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It's called paying your dues. I was worked hard 2 years ago in the manufacturing sector with lots of travel by car (outside sales, minimum 60 hours a week). I finally found another job at a 25% pay increase after one year of working, 35% when you include the year-end bonus. I do work quite a few weekends that come back as comp time, but I just cash those out at the end of the year. Once you get experience, the pay goes up. I'm now interviewing for anywhere between 30-45% higher paying gigs in better areas.
Who is being overprotective? I asked a question no more, no less. I have never, nor will I, interfere in the lives of my adult sons.
At any rate, he leaves in a week. He'll see if this is a good move by the end of the summer I guess.
You asked a good question.
While that might be the way it is, it is hard for a company to find someone who is willing to be out on the road for a long time. So while people seem to make a big deal about the company picking up the expenses, these expenses are business expenses, certainly not a gift for the employee. I've know successful sales people who got off the road, because they rarely had a moment to sit at their own sofa at the end of the day and relax. They were always traveling to or from the next job.
I know people like to think this is some way of paying your dues, but realistically you have to do your homework to see if that's the case. Many times people infer a reward for doing something which never materializes. In other situations, the employer is happy to keep the employee on the road because it's a job no one else wants, and string them along until they finally wise up and quit.
As for it being an adventure. Most of the US looks exactly the same, with the same stores and hotels, with different street names. Being a stranger in a town is very boring. Unless he has some other hobby he can do on the road, it is going to get old. Some people who have done constant travel like this told me either they've picked up bad habits (drinking, smoking pot) or witnessed it in others from being on the road from the boredom.
At the very least, you don't get to see him often which isn't good.
Thank you eastcoast. My husband spoke to him, and his biggest concern was that he felt he wasn't being given the equipment, time, and support he would need to get the job done. So he wrote out exactly what he needed, and how long each upgrade was expected to take, and took it to his boss. He figured even if it wasn't approved, he would be on record as requesting it. But, it was all signed off on. He leaves this weekend.
While that might be the way it is, it is hard for a company to find someone who is willing to be out on the road for a long time. So while people seem to make a big deal about the company picking up the expenses, these expenses are business expenses, certainly not a gift for the employee. I've know successful sales people who got off the road, because they rarely had a moment to sit at their own sofa at the end of the day and relax. They were always traveling to or from the next job.
I know people like to think this is some way of paying your dues, but realistically you have to do your homework to see if that's the case. Many times people infer a reward for doing something which never materializes. In other situations, the employer is happy to keep the employee on the road because it's a job no one else wants, and string them along until they finally wise up and quit.
As for it being an adventure. Most of the US looks exactly the same, with the same stores and hotels, with different street names. Being a stranger in a town is very boring. Unless he has some other hobby he can do on the road, it is going to get old. Some people who have done constant travel like this told me either they've picked up bad habits (drinking, smoking pot) or witnessed it in others from being on the road from the boredom.
At the very least, you don't get to see him often which isn't good.
It is paying your dues. Every executive except for the CFO in my company started as an outside sales rep. Every CFO started out as a clerk in accounting. The question is whether this guy wants to go that route. Sure, hourly makes more at the entry level when you match it hour for hour, but growth is limited at that position. The trade off for salary is that at some point, you make more on paper and per hour. In this day and age, the experience will get you poached by a head hunter.
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