Sorry I haven’t been around much. July was a crazy month. Busy at the cafe, busy social calendar, and still on that inevitable search for the perfect job. During the last month I came across an issue that seems to be happening to a lot of unemployed people – finding a job that seems great but is a decrease in pay.

I read an article quite awhile ago when the unemployment rate was at its highest. It talked about what people were doing to find work and also discussed how many people were finding that they were overqualified for many positions and that they couldn’t find employment at the same rate of pay they had before.  For people who are barely scraping by, how do you take a job that means you will actually be making less money each week?

That’s something I stumbled upon recently. There was a job opportunity I was going to apply for. I knew someone that worked there and they were going to recommend me for the position. It seemed like a great place to work from the description I received. Not my ideal career move, but a job. Then the discussion of pay came up. The rate was $7 less an hour than what I was making before. Not to mention the fact that it was an hour commute each way and would cost me at least $70 a week in gas to get back & forth (public transportation wasn’t an option).

My husband and I went over all the pros & cons. In the end, it just didn’t make sense financially for me to even apply. We figured out that I would be making almost $200 a week less than I am currently making on unemployment and with my part time work. That just seemed insane.

As I pondered this situation I found myself wondering how many others out there are experiencing the same issue. I mean, we need to survive. Thankfully there is an unemployment program that allows us to have money while searching for a new job. Yet what happens when the only jobs you are finding are less money than you were making? It’s a hard reality to face but one that is inevitable for most.

So as if the job search wasn’t hard enough, you now have to take into account the fact that you may not be making what you were before. Time to tighten up that budget! Its just the way of the economy at this point. Things are getting better but still aren’t where they should be. So you just may have to suck it up and if you get a job opportunity that’s less of a salary, just take it. Within reason of course. Clearly the situation I was presented with wasn’t one I could even take into consideration. So I continue on my quest for employment. Applying everywhere and anywhere and hoping that when that opportunity comes along that it will give me enough pay to still survive.