I’ve had this debate with myself so many times I bore myself (and friends and family!). What does the STW massive think?
Basically worked for 15 years doing something I don’t believe in or fit into. Been signed off for stress once and nearly again because of feeling so frustrated with it. Moved jobs so many times that my CV is beginning to look ropey.
However I earn a pretty decent sum and it pays for me to indulge in five bikes and as much riding and decent kit as I want. As well as day to day lack of money worries.
I now have the opportunity to apply for a job with British Cycling, my dream organisation, doing something I happily do anyway, enthuse about cycling and encourage people to do it.
The downside is a massive paycut – back to where I was about 5 years ago. It would be enough to still live well, just not to the standard I’ve got used to. And to be honest there’s feelings about status involved in how I feel about it.
However I have theory: if I’ve managed to get to my current pay level in a job I don’t like, there’s a pretty good chance I can get to it, and further, in a job I do.

I know the general theory, money isn’t everything. Does anyone have any experience of having made this decision, how’ve you felt afterwards?

So, thoughts?…

Life is too short to spend it in a job you don’t like for money you don’t need.

So long as you still have enough to live reasonably well on.

I’m still earning what I was 5 years ago…

go for it.

do what you are passionate about (money isn’t the be all …) would much rather do something i love for minimum wage than a well paid job that i hated (although i only have myself to worry about)

TandemJeremy – Member

Life is too short to spend it in a job you don’t like for money you don’t need.

So long as you still have enough to live reasonably well on.

How easy was that! Summed up in just two short lines! I agree with TJ completely (how odd?).

Took a 15k pay drop to move out of central London, up to rural Lancashire.

I can now ride around the hills every day when I get home from work, and occasionally before work too if the sun is shining.

Worth every penny of the pay drop (honestly!)

Crazylegs to the forum.

I agree with the above but just in the interest of balance….

If it was me, i’d be cautious that the new job might not be all you’ve dreamed of or hope it is once your behind the scenes. Plus you’ll have lost a big chunk of cash to find that out.

At 38 I’m still on the same money I was on when I was 4 so I can’t comment…

I’d take the cycling job in a heart beat as I know what a downer it can be working in a job you hate. However, this comes with one word of warning. Make sure the dream job doesn’t ruin your passion for your pastime.

If it’s a bit different then you’ll probably be okay. I just remember that when I worked in a bike shop, the last thing I wanted to do on a sunday was anything involving mine.

Dropped out of my project manager career to move to Spain and start All Mountain Venture.

Dont regret it for a second.

-1 for “having it all”

🙂

I left a very lucrative financial career when I hit 30, went back to university and finished my Arts degree. Life took a few turns soon after i graduated and i ended up in the UK but swore to myself that I would stick to my guns and look for work within the Photographic industry (what my degree was based around).

Had some right stinkers and worked for minimum wage for a bit, and seriously had the piss taken by a few people. But now 10 years later am certainly in a much much better place than i could ever have imagined.

I look forward to going into work each day.

If you’re solid enough financially to take the risk, then there is certainly no harm in applying for it. The crunch will come when / if the offer you the position then its a sit down with all those that could be potentially affected (ie family) and make sure they are 100% behind you as well.

This

Life is too short to spend it in a job you don’t like for money you don’t need.

So long as you still have enough to live reasonably well on.

And this

i’d be cautious that the new job might not be all you’ve dreamed of or hope it is once your behind the scenes

… but hopefully still a move in the right direction

Go for it 🙂

I gave up a well paid insurance/legal job and became a care worker.
If I hadn’t, I’m 100% sure that I wouldn’t be here now.

“Things” are overrated – happiness is priceless.

E-mail in profile if you want a chat.

No brainer, why carry on working when you may get signed off with stress again .. could lead to losing your job. Stop being so money orientated and get a grip, go for the BCF job.

Just make sure you go into it knowing exactly what the job entails. BC is a business like any other and there will be all the same issues as in other organisations. The bureaucracy, office politics and other nonsense will be the same there as anywhere else.

brooess

Three years ago I took a ten grand pay cut and massive responsibility drop, to go and work for a prestigious brand in the bike industry.

is is easy? Nope, bloody hard work at times
financially? Well, its bloody tough to be honest
do I get to ride my bike as much? Nope

Would I look back? Not for a bloody second, wouldn’t even consider going back to my old job – I go in to work pretty much every day, even the shitty busy ones, with a huge smile on my face, wonderful!

so – take that as you will 😀

Take the job you’ll be happier with. If you can still live comfortably then you probably won’t miss the few luxuries that you’ll have to cut back on as you’ll be so much happier and less stressed.

That may even save you money in things that perhaps you buy now and wouldn’t need to when you’re a generally happier person.

Plus, if there is any opportunity for promotion or pay rises it might not even be long until you’re earning a sum that you’re happy with. And, is the salary with BC negotiable?

geoffj – Member
Just make sure you go into it knowing exactly what the job entails. BC is a business like any other and there will be all the same issues as in other organisations. The bureaucracy, office politics and other nonsense will be the same there as anywhere else.

POSTED 56 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST
Nail on head 😆
Know someone who recently joined BC/SC and moved from London to SW Scotland.
His boss has just left BC/Sc to work in Edin as an active schools co-ordinator.

Munqe-chick – Member
No brainer, why carry on working when you may get signed off with stress again .. could lead to losing your job. Stop being so money orientated and get a grip, go for the BCF job.

POSTED 1 HOUR AGO # REPORT-POST
+1 🙂

Onzadog – Member
I’d take the cycling job in a heart beat as I know what a downer it can be working in a job you hate. However, this comes with one word of warning. Make sure the dream job doesn’t ruin your passion for your pastime.

If it’s a bit different then you’ll probably be okay. I just remember that when I worked in a bike shop, the last thing I wanted to do on a sunday was anything involving mine.

POSTED 1 HOUR AGO # REPORT-POST

Yup. Not a lot of time left to ride bikes when you are trying to organise something like this, work with Go-Ride clubs, schools and travel to other events and training courses in Edin, Manc and London

Think you have to ask yourself if financial gain(bling, flash cars, big house too many bikes etc)is worth the price you are paying for your health and happiness ❓

Something I have noticed a lot more recently is that the “career” types I know with all the gear etc are no happier than I am earning a fraction of what they do for the “bragging rights” they have of being able to show off their wealth

go ferrit i say.

Just make sure you live close enough to ride to work, it’ll make the job ten times better.

You spend far too much of your life at work to have a job you don’t like.

At the minute you don’t have a choice to make as you haven’t been offered a new job. So apply and see what happens. If you’re offered it, you’ll probably know what you really want.

live the dream! 🙂

do it.

Last year I took a mahoosive drop in salary and had much fun working in the bike industry. Sadly, the pay cut was way too big to be realistic, so now I’m back in the corporate world.

If you can afford it then do it.

ps – new corporate job is utterly ace, btw!

Do what you believe in…no point having any regrets later on in life…money is ‘easy’ to come by and spend, happiness can’t be bought.

Your status issues are just that – your own…so get over yourself and do what you really want to do…you’ll soon adjust to the smaller wage (although is it such a big issue to be where you were money-wise only 5 years ago? That is nothing!) and as you’ve said, it will still keep you in a tidy situation…nothing to loose from where I am standing…

Believing in your job is certainly critical, however just a wee caution to say don’t just look at the goal of the job, but what you will actually be doing day to day.

Just to check, as it may not be much less stressful.

Make sure you know what it is you love actually doing (for example – for me it is faciliating groups to a concensus and developing/changing people 1-1), and make sure the job will give you those things.

HTH
Kev

Do it. You’ll never know if you don’t.

Take too long to tell you what happened with me but its good. You make your own luck/destiny.

You describe this as “an opportunity to apply” for the job. I dint want to sound negative and hope you’re successful but you may not be. One thing is for sure, if you don’t apply you won’t get the job and you will spend the rest of your life wondering “what if?”. At least if you go for it and don’t succeed, you know it wasn’t meant to be.

Best of luck.

Remember that money does not buy happiness. But not enough money sure can equal unhappiness (struggling to pay bills or afford food etc.), worry, stress and all sorts of other nasty things!

So as long as the BCF job would bring enough money (be realistic, you’ve already got 5 bikes), and potentially a much greater job satisfaction, then what’s the problem?

No use leaving for a “dream job” though if it’s on minimum wage, and you’ve got a mortgage, 2 kids and the rest o support. Hell, I’m on a “good” wage compared to most people, and I’m single, don’t tend to splash much cash on things (bike stuff is always 2nd hand and paid for by sale of other bike stuff), yet I still get to the end of each month tight for cash. We spend to our means, you’ve got used to yours, and would get used to your new means too.

Also, get One Bike to rule them all. Less costs, one awesome bike and more time riding less time fettling/buying stuff etc…

Made a similar decision a while back, absolutely no regrets.

There is always going to be a big difference between what people want and what they really need.

As someone once said to me..
“This is not a rehearsal, love life and the things that matter” (to you)

Good luck

as you lie on your death bed, consider your regrets in life….

Do it. Cut the bikes down to a couple. You will soon adjust to the lower income.

I’m not actually ‘in’ to what I do for a living, but I’m lucky to work in a sports environment. Makes a big difference for me. More chilled sports orientated people and one of our directors has just popped past to say we are slopping off next thurday for a blast around the North Downs 8)

DO IT!

Just make sure you go into it knowing exactly what the job entails. BC is a business like any other and there will be all the same issues as in other organisations. The bureaucracy, office politics and other nonsense will be the same there as anywhere else.

Couldn’t agree more.
I’m seeing something now in my job that I NEVER thought I would. People leaving the fire service!
Without generalising too much, they tend to be ‘professional people’ who leave their dull, boring job and all the crap it entails. They come to the fire service wanting to save babies and fight ‘the beast.’ In reality, they spend the best part of their first three years box ticking in front of a computer then put up with an organisation that has taken on a business management model but cherry picked what they hope will work for them out of it. All the ancillary and support departments are battling for supremacy and the operational firefighters are almost left out as the minority group. The parts of the job I love outweigh those that irritate me and they have affected my career decisions ( handed back a promotion ) but I still don’t mind going in to work.
It’s certainly not the job I joined all those years ago (some good, some bad) but it’s certainly NOT the job the sprogs think they are going to join!
Be sure before you make the jump. It could be a nasty landing.