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View Full Version : Personal and Financial Conundrum I need some input on...



Haku
May 4th, 2014, 12:16 AM
I've been trying to make a decision about this, and I change my mind every two minutes. I'll say off the batt that both choices have their upsides and one choice may seem obvious and clear cut. So here goes.

I recently got offered a 4 month contract to work for a company from June through September in Aspen. Its a cush gig with decent pay and they are even paying for my housing for the summer. Seems clear cut right? The downside is that I'll be doing a lot of work that I'm not thrilled doing, for a reduced rate, and to make up for it I'll need to be working 60-90 hours a week. However, its guaranteed income and in the long run would make more money then if I were to decline (not a guarantee on that though, but could be). Even with housing paid for, cost of living is still higher for everything else up there too. The one part that makes me uncomfortable dealing with this is that they have already done some arrangements for housing and such, so if I were to decline now it might go over badly.

On the flip side, I could stay in Denver and keep working for my current clients. One of the downsides to the Aspen gig is that I would have to decline work from all of my existing clients which I have no real idea how that will go over. I also would most likely be doing more rewarding and desirable work that I'm excited to do, rather then a mix of fun gigs and not so fun gigs.

On top of that, I finally got my Toyota crawler up and running and I would have a lot more time to do that if I declined the Aspen gig. Additionally, my dad is going through a liver transplant surgery next Tuesday, and he'll be going through a 3 month recovery of that where he'll need constant supervision just in case he needs to be rushed to the hospital. There are people who can handle that if I'm gone, but at the same time I want to be there too.

So essentially, the business guy side of me says to go for the steady reliable money, but almost every other part of me is shying away. I can really go on about other stuff that is setting my alarms off, like the loss of independence and control that I've enjoyed as an independent contractor for the last 3-4 years and a new core group of friends I've made recently at the Club Workshop that I'd miss (plus not having access to the facility there). I also had a really horrible experience with the last full time employer I had, and it might be shading this opportunity in a negative light as well. I suppose there is also the issue of me just being nervous about a new situation that may be great but also could be bad.

Just curious if anyone else has gone through this conundrum before, and where they came out. Its really hard to pass up steady money, but if it were of no consequence then I know I would decline. Any input you have would be appreciated.

otisdog
May 4th, 2014, 06:50 AM
From what you have said I say stay here and I think that's what you want to do.
Jim

glacierpaul
May 4th, 2014, 06:56 AM
Josh, I went (still go through it daily) through the rollercoaster of being self employed or work for someone. At the end of the day, I decided I wanted to be in charge of my destiny. I worked for my father before going on my own. I had a steady job with him, but pay was the problem. I figure if you work for someone, you will always be held down because of their profit, period. If you work for yourself the sky is the limit, generally speaking. It sounds like you already do well enough on your own, and allows you freedoms that the Aspen gig will not allow. Making money is only part of the equation, being happy should be a larger portion. :) hope this helps man, good luck!! And I would want to be there for my dad too!

Brad
May 4th, 2014, 07:07 AM
Family is always more important in my book.

xaza
May 4th, 2014, 07:19 AM
I have stuck around jobs that I wasn't happy with because of not liking change. It is easy to make excuses to stay where you are. Sounds like Aspen job could be good for some extra money but you will be working hard to get it. Aspen is not very far if you needed to come back for your Dad. Three months flies by when keeping busy and the wheeling season will still be going. Questions I would be asking myself is 1) Does this job open the door to future opportunities? 2) Will my current clients still be around when I get back? 3) Can I sub-contract out their work to take care of them? 4) If I worked as long and hard down here would the money be the same? 5) Cost of living increase subtracted from check, is it still beneficial?

Jim
May 4th, 2014, 08:12 AM
Your conundrum hits close to my heart. I chose to close my long running business to "take a 100 dollars from one man instead of 1 dollar from a hundred men" - and that lasted only a short time - and is why I'm out here in Colorado.

I'd choose to (and again now do) take 1 dollar from a hundred men and work independently. IMO, it's more stable & permanent while giving me some flexibility as to schedule.

If you have not given them formal commitment to their interest, I'd not be concerned about a room. They, likely, have no loss in arranging a room and were simply securing it while they could to make life easy for them.

javaman34
May 4th, 2014, 08:21 AM
I would stay here in Denver, especially with your father and his liver surgery and such. Family comes first.

Patrolman
May 4th, 2014, 08:43 AM
It sounds like in the long run, as you described, staying here is the better option. The only advantage I see to Aspen is some extra short-term cash. I assume re-establishing yourself back in Denver once the gig is over would be fairly difficult and costly. Not to mention all the things you would be missing out on, such as family. Oftentimes going for the short term gains doesn't make sense in the long term.

Hypoid
May 4th, 2014, 10:10 AM
If the potential for stability lasted longer than four months, I'd say go for it!

This sort of reminds me of the story about a dog who had a bone in his mouth and saw his reflection in the water. When he saw that other bone, he made a grab for it, losing the one in his mouth.

Jim
May 4th, 2014, 12:07 PM
I like Cliff's questions.

Jackie
May 4th, 2014, 02:12 PM
I can hear it in your online-typing voice that you want to stay in Denver. Follow your heart, not the money trail. Family first always.

Fatboris
May 4th, 2014, 04:52 PM
I spent 20 years doing the safe stable thing and making a damn good living. I was miserable, my family was miserable, all in a bad time BUT I had a steady paycheck. I finally had enough one day. I walked away from it 3 years ago, loaded up my Jeep, and drove to ND because I thought working on an oil rig would be a cool experience. 3 years later I've seen Israel, Africa, China, and now back in the US. I'm making more money than I've ever made, I'm happier than I've ever been, and my family is happier because of it. BTW...I'm a contractor too, so I get it. Don't sacrifice your happiness, doing something you love is a reward in itself. Your dad is just the clincher. No question in my book.

Haku
May 4th, 2014, 11:18 PM
Thanks so much for the input everyone.

I think I've come down to a similar answer to most people in here and have decided staying in Denver. In many ways I just needed to write it down and put it out there, and since making the decision a weight has lifted. All I can say is it was easy to fnd many different reasons I was finding to stay in Denver and/or look for other opportunities, and only a few to going to Aspen for the summer (money and 10-20 degree cooler average temp...not a fan of hot weather :D). I'd made the decision 90% when I wrote the original post, but I guess I just needed to make sure I wasn't completely crazy so I'll thank everyone for their input. I think in the long run it will be beneficial and I feel positive about other future opportunities.

Now the fun part comes of breaking this news to the company. I'm trying not to burn the bridge with them, as I still would like to work for them as a contractor for one off gigs instead of the whole summer. I'm trying to find some colleagues and friends that might be interested, and have a few that I think might jump at the opportunity. That should soften the blow and with the additional (and honest) reasons of my dad and wanting to be around I think I should manage to do it professionally and in a way that doesn't burn the bridge.

The really cool thing is that one of the guys I'm turning onto it is pretty well into the large festival and touring world, so I might get hooked up with something that elevates my position and puts me more in the direction I want to be going.

Jim
May 4th, 2014, 11:21 PM
A sound decision. Best wishes!