Jana Says

My tale of two jobs

June 12, 2013 by Jana 10 Comments

Last week, in my birthday post, I mentioned that I took a government job over a job at a consulting firm upon my completion of graduate school. I had asked if anyone was interested in hearing why and, surprisingly, people were! Since I appreciate feedback and content suggestions, I bring you the story of why I choose a government job.

I finished graduate school in 2001 with a degree in Urban Affairs and Public Policy, concentrating in nonprofit organizations and a specialization in program evaluation. This, my undergraduate degrees (yes, I have 2. I double majored as my majors were closely related), and my internship and work experience put me in a pretty decent position for employment (which one would hope for after 6 years of college). Encouraged by my advisor and the fact that I needed to do something after graduation (and I had no interest in a PhD), I applied to a number of jobs. And, by some stroke of luck, I wound up with 2 offers.

To this day, I’m still not sure how it happened. Or how it happened twice (once when I completed grad school and the second time, a year later, when I was looking for a job after I got fired from my post-graduate job).

Picking between two jobs is never an easy task. It’s not made any easier when the jobs you’re offered are equal in a number of important ways (salary, benefits) but completely different in other ones (location, job function, permanency). That’s the situation I faced both times I had to choose between two offers.

The second time, the decision was a bit easier. I had to choose between a possible temp to hire job doing institutional research at a suburban community college (I know! I used to be smart!) and a reintegration social worker in a major city. While the research job was more in line with my education and employment history, I wasn’t willing to take the risk of not being hired at the end of my contract (the whole “it’s your job to lose” speech is not exactly inspiring). So, I took the other job.

In my book, permanent will almost always trump temporary.

The first situation, though? That decision was rough. I had to choose between a consulting job in Washington DC (one of my favorite places) and a federal government job in Philly. Both had the same starting salary, benefits, and I needed to move. But there were some key differences that warranted much discussion both out loud and in my head. This is pretty much how my thought process went:

Cost of living. Neither Philly nor Washington DC is an inexpensive place to live. But when I started comparing the two, the Philly suburbs were, without a doubt, less expensive than DC suburbs (I have an aversion to living in a city). When I looked at how far my $30K salary (not a bad starting salary in 2001) would go for all my expenses, Philly won. By a landslide.

Scope of work With the consulting job, my duties would vary from project to project, as would my clients, and there was no guarantee that I’d do what I had just spent 2 years in grad school learning to do. With the government job, I had consistent clients and I’d get to use all the skills I’d just learned in school. My 24 year old mind couldn’t see the potential in the consulting job, so the government job made more sense.

Stability While both jobs offered a great deal of stability and security, there’s clearly more of that with a government job. Upon graduation, I needed the immediate assurance of stability without understanding that a consulting job could be not only be more secure in the long run but would open up so many doors, even in government positions. So again, point for the Philly job.

Promotion potential Again, as a 24 year old with little guidance, I could only see the move through the pay grades as an opportunity for promotion; I didn’t think about all that could happen in a consulting firm. And when I did the research, it seemed fairly easy to move up the ranks in pay without having to assume any more responsibility (like supervising people). So that was awesome. Which again made the government job more appealing.

Work hours I don’t mind working. I really don’t. But when I thought about how I’d have to work twice as hard for the same pay at the consulting firm, the government job really made more sense. Working less meant more time for fun and friends!

As a more experienced, mature adult, I can look back at what I was thinking and realize how messed up it was. If I could go back and talk to myself (anyone have a Delorean?), I’d tell myself to ignore the immediate and look at the long term benefits of the one job over the other. I’d ask myself which job has more potential? I’d command myself to take a chance and go live where I’ve always wanted to live.

In other words, I’d tell myself to do a lot more thinking before I made my decision.

But…

While I look back and regret my decision making process, it’s hard to regret the ultimate decision. Because without those bad choices, I wouldn’t be in the position I am today, finally realizing what I think I’m meant to do.

Succeed like a 6 year old

June 10, 2013 by Jana 7 Comments

A few weeks ago, I wrote a handy guide of tips for sucking at life. I hope you bookmarked it, shared it, or gave it to a friend with a dream. A lifelong dream that, with hard work, time, and effort, is entirely possible to achieve. A lifelong dream that instead of flourishing, rots because she insists on doing nothing but sit on her couch, spending hours watching TV or browsing Facebook, making excuses for why she simply cannot do any of the work required to reach her goal. A lifelong dream that’s dies because she’d rather wallow in unhappiness and misery and the sense of feeling unfulfilled than spend even 30 minutes per week working on her dream.

I wrote that guide for people like your friend because I wanted her to realize that it’s not the world’s fault she hasn’t succeeded. I wanted her to know it’s her fault. But then I realized that pointing out her shortcomings, while somewhat helpful, is only half the story. People like your friend need the other half; they need to know what rules to follow to be successful. So I decided to help them out once again (because I’m nice like that).

This time, I’ve compiled a list of steps/rules/whatever that will point them in the right direction. Things that are so simple even my 6 year old knows them.

Stop asking for money!: 4 questions for managing charity exhaustion

June 7, 2013 by Jana 7 Comments

A few weeks ago, I attempted to do an online fundraiser for two organizations that I felt were deserving: The Brooke Jackman Foundation and The Red Cross. Without going into too much detail, I’ll just say this: It tanked. Badly.

Once I realized that the fundraiser flopped, I pulled it from DMS and have spent many hours trying to figure out what went wrong. I have many ideas. But one idea that I keep coming back to is the fact that most people, myself included, are exhausted from being asked for money. After all, it’s everywhere. At your kids’ schools. At your religious institution of choice. In front of the supermarket. At the airport. At the checkout line at pretty much every store you ever buy anything from. At the gym. On Facebook.

The donation invasion is everywhere. You can’t escape it.

I wrote about a similar topic before, how the charity creep can affect your holidays, but this is something broader. This is the fact that it’s almost impossible to conduct normal, mundane, routine acts of life (like driving a car or buying shampoo) without being inundated with requests for money. And, if you’re like me, I don’t care about having my name written on a shoe or a heart or a four leaf clover and having it proudly displayed for all the world to see. What I do care about is to not being asked for money everywhere I go and then looked at like a total piece of shit when I say no.

I’m pretty sure I’m not alone.

However, realizing that I can only control my actions and not the actions of others, here’s a few I ask to make sure that I don’t respond affirmatively to every request for money:

Is it something I’m going to use anyway? Alex’s Lemonade Stand is a great example of this. With so many product lines donating a portion of their sales to the organization, I will spend a few extra cents to buy a product that supports it. I do this particularly with water ice (like Italian ice, only not as good). Our local chain has a lemonade flavor every summer that’s on the menu to raise money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand. So, if my daughter wants lemon, that’s the flavor I buy her. She’s getting the water ice anyway; might as well do a bit of good with the purchase.
Will I get something out of it? I’ll contribute a few dollars to a raffle, particularly if there’s a chance I can win a decent prize. I’ll buy entry into a walkathon or Zumbathon because I’ll get to exercise and network at the same time. I’ll buy tickets to an event because I know I’ll have some fun. It may sound selfish, but if I can’t see where my money’s going or how it’s being used, I want to get something out of my contribution. Remember that conversation between Joey and Phoebe on Friends about how there are no selfless good deeds? Yeah, I agree with Joey.
Is it a cause I believe in? It’s hard to say that one cause is more important or more valuable than another. But if I were to give a dollar or two to every cause that I’m asked to help, the charitable giving line item in my budget would equal that of my mortgage. I can’t afford that. Maybe one day, but not this day. So to keep my charitable giving at a level I can afford, I have to assess if the cause is something I believe in or if the organization is one that I support (because there are a number or shady charities out there).
How do they solicit my money? Are they walking up and down the street with a boot, going up to car windows and sticking the boot in the driver’s face? Are they bugging me in the middle of dinner (try reading that sentence without singing Alanis Morissette), pretending we’re BFFs, asking me for cash? Is the unenthusiastic cashier asking me to tack on an extra dollar or two to my purchase? Are they sending me an email or a mailing explaining specifically what they’re raising money for? Is there a website I can use to make an anonymous donation? The tactics behind how money is solicited makes a huge difference in whether or not I’m going to donate.

Please don’t get me wrong. I fully support charitable giving and do so when I can via a means (and an amount) convenient to me. I just don’t appreciate when I’m guilted into giving or made to feel like I’m scum because I choose to take my donations elsewhere.

However, sometimes there are generous people out there who want to give you stuff and you don’t have to spend a ton of money. You just have to do something simple (such as liking DMS on Facebook) in order to gain entry into a raffle that could net you an iPad mini . That’s what Jackie at The Debt Myth is doing to celebrate the launch of her updated Pay Off Debt app (you could win a copy of this, too). To enter the contest, just follow the directions below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Birthday thoughts: Making good financial choices

June 5, 2013 by Jana 17 Comments

Today is my birthday. And on my birthday, I like to take some time to reflect not only on the past year but also on the path (progression, track, whatever) my life has taken. I think a little introspection is good for the soul and it’s an exercise I highly recommend.

For my self-reflective exercise this year, I chose to focus on some of the good financial decisions I’ve made over the years that have enabled me to leave full-time employment, conquer my fear of self-employment (well, sort of conquer. I’ve at least showed up to the battle), and get to a place where, although my income is pretty low, my happiness quotient is higher than it’s been in a long, long time.

Worked crappy jobs

I think it’s character building to work a crappy job or two. And I’ve certainly had my share, particularly in college when I worked a video store (yes, I’m old enough to have actually held a job in a video store), a daycare, an afterschool program and one painful, horrible month over one summer at a gadgets store in the mall. Let’s not forget the $100 paycheck job I had in high school, either. Although the pay was low, I learned so much and developed so many soft skills (showing up on time, getting along with co-workers, customer service, how to quit politely, stuff like that) that have been so valuable to me in my adult life.

Those crappy jobs also taught me the value of working hard to earn money and the joy I felt when I got those paychecks, knowing that I earned them, made me feel pretty damn accomplished.

Learned to budget

While on the surface, it looks like I learned how to live on a budget in college and grad school, the credit card debt I accumulated tells another story. However, in my post-graduate school years (okay, fine. Post-20s if we’re going to be really specific), I took it upon myself to really learn how to budget. Without the help of credit cards when the cash from my paycheck couldn’t cover what I wanted. When I learned to budget, I actually took the money that I earned, along with my husband’s income, and made our expenses match that money. With some leftover, too!

Living on a budget has made me more comfortable, financially, than I’ve ever been.

Paid of my credit card debt

Being consumer debt free is the best thing I’ve ever done for my finances. Without a doubt. I don’t think I even need to explain why.

Went to graduate school

When I was on the verge of graduating college, I genuinely didn’t know what I wanted to do or where I wanted to do it. So I made a decision that I would apply to grad school, but only one program. I told myself that if I got in, with a scholarship and a job, I would go. And I did. With both criteria I wanted. So I went. And I am incredibly glad that I did. Although I didn’t necessarily work in the field I have my Master’s in (Urban Affairs and Public Policy. I know, I know shit! Surprising, right?), the skills that I learned not only made me a more useful employee in a number of my post-graduate jobs (including founding and running Bloggers Helping Bloggers) but I was also able to command a higher salary. And my MA is the reason I have my part-time teaching job.

Graduating with no student loan debt, combined with the extra earnings post-school, has had a significant impact on my overall financial situation.

This post was originally intended to discuss my money regrets. I do have some of those, like getting into credit card debt in the first place, taking a government job over a job at consulting firm upon graduation from grad school (I’ve been debating this as a post. What do you all think?), not studying abroad in either graduate school or undergraduate, and buying a house way too quickly after getting married. I’m sure there’s a few more that my old age is making me forget.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that all of those decisions shaped the person I am now. And if that’s the case, are they really regrets? I think that’s up for debate. For now, though, we can focus on all the good choices I’ve made.

Because it’s my birthday and I say so.

June challenge: Use that sh&t up

June 4, 2013 by Jana 19 Comments

If you guessed from my spending freeze experiment that I like a good challenge, you’re right. I like to see what I can do when I really focus and try. I also think that challenges are good ways to work on changing bad habits, whether you’re looking to stop smoking, start exercising, reduce your weekly alcohol consumption, or eliminate frivolous, unnecessary spending.

It’s this last one we’re going to focus on for this special June challenge.

One thing I’ve learned is that I might have a problem buying things I think I need without actually checking to see if, in fact, I really need them. I’m not talking about conscious stockpiling. I’m talking about thinking I need lip balm every time I go shopping and wind up with 10 different types of it (note: I have a moderate addiction to lip balm. Even when I know I have enough, I still buy more if I think I’ll like the flavor, scent, or consistency. And, for the record, Bonne Belle Dr. Pepper has the best of all 3). Here’s just what I found in my room. I didn’t even look in my purse or include lipstick or my fancy lip gloss:

Some people do this with craft supplies or nail polish or food or clothes or kids’ toys or hair accessories or golf tees…you get the point. There’s a lot of unnecessary spending and accumulation going on.

But I don’t want you to fall into this trap. Or, if you’re in it, I want to help you out. To make that happen, here’s what I’d like you to do. Please:

Go through your house, focusing on the items that you believe you spend too much unnecessary money purchasing. Note exactly how many of said items you have. Based on that amount, ask yourself if you need to buy any more that item this month (Not want. Need.) If the answer is no, commit to not spending any money on just that thing for the entire month of June. Then, when you come back from shopping trip having not spent money on that item, put the money in a savings jar (envelope, piggy bank, shoe, coffee can under your porch…whatever you’d like). At the end of the month, add up how much money you’ve saved just by using what’s already in your house.

Then, treat yo’self (financially, of course). It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, either. Use the saved money to make an extra payment on your debt. Or contribute it to a savings account. Or start an emergency fund. Or use it as another step towards achieving any financial goal you might have. Just put it towards something productive and positive.

This is not a spending freeze. It’s simply a challenge to use what’s already in your house. You’ll be amazed at how much money you can save when you just use that shit up. Because I don’t care how much money you have, there’s no need to keep wasting money on a collection of products that’s so vast you’ll never get around to using all of them before they expire.

Are you in? I hope so!

P.S.I’ll be talking about the challenge on Facebook, so if you’re not already a DMS fan, please like and join us! I want to hear about your progress!