Which would you prefer?

1) Technical Manager, projects total $300M, six direct reports, all professionals, salary $120k, 35hr work week with about 30 days of travel, flextime.

2) Technical and Quality Director, about $200M in revenue, four direct reports, salary $160k, 50hr work week in general, 40 days travel, have to take all calls on weekends and middle of the night.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Some people like doing more for more money, while most prefer doing as little as possible.

Were those the only choices, I’d go back to school and get training for a more preferable job.

option 1

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1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

When times are tough, big fish in a lil pond sometimes run out of enough food to eat......and lil fish in a big pond sometimes get eaten.

In Mn I woudl think either income would support a very nice standard of living. I'd chose whichever job seemed to offer the greatest chance of long term survival.

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Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

I am not taking calls on the weekend or middle of the night on top of 50hrs/wk and 40 days travel. Unless maybe those 40 days are my vacation days.

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1984 300TD

Ha ha, I did that for years in IT. I went fro being the biggest fish in a very small pond, to a big fish in a fairly large pond, to a big fish in a big pond. ALl that got me was laid off! Now I am a small fish in the biggest pond in the world (USG) and I love it! No more late night phone calls, and no fear of being laid off because the stock took a dive last week!

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"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy"

Current
Monika '74 450 SL
BrownHilda '79 280SL
FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban
Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee
Krystal 2004 Volvo S60
Gone
'74 Jeep CJ5
'97 Jeep ZJ Laredo
Rudolf ‘86 300SDL
Bruno '81 300SD
Fritzi '84 BMW
'92 Subaru
'96 Impala SS
'71 Buick GS conv
'67 GTO conv
'63 Corvair conv
'57 Nomad

Neither. Quit.

Find a way to make a living that you enjoy.

.

To live my bliss.
Whatever that may be.

As Joseph Campbell would put it.

.


RichC

.

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When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
Jimi Hendrix

I much prefer being done with work for the day when I walk out the door. I have a good friend in HR for a company with many locations across the eastern U.S., making very nice money, with a good amount of travel but he's always on call for labor and HR issues anywhere, anytime. No thanks.

Our elite customers ($40K+/yr.) and my salespeople know that if they desperately need me for a product, such as a turf disease or insect flare-up with an impending Tournament or game on Sunday or Monday, they can reach me on my cellphone. That's happened maybe twice in about 5 years.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

Generally speaking,working for anyone sucks.

Working period has its drawbacks!

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Between just those two, I'd take option one. The middle of the night calls are kind of a deal breaker. When I was an engineer, I used to get those, usually on a Friday night around 9 PM. Even though I make a lot less, I like my current position better:

forklift operator/de facto production supervisor: average work week around 42 hours, M-F with an occasional Saturday thrown in. Wage ten bucks an hour. No direct reports per se, but provide guidance and limited management and supervision to 3-5 production workers. Drive forklift. Day's done when I walk out the door.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

x2.

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

I'm really not that into working anymore . . . . I'm ready to try something different.

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" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

Option 1 - home more, leave work at work.


Now, I have never made more than $100k in a year, so I think I should ask -

What kind of lifestyle change will a 120k job change from a 160k job ? Seriously, will you have to give anything up or forgo a luxury (that you really want?) to take the 120k job ?

-John

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2009 Kia Sedona
2009 Honda Odyssey EX-L
12006 Jetta Pumpe Duse
(insert Mercedes here)

Husband, Father, sometimes friend =)