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A job that pays great VS doing what you love?


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I admit im still young and I have the experience on my resume perhaps to go where I want specifically in my field. My temp agency contacted me today with a full-time offer at a company (where I temped in the past), the pay is great with benefits and even the hours.

 

And my contact knows me well, she said this position is career oriented and brought to my attention of the job's lack of flexibility (or its redundancy in other words). My (career) future practically flashed before my eyes, I was speechless for a moment and said I would take up the job offer.

 

The irony behind this is that when I was temping, I envisioned myself being offered a full-time position at the company and would happily take it and be financially well off. I agree money can buy happiness to a certain extent, and that is how I still feel...but in the long run would it really?

 

I know people who quit jobs with great salaries merely to go back to school to come back out doing what they love. I had a woman in the office complain about regretting going her route..quite frankly I can see her bitterness at her job.

 

Insight would be greatly appreciated...

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dropdeadlegs

I would choose doing what I love, with limits. Income is necessary, and a good income is beneficial.

 

I would prefer to do something that I love to do WHILE making a good salary.

 

Redundancy and flexibility have different meanings to me. Redundant means boring, always the same. Flexibility means the ability to come in late and work late, or take a long lunch, as long as my 40 hours are contributed. I could be happy with redundant in some ways, but no flexibility wouldn't work with being a single mother of three children at home. They have needs that don't revolve around a 9-5 schedule.

 

Is this position something you think you could be happy doing, or simply a means of good income? You didn't mention if there is another career that you dream of.

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I would choose doing what I love, with limits. Income is necessary, and a good income is beneficial.

 

I would prefer to do something that I love to do WHILE making a good salary.

What if it's doing what you love while making an ok/good salary VS doing something you're OK with making good-great salary?

 

Redundancy and flexibility have different meanings to me. Redundant means boring, always the same. Flexibility means the ability to come in late and work late, or take a long lunch, as long as my 40 hours are contributed. I could be happy with redundant in some ways, but no flexibility wouldn't work with being a single mother of three children at home. They have needs that don't revolve around a 9-5 schedule.

Flexibility im sure there is some, such as leaving early if I finish my day's work ahead of time or staying overtime if there are tight deadlines. But what I meant was work i receive will likely be redundant (lacking in variety).

 

Is this position something you think you could be happy doing, or simply a means of good income? You didn't mention if there is another career that you dream of.

 

Frankly I've had a similar position while I was temping, some days I hated it some days I was happy with it. I think in the short run including the salary I would be happy just like any other person who wants to be financially independent...but as like any other job with anyone else, there comes a time when we all slip into the comfort zone.

 

There is another career I dream of, i figure if worse comes to worse I could do this for a few years and if i hate it then, I could jump the bandwagon and go the path I dream..I figure I could either be struggling to make ends meet 4 years from now or do it at the present 2007. Even so, its too early to know whats going to happen a few years from now...if they do hire me, i think they expect me to be with them for a very long time.

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Mary Magdalene
What if it's doing what you love while making an ok/good salary VS doing something you're OK with making good-great salary?

 

In my heart I believe you will only become truly successful at something you truly enjoy doing. You have to be motivated to get out of bed everyday.

 

Short term, doing what you love might not pay as much as something you feel 'blah' about. But in the long term, you'll reach your salary goals and have numerous intangible benefits doing what you really want to do.

 

HTH

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dropdeadlegs

I guess my limits involve how much income to need to live comfortably. I will not be a starving artist looking to sell my work of art to simply survive another month. That is too "iffy" for me.

 

I think that is truly doing what you love, for some, but it goes beyond my personal acceptable limits.

 

In all honesty, I have spent more time doing what I loathe for decent money (I wouldn't even call it "good") because I have had other mouths to feed (children) and I have sacrificed my desires in order to meet their needs.

 

Had I only been accountable to myself I am unsure of what paths I would have taken. I may have been willing to struggle/suffer more, but it's hard to say, even in hindsight.

 

I would not suggest putting oneself in the position I have. I didn't exactly choose the position, but I always understood that I might be in it.

 

I am sure I would have been happier in other occupations, but I did not have the education or experience to make many choices. I took the highest paying job...always. I often ended up miserable in doing so.

 

I'm not sure I have helped you at all. I hope that others will respond with their take on things.

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Trialbyfire

The career path I took fell into line with my schooling, so I went with it and worked hard to get places, networking like mad. It paid off and was enjoyable for awhile until I realized how little it meant. The dissolution of my relationship hammered much of my cynicism home and made me rethink the priorities in my life.

 

Since that time, I've started my own consulting business from home and much prefer it. I only take on projects I'm interested in and work with companies that I'm comfortable with. So far, so good.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that in order for me to start my business, I needed the previous experience and contacts to get there. The same might hold true for you, if this job gets you to places you want to go.

 

Good luck!

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I was thinking about this question, 'cause I was just reading this really good article in More Magazine, which I really like, about women who had become very successful in their careers, or had raised families but then drastically changed direction to follow some passion that they'd always wanted to do - it was really inspiring, and good to remind me that it's never too late to do something you love.

 

No job choice locks you in forever, and you can always rethink later on, when you discover (or rediscover) a particular passion. You can always find ways to do things you love, and even completely 180 your life - one of the women in this More article decided to become a DJ after she saw one at a wedding, andwent out and did it. Don't lose hope :)

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alphamale
I know people who quit jobs with great salaries merely to go back to school to come back out doing what they love. ...

People don't do that until they get into their 40s....so you have puh-len-tee of time M00. :)

 

Do the job you don't like and make some ca$h for a few years....then re-assess later on down the road.

 

How's that for a compromise?

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Sometimes you have to make sacrafices and stay at a job you hate knowing you won't be there for a long time. My job right now is boring as hell but while I get my masters it's paying my bills and it's good money. Once I'm finished school I will be in a completely different field. I chose not to live at home with mommy and daddy so I can't just work a part time job or have a job I would love bc that field pays crap money. If you have another career path goal or are in school and this is going to be just an in between type job then I say take it. Other wise being at a job you dislike can make your whole life miserable and I wouldn't recommend it.

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napoleandynamite

I would have to say doing something you love will automatically make you successful. But if this is not the type of work you like, save some money and go back to school for something you do like. Eventually, you'll wake up to a job you love. Hang in there and good luck!

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And my contact knows me well, she said this position is career oriented and brought to my attention of the job's lack of flexibility (or its redundancy in other words). My (career) future practically flashed before my eyes, I was speechless for a moment and said I would take up the job offer.

 

But what I meant [by redundancy] was work i receive will likely be redundant (lacking in variety)

 

Work that is lacking variety is repetitive, not redundant. Redundant means something is duplicated (having two laptops makes one redundant; storing data in two places, makes one storage area redundant; having two people doing something that could be done one by person makes the second person redundant (and likely to be layed-off).

 

Anyway, if your agency contact said this was a career-oriented position, that is more confusing than the redundancy vs. repetitive issue. To me, career-oriented means a person who is focused 100% on his career and in moving up the ladder (as opposed to someone who takes a job to pay the bills but has passions elsewhere that are more important).

 

I don't know what you or your agency rep means. Do you mean the expectation is the person in this role is expected to stay in this role and never move into another role (this role is the END of their career path)? Or do you mean career oriented in the sense that the person in this role is expected to be career oriented and will have an opportunity to move to another position to futher their career?

 

I know people who quit jobs with great salaries merely to go back to school to come back out doing what they love.

 

The people who do that have the LUXURY of doing so because they made money with their great salaries and have the financial cushion to quit and do something else.

 

 

My advice would be to take the job and make some money. If you find yourself bored after a while (and afer you have proven yourself to your company), you could conceivably move into another role at the same company - a role that might be more rewarding. Or you could then look for another job. By taking this job, it's not like you are signing some kind of contract for indentured servitude - you can leave at any time.

 

If you're just temping now, what difference does it make? You aren't building a career or making lots of money doing temp jobs.

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Teacher's Pet

I went from being a 75K sales rep to a 15K actor overnight back in 2000. Getting a waiter job boosted me up to about 35K. :)

 

This year, I've gone from a 45K sales rep to...well.....largely unemployed?

 

Cross your fingers, I might become a $50K+ bartender soon, if FINALLY one thing goes my way in life.

 

-tp

overpaid underpourer

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I would say, take the job, get some experience and after a year or two decide if you want to be doing it for longer. Money will not make you happy alone but it will add to the happiness you already have from non-monetary source. I would not slave for money but many do because they want bigger and better toys. They buy a $30K SUV they pay high monthly payments then they buy $300K house they pay off in next zillion years, again paying high monthly payments while they could buy less expensive car and house and just learn to save money and manage their spending better ie. not maxing out their credit cards, etc. But people are idiots so let them destruct themselves.

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alphamale
Cross your fingers, I might become a $50K+ bartender soon, if FINALLY one thing goes my way in life.

do barkeeps make that much in the classy joints? I know some of the waiters and cooks do...

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Teacher's Pet
do barkeeps make that much in the classy joints? I know some of the waiters and cooks do...

 

This is a bar manager position for a corporate restaurant chain (think Friday's, Applebee's, etc... but on a smaller scale - I think about 30 locations nationwide, mainly in the Northeast)...

 

The bar manager gets a base salary, but still works full bartending shifts, and gets full shares of tips, etc.... The only extra responsibilities are weekly liquor inventory, making bartender schedules, and just coaching/training. At my old "corporate restaurant job", the bartenders had to do most of the liquor counting, and still made $2.13 an hour. :)

 

This particular location is in the busiest shopping mall in NJ (which is known for it's malls!), and is actually a damned good place to eat. I've only been there once or twice, but they serve prime rib, filet mignon, etc....it's not "cheap" there, so you don't get a crappy clientele. Dinner for 2 is EASILY $50, not including drinks.

 

I remember eating there, and thinking how much of a gold mine it must be.... they get a very good lunch crowd, and at night, it's nuts... and during the holiday shopping season, I can imagine how long you wait for a table with the mall that crowded already.....

 

The GM was aggresively pushing this position at me when I spoke to him about a bartending position.... it's a job they need filled, and honestly, I DO have the experience. Plus, most people who apply at this type of restaurant for bartending jobs are college students, so they need someone a little older with a little more "business knowledge" to do it.

 

Now I just have to convince him I'm the right man for the job. :)

 

Worst comes to worst, I'd gladly bartend there. The money is probably 3x what I make where I am now! LOL

 

-tp

not the hottest bartender, but definately the best. :) Dammit.

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alphamale
Now I just have to convince him I'm the right man for the job. :)

 

Worst comes to worst, I'd gladly bartend there. The money is probably 3x what I make where I am now! LOL

 

-tp

not the hottest bartender, but definately the best. :) Dammit.

I hope you get the job TP...I agree the hot bartenders don't make good drinks. They're too busy looking in the mirror :lmao:

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Teacher's Pet

To answer your original question though...

 

Bartenders in the Metro-NYC area make anywhere from $100-$300 a night, depending on where you work.

 

If you work in Hoboken or downtown Jersey City (basically a 5 minute train ride from Manhattan), you make the higher end of the scale.

 

Bartenders in busy corporate restaurants (especially in good areas - near malls, etc.) will make $200-$300 a night as well.

 

Working in a more "Mom And Pop" type sports bar (like I did), etc.. is still about $150-$200 a night, maybe a little more on the weekends.

 

NYC bartenders make anywhere from $200-$500 a night. To get a $500 a night bar job, you need 3-5 years of NYC experience (believe it or not, you have to have worked IN NYC to get an NYC job 95% of the time!), and have to have a "proven following" (good bartenders in NYC are like musicians/comedians... your fans will go where you do)... and in many cases, be prepared to taste various bodily liquids to get your foot in the door.

 

A friend of mine who works for Applebees (he's in his 40's), used to be a bartender at the old Chippendale's clubs in NYC (the old male-revue clubs... think the famous Chris Farley/Patrick Swayze SNL sketch)... back in the 80's, he was making about $400-$500 a night there (he didn't have to dance, just wear the tuxedo shirt and bow tie) and had women and cocaine thrown at him at all times. Those were the good old days! :)

 

He would clear about $2K a week, and nail a different woman each night (remember..he wasn't a dancer, but ya think the bartenders would be ugly? lol)

 

Now he's married, balding (still a good looking guy, I'll admit), and busts his ass at Applebees, which is probably one of the worst restaurant chains to work for at the "associate" level.

 

Bartending can be a really tough career, but at least in my neck of the woods, a 'tender with a good reputation and good "social skills" can make a pretty solid living, if you are willing to put the late nights in.

 

That's why I'd love to get this manager position. I'd get to set the hours for the bar staff (including myself - guess who gets Saturday nights off? LOL)

 

-tp

master mixer.

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Teacher's Pet
I hope you get the job TP...I agree the hot bartenders don't make good drinks. They're too busy looking in the mirror :lmao:

 

Reminds me of that line from Revenge Of The Nerds...

 

"All jocks think about is sports....all we (nerds) ever think about is sex!"

 

-tp

nerd.

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quankanne

bartending is a pretty flexible position, and the knowlege and experience gained is immediately transferrable to new gigs. And you can go anywhere with that kind of experience, you're not limited to certain areas of the country because that's wehre the jobs are, IMO

 

good money VS doing what you love:

 

I have to admit, I got damned lucky falling into this job, even though I told myself 12 years ago that it was a temporary gig, something to hold me over until I got on with a "real" newspaper. Journalism doesn't pay much, unless you're a top dog writer or columnist, and working for the church yields an even smaller salary, but I couldn't be happier than I am now. There's enough money after paying bills to splurge on things from time to time, but more importantly, the atmosphere at the paper (and in the chancery as a whole) is very family oriented, which has become incredibly important to me over the years. On top of which, I believe very strongly in what I'm doing, though I know I'm not as well-versed in my faith as I should be, but hey, it's all a learning process that I'm getting paid for.

 

my coworkers are great – more like family than my real family is –*the work doesn't have a whole lot of pressure-filled deadlines and I'm getting to meet people, which is why I went into writing in the first place.

 

I can't think of anyone's job that I'd want more than my own, unless it's Bob Phillips – the Texas Country Reporter who goes all over the state meeting folks who do interesting stuff.

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People don't do that until they get into their 40s....so you have puh-len-tee of time M00. :)

 

Do the job you don't like and make some ca$h for a few years....then re-assess later on down the road.

 

How's that for a compromise?

 

The person I knew was that (in her 30's)...she made plenty in her last job before she quit and went back to school. But whether or not she succeeds after school is up to her.

 

Work that is lacking variety is repetitive, not redundant. Redundant means something is duplicated (having two laptops makes one redundant; storing data in two places, makes one storage area redundant; having two people doing something that could be done one by person makes the second person redundant (and likely to be layed-off).

 

Anyway, if your agency contact said this was a career-oriented position, that is more confusing than the redundancy vs. repetitive issue. To me, career-oriented means a person who is focused 100% on his career and in moving up the ladder (as opposed to someone who takes a job to pay the bills but has passions elsewhere that are more important).

 

I don't know what you or your agency rep means. Do you mean the expectation is the person in this role is expected to stay in this role and never move into another role (this role is the END of their career path)? Or do you mean career oriented in the sense that the person in this role is expected to be career oriented and will have an opportunity to move to another position to futher their career?

 

I think what my rep meant was that this role is the beginning and an end of a career path if chosen for the job..in other words long-term. Whether or not this position has room to move up the ladder is debateable, but personally I've met 2 people who have moved up the ladder to being managers.

But in any cause im not 100% positive about anything that comes out of my reps mouth. Based on the follow-up, the company is working on creating the new position, since that is the case its not guaranteed they will be hiring me, or not soon anyway.

 

My advice would be to take the job and make some money. If you find yourself bored after a while (and afer you have proven yourself to your company), you could conceivably move into another role at the same company - a role that might be more rewarding. Or you could then look for another job. By taking this job, it's not like you are signing some kind of contract for indentured servitude - you can leave at any time.

 

If you're just temping now, what difference does it make? You aren't building a career or making lots of money doing temp jobs.

 

I've assessed that and I think I've decided to go that route. Financial independence and stability is a priority on my short-term goals list. Actually the temping thing in a way is building towards a career because of the work experience of it is listed on my resume. If it werent for that experience, my rep would likely not have questioned my desire in a perm position.

 

artending is a pretty flexible position, and the knowlege and experience gained is immediately transferrable to new gigs. And you can go anywhere with that kind of experience, you're not limited to certain areas of the country because that's wehre the jobs are, IMO

Thats true, I had a classmate that practically lives off of bartendering alone. She refuses to tell me what her rent is like (but i know her neighborhood is expensive) so I assume she's making good dough. Even when she went abroad to england for a few months...guess what job she took up?..yeah

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alphamale
Reminds me of that line from Revenge Of The Nerds...

They actually shot that movie out at the univ of arizona in 1983 when I was going there :lmao:

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They actually shot that movie out at the univ of arizona in 1983 when I was going there :lmao:

 

Now it all makes sense. I always thought that you resembled Booger somewhat.

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