SINGAPORE: A civil servant took to social media to ask other Singaporeans about their thoughts on potentially switching to a lower-paying job for better growth opportunities.
“Would you take a pay cut for growth opportunities?” he wrote on r/askSingapore on Tuesday (April 9). “For context, I am currently working in the civil service as a fresh grad, earning an attractive compensation. My colleagues are amazing, and I greatly appreciate the work-life balance… Job security is essentially ‘guaranteed’ as well.”
“However, having served in the civil service for a while now, I find myself stuck in terms of opportunities for growth and knowledge.”
The civil servant further explained that his current field is pretty niche, which means sticking to it could tie him down to the civil service without much room to grow.
In addition, an opportunity to join one of the Big 4 accounting firms as an auditor came knocking at his door.
However, the downside is that he’ll be taking a 15-20% pay cut, and as for work-life balance, he said, “he’ll be expecting it to be basically non-existent.”
“However, in terms of opportunities for learning, growth, and exposure, it will be heaps above what I’m currently experiencing,” he explained.
“What would you do in my shoes? As a young, fresh grad filled to the brim with excitement and thirst for growth potential, would you take the leap of faith?”
“I would not give up work life balance, much less at the cost of a lesser paycheck”
In the comments section, Singaporean Redditors advised the civil servant against taking up the job at the big accounting firm since he’d be compromising his income and mental health.
They said sacrificing these two solely for professional growth was not worth it.
One Redditor said, “I would not give up work life balance, much less at the cost of a lesser paycheck. Better you use the free time to find other things that will satisfy your need for exploring other things.”
Another commented, “I’m in Big 4, by the way. Who in the right mind would take a 15-20% pay cut to work until 3 a.m. every day? Is this a joke? Also, what growth potential is there???? Who’s been feeding you lies?”
A third Redditor also pointed out, “People usually take pay cuts for work-life balance. Or else they’ll take on a heavy work load for incredible pay. And they usually end up incredibly upset if the colleagues are toxic.
Rare is the guy who wants to lose both pay and work-life balance. And on top of that, give up (and I quote) amazing colleagues for unknown ones. Maybe you’re a brave man. I wouldn’t.”
Others, meanwhile, offered a different opinion and encouraged the civil servant to take the job offer.
One individual, in particular, shared his experience, saying that he was in exactly the same position as him a few years ago. However, after two years, he decided to finally join a Big 4 company and take the pay cut.
He continued, “It restarted my career and I managed to get recoup higher pay by the following year. Granted I stayed in one big 4 for 9 months and then jumped to another for 1.5 years.
Then I did 2 more job hops. It resulted in nearly 200% pay raise within 3 years.”
Things you should do before taking the pay cut
If you’re willing to accept a pay cut in exchange for potential career advancement, Indeed, an employment website, recommends taking the following steps before making the leap:
Conduct research. Before you resign from your current company and rush into a new opportunity, take the time to do thorough research. Check the market rate and compare it to the salary offered by the new company.
Is it competitive or below average? Consider how much additional income you could earn, especially as you progress in your career within the new company.
Evaluate your financial situation. Do you have enough savings? Or debt? Will the new salary cover your monthly expenses?
Make adjustments to your budget and save as much as you can. If you’re serious about making the leap, then it’s time to modify your budget.
For this step, you can use spreadsheets or budgeting apps to monitor your expenses and identify areas where you might be overspending.
The key is to save as much money as possible. This way, you will be prepared if financial difficulties arise while at your new job.
Read related: Man asks if he should accept a job with “15% pay cut for not having experience of more than 5 years”