take the job at the defense firm so that I might get a draft deferment building airplanes. Their better judgment prevailed and I decided to take the job. Any kid would have done the same. I was very lucky.

I resigned from the insurance company two weeks later and went to work in aircraft and aerospace manufacturing. It turned out to be the best job of my career. My co-workers were the salt of the earth, the nicest bunch of guys I ever had the pleasure of working with. They were mostly technical school graduates from suburbia.

I was a Cold War "Hawk" in 1965. I believed everything the government said was true: we were fighting the Communists in Southeast Asia to prevent them from taking over the world.

In 1968, MLK and RFK were assassinated. Each by a "Lone-crazed" gunman. Just like JFK. Right.

I left the world of the MIE in 1969. It took me a few more years before I lost my naivete. About the war. About JFK. About America.

I could not imagine, during that awful time, that things could get much worse. But they did. And here we are.

[lcordero]

1. HELL YES

every little penny counts. I don't see any jobs around that have pensions. Hell, I saw plenty of people that got screwed out of their pensions in the mid to late 1990s because of mergers. I have to look out for myself and make my life better because nobody is going to do it for me.

The only thing that is owed to an employer is a day's worth of work for a day's worth of pay.

[styersc]

2. That's roughly $150 a week more in 2003 dollars.

That's a week's take home for a minimum wage job after taxes in 2003.

[Philosophy]

3. huh?

I don't think inflation ever hit 15000%

[styersc]

4. 4% a year

compounded annually for 38 years is 152%. (and that is being generous considering the serious troubles in the early 70's Ford-Carter).

[styersc]

5. Whoa-

math completely overlooked decimals.- Whoops.

[BiggJawn]

6. No. I did that shit when I was 17. Won't do it 30 years later.

What's a dollar a week? Hell, if I need an extra dollar a week, I'll just drink water with lunch on Wednesday instead of Sprite.

Brings back bad memories of "Hey, guy, we're giving you a RAISE! 5 cents an hour! Isn't that GREAT???"

And this was in the 1980's, NOT the 1930's....

[Yupster]

7. I just changed jobs and expect to make

about 25 k less wit this job. Hopefully I made the right move. We'll see.

[BiggJawn]

8. Good Luck.

I know if *I* took a gig that paid 25K less, I should have my head examined.

That'd leave me about $12,000 a year, which is $5.76 an hour.

Of course, if I was making oh, 100 kilobucks a year, I SUPPOSE I could tighten the belt a little and "scrape" by on 75 kilobucks....

Good luck to you. I suspect you "found your bliss" but it doesn't pay that well.:-)