A Major work decision to make
 

hi.

I got a call the other day from a guy that used to work in finance here when i was the sales manager, offering me an interview with a strong reccomendation for a job doing finance at the store he now works at. ( in NJ) They sell about 2 1/2 times as many cars as we do each month, but there are 2 1/2 finance guys. he mentioned a figure that is more than 150% of what i'm making now.

The downside is that the store is twice as far away as my current 40 minute ride. They also work more hours because they are so busy. He got out at 10pm on Saturday. I got out at 5pm. They sold 28 cars, we sold 6.

I could use the dough, and this place has been slipping of late. I'm well liked and respected here. been here for 6 years. like everyone........guh.

I'm going to go see him tomorrow night and interview, I guess. Everyone I talk to about it says hell no.....it's not worth it.

I keep thinking about all that money, and that i already work shitty hours, get home after my kids are in bed most nights, so what's the difference?... AND i'm not making enough $$. Every year of my working life, I've been able to make more than the previous year. This year should break the streak.

a lot of it depends on what I see in the interview........

i'm buggin.

i've been in the car biz before - my theory is that if you find a store that doesn't make you want to eat a bullet ride that puppy for all it's worth. that being said though, you would be afool not to take the interview. at least check the joint out.
the hardest thing about that business is the hours away from family. there were times i wasn't home before 1am, just to get a couple of mini's. if it means more time away from the fam - is it worth it? i'm assuming moving closer is not something you are considering? you said that you aren't making enough$$. in the end i guess the answer lies in a) are you truly not making enough money? or b) are you just not making as much as you'd like?

i think you'll know after the interview. listen to what they've got and spend some time talking to the guys who've been there for awhile. the floor salesmen are always willing to dish the negative side of the store.

good luck and keep me posted.

I vote no f-ing way. I worked 6 months going to a place 2 hours away. Every morning when I got in the car, my soul was sucked away. It was horrible. And I swear, any extra money I made during that period went right to stuff I bought justifying it because I thought it would improve my crappy life.

And I bet this place is more than an extra 40 minutes. Most places are.

See, I bet you could just get a 20% raise just by putting yourself out in front of all the big dealerships that are closer and where there's been a lot of development for new customers. I bet they have people they would like to get rid of in favor of someone intelligent and if you put yourself in front of them they would go for it.

i had considered that. there are a couple of big stores closer....i should have been looking at that already.....this is a timing thing, i guess.....this is an opportunity right now. Bank reps tend to network for guys that want to move, or dealers that are looking to replace someone. Finance people don't move around nearly as much as salesmen or even salesmanagers, so openings are less frequent. then all of the sudden, there will be a shakeup, and a lot of people move to different stores....kind of like musical chairs.

i wasnt even thinking seriously about leaving here, but now.......every stupid thing that happened today grated a little worse.

it's in Cherry Hill, NJ...I've never been there. I would be fighting traffic each morning on the way in. That is one of the major cons......

this is brutal.

Be sure to tell them you had your tubes tied and you wont be taking any maternity leave.

i'm new here, and still a relatively young punk, but for my two cents worth i'd say definitely no.

i used to work a job that was an hour and fifteen minute commute. it was awful. i spent all my free time worrying about my free time, effectively making it impossible to enjoy it. to top it off, it made me the most angry, agressive driver ever. the gas prices right now even make it worse.

everyone says this, and sometimes it's hard to see the truth of it, but nothing is more important and valuable than your time, for yourself and with your family. over 150% sounds like a lot of money, i'll admit, but i'd say unless there is something specific you are trying to put cash away for (something big, and life-altering) it's not worth it. longer commute + longer hours + higher pressure work environment? no way. i'd definitely vote to try and find something different closer to where you are right now. one positive thing generated by this, though, is that this opportunity will get you thinking about change. change almost always has some good facet to it.

hey LJ - out of curiosity is this a local dealership or part of one of the big boys? for that matter, are you with one of the big chains now?

reason i ask is that, for me, i would rather cut my left nut off with a pocket knife than work for Tex Earnheardt or either of the Larry's. maybe it is different there, but those places are full of the bad Juju

What do you think Jinx?

You didn't mention (I don't think) if you had ever been in the finance end of the business before. If this is a surefire opening to the finance end, it might be a smart long term career move. I've known a couple of finance guys in the auto biz, and they did *very* well for themselves.

Paying dues for a major career move is a much bigger deal and far more worth the investment of time than simply changing to a dealership with higher volume. This could be a move that will open many more, and better, doors.

Ok, I'll play devil's advocate here: I know nothing about your financial situation, but all other things being equal, a 50% raise for my family would mean we could move pretty easily. If that neighborhood is selling that many more cars, does that perhaps mean it's a nice enough neighborhood to live in?

That doesn't, however, take care of the longer-workday issue, for which I have no answer.

in arizona most of the guys duke it out to get to the sales desk. out this way salesmanager is usually the progression after f&i, but it may be different there.

I think he should go talk to them.

Hey, look what a brief googling turned up...

http://www.cherryhill-nj.com/

Yeah that would be more than 40 minutes extra.

If you are already feeling bad about your hours, then you will feel much worse in the new job, even if you are well compensated financially. The suggestion that others have made that you move closer to the new job is a good idea if the local community is one that you and your family would be happy living in - a disaster if it isn't. Living close to work certainly makes longer hours easier to take. Why? Because at the end of a long day you will be able to say "I'll be home soon", rather than having to look forward to a long drive. A long trip after a long and tiring day is a real killer.

Life is a gamble. Sometimes you just have to roll the dice and take your chances.