Going (Job) Hunting: An Update

 As readers may recall, last month I made the perhaps belated realization that the time is now to start reconsidering the job market and more precisely, my own place in it.  I have made a little progress, which I though I might share in the spirit of how often I write about such things as one time events instead of the processes they actually are.

I made efforts and in fact got  Linked Out account set up (which is pretty much how everyone starts their job search these days, even old dogs like myself if for no other reason that it helps us to get in contact with our former coworkers).  I worked on getting the resume updated, which is both a marvel and terror to me as I have reached the point in the employment program where even the "redacted" form of my resume is three pages.  And then, on a whim, I started looking at available jobs and salaries.

I have learned two things:

1)  I am unable to secure a job at my current salary.

2)  It literally makes more sense for me to be laid off.

Taking them in turn.

1)  I am unable to secure a job at my current salary:  As those who have followed this blog for some time might recall, prior to my change of careers (documented in March/April 2020 as A Sort Of Hammerfall) I had effectively reached the "top" of my career field - there was literally nowhere else for me to go not just at my current company, but at any company.  And rather generously, my company had matched those promotions with salary.  And very thankfully, the salary that went along with job did not change when I was "repurposed".

I am very grateful for that.  Over that time, that salary enabled a lot of things,  like paying for college for two children and allowing us to get out of debt.  What it also managed to do is lock me into something that - as I found out - I cannot recreate (at least in this field) as long as I am in it.

What kind of change?  To change right now in the market (just eyeballing available positions) would be a significant cut in salary. It would still represent a good salary in today's economy and still way above what I have made for most of my life - excluding inflation of course, which is a force to be counted on more and more these days.  But it would be a significant change (and there is still one child for college consideration).  

Which leads us to

2)  It literally makes more sense for me to wait it out.

Given that sort of change, I really cannot in good conscience (and without being forced) suggest that somehow switching jobs right now is the best thing.  Not even a kind of good thing, except of course for that elusive sort of "less stress" that we all like to pretend will happen when we change jobs (and never does).  And that does not even address the fact that currently, I am able to travel to see my parents and The Ranch once a month with no issues (more of the jobs I saw listed "on site", which is not particularly welcome given my current situation).

Which leads then to:

3)  What to do instead

Given the fact that staying makes more financial sense than going, what can I/we do instead?  A couple of things have come to mind and are being implemented.

a)  Live As If:  In this budgeting scenario, the budget is redrawn as if there the salary change has already occurred.  All the variance gets put into savings.  We have already started this process. The nice thing about it is that we can modify with varying scenarios now without creating the sort of stress that comes when it become reality.

b) Be Ready:  Even though it makes sense to stay, there is no reason not have the figurative parachute packed and ready for when it does happen.  In my case this looks a lot like continuing to build those Linked Out connections, getting the resume in order, getting whatever additional knowledge I need in terms of certification or industry knowledge.  All of this can literally go on in the background and for the most part, is free.

c)  Find Other Funding:  This can look like a lot of things.  It can be a side hustle of some kind, or even a form of second job.  It can even be working through selling things that I no longer need and am likely not use again in my lifetime.  All of this could go into "The Gap Fund", or simply into my own secret stash for the things I still want to do (and cost money).

The reality, of course, is that none of this may come to pass. This may simply be a season (in my industry, such seasons are not unknown) and six months from now all will be well and that money we reallocated is a better nest egg than what we originally had.  

But either way, we planned for failure - and thus, we planned for success.