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Have a question for you all, and was looking for some advice. Recently I applied for a position in Manhattan that would pay about 10K more than I currently make at my job in LI. The job I applied for is not a promotional opportunity or advancement, but the same job I do now.
However, 10K seems nice, and the benefits are better, but to me there are some disadvantages. First, my commuting time would almost more than double (from a 30 min car ride to about an hour and a half train ride), in addition to the commuting expenses.
Between paying for a monthly LIRR ticket (from Huntington station) and monthly Metro card the commuting expenses would be about $5200 a year, in essence wiping out over half of the 10K raise I would be getting.
That is not even including what would be taken out in taxes either. So what am I left with?? Maybe see about 2-3K of that 10?
However, I obviously would not be driving everyday, thus saving a lot of money on gas, I fill up twice a week so thats about $100 a week I'd be saving. I would just drive on the weekend mostly.
It's a numbers game. Right now your commute costs you, it sounds like, about $425/month ($100/week on gas, and most months are slightly longer than 4 weeks). In contrast, an LIRR monthly ticket from Huntington ($325) + monthly Metrocard ($112) = $437. Since your commute is basically a wash, money-wise, you'll be making about $6-7K, after taxes, more than you make now, and your commute will triple. Is tripling your commute worth an extra $500/month in your paycheck? That's for you to decide.
Much more time involved in NYC for only a couple grand doesnt sound worth it but, may be a great oppurtunity to network and find an even better job. 3 hours a day commuting has to be awful though.
I've always maintained that they'd need to pay me over 20-30k more to do the 3-hr roundtrip everyday. My wife does it - there's hardly any time for family other than weekends. I wouldn't begin to look in the city unless I'm desperate. Maybe if I were in my early 20s where opportunities and ceilings out there were nearly unlimited, but not these days - not worth it for me. If you feel there's more advancement at that job and you're under 30, consider it regardless of pay.
Yea, it would be nice for an extra 20-30K however this position is not a promotional position (wish it were) but its the same job I do now, just about 10K more, because historically the city pays more so they know that in order to attract people from LI, they have to offer more money.
I guess InfoSeeker you may be right....money wise the commute might be a wash (gas versus train) but commuting TIME is the key here......I would be ditching a half hour commute by car right now for about an hour and a half train ride into the city from Huntington. 3 hours round trip.
Yea, it would be nice for an extra 20-30K however this position is not a promotional position (wish it were) but its the same job I do now, just about 10K more, because historically the city pays more so they know that in order to attract people from LI, they have to offer more money.
I guess InfoSeeker you may be right....money wise the commute might be a wash (gas versus train) but commuting TIME is the key here......I would be ditching a half hour commute by car right now for about an hour and a half train ride into the city from Huntington. 3 hours round trip.
Is it worth it for 10K?
Remember you can pay for your commute with transit check pre tax up about about 130$ which is better then nothing.
The decrease in quality of life is not worth that amount of money IMO.
But if this job (or any others that you might come across) might offer more opportunity long term from a career path or networking perspective, then it might be worth it to make a lateral move.
Yea, it would be nice for an extra 20-30K however this position is not a promotional position (wish it were) but its the same job I do now, just about 10K more, because historically the city pays more so they know that in order to attract people from LI, they have to offer more money.
I guess InfoSeeker you may be right....money wise the commute might be a wash (gas versus train) but commuting TIME is the key here......I would be ditching a half hour commute by car right now for about an hour and a half train ride into the city from Huntington. 3 hours round trip.
Is it worth it for 10K?
I don't think anyone here can really answer that for you, as everyone's preferences/tolerances are different.
Personally, I really dislike driving - I'd rather spend two hours on a train than spend one hour driving in rush hour traffic - so from my perspective, making more money and having a commute that is less aggravating to me would make sense (hence the reason I work in NYC).
Also, in my field, a lateral move to NYC from LI almost always means an upgrade in the quality of work assignments, since the bigger/better/more sophisticated clients hire NYC companies to do my kind of work for them, so I prefer working in NYC for that reason as well. Think about whether the scope of your work would change/be improved by the new position, even if the title/level is basically the same as your current job (and also think about whether that's something that matters to you).
Location: Prince Georges County, MD (formerly Long Island, NY)
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Originally Posted by InfoSeeker52
I don't think anyone here can really answer that for you, as everyone's preferences/tolerances are different.
Personally, I really dislike driving - I'd rather spend two hours on a train than spend one hour driving in rush hour traffic - so from my perspective, making more money and having a commute that is less aggravating to me would make sense (hence the reason I work in NYC).
Also, in my field, a lateral move to NYC from LI almost always means an upgrade in the quality of work assignments, since the bigger/better/more sophisticated clients hire NYC companies to do my kind of work for them, so I prefer working in NYC for that reason as well. Think about whether the scope of your work would change/be improved by the new position, even if the title/level is basically the same as your current job (and also think about whether that's something that matters to you).
Most important, how is the new company? Its the intangibles that can make the huge difference. I would decline 10k or 20k...or more to work in a awful atmosphere. Ask to meet with people you will work with....it will look good how serious you are about the position.
You mentioned its the same job...is there any room for advancement compare to your current job? I usually try to look at the big picture.
Slightly off topic....THIS is a prime example how people who are pro MTA can't get why the cost of public transportation is out of control. When it eats up such a large % of most people's salary, it is really killing everyone.
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