Shifting from a high paying job to a lower paying job does not seem the normal flow of things, but there are jobs that merit such a seemingly daft decision. So when should you consider taking on a job that pays less than what you are currently earning. This is what experts have to say.
1) Returning To Work After A Prolonged Gap
If for one reason or the other, normally it is disability, you haven't worked for some time and there has been a significant gap between your earlier job and the new one that you are looking for, you may not be able to command your earlier salary. Companies may be apprehensive that you may have lost touch with your expertise owing to your lack of recent experience. Of course, you stand a very good chance of getting your pay raised to your earlier standards.
2) Shifting To A New Field
If you have taken the decision to work in an entire new field from your existing one, it will mean that all your earlier experience will come to naught and you will have to start afresh. It is not that all the experience that you have garnered over the years will not be useful at all but you can rest assured that you will not getting anything near to your earlier salary.
3) More Freedom And Lack Of Restrictions
Sometimes people feel that the work that they are currently doing is not worth all the effort that they are putting in it and taking a huge toll on your social life and curtailing the time you can spend with family and friends. Moreover, you are not a spring chicken anymore and the body wants something that is more flexible and less taxing. Shifting to another job, that allows you to work less hours, is less demanding and have more time at your disposal will mean that you may have to settle for a lesser pay.
4) Be Careful Before You Take The Leap
The considerations mentioned above are good enough reasons why shifting to a new job, at a lesser salary, makes sense and actually be beneficial to you in the long term.
However, if you are asked to do a job that is on par with your existing one at lower pay, be hesitant to accept it. It simply means that you are being demoted and that from being a top-bracket employee you are being graded downward. It also reflects on your employer's attitude, which shows that if your effectiveness begins to decline, he is not willing to respect it and is reluctant to continue to invest in you.
5) Ask Yourself These Questions
There are many other considerations that could justify your choice of a new job at lesser pay. Ask yourself, if there are any reasons for you to be dissatisfied and unhappy with your current job? Will the new job, means that you will have to commute considerably less? Are their chances that your salary could be upped in the near future? Are you finding that your management is less receptive to you than they were earlier?
If the new job is going to make you happier, I think that it will be worth taking the plunge. Go ahead, listen to your inner voice.
