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I'm currently in school for CompSci with a little over a year left. I work at a low paying job which helps pay the bills but leaves little for savings. I've recently been approached about joining a factory as a factory line worker making $55k+ working at least 50hr/wk.
This money would help me and my wife achieve many of our short and mid-term goals (pay down debt, save for a house, start an investment portfolio) but it would take me off my current path.
What would you do? Would you hold out, finish the degree and pursue your dream career or would you put school on the side-burner and take the opportunity to get your finances in order now?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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You can always go back. In this economy, what are the chances of getting a job in your career of choice? Many people out of work are going back to school which is going to flood the market with graduates looking for work.
Production factory jobs seem to be going away, as they move to Mexico
or Asia, so it might not be long before you are able to go back to school
but will hopefully have some good savings then.
Production factory jobs seem to be going away, as they move to Mexico
or Asia, so it might not be long before you are able to go back to school
but will hopefully have some good savings then.
That was part of my concern. Production jobs don't seem as stable as they once were.
If you have no real world experience in IT, getting a job once you graduate could be very tough. You will be competing against people with years and years of experience. That is today's reality.
You can continue your education through online, accredited courses from brick and mortar school, or you can continue attending class at night or on weekends. Or you could back burner the degree and go for the money now.
I'm currently in school for CompSci with a little over a year left. I work at a low paying job which helps pay the bills but leaves little for savings. I've recently been approached about joining a factory as a factory line worker making $55k+ working at least 50hr/wk.
This money would help me and my wife achieve many of our short and mid-term goals (pay down debt, save for a house, start an investment portfolio) but it would take me off my current path.
What would you do? Would you hold out, finish the degree and pursue your dream career or would you put school on the side-burner and take the opportunity to get your finances in order now?
This is a slam dunk. Continue with the degree.
$55K for 50 hours a week is in the mid $40s normalized for a 40 hour week.
Life is too short to work 50 hours a week.
Factory work is probably less interesting than CompSci work.
You may find it more difficult to turn around once you start in a factory. The older you get the more inertia takes over and the more difficult it is to turn it around - especially if you are just getting by with factory work. You might get comfortable with the factory work - too comfortable to ever consider turning it around. But you may regret it the rest of your life.
You may not appreciate the culture of factory workers once you've been in academia (and challenging academia with CS) for three years.
You'll start in the $40s or $50s, out of college with comp sci. It's worth the one year wait.
Comp sci people are [going to be] in bigger and bigger demand as the nation deals with cyber warfare and cybersecurity. This is a big deal and getting bigger. Lockheed, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, etc will be very interested in talking to you esepcially if you would have not problems getting a security clearance.
Security clearance jobs can't be offshored to India - like other non classified Comp Sci and factory jobs can.
You stated the CompSci is your dream job. You're thisclose to getting there. One more year. Don't drop the ball now.
Unemployment for college educated people is much less than for non college educated people. The statistics are on your side - especially with an in-demand major such as Comp Sci.
If you never return to college, you'll be competing with every non college educated Tom, Dick, and Harry for factory level work. Oversupply of labor = lower wages.
Once you get used to making that money - you'll never let go of it and start over. Like I once told my brother on his first interviews after college and the money they offered I told him you need to start thinking "careeer" and not 'job.'
Don't leave college for factory work. You might never get out of the factory--especially since you already have a wife. Even if you finish college, you may never leave the factory. Chances are your first job out of college will pay less than the factory job. You'll feel you need to stay in the factory because you're used to living on that income. And factory jobs can be sent overseas at anytime, leaving you completely unemployable without warning. STAY IN SCHOOL!
Don't leave college for factory work. You might never get out of the factory--especially since you already have a wife. Even if you finish college, you may never leave the factory. Chances are your first job out of college will pay less than the factory job. You'll feel you need to stay in the factory because you're used to living on that income. And factory jobs can be sent overseas at anytime, leaving you completely unemployable without warning. STAY IN SCHOOL!
I don't agree with this at all. Why can't you take the job and make good money in this economy and go to school parttime even if it's only 1 class per semester. Can you take courses online? Continue college and when you get out then you can start looking in your field but at least you have a good paying job already.
School doesn't guarantee a job. I'm proof to that.
Who knows that factory might need someone with your skills in the office? Or since you have college experience, they might promote you to a manager's position?
Thank you for all the responses, there was not one post that I didn't agree with on some level. That's what makes the decision so difficult; I can see the pros and cons of each choice.
Why can't you take the job and make good money in this economy and go to school parttime even if it's only 1 class per semester. Can you take courses online?
I'm taking mostly upper-level courses, non of which are available online. The factory has a rolling schedule (never same days off each week) so even 1 traditional class might be difficult.
It would be an all-or-nothing deal
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