# The question of all questions



## glenx (Sep 17, 2007)

Me being a carpenter at heart my whole life,was handed a job at Verizon
(THE DEVIL) 16 years ago. I am not content in my choosing. But LO and behold they have offered me 68,000 to leave the company. now listen, i still retain my measly pension when im at age and my wife does have medical for me and the 2 kids. Now Me , Ive been doing interior carpentry work for family and friends ove r the past ten years to some very high praises. flooring,doors ,windows,painting drywall,moulding,even some crown success,and anything else. My question is : IS IT WORTH IT TO LEAVE THE VERIZON EMPIRE TO PURSUE MY OWN GOALS: basically i make 200 dollars per day at verizon ,i believe i could make more and be happier, if anybody has any thoughts or input or 2cents i would be very grateful 

P.S Ihave to tell them my answer by 9/26


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## Patrick (Apr 12, 2006)

My father has 40 years in with them and has been debating that for the last ten years, and they're offering him 4-5 times that amount


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## Chris Johnson (Apr 19, 2007)

Welcome to construction 101, Verizon is a job and you make $ 200.00 per day - congratulations, your job is to put in 8 hours a day, Mon - Fri and that's it pretty sweet for 50k yr plus (depending on your location) I'd assume you also get some form of vacation benefit, paid holidays, etc?

Now for the real world of contracting - It's a business, that in itself is time consuming, wife wants to go out, you need to do bids, follow up with past bids, organize for the next day, so on and so forth. You wake up every morning hoping you aren't going to go to the job site and loose $ 200 that day or worse. 

There is up's and downs, being good at your job is one thing and it is probably the best start, but ask yourself "Can I run a business" and "Am I a people person" as you are now interacting with all different walks of life to get work from, can you do it, is it for you?

If you are making 50k a year right now, to leave that, the paid vacations, holiday pay, pension and go on your own my guess would be you better make 100+ on your own to justify the extra hours and the lost pension increases, etc, etc. You get the picture


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## wallmaxx (Jun 18, 2007)

Ditto what Chris said.

Sure I make $300 to $500 per day...but on the flip side

No time off since 1988
Sleep from midnight to 0600
Dry patches occur (bill collectors don't care)

What makes it fun for me is I thrive on challenges...and with this market...
I am fast seeing the pendulum swing from new construction to remodel. 

When that tanks, who knows, maybe look at the oil business.

Best of luck to you with whatever your decision is.

Mike


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## glenx (Sep 17, 2007)

*question of all questions*

I Appreciate the honest answers, thanx for taking the time. I forgot to mention that I'm also taking a course to become a nys liscenced home inspector,they make pretty good dough .i still dont know though, part of me feels like i've sold my soul to the devil :devil: but everybody else thinks i'm F***ING Crazy for even thinking about it. Time will tell Thanx again guys,:thumbsup:


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## POOLMANinCT (Oct 7, 2006)

just do it


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## Ed the Roofer (Dec 12, 2006)

But see if you can take an extended leave of absence to see if your new plan shows signs of life.

Try to have a fall back plan, just in case the economy flops and you get squished like a bug.

Ed


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## A W Smith (Oct 14, 2007)

Bottom line. Would you be happier at verizon or would be happier pursuing your dream? That is all that matters. As my first wife would say. life is too short and dead is too long


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## acarrothers (Oct 24, 2007)

It might sound cliche, but do what your heart tells you. You'll end up happier in the end.


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## MattCoops (Apr 7, 2006)

You're your own boss in contracting
so when something messes up, you got to fix it, cus its your responsibility
you got to find your pay check, then work at getting your pay check, then make sure you get paid on time
you got to know how to do everything in your job, or pay someone to do things for you
you have to deal with customers, and keep them happy
you have to wear many hats: the boss, the installer, the customer service rep, the estimator, the marketing guru, the accountant, the bill collector, the quality control rep

There's a lot of work into a business.
But if someone was going to offer me that much to leave,
I'd grab my stapler and head out the door


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## Kingfisher (Mar 18, 2007)

First off do you get to retire at 20 years? if so wait that is well worth it security wise. Next start advertising now and if you can get enough work to work straight through every weekend in a month then you will know there is work. Thats half the battle the rest is will they pay you for, do you need licenses, insurance (biz, health, WC ect...) and other you have to plan out. just my 2 cents Good luck


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## deckman22 (Oct 20, 2007)

I'd rather make less & be happy at work than make more & hate my job.

2 years ago after 30 years in the trades I decided to take a salaried job doing lumber sales. I hated it, lasted only 9 months before I gave notice. I love what I do & will probably do it til I die.


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## RLGC (Mar 4, 2007)

Doing an occasional side job and feeding your family on it are two different animals. Forget your weekends and vacation pay. No more liquid lunches. Gas at 3.00 per gal. Insurance up the a$$. The zillion tools you'll need. the truck, forget about parking in the garage anymore.That ut ho feeling you get when your not sure if your customer is goint to pay you. The job thats just a little more than you can handle on your own. Hire some help you say? That will educate you. But on a positive note, sit down with your loved ones and be realistic and honest with yourself. Take as much time as V will allow in making your decision. Good luck.


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## pi71 (Feb 22, 2006)

if you dont take the money and go, they are going to find a way to get rid of you any way.. money or not. obviously they want you gone. and they want to pay you.. easy one for me ... take the money and run!


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## Pavola (Nov 12, 2007)

11 years ago, I walked away from a good computer design job but its been worth it. I don't think I'd be making more $$ than I am now with my old job, but everyone who goes out on there own pays some pricey tuition (experience), some more, some less depending on how well you plan. The truth is, is tough to become wealthy working for someone else.


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