How good/bad do I have it at my job?

[turnipmonster]

what I am asking is do you want to stick with CAD drawing, or do you want to do something else? with a BS in CS you could get yourself an entry level programming job, but it's a completely different field and may or may not appeal to you. it's generally a lot more money for a lot more hours although there are plenty of exceptions, but it really depends on what you'd like to do.

[otnemem]

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Oh, and you generally need to ask for a raise in order to get a raise.

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Two people have said this. Really? All the jobs I've had, there were semi-annual or annual reviews where raises were de facto guaranteed unless you sucked really bad. Have I been lucky?

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I was going to say the same thing. I've always received raises at yearly reviews. I think it probably depends on the position, and if you're talking about a substantial raise. If you think you're doing a lot more work than your title would suggest, I suppose you could mention this to a supervisor and ask for a promotion/raise (meaning more than just cost of living).

[KotOD]

You have an entry-level job. Everyone has had one, and they all move on when they find something better.

[TxRedMan]

dont underestimate benefits, especially good health insurance.

your job sounds like a typical grind. i think that most peolpe with similar jobs/experience would be making $35,000 a year though.

if you want to be job happy in america, you usually have to be your own boss, i.e., own your own business. that comes with a whole new set of problems and responsibilities, but it's better than doing the work for someone else who reaps the financial benefits of it.

if i were you i'd either look to create a second source of income in my spare time, or look for a better job- but be patient- and be thorough in your search.

[hello newman]

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I take a 1 hour lunch, sometimes more because I drive home, cook lunch, sometimes have sex, and drive back.


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So is "have sex" the new slang for masturbate nowadays?

[RacersEdge]

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2. in the city. the guy renting the place isn't a very good business man (he could get a lot more. hardwood floors, 2 stoves, 3 bedrooms, washer/dryer on site, dishwasher...) gf.


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Great deal - most places don't come gf-furnished.

[meleader2]

i guess my post boils down to the issue of free time vs money. at my age, is it worth it to pursue a 50-60 hour a work week job that pays maybe 20k more and have less free time, or is it more worth it to enjoy myself now while making a modest amount of money.

i know people are going to say "it depends on your priorities" but i like money. i also like free time.

so, is it worth it to put in large amounts of hours now for more free time (hypothetically) later in life?



i just don't want to be miserable, like a large majority of people i know.

[meleader2]

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Questions:

1) Estimate Med/dental/eye premiums per month.
2) Vacation/sick time? Ease of getting time off when you need it?
3) 401k? (Is this what you were referring to when you said retirement? They are often two different things.)

Comments (1-5 scale, 3 = no better/worse than peers)

Pay (I have no knowledge of your field): 3
No raise after a year: 1
Schedule: 4.5
Proximity to work: 5
Boss: 3
Rent: 4
Benefits: TBD

What other bills do you have? Seems like you should have more than 120 leftover considering the low rent. Overall you have it pretty good. But if you don't have 401k, that's pretty horrible. I can accept slightly lower pay as a trade off for great schedule/commute. But if you can't even bank anything for retirement and get some kind of company matching, that really blows.

edit: $120/week, that's better. Yeah overall it seems like you are a 4 on the crazyeyez job satisfaction scale.

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1) 25$ copay for medical, 15$ for allergy shot, 0$ copay for dental (unelss i have a filling. cleanings are free), havne't been to eye doctor yet
2) 2 weeks each year for vacation. day before notice required only
3) no, profit sharing, from what i understand. they match whatever i put in too.

other bills that i have are the following (pasted from excel spreadsheet):

these bills are MONTHLY, not WEEKLY:

Rent $650.00
Loan $541.00
Gas Vehicle $80.00
Heat $80.00
Electric $80.00
Retirement $0.00
Phone bill $60.98
Food $200.00
Internet $45.95
Car payment $0.00

most of these are divided by two (gf pays for half of utilities and such)

[punkass]

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1) 25$ copay for medical, 15$ for allergy shot, 0$ copay for dental (unelss i have a filling. cleanings are free), havne't been to eye doctor yet
2) 2 weeks each year for vacation. day before notice required only
3) no, profit sharing, from what i understand. they match whatever i put in too.

other bills that i have are the following (pasted from excel spreadsheet):

these bills are MONTHLY, not WEEKLY:

Rent $650.00
Loan $541.00
Gas Vehicle $80.00
Heat $80.00
Electric $80.00
Retirement $0.00
Phone bill $60.98
Food $200.00
Internet $45.95
Car payment $0.00

most of these are divided by two (gf pays for half of utilities and such)

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I don't understand your retirement option. They match what you put in...into a 401k? If so, you should put in up to that match AT THE LEAST.

Your numbers provided for med/dental/eye are costs when visiting the doctors...we need what they take out of your pay every two weeks.

2 weeks vacation is standard for new employees. Paid holidays I assume as well, right?

Your education loan payment seems crazy high. Did you refinance when %'s dropped like crazy?

And your food budget seems skyhigh.

Still among all these factors, I rate your job a 8. I put a lot of weight in commute. And if you don't get regular yearly reviews with corresponding raises, you should ask for one.

[tagtastic]

This job description is pretty much why I never got a job.

This sounds like hell to me, and I know it's not that bad as far as jobs go.

$30k/yr for a college graduate does seem kinda low to me. Maybe pursue something that uses your degree more? Programmer/tester/etc. There should be opportunities in this field that don't require many more hours than you're working now (if any).

I have a CS degree, and in my brief time job searching ~$40k seemed like about the entry point for any decent programming related jobs. This was 2-3 years ago in Indiana, and I think the job market has improved considerably since then.

I think in the corporate environment you really gotta make things happen for yourself, or they're not gonna happen in most situations. You either gotta make yourself stick out by taking the initiative with regards to your work (and have a boss who will notice), or play the damned office politics game, find an edge and push for stuff like raises, benefits and promotions.

Advancement opportunities would be very high on my list of things I'd be looking for in an employer, sooo many people are stuck in jobs like you're at for way too long. If you can't see moving up in this place anytime soon, I think looking elsewhere would be best, especially if you don't particularly like where you live.