What makes a job "worth it?"

[aprilfoolwed]

I know there will be opinions on this here....

I have been a SAHM for nearly a decade. Last year, I went back to work as a teacher's aide. Loved the job, but made very little money. But we really needed some cash, and were able to workout childcare for very little money, so I took the job.

After working there for 6 months, we made the decision for me to go back to school and get my own teaching certification. Thankfully DH works for a college, so most of my tuition is paid for! My hours would have been cut at my school job, and my childcare needs would have increased, so I recently quit my aide job and am currently a SAHM enrolled in 2 night classes.

This week, a job was posted at DH's workplace (a college) - it's basically clerical, but is fulltime during the school year (no hours in the summer) and offers full benefits. I am more than qualified for the position. However, I am currently pursing my teaching cert.

How would you qualify a job as being "worth it?"

Let's assume the position pays enough that I can cover all costs associated with working - childcare, commuting, clothing needs etc - and still have money in my pocket at the end of the week.

But in order to take the job, my kids go from having a SAHM to going to day care for the first time in their lives. How much money makes that worth doing?

Factor in the classes I am taking - in 4 years (of part-time classes) I will be certified to teach both Secondary English AND Special Education. It's likely I'll find a job with those certs, and teacher's salaries are likely to be more than this clerical job. However, teachers have a lot of take-home work.

I know this is a personal decision - I have to know what's best for my family - but I am interested in hearing opinions.

Is taking a job that pays an "ok" amount of money, but offers low stress, financial security to my family at the moment, plus good benefits a good move? Is it worth seriously changing my children's daily lives? Or is it a better bet to plow ahead with the classes and wait for the higher paying job in the future.

FYI - while our budget is a bit tight, we can more than "make it" on my husband's salary. I've been a SAHM for nearly 10 years, so doing it for another few isn't too much of a challenge. BUT - there are so many things we'd LIKE to do - and without me working they aren't going to happen (more travel, work on the house, ultimately moving into a bigger home, etc).

Thoughts?

 

[crusoe2]

I was in a somewhat similar situation a few years ago. I worked a much lower-paying job that was very secure and not terribly demanding. I left it to take a teaching position that is MUCH more demanding but the pay and benefits are also much better. I make about twice as much money now. But despite having more days off per year, I never really feel like I'm off work. And the first few years were scary as funding for schools went down and I had to wait each year to see if I would be rehired. Overall, I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone.

What makes it worth it for me?
1) Teaching is what I've always wanted to do and I love it.
2) As mentioned above, I make quite a bit more money than at my previous job. This means my family can have things that just weren't feasible before.
3) Now that I'm tenured, we have a very secure source of income which is especially important to us because DH works in an industry that can be volatile and very insecure.
4) Being home with my kids during school breaks. At my old job, I had to depend on my parents to help with my kids but both my parents have passed away. It's a relief to know that I don't have to hunt for reliable childcare periodically throughout the year - not something easily found in the small town we live in.


For me and my family, it definitely was worth it to live without some extras and postpone things like buying a house so that I could get my teaching certification. Those few years flew by and we're glad we made the sacrifices then so that things could be so much better for us now.

 

[eliza61]

I taught briefly early in my life (right out of college) and while I loved it, I knew it was not going to be my career. In NJ the pay was just to low and I admit my dh and I had goals that we wanted to achieve.

I was pretty lucky in that I was a SAHM for my kids early years so we didn't have to do daycare but we did have to do latchkey when they were in elementary school. That was an acceptable sacrifice for me. I never wanted to be a full time SAHM so I always knew I'd be going back to work.

I'll admit, I've enjoyed having a high income. It's provided us for some serious security. My kids (1 in college, 1 a jr.) are able to attend just about any school they can get into without loans and we've enjoyed many experiences (mainly travel) that we otherwise would not have and now that I'm about 10 years away from retirement, we will be secure.

It's also allowing me to go back to school to pursue my passion (which is baking. I always wanted to own a french pastery shop) at 51.

So I tried to find a career that provide a good salary with a chance to grow and one that was enjoyable. I will say I pick a salary back in the 70's when people still thought you would work for 1 company. We didn't have to think about "recession proof careers".

so in order I guess I would rank things, NOW. as

1) salary
2) personal fulfillment.

Remember I'm looking at it from the "going to retire" soon view. My goal now is to save as much cash as I can in the next 10 years.

 

[indimom]

I know there will be opinions on this here....

I have been a SAHM for nearly a decade. Last year, I went back to work as a teacher's aide. Loved the job, but made very little money. But we really needed some cash, and were able to workout childcare for very little money, so I took the job.

After working there for 6 months, we made the decision for me to go back to school and get my own teaching certification. Thankfully DH works for a college, so most of my tuition is paid for! My hours would have been cut at my school job, and my childcare needs would have increased, so I recently quit my aide job and am currently a SAHM enrolled in 2 night classes.

This week, a job was posted at DH's workplace (a college) - it's basically clerical, but is fulltime during the school year (no hours in the summer) and offers full benefits. I am more than qualified for the position. However, I am currently pursing my teaching cert.

How would you qualify a job as being "worth it?"

Let's assume the position pays enough that I can cover all costs associated with working - childcare, commuting, clothing needs etc - and still have money in my pocket at the end of the week.
I get what your saying. Part of it for me would depend on "how much money?" and "how much stress is working and schooling going to add to your life?"
But in order to take the job, my kids go from having a SAHM to going to day care for the first time in their lives. How much money makes that worth doing?
I would be less concerned with the kids' day care experience (I'm a stay at home day care provider, so I'm not as frightened by the concept of day care as some folks are. I know there are great providers out there, I see them at all our programs, classes, etc. The kids LOVE having other kids their age to play with. It doesn't have to be a downside to the equation if you find a good place.)
My primary concern would be: "Will the time we have left together at the end of each day be enough quality time for US?" Do you think you can make the most of the time you have together or will four years of this be difficult for the kids/you? Will those hours be filled to the brim with all the little things you need to get done because everyone was gone all day - cooking, cleaning, running errands, doing laundry, etc.
I ran a registered day care ministry at a local church for three years. I made more money and my kids were near me all day, but the stress of working over 60 hours a week, then going home and trying to keep up with the house, family, etc (my hubby worked 2nd shift, so I was on my own in the PM) took it's toll on me. I went back to a licensed home day care, where those things could be scheduled into my day (think nap time), giving us more family time in the PM. Less pay, but soooo much less stress/anxiety.
Factor in the classes I am taking - in 4 years (of part-time classes) I will be certified to teach both Secondary English AND Special Education. It's likely I'll find a job with those certs, and teacher's salaries are likely to be more than this clerical job. However, teachers have a lot of take-home work.
If you want to be a teacher, I say go for it. If you didn't work, could you take more classes and get it done quicker? This might be an option that would get you to your ultimate goal a little quicker and hopefully not stress your family financially too much.
I know this is a personal decision - I have to know what's best for my family - but I am interested in hearing opinions.

Is taking a job that pays an "ok" amount of money, but offers low stress, financial security to my family at the moment, plus good benefits a good move? Is it worth seriously changing my children's daily lives? Or is it a better bet to plow ahead with the classes and wait for the higher paying job in the future.
I would sit down and really work out the hours you will be putting into both work, classes and study time. How much help hubby can be with the at-home schedule. The kids schedules and your home life. See how it breaks down. Do you think you can handle this for four years? If so, financial security is a pretty big deal with the economy the way it is right now. I'd probably give it a try. But, you really need to look at the hours you will be putting into this.
FYI - while our budget is a bit tight, we can more than "make it" on my husband's salary. I've been a SAHM for nearly 10 years, so doing it for another few isn't too much of a challenge. BUT - there are so many things we'd LIKE to do - and without me working they aren't going to happen (more travel, work on the house, ultimately moving into a bigger home, etc).
Add this to your pros and cons list. Go over how much this is all worth to you. I would probably even get the opinions of the older two kids. They are old enough to understand at least a little bit and weigh in with their thoughts/feelings.Thoughts?

Hope this helps. I know its a hard call. I thought I was making the best decision for our family when I went to work at the church day care, but working out of the home that many hours became a much bigger stress than I had anticipated. It was definitely NOT worth it for me. But I know people who thrive on activity and always seem to handle the multi-tasking and hustle and bustle really well. It just wasn't me.
Walk yourself through your daily lives now and see how adding 40 hours a week of work, plus classes and study time, are going to affect that.
Good Luck with your decision. Hope the next few years go quickly!

 

[LovableGluttons]

The idealistic part of me says fulfillment, passion, community

The realistic pat says MONEY!


I think it is really important for both men and women to be able to support themselves without relying on the income of another.

I've been married over 20 years and I do not need my husbnd's income to keep a roof over my head and vice versa.

Having a calling and being able to respond while earning a comfortable income helps me put up with a lot more in my life than I likely would if I was doing something that didn't make me feel very special nor paid well.

Doing what you love is fine, but doing it for penuts isn't terribly noble if yo have to eat dog food to survive in retirement.

How would you want your children to do? I want mine to love their professions, wait until they can afford children to have my grandchidren, and mke great wage.

 

[DawnM]

It would be more important to me to finish my schooling and have delayed gratification.

Could you find a job on campus with part time work to supplement for now and finish your schooling first, before working full time?

Dawn

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

DH worked at a college while he finished his Masters. They could take 2 free classes and one could be on work time. Would something like that work for you? It just slows down the process.

 

[nunzia]

For me..my worth it point is this:
My job pays enough for me to be OK with it considering the other positives (see below)
I have alot of freedom so I can go pick up grandkids, etc.
They pay the full cost of my health care (although the rate for DH is ridiculous so we have to do that out of pocket)
It is a low effort job (both physically and mentally) that I can easily do well into retirement age if need be.

My degree is in Restaurant/Hotel management. I could make more money doing that for sure, but the ridiculous work week hours are no longer appealing, nor is being on my feet all day or the stress. I like being able to take time off from work with just a phone call instead of having to be there no matter what because I'm the only one who can do certain things. What's the use of earning vacation time if you can't take it?
As I've become older my freedom and free time have come to mean much more and I'm now definately in the work to live not live to work camp.

 

[Anthony1971]

While not direct advice..
Make sure you consider benefits...
keep in mind a lot of states are and will be cutting pensions and health care for promised and future workers...
Example My neighbor when he retires keeps his medical and pays 5.00 co pays for perscriptions and doctors vist...
may not be worth much now but years form now he can live of Social Security if it is still around....and be better off then a lot of others who will need to pay a lot more for medical
You also need to consider pensions and 401K (b) plans offered....
You can reasearch all of this at your local schools and see if in fact you will be making more then make decision form there.

 

[karice2]

Benefits, Benefits, Benefits i.e. Lots of vacation time, good medical benefits, dental, flexible spending and all the other stuff.
Salary with opportunities for advancement
Good supervisor support

That is my list because I am single. I am sure it is different for other people. I won't take a job for ideology because I don't have the extra support for me to chase those types of dreams. For me it is all about what is going to be in my paycheck so that I can keep a roof over my head.

 

[bettymae1121]

My mother was in your exact shoes (right down to working for a school district and having summers off). I had to go to daycare after kindergarten though. Truth be told, I didn't mind a bit. I liked playing with my daycare friends! Later on in life, my mom told me she felt guilty for "doing that to me". I told her I didn't mind a bit and she shouldn't feel guilty for one more second. Her working allowed our family to do so much more, and allowed my parents to retire much earlier than they would have otherwise.

If the only thing that's holding you back is guilt over putting your kids in daycare, I say don't worry about it too much.

 

[Colleen27]

For me, time is the big factor. How will taking the job affect your family time? Will being in daycare make evening activities difficult or intrusive? How will you feel about taking classes in the evenings when you've been away from the kids at work all day?

Looking at the ages of your kids, if I were in your shoes I'd stick to the college/SAHM path and go for the bigger salary down the road. The elementary years are so crazy-busy, especially if the kids are involved in activities, and I think that would be a very difficult time to adjust to daycare and evenings-only family time, both for them and for you. Once the kids start getting to middle school, where after school activities are really after school rather than in the evenings, the school expects less in terms of in-school parental involvement, and the kids are getting more peer-focused, I would think it would be easier to make the necessary adjustments.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I think teaching would be worth it, the clerical job, not so much. I've had that job, and I was more than happy to quit when I was pregnant and had to go on bedrest with DD. The other women were chatty and catty and it was high school all over again. Would I put my kiddos in daycare to go back, even if it meant a little more pocket money? Oh heck no.

Only you know what's right, I'm just giving you my two cents from experience.

 

[abmitch01]

what makes a job worth it to me is having a sense of purpose, a good work/life balance and the ability to support my fam. I took a job in hospice that pays less than many other nursing jobs but has good benefits, provides a great feeling of service to others and isn't so crazy hectic that I'm worthless when I get home. It took a long time to find the perfect fit but luckily I was able to stay within my company as I tried different nursing jobs over the past two decades, thus building my pension and seniority.

I was part-time when my kids were small for a short while. Then my marriage failed. I was so thankful I still had my career and slid almost seamlessly into full-time. Divorce can happen to anybody. Or a major illness, who knows. I think school and work provide a family with a safety net.

 

[StephMK]

what makes a job worth it to me is having a sense of purpose, a good work/life balance and the ability to support my fam.

ITA! I'm also currently in school for my teaching cert. I think the answer to your question depends on what you want out of your job. Do you see yourself happy in an office or w/kids? Long term plans? Do you have career goals or would you be happy to have a place to go each day and not worry about expanding, moving up, etc? (don't know options w/office job)

I worked as an elem aide & as a ps teacher when my kids were young. I left the aide job to go back to FT office work in my prior career. Good hours, no OT, close to home, some flexibility but no sense of purpose. I was miserable & finally went back to school for my cert. I am also nervous about the time commitment of teaching but I strongly feel it's what I'm supposed to be doing and have several potential plans for my career down the road.

I will make about the same teaching as I did before, if not a little less, but add a sense of accomplishment. My kids are older and can be home alone in the afternoons for a little bit. Plus DH can be home when needed. They are about to hit middle school so I won't miss much in terms of during the days activities and DH's boss is great about sick days. If our situation was different, I may not have been as willing to switch at this time. Good luck!!

Can you take more hours to get done faster or work the job w/classes to see how you like it? If you decide on the office work, your kids might enjoy daycare. Mine loved playing w/friends & were forced to deal with some they didn't care for. It was at their school with a great staff & they learned some additional social skills & new games.

 

[lattemomof3]

I have also been a SAHM for the past 11 years, my littlest goes to kindergarten next year. I have a teaching degree, but honestly, I don't think I want to teach again. I have several good friends, and my brother & SIL who are teachers, and I volunteer weekly in my kids classrooms, and I just don't think I want the extra stress and hours that come with teaching. I would love the kids, but there is SOOOO much more to deal with than just that. You are expected to spend a lot of your unpaid hours helping with this and that at school sporting events, ect. Also, most teachers are women, and I don't think I would be thick-skinned enough to work w/ a large group of women. I know in our school there is alot of competion, jealousy & pettiness between some of the teachers. There are also some fabulous, kind teachers, too, and some competitive, catty women who are not so great to work with but who are very good teachers.
Your other job offer sounds like my dream job- low stress, health insurance and summers off to be with your kids- sounds fantastic! I know the torn feeling you have about putting your kids in daycare, I have loved staying home w/ mine & would be very sad to take them to daycare- they will be fine at daycare- and might even love the interaction w/ other kids, it is usually harder on the mom than the kids, I think. You may want to figure out your hourly wage for the offered job and for teaching - maybe ask some teachers @ school how many hours they have to put in after school, etc. I believe teachers need to be paid much more for their work, after you figure out their "actual" hourly wage, and subtract the $ they put into their classrooms out of their own pocketbook, it may not be the salary you think it is. I haven't read the other responses, but I'll be trying to figure out what I want to do next year also. I don't want to feel like I've wasted my degree, but I just don't know if I'll have enough energy to devote to my own 3 after teaching other kiddos all day. One of my teacher friends w/ 4 kids told me "every day I have to put on a trick pony show @ school, and by the time I get home, there's no trick pony show left in me". Good luck with your decision!

 

[aprilfoolwed]

Wow! Thanks for all of the replies! I appreciate the input. As I said before, I know only my DH and I can really figure out what is "right" for our family, but I like getting some "been there-done that" advice too.

I am happy with my decision to go back to school. I am also happy that we are in a position that I *can* stay home with the kids and focus on school work. A lot of people don't get than chance - ever.

The resume was turned in for the office job and I will see if I get a call for an interview. This is certainly a situation where I can't really make a decision until I have all the facts in front of me.

Heh - as I am typing this an email came through from my DH. He asked his friends in HR what the salary is for the advertised position. It's actually right where I thought it would be, but lower than where DH thought it would be. Actually, considering it's a 9-month position, it's not bad money AND there are full benefits (not sure how the health plan would work, since my DH works there already - but it's a good retirement plan, good vacation, holidays etc).

Guess it's something to consider - if they call me.

I feel blessed to have options. It seems these days there are so many who don't.

 

[MrsPete]

I can only tell you why MY JOB (ironically, teaching) has been "worth it":

When I was younger and had my first daughter, we looked at whether I should stay home or go back to work. Financially, it was kind of a wash: If I'd stayed home, I could've saved money in a number of ways (some of which I would've enjoyed, some of which would've been tedious to me). Going back, we knew we'd have daycare, the cost of maintaining two cars, more convenience foods and gas, etc.

Financially, the biggest reason to go back to work was to build up years towards my pension. We couldn't have known this at that point, but IF I'd left and returned 5-8 years later under the newer pension rules, I'd be getting less in retirement -- but that was luck. We didn't know that, so I can't claim it was good planning.

After we'd made the decision that I'd go back to work, we had a huge stroke of luck: A relative offered to babysit for us, the deal being that we'd put away what we would've spent on day care into a college fund for the baby. EVERYONE was happy. We kept that arrangement for three years, and it gave us an excellent jump on college savings.

Fast forward down the road, having worked consistantly, I now am 2/3 of the way to a lifetime pension, which will allow me to retire at 57 and live modestly for the rest of my life. I am glad that I am not looking at being in my job 'til I'm 70 or so.

Yes, along the way I have had lots of personal fulfillment and enjoyable times (and some bad ones too), but the bottom line is that I've worked for the money and the benefits. If money weren't involved, I would do my job on a volunteer basis occasionally . . . but I wouldn't drag myself out the door before dark on cold winter mornings, put up with the extreme lack of respect that goes along with teaching, or give up my time IF money wasn't involved. This is not lack of dedication to my job -- it's reality!

None of this -- paycheck, retirement, fulfillment -- would matter IF my kids weren't doing well. But they've done great. We used a variety of day care options when the kids were small, and they blossomed in each type. We sort of "fell into" excellent situations all along the way, and our kids had great care givers. Now they're teens, and they're both great students and healthy, happy girls.

Also, now that my oldest attends the school where I teach, we're getting some intangible benefits: I get a great deal of input on which teachers she gets, I keep up with what she's doing, I know all her friends. She occasionally hates it, but the truth is that she's benefited a great deal.

 

[MaleficentandGoons]

The majority of mothers work so this overwhelming fear of daycare aside, most children go to daycare.

My career is worth it to me. I didn't go to school for 6 years to sit at home and watch the degree brown. I love being with DD but i also love the kids i work with. My position is happy, sad, complex, easy all in 8 hours. I know its worth it because when i get up in the am, i can't wait to get there. I want to interact with the people. I love having the same schedule as DH and summers /holidays off at the same time as well.

NOW if i wasn't making a significant amount more than I needed for childcare and my frivolous materialistic on the whim purchases ( like the Tory Burch ballet flats i scored today at NM) and feeling that way every am, it WOULD NOT be worth it to me.

 

[crisi]

If you are really lucky, you get to do something you love that you are compensated "well enough" for.

A lot of people aren't that lucky, in which case a job is worth it if:

1) it has a "positive" ROI - even if that is over the longish term (i.e. you don't bring home much after daycare now, but the security of a second income and the 401k contributions are the 'payoff')

2) You don't have a choice - for a lot of people, they don't have the luxury to be a SAHM - they have to work because there is only their income in the house and someone needs to buy groceries.

and/or

3) You do something you love. My mother in law is an artist, my father in law runs an antiquities business (ancient coins, mostly). Most years they barely break even after supplies - they certainly aren't adequately compensated for the time they put in. But she "lives" off her social security check and he has a day job. And they LOVE their 'hobby occupations.' I have friends who live in the back of vans or on the couches of friends while they tour as musicians, making enough to feed themselves. I have a friend who spent one year living in a shack in an artist colony and the next year was a migrant worker on organic farms living out of her car - she loved it. Another friend spent fifteen years on the RenFaire circuit. Another is a published writer - and that means he hasn't yet made enough to live on - but fortunately his wife is willing to support him (and in a year or two, he'll have enough books in print to live off of - and in another ten, it might pay off well). While these aren't lifestyles I'd choose (I crave financial security the way a heroin addict craves a fix), they find their occupations 'worth it' because their needs aren't much and they do something they find worthwhile. And they generally only have themselves - or themselves and a partner - to look after.