Hi there r/personalfinance.
Recently, I've made the decision to look for new employment. After failing to secure a promotion multiple times (despite glowing reviews), and my two year COL raise being delayed due to union negotiations, I'm not making nearly as much as I want to reach my goals, and live the life I want to.
I love my job. The work is fantastic, keeps me alert and mentally stimulated, and is in a field I want to work in my entire life. The hours are flexible, the benefits are great, and my housing/meals are covered, leaving tons of money left over to aggressively tackle debt and save up my emergency fund. Right now, I make $34,000 per year before taxes. Unfortunately, taxes are high my state, so this eats up a lot of this number. If the pay was better for this position and the amount of hours I put into it, I absolutely would stay. But that's not the case.
I'm realizing now how worth it it was to go to college, and to be in the workforce for around 4 years now with the experience I do. I hated the loan number I stared down in January 2016, but now I see the value in it. The pay I qualify for and the jobs I can pursue now were nothing like the entry level positions I qualified for at the beginning of my hunt. I have opportunities to move back to my home state (higher salaries, lower taxes), and make over double what I do now in more senior roles.
My biggest concern is...how do I pursue a new job? My biggest concerns right now:
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I don't pay for housing. I live in an apartment furnished by my job. Rent will be a huge factor to consider.
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How do I decide when to leave? Generally my field hires in winter and spring.
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How should I prepare my finances for a change in employment?
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Should I stay on long enough to finish paying off student loans? I currently divert $500-$750/month towards them ($38k left off a $55k balance I began paying off in January 2016) because my expenses are so low
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Any negotiating tips? A lot of the jobs I finally qualify for give ranges as large as $15k between lowest and highest salary. I feel like I could argue a midpoint salary (I'm still closer to entry level, but I have niche experience that is very applicable to these roles).
Thank you!!
Submitted September 21, 2017 at 07:54PM by degreepayoff http://ift.tt/2yu0rJh
