Turned down a promotion last month because I actually counted the hidden costs

I work at a mid-size accounting firm in Lincoln. They offered me senior manager with a 15k raise. But I sat down and really looked at what that meant. An extra 10 hours a week minimum. Mandatory client dinners twice a week. Weekend calls during tax season. I calculated my hourly rate if I took it versus what I make now. It actually went down by about 3 bucks an hour. Plus I'd lose time with my grandkids. My wife said I looked relieved after I said no instead of disappointed. Has anyone else ever run the numbers on a promotion and found it wasn't worth it?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade_jenkins1mo ago

Isn't that just a fancy way of giving yourself a pay cut?

elizabethmason1mo ago

Jade, you hit the nail on the head with "isn't that just a fancy way of giving yourself a pay cut." It really IS. People talk all this hype about freedom and scaling, but at the end of the day you're trading a steady paycheck for the stress of hunting down every single client yourself. That "premium rates" stuff only works if you actually find those clients, and most people end up scrambling for scraps on Upwork or Fiverr. Plus, subcontracting? That just means you're now a boss with zero security and all the headaches. It's not a smart move, it's a gamble where you're betting your income on your own sales skills. If you're not a natural salesperson, you're just broke with extra steps.

david_jones381mo ago

I mean, maybe it's actually a smart move long term. You could set your own schedule, pick your clients, and keep 100% of what you bill instead of giving a cut to some agency. A buddy of mine switched to this model last year and yeah, his base income dropped at first, but now he's pulling in way more because he cut out the middleman and focused on niche projects that pay premium rates. Plus, you're not stuck trading your time for money, you can scale by hiring subcontractors later. Idk, seems like the flexibility might outweigh the short term hit for some people.