IT Professionals

How Far Would You Go For A Raise?

Posted by on Nov 27, 2007 | 3 Comments

I debated about even trying to talk about this, as some people will be tempted to dive into the politics of the location talked about in this article. But whatever, we’ll try it anyway.

Today, I happened upon this post over at OzTech@Lockergnome and found myself intrigued that people are willing to work so far away from their family. Outside of voluntary military service of course, working in a hot desert for $137 Grand does not really excite me.

Diving in deeper, it seems that it is not even that sweet of a gig, despite its rather attractive exterior. The article itself got me thinking – how much to get someone to work in Antarctica? Or maybe in some remote village in Africa? Again, remembering that the fictional person in my thinking would be seeking wealth, not working to provide some service in the name of their own beliefs.

Let’s look at the base wage and build it up from there. It starts at $22.08. Seriously, this is not that impressive. But let’s keep going. Now we figure in danger/hardship pay. This drives your hourly average up to $38.12. Better, but again, no way in the world is that enough to even get me thinking about something like this strictly based on financial gain.

Ask anyone serving overseas in a non-private capacity, obviously making MUCH less in revenue. It’s not a cake walk. You would be away from family, friends, and everyday conveniences that we take for granted. Again, I want to stress that this scenario works for any remote region, so please do not take this as a political question. I would have been thrilled to have used a moon base as a viable example had it been where IT personnel were currently needed.

Now for the big question: how much is enough to get you to pull yourself away from the creature comforts of you home, office, and family? If you are like me, less centered on earning a “fast buck” and truly value the time you have with your family, then I am not sure that going after positions like this for financial gain is the best way to go.

So unless you have a driving set of ideals or another reason to take on a private IT job like this, I simply cannot see putting a price tag on this kind of gig. It just doesn’t add up. Speaking for myself, I make enough to pay the bills and best of all, I am fortunate enough to not need money so badly that I need to go overseas and work for a private firm just to make ends meet.

  • http://www.tweakxpert.com Donny D.

    Hello,

    I’m actually the author of the TweakXpert article that you referenced.

    I don’t know if I’m looking to deeply into this, but your words sound rather emotionally charged, against anyone willing to take these kinds of positions.

    You have to put it in perspective really. Don’t think about it as someone willing to leave their family to make a quick buck, but rather, someone willing to leave their family for a while, to give their family a better life in the long run.

    Some people aren’t as luck as yourself. Some people don’t have the luxury of always being able to pay the rent, or have food on the table. Life can get hard sometimes.

    For me, It would be the hardest thing in the world.. to be thousands of miles away from your family, your friends, your home.. your country. But at the same time, I understand people that are willing to make that sacrifice, to give their family a more comfortable life.

    I still can’t say that I would do it personally, it would have to be something my entire family agrees upon. It changed the life of my friend that is still over there, and that’s hard to overlook.

  • http://www.matthartley.com Matt Hartley

    Donny: Re-read it again, closely. :) “Emotionally charged” is a stretch as I have friends serving in these capacities myself – more power to them. The question asked was examining seeking wealth over having to be away from our normal routines, family, etc. Is that wrong? Of course not, it is a free country and I am thrilled the opportunities exist anywhere. But it was a question nonetheless. Had this been more emotionally charged, it would have been a LOT longer. ;)

    I have some posts like that, they are huge.

  • http://www.tweakxpert.com Donny D.

    Ok, so emotionally charged is a bit much.. lets just say that you sounded a little bit bothered by it =)

    Either way, you do pose some very good questions, some that are really hard to answer. I think the answers solely depend on your situation.

    My friend was in a much tighter situation than I have ever been.. and now has a nice house with no house payment, and a nice car with no car payment.. I have to admit, on the outside, that sounds pretty sweet to me, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder if I could go through with it or not. It’s not for everyone after all.

    It’s a little different for him anyway, because he was there already while on duty.. now he’s there as a civilian. As for me, I’ve never even been out of the country.