got a job offer

Lil Freek

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'01 pro lx-t
Ok. Here's the story.
I'm currently 22, have no valid education (a few college classes here and there) and currently work for Correctional Services Canada. I'm an Indeterminate AS-02 employee at the second level. What this means is that I have a 100% garanteed job (few ways to get fired), I make roughly $48,500/year and have FULL benefits. This is pretty sweet, but due to my lack of education and my total hatred for gov't management, I'm pretty limited as to how high-up I can get while working for the gov't. ($60k would be my max)

My dad lives in Cambridge, he's a salesman and a business owner. He recently bought a chunk of a stripmall in Cambridge and is working on building a Joey's Only restaurant in that area. The restaurant should be open in late July/early August and my dad is a pretty untrusting guy when it comes to money. He's known that I've wanted to be a boss for a while and he offered me a job as Manager of the restaurant at $30k. I quickly turned it down as $18k less is WAY too little. He just came back at me today with an offer $45k + the obvious free food (i'm a big lad, I eat LOTS)

Now I'm totally split down the middle on this one. I really want to take the job, but that would mean leaving everything I have in Ottawa (all my friends, family and my whole life) and moving down to Cambridge to be with my dad and his new family. I would live on my own down there, but they'd be the only people I'd know.

My job has actually been driving me nuts, lately... but I don't know if I want to leave my REALLY secure job for something that's not garanteed. I'm not much of a risk-taker, but this is a great opportunity for me to spread my wings and actually take a good risk that would eventually make me loaded (once my dad is older, the restaurant would be mine) A nice perk about the federal gov't is that you get a once-per-career 1year leave of absence without pay. This means I can leave for 1 year, do whatever I want, and after a year, they have to give me my old job back, or something equivalent.

The more I'm typing here, the more I'm thinking it'd be a great opportunity to go down to Cambridge. My job would still be secure if the restaurant flopped (which i highly doubt it would) or if it turns out to be the wrong environment for me.

I dunno... I'm just looking for feedback on this whole situation. I'm not going to take one person's word on anything.. but some other opinions and points of view would really help on this one.

FYI. Ottawa is about 300miles north of Cambridge.
Ottawa is a midsize city with a population of roughly 1 million. Cambridge is a smaller, budding, city of about 200,000. But Cambdridge is also only 45 minutes from Toronto, which is Canada's biggest city with a population of roughtly 7.5million.
 
personally, i would keep ur secure job, i work for my dad and hate it, sure u can get away with more stuff, but it is a pain workin for family..
 
my dad wouldn't actually WORK there.. he has his own sales job that he likes doing. He would just sit back and watch me work and the money rollllll in.
I know my dad, and he's a total prick and hard-ass, but I'm totally used to that and I know how to deal with my dad (and I'm bigger than he is)
 
The first year is always the most difficult for a new business, but like you said, it would be a good challenge, and would let you know if this is something that you want to pursue further. You'd have the opportunity to find out if you like the biz, if you like - or can :) - work for/with family, etc. A change of scenery is also a good thing, it's one of the best ways to find out who you really are.
I would say give it a try. Not many jobs give you the security of taking a year off and still guaranteeing your job at the end of that time.
 
Stay at your job, but congrats on the offer. For comparison... how much would a nice 2 bed 1 bath apt be ($ a month) in the area where you make $48k.
 
My old 2bdrm with 1 underground parking spot was $1030/mth.
My current 1bdrm with 1 underground parking spot is $780/mth.

Both places are in mediocre parts of town and are run by major corporations - so very clean places.
 
I agree with everyone else. I'd keep your current job. Unless you about kill someone, you can retire there and not have to worry about "job security" like alot people here in the U.S. do. Working for family does put things at a strain, no matter how good or bad a relationship you have with your dad, especially if he happens to be like what's his face from Orange Co. Choppers. lol
 
laracroft said:
especially if he happens to be like what's his face from Orange Co. Choppers. lol

thats me and my dad , every day.. lol, he is a clean freak... i guess its a old person thing...
 
I would say keep your job, it might be a good experience and all that but the restaurant business is risky and leaving all your family and friends is hard. Also your getting less pay and with the expenses your ganna have in cambridge is really high, (I live right outside boston) Finding housing at something you wanna pay is definitly not ganna happen and will cost a lot of bones, however you find a good place to live that is cheap then I would say GO for it.
 
Ok.
I don't think most of you are catching that I'm allowed to leave for 1 year, no penalties, nothing, and come back to my regular gov't job after 12 months.
If my dad's restaurant flops, I will have a job to go back to, no problems. My mom is also pretty wealthy, so she would be able to support me for a little while I moved back to Ottawa and got back on my feet at my old job.

Lara... you were even the one that posted a comment in the "what's your job" thread where I stated that i hated my job.

Another note I don't want to mention on my local boards is that most of the restaurants like the one my dad is building clear between $400k-$700k of profit a year. So that's what my dad would be landing in his pocket while I make $45k. He will be offering me about 10% of profits as well after about 6 months.
I'm kinda looking at the bigger picture. There's 170 of these restaurants in Canada. Only 2-3 have gone bankrupt in the past 10 years and those were in LITTLE towns. In about 10 years, my dad will have enough money so he can retire gracefully, and I would 'inherit' the restaurant :) I'm not really looking at making $45k for the rest of my life. to be making around $500k/year by the time I'm 35 isn't that bad a deal.
[the above is obviously a best-case scenario]
 
AbsoluteSwed said:
I would say keep your job, it might be a good experience and all that but the restaurant business is risky and leaving all your family and friends is hard. Also your getting less pay and with the expenses your ganna have in cambridge is really high, (I live right outside boston) Finding housing at something you wanna pay is definitly not ganna happen and will cost a lot of bones, however you find a good place to live that is cheap then I would say GO for it.

housing in Cambridge is about 75% as expensive as in Ottawa.
insurance is about 75% as expensive as in Ottawa.
 
Take the year break and give your dad a hand. If it doesn't work out you can go back, right? And I would negotiate the pay...ask for 40k and a cut of the profit. Tell dad that's your motivation for the business to make as much money as possible. Its win-win for him.
Take risks now while you're young.
 
i say take the other job. you might take a hit the first few years, but if the potential to go further and make more in the long run is there, go for it.
 
ok, ok... so leave your job for a year and come back if it doesnt work out. You have our blessings. :D

I can just see your dad now stopping by the resturant unannounced and throwing something at you from across the room in front of customers. "NO DIRTY DISHES IN THE DISHWASHING MACHINE!!!!!" and then followed by....


a boot to the head
 
never work for family. My advise, keep your job now, go to night school and get a degree, then look for a job that you really like. If you take the restuarant, you will always be working for your dad, it's not as honorable as to build your own business, and like I said, never work for family. I did it and now I have a 15,000 debt as part of the lesson.
 
Lil Freek said:
Ok.
I don't think most of you are catching that I'm allowed to leave for 1 year, no penalties, nothing, and come back to my regular gov't job after 12 months.
If my dad's restaurant flops, I will have a job to go back to, no problems. My mom is also pretty wealthy, so she would be able to support me for a little while I moved back to Ottawa and got back on my feet at my old job.

Lara... you were even the one that posted a comment in the "what's your job" thread where I stated that i hated my job.

Another note I don't want to mention on my local boards is that most of the restaurants like the one my dad is building clear between $400k-$700k of profit a year. So that's what my dad would be landing in his pocket while I make $45k. He will be offering me about 10% of profits as well after about 6 months.
I'm kinda looking at the bigger picture. There's 170 of these restaurants in Canada. Only 2-3 have gone bankrupt in the past 10 years and those were in LITTLE towns. In about 10 years, my dad will have enough money so he can retire gracefully, and I would 'inherit' the restaurant :) I'm not really looking at making $45k for the rest of my life. to be making around $500k/year by the time I'm 35 isn't that bad a deal.
[the above is obviously a best-case scenario]


BUILD YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND DON'T DEPENDS ON YOUR DAD!
 
fo real.
I'm not really aroused by it... but it is a bikini bottom with a Mazda emblem...and I'm blindly faithful to female body parts and my car.
 

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