I was making $70K but they recently gave me an overdue raise to $82K salary as a technician and shop foreman. Recently applied for a job as a technical specialist for the vehicle manufacturer where I basically am the guy mechanics call in to so I can help walk them through things. The thing is it only starts paying $30/hr which comes to about $62K a year.

So pro's cons of each.

Current job.

Have to wake up at 5am to be out the door 6:45 with over an hours drive 58mi to work each. Have to do a lot of mechanical work, usually work 10-12hrs a day, 5 days a week at least. A lot of stress. I know the job and I'm good at it.

Job offered:

Work from home. White collar job. I'll be a basic WFH officecuck like most of the misc. Only have to go into corporate maybe once a month which is a couple hours away. I work on a telephone and a computer. Otherwise, no commute, only have to work 8hrs a day, 5d a week. I haven't gotten the raise on my paycheck so it's basically a realistic $8K cut as things are now. The real advantage is that this job is hard to get, even I I were to go back, having had this position is basically is a huge thing having been a technical specialists. What's more, is it's a huge open door position with the manufacturer that can lead to many other positions in engineering and technical positions. I won't ever have to turn wrenches again, get dirty, get hurt, break down my body.

Could you level your current pay/future raise for more money at company #2?

I would go with #2 just so I wouldn’t have to commute so long. Even though the pay is lower, you’re saving money on gas and your time.

Job 2, not even close

Money is important but not at the expense of other things you’re missing out on. 1 hour commute is annoying, I know those feels

If you can afford the paycut take the new job.

Sounds like you'll get a significant amount of your time/life back and the potential to move up is a no brainer tbh.

You spend at least 21 days a year driving when you add up the hours. That's nuts.

Take the desk job, provided there actually are good opportunities for advancement. Would also check that there’s no risk they force you back to the office given it is so far away.

Better quality of life and less stress on your body. Easy decision.

$82k for 60-70 hours a week between working and commuting is poverty.

You're essentially getting a raise.

8k cut?

thats only $666/month. or $22/day

to save 2 hours of travel time and gas, and your body, seems like a sweet deal.

if you could get back in your current job, sounds like its worth a try

this, make sure that either the office isn't far away, or that there's a low risk you'll be called in.

if it's a big-name manufacturer, it will look good on your resume and you can even move into technical sales

I would take Job 2 on the grounds that a 58 mile commute each way is ****ing awful. For me anything is better than that; I would gladly take a pay cut for something else if I had to

they have mechanics working from home now? lol

WFH you’ll probably only do 1-2 hours a day of actual work once you’re used to it

8k is nothing, no brainer.

good luck man.

I eventually will and then some. Job 2 can lead to much bigger and better things.Totally agree.Yes and the commute drains me and I dread it every morning.Oh it sucks. I live on one side of Atlanta, and work on the other, so I have to go through, or should I say around Atlanta every day. Some days it's more than 2hrs each way.Even if they did try to force me back into the office and I can't do it, I will have even more options and I can come back.In a lot of ways I see it that way. Life/work balance is really bad right now.Yes I will be able to come back unless they want to be bitter kents for me leaving but I already know they aren't like that with others.Yes, having had this position is a huge thing because it's a hard job to get.I dread it so bad every day, srsRight? Not all..... being a tech on what I do is more of a tech job. Most cars now have 20+ computer modules and they communicate on a LAN system that is composed of everything from CAN, ethernet and even LIN connections, all branched together on a multi-channel network, Multiplex CAN network I deal with a lot. ADAS systems with cameras, laser, radar, sonar systems. Today I had a SUV where the back brakes were dragging sometimes. I had to calibrate the rear caliper parking brake module. Had another one, vehicle hits 65mph and will just slow you down to 55 with the "tire slip" warning light flashing. That had put new front tires. Yes, they put the correct size tire on it, but the new tires were high performance tires, the other two were energy savers which have low rolling resistance. Using Data I could see the front tires were doing 62mph while the rear were doing 59-60mph. This is because the different composition of the tires causes the tires to have different actual sizes because the radial section of the tires squat less on the energy savers when rolling making the vehicle think it was spinning the tires. Tire shop tradie wants to say I'm full of chit. lolNo doubt it will be rough at first.Thanks.Thank you. I will need it.

Sounds like a career change, right? Going into the shop vs officecel gig on a computer.

I have almost too many thoughts on this one srs.

First thing I'd say tbh is to pretend your pay is $82k now, because well, it sounds like it is or will be soon enough if you change nothing. $82k -> $62k is a mighty drop tbh. And second thing I'd say is you've gotta consider which of these two very different jobs you think would help lead towards a longer term better paying career that you enjoy. If the better paying on-the-shop gig is your passion and not too strenuous, with lots of growth, maybe stay. If the officecel gig gets you better access to a corporate ladder or some type of better position that's important to you, it might be the better one to go for.

TBH reading your current job's description made me thankful that I'm WFH. Can't imagine all that prepping, driving, gas miles, time lost, just to do my job without any extra compensation. Respect to you, but it makes me grateful for my situation. In many threads about "WFH vs office" I've mentioned I personally value WFH at like $30k. So basically, if I had to go back to the office, I'd be on the job hunt looking for a similar paying gig that is WFH, or pays $30k+ more if it were in the office. But $30k is a smaller percentage of my pay than it would be yours, so I'd say maybe $15k-20k difference could make sense too for you if I were in your shoes. So then I'd think, both of your job offers are about equal to me in that regard, srs.

Approx how old are you OP? If you're older then you might prefer a more stationary gig, so that could be a deciding factor for me. If you've got kids/family, more hours staying at home every day due to not commuting sounds good too.

Final decision: If you have a deep passion for the type of work you're currently doing, see enough growth, and the work is not too strenuous for long term, stay with it IMO. And do the other job if you think there's more growth opportunities, prefer a stationary gig, think passion's possible, crave the extra free time, and have other factors (have kids/family you'd like more time with, less physical labor so better for health).

So, here's the deal, my dude. If you're chasing those future goals and a balanced life, that offered job might be your jam, u aware? But just remember, sometimes change can throw curveballs. So, trust your gut and make sure the move lines up with what you're all about. No matter which way you roll, it's your call, man!

You'll still be breaking your body by sitting around glued to a phone/computer. It's a tradeoff. Physical labor in lieu of sitting labor. Are you a man or a HR woman?

never take a pay cut dude

that whole opportunity to get promoted crap is bs

they will hire a fresh grad over promoting

Just wanted to make an update post: Probably one of the few cases where the Misc gave good advise.

So I took the job. My old job wasn't happy i was leaving but this job is hard to get. They tried offering a significant raise however, it was just putting me where I was pre-inflation so to me it wasn't really a raise at all. New job, being paid every week but it honestly only comes out to about $50 less per week than what I was making before. Considering I'm only working 40hrs a week instead of 50+ I'm making more per hour. It's odd, when you are used to going to work every day, since you were a teenager, I felt unemployed and it was kind of depressing. Cool thing being able to roll out of bed at 7:59 and be at work at 8:00am. Plus I'm no longer a tradie lol. I'm saving so much gas and wear and tear on my vehicles. Eithe rway, I've got a raise overall.

My first couple weeks, I really thought i dun goofed hard. I have stepped way over and they are going to figure it out and can me. I used to call these guys when I needed help, and now I'm supposed to be one of them? Farrrrkkkkkk..... I'm doing training via zoom with a trainer and just feeling as lost as Biden at a town hall. Anyways, now starting to hang on but it looks like Indiana Jones on the side of a cliff. I'm working with people that are a lot smarter than I am and I feel like a retard. I hope they keep me because I'm starting to notice that I've probably found one of those good jobs and I'm more or less entry level here and it can lead to much bigger and better things. This is a real STEM job and I don't have a degree. Most mechanics just work until they can't. I don't want to go out like that.

All I have to say is if you have goals and see an opening go for it. Ambition/drive/motivation is huge. Even if you fail, at least you learned something. In a world of Chevrons and BP's, be a Buc-cee's srs. I say this because I honestly wish I had drive and some confidence when I was younger.

Thanks misc. (I tried to rep everyone I could but some I have already repped other places)

Congrats, sounds like you made the right move and kudos on taking the risk. New career paths can always be scary but it sounds like you knew it was the best long term play regardless of the short term money. GJDM

congrats mayne. if i had saw this thread, i would have told you to see if you can negotiate a higher salary but good job bro. wish you the best. dont worry bro, it happens to a lot of us where we think we're gonna get fired day 1. the reality is that most people don't really contribute much their first couple months. in my industry (software engineering), I've heard of ramp up times of 6 months even

are you actually in STEM though? sounds like you're not really engineering anything so much as you are troubleshooting **** by some manual.

I know that feeling of thinking you dun gooft.....only to realize you are better off with all things considered. I turned down a job and took a new job in the past year. Both decisions I second guessed after they were made, and both have paid off in spades. A year from now I'll be sitting very comfortably and way better off than I could have been if I had made the other choice both times. I went the opposite route you did in giving up an easy gig for a harder higher paying job, but at the end of the day I set my self up for opportunity even if I get burnt out a few years from now. Congrats.

nice!

I'm hoping to be able to land a remote gig like you

would consider parents basement before working 10-12 hours with 2 hours of driving on top.

Mirin boyo srs, glad it’s working out for you

i feel like u could have leveraged current against future for more money but gjdm anyway

now quit the new job and becoom a stay-at-home-drunk instead srs