At the start of 2002, I told my boss that I am resigning my position, I told my family that I am selling the house going traveling around Australia in a caravan. Their reaction was a bit of disbelief and telling us that we are quite mad.
So we sold the house in Feb 2002, paid all our debts and put any remainder into a term deposit.
We reached Brisbane after six months of a traveling up the east coast of Australia from Melbourne. I started to look for a job and ended up with an offer of a job that I thought would paid a bit more. They offer me $45K, and I rejected their offer. That is one of the biggest mistake that I have ever made!
I rejected their offer because I believe that I am worth more than the offer, and my mistake is that assumption. The reality of what I am worth is that I am only worth as much as the job market is willing to pay for my services.
You may be the the most talented engineer in the country that is worth $150K, but if the hiring companies can only pay $50K, that is all you are worth.
What do you do if you think you are worth more? Well, the following may be worth attempting.
- Wait for the job market to evolve. The job market may change so that your position is worth more, but are you able to wait that long?
- Move to another city where the job market is willing to pay more. Many people do this, think of how many country folks come to the city for the bigger salary.
- Switch profession. If a different job market pays more, consider switching. However, the time it takes to reach the equivalent career level may take a few more years, and then the job market may change again!
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4 comments:
I agree you are only worth as much as an employer is prepared to pay. Knowing your market value is irrelevant if no one is prepared to pay it. Good to see it worked out in the end!
pensioncomparion, thanks for stopping by. The strange this is that I didn't realise my mistake immediately, it was only after a fews years that I realised what the mistake was.
Tehnyit, traveling in a caravan for an extended time with the kids sounds like a lot of fun. In the US, we call them recreational vehicles (RVs) or trailers and they're a great way to lower your living expenses!
Of course it completely comes down to your value to the business.. If an employee costs me $50,000 a year of salary and $30,000 a year in other misc costs. As long as they bring in 100,000 or more I am happy. It doesnt matter what they do, as long as it makes me money. It could be tying shoes all day.. As long as it makes me money.
-MikeG
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