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Things to ponder

January 7th, 2010 at 05:52 pm

I updated my resume today & kept asking myself - what type of salary would my resume command?

And then... will I be ready to enter the work-outside-the-home workforce by September?

I looked into childcare options for the four kids. The older three could go to after school care for about $300/mo. My youngest would be the most costly at around $600-$700/mo. So I would be spending approximately $1000/mo in childcare. Summertime would be horrible at around $2000-$2800/mo

On top of that, gas and work clothes expenses. Probably an additional $200/mo in gas and an initial upfront cost of $300-$500 for work clothes depending on the type of attire.

Right now, I make $2165 take home. In order to net the same amount, I need to make about $3200-3600/mo.

I'm skeptical. And DH's hesitation is related to having to take a pay cut w/no guarantees of what the pay growth really is. How long would we have to struggle?

I am volunteering for VITA this year & after I pass the CPA exam, I'm going to take a Quickbooks Certification course online to add that to my resume. That along with my 5 years of work experience in the payables process for my current company, I hope will at least command a salary that will allow me to leave my current job w/o forcing my family to struggle.

I'm nervous... incredibly so. But I feel like the longer I am not in the accounting field after graduation just serves as a negative to my career.

Sure, I'm home with the kids and get to spend precious time with them - but at some point I'm going to have to fit in those "entry-level" years to really get anywhere. With my youngest turning 2, she's almost ready to start preschool. So I figure starting a new job in September would be good, I just hope I can earn at least $45K or more because even at that level... it'd be a net paycut to me due to the additional expenses I need to incur.

3 Responses to “Things to ponder”

  1. monkeymama Says:
    1262889490

    Even if you get paid less, I Wouldn't sweat it. My first job was $30k per year, and I was making $48k within the year. My point being - even if some starting salaries seem low, it's more important to know what to expect 1-2 years down the road. "Entry level" is very temporary as far as the CPA route. If you are fit for the job, you will advance quickly.

    Depends on the type jobs, but even living in a much lower cost area, these days starting pay is about $55k. (The jobs that start higher tend to have less room for growth...). Though daycare runs $330/month for one child (after school, K-5). So maybe it is a lot more expensive here...

    Good Luck!

  2. zetta Says:
    1262941495

    I agree it's a smart move. Enter a couple years experience at salary.com to get an idea of how fast your salary is likely to increase.

  3. ambitioussaver Says:
    1262959007

    Monkeymama, I always appreciate your insight regarding these things & its nice to hear how fast the job can grow.

    Zetta, I did put in some stats in Payscale and from what I gather the "average" is $46K. Robert Half has a job posting for the area for a Staff Accountant in the range of $45-$50K so hopefully I'm not too far off base. I guess I was getting dismayed cause of that CPA who offered me a position last year at $12/hr, part-time 9-2 pm... that wouldn't have even covered my childcare!

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