Which Job I Should Choose?

• 

  SF3 on 13/05/2022 - 22:43

  +6

  family with a three years old and another baby on the way

  Imho, If you don’t need to be a dad for your kids, go with IT consulting.

  Potentially this role will have to do some overtime to meet certain deadlines.

  Not potentially, I think it’s a given. It’s weasel words to bait you.

  Despite the extra 12k, it’s your “extra” work hours.

  • 

    CrispyChrispy on 13/05/2022 - 22:48

    -1

    If you don’t need to be a dad for your kids

    What do you mean by this?

    • 

      SF3 on 13/05/2022 - 22:50

      +4

      Too busy doing OT, no time for family.

  • 

    littlemisslovely on 15/05/2022 - 19:32

    +2

    This could be a Mum asking!?
    No where was it said they were a dad 🤷‍♀️

    Regardless - In these Covid times + young kids I’d go government. (Friends in same experience)

• 

  garetz on 13/05/2022 - 22:54

  +9

  12k isnt much when compared to a steady 9-5 job with alot of time for the family and job security.

  Job A should really be in the 120k-150k mark to be worth considering.

  • 

    OzCheapo on 13/05/2022 - 23:30

    12K at that level is really 8K after taxes, or an extra $750 per monthwhich might be enough to help you get a foothold on the property market.

• 

  rektrading on 13/05/2022 - 22:54

  -4

  Job A: IT consulting company Consultant, salary 100k.
  Job B: Government Department Analyst, salary around 88k.

  The one that pays the most.

• 

  digressfool on 13/05/2022 - 22:56

  +8

  Had a very similar situation myself in the past.
  Government job is more likely to be stable and cruzy, which is what you want with a young family + baby on the way in my opinion. The caveat there is that you may get bored, but I would take bored and cruzy while you're sleep deprived, and look for better opportunities if you want to when things improve.

• 

  p1 ama on 13/05/2022 - 23:03

  +4

  Government jobs will be less work, but understand that working for government (particularly in line departments) have their own fair share of downsides. If it's an APS role, I presume 88k will probably mean APS5. You'll probably get promoted to APS6 easily enough, but moving into EL is difficult. From EL, moving to SES is even more difficult. Government roles do not have well-defined promotion structures and many positions are designed to stay at APS6 or EL2 for an entire career. Depending on how ambitious you are, this may or may not be a good thing.

• 

  El cheepo on 13/05/2022 - 23:04

  +2

  The government job for stability, reliability and family time.

  Or think of it this way:
  Would you really be happier earning more money but getting more pressure, stress and spending less time with your family?

  Theres always time further down the line when your kids are older, make a change then if you feel the need.

• 

  Quantumcat on 13/05/2022 - 23:20

  +5

  The benefit of the consultant job is you will probably learn a lot more as you'll be part of all sorts of projects, which can be good for your future career.

  But having two kids, you want stability and no pressure. APS job will give you flex time which is very helpful when you need to leave early to pick up a sick kid etc. No one will be too mad at you (unless you have a bad boss) if you come in at 9.30 occasionally because your kid wouldn't let you go at daycare drop off.

  Downside of APS job is the people can be really frustrating, things get done in stupid ways and no one has the ability to fix processes. Lots of paperwork needed to do things that you should be allowed to decide on yourself as your job. People who are in there a long time get jaded and no longer really care. Sometimes you get stuck doing nothing meaningful for months at a time and it gets soul destroying. Private industry is a lot better on this front.

  • 

    Quantumcat on 14/05/2022 - 09:01

    +1

    Also something else I just thought of. APS jobs pay a higher super %, the consulting job is probably at the minimum level allowed. So they are closer in pay than you think. Also check that the consulting job 100k isn't inclusive of super, because that will make your take home pay much lower than you were thinking (APS job might even end up being higher total pay if that's the case).

    • 

      Whatsworthbuy on 14/05/2022 - 10:32

      Thanks for your reply. Both salary are base salary without Super. It’s a state government job so doesn’t have additional Super contribution.

• 

  djsweet on 13/05/2022 - 23:29

  +5

  Consulting is hard. At most places it eats your life. But if you are an ambitions, fast paced person you can make it work even with a family. Tbh 100k for a mid level IT consultant sounds pretty low.

• 

  Baa on 13/05/2022 - 23:47

  +2

  Government job should also allow for salary packaging, a way to save some tax $$ and further decrease the divide.

  Personally having started in the consulting industry (software) probably a good 15 years ago starting at about 75k and working through the junior/middle-level consulting positions are where the hardest work and longest hours happened, it has paid off for me, and long term but it was until I reached the senior/principal level until I had more control of my time and the hours became more reasonable.

  Potentially not a move I would recommend with a young family, but at the end of the day comes down what you want and where you want to end up.

• 

  mskeggs on 13/05/2022 - 23:55

  +2

  I always prioritise family flexibility, unless you are desperate for cash.
  I would question why you are earning below average wages in an IT role in your mid-30s?
  Maybe it is a time to take the gov job, spend predictable hours with your young family, but also do a bit of upskilling to improve your earning capability.
  A parent studying to improve their lot is a pretty powerful memory for a young person, and studying is much more flexible than work to balance an infant.

  In a couple of years with some extra capability, you might find both a higher paying and suitably flexible role.

  • 

    Whatsworthbuy on 14/05/2022 - 00:12

    Thanks for your input. I should clarify that I only changed my career to IT related in late 2020 and my current role was the first IT related job in my career. But totally agree that I still need to learn a lot

• 

  treekangagaroo on 14/05/2022 - 08:48

  +3

  Take the govt ones till your kids are a bit more older and then shift to consulting if you wish later

  Kids grow up fast

• 

  Hardlyworkin on 14/05/2022 - 09:06

  If it's federal government then you will likely get about 5% more super.

• 

  yk300 on 14/05/2022 - 09:06

  +1

  career or family? The gov job probably wont be cutting edge and you would learn and perform more as an IT consultant.
  I would pick the gov job. While it pays less, your total hours will be less and consistent. Also, you prob get more super as well.

• 

  rektrading on 14/05/2022 - 09:40

  -2

  Job A: IT consulting company Consultant, salary 100k.
  Job B: Government Department Analyst, salary around 88k.

  The one that pays the least.

• 

  brad1-8tsi on 14/05/2022 - 10:09

  +3

  As it’s government job, it should be no overtime and generally not too stressed environment.

  I wouldn't say government jobs don't have stress. It's possibly a different type of stress than in PE.

  What government jobs are great for is being family friendly and that might be quite beneficial for you if you need to take an active role in family "management".
  For me, the ability to start/finish early and take time off with almost no notice made the lower pay of my public service job quite bearable.

• 

  AustriaBargain on 14/05/2022 - 11:04

  +4

  "Fast paced" and "unpaid overtime" is code for treating you like shit, you'll make less per hour of time/effort than you will at the government job. With the set hours of the government job you would be able to figure out a side hustle if you need more money, potentially.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 14/05/2022 - 13:06

  Someone in IT earning less than 150k? Unbelievable /s.