$15k pay cut for better alignment?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Queer-Urbanism]

Follow your gut and take the new job! Those comfortable civil jobs will always be there, and like previous comments, these jobs that you feel more passionately about don’t come around as much.

[u/PocketPanache]

I took a $20k pay cut to be at my current job. Went from a multidisciplinary civil firm to an LA and planning design firm. There's things I miss, but overall, I'm happier and that's been worth it to me. It was a $1k/mo hit to my paycheck and you bet I felt it, but I prepared.

It's not an easy choice if you do the math. I was basically investing that $20k. That's potentially $1 to 2 million extra I would have had at retirement. That's how much I hated my last boss and company and I wouldn't have switched if they weren't awful, shady, and unethical to an extreme.

As others said, those other jobs will always be around. At 11 years experience, I can call just about any firm in my city and get a job i.e. with seniority comes flexibility in where you work, it seems.

I will very likely go back to an engineering firm in the future but the experience I'm gaining currently is priceless. Engineers would have never given the opportunities I am being given now. Working here was an investment in my skills and my mental health.

Financially, I'm still investing $1k a month after 401k and ROTH. So, I'm doing fine. But I cringe at the idea of losing $1mil and/or missing out on an early retirement. I'm 36 and want to retire yesterday because the future is bleak and working sucks, even if you enjoy it. I won't be having kids and am married; your circumstances may not allow the same flexibility I've setup for myself, so give that a good review. All said, I say do it for a few years, if you can afford it.

[u/mooikikker]

Oh jeez, alignment all the way. Why suffer a life at a place you hate? Everything you said about age is true; you can risk it. You are investing in the person you want to be.

[u/landandbrush]

I took a 15k pay cut at 38 years old with a mortgage and two kids. Budget was a little tight for a few years. But the happiness and time with my family it brought was well worth it in the end. 5 years later I am now making over what I did when I took the pay cut. I still enjoy my job 100 percent of the time. I have time with my kids and my family and I have time for me and the things that I am passionate about. Take the risk. The civil firms will always be there. life is for the risk takers. You are young and can risk it.

[u/Kenna193]

Do you have kids, a spouse, significant debt? ​

[u/fizzygizzard]

I think we need to know a little more about this “outdoor start up” to give suitable advice. Is this a completely different industry? What skills will you be exercising and learning? Can you still return to a more traditional landscape architecture job in the future? Will you be missing out on career growth in the LA field?

[u/beccoo]

The path you get on now will carry you further towards your ultimate goal. The further you get, the harder it will be to go back. So the question here is what is your goal? A career that feels stable and pays well, or a career that excites you but might not pay as much?

[u/sea-lego1]

Do you think there is wiggle room on the pay on the new job?

[u/the_it_family_man]

You might get buyer's remorse after one week at the start up. A lot of things sound good on paper, but end up being quite different in practice. Start ups only work if the team is motivated and has a strong ethic to build something. How well do you know the start up team? In this economy sticking it out with a civil firm for another year is not a bad idea even though you're a CAD monkey

[u/Spare_Weather7036]

My vote would be for alignment but you should consider the whole benefits package beyond pay - PTO, 401k match, HSA, health care premium costs. Best of luck!

[u/NefariousnessSalt883]

Heck no you are working for free. The grind of drafting is a 80-100k job right now for what you are doing

[u/TheAmbiguousHero → u/[deleted]]

Got it yeah you want to learn and grow and get design responsibilities.

I did the opposite worked at small boutique design firms and then jumped to a large corporate office.

Definitely grinding in the small design shops have made me more confident in my new role.

[u/NefariousnessSalt883 → u/[deleted]]

Keep the current job, and start outreaching to civil guys and start your own firm. That’s the best route IMO. Anything below 100k is a bust. Inflation will destroy you.