decisions, decisions...

A few weeks ago, I interviewed for a position with another local school district. The interview went VERY well and I walked out feeling like a) I would take the job if offered and b) they wanted to offer me the job right then and there. I've only felt that way about a job twice in my life and both experiences turned out very well. On Tuesday, I got a call with the job offer, but the salary information wasn't available from Human Resources yet. So, she calls me yesterday with the salary and... it's much lower than what I expected and what I earn now. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. The woman who interviewed me said she agreed HR did not calculate it correctly and said she would call them and get to the bottom of the issue. I also provided her with my current salary as a comparison. She called today and HR is not budging. :-(

So, I started looking more closely at the numbers. The district I work for right now deducts (mandatory) payments into a retirement plan (all school district employees in Texas pay into this) and they also deduct Social Security. that means, i pay into two retirement plans. (and, yes, I understand that the Social Security isn't a true retirement plan.) that also means a large chunk of my money is taken every month. now, the new school district only deducts the TX retirement plan. no social security. so, i'd be keeping a little over 6% of my money, making up for the loss of income. in fact, i calculated it out, and I'd end up making $71 less per month. That's not bad and it won't put me in a bad spot financially to do without that money. but, it's also the principal of the matter. My qualifications exceed the minimum requirements for the job and I should be compensated accordingly.

Now, at this point, you're probably asking yourself, why is this even a dilemma? what's the point of taking less money? That's a good question! Well, the (potentially) new job is 15 minutes away from my apartment. it takes me 45-60 minutes (each way) to get to work now. it's not so much that i live so far away from my job, it's the fact that Austin traffic is horrible. It's in the top list of places with the worst traffic in the entire country. There are just too many people in the city and the city is just not meant to handle it. And, my commute takes me down two of the busiest expressways in the city. so, the commute issue is a HUGE selling point for me. the fact that i could be home before 6 pm every night is incredibly appealing. i'm tired of spending so much time in my car every day, fighting against traffic to get home.

also, the new school district is smaller than where I currently work. so, there's more of an opportunity to do the work that i really like doing and making more of an impact. the woman who would be my new manager, actually used to work in my current department and said that she'd never come back here. she (like me) likes the people, but feels that the new district actually cares more about kids and not a bureaucracy and that she's able to spend more time just doing her job and not sitting in meetings getting nothing done. she also said that this role could really be what i make it, and that i'd have opportunities for leadership, which is what i've been craving. i've been at my current job for three years, and have done the same thing, just with different projects. my current manager is great, but since she's been in the district so long, people automatically defer to her, even though we work on projects together. i always feel in her shadow. and i'm ready to be seen as a true leader.

honestly, this is the first time i've ever been in this position. i've normally taken jobs because i had to do so. now, i have a job that pays pretty well, but isn't the best for me professionally. and i have the chance to take a job that doesn't pay as much as I'd like but could be great for my career.

until next time...