Job offer is 3k less then current salary, how do I negotiate?
I have been desperate to get a new job as my current one is a terrible culture fit. The job offer came in at 75k when I currently make 78k. I live in a high cost of living city and am barely affording my expenses now.
I countered by asking for the offer to be raised to match my current salary but they said they did not know if they could do it since it was a firm number.
What do I do if it doesn't raise? I actually hate my current position and am very excited for the type of work in this new role.
some more details
Its 30 miles closer to my home then my current role. My current annual bonus is 6% goal the new job is 9% guaranteed.
Jobadvisor
Your numbers suggest the gap is smaller than the 3k base difference. At target, the new job pays about $81,750 ($75k plus 9%) and your current job about $82,680 ($78k plus 6%), so roughly $900 a year apart. The new bonus is guaranteed, though, and your current one is only a goal, so the real gap depends on what you'd actually receive.
Since they said the base is firm, I'd stop pushing on salary and ask for other things that are often easier to approve:
- A signing bonus. Ask for about $3,000 to cover the first year's gap. Hiring managers often can't change the salary band but can approve a one-time payment from a different budget.
- An early salary review. Ask for a review at 6 months instead of 12, with a bump to $78k or higher if you perform well. Get the timing and criteria in writing if you can.
- A higher or guaranteed first-year bonus. If 9% is a standard range, ask whether they can go higher, or whether the bonus is pro-rated for a partial first year.
- Extra vacation days or a remote/hybrid schedule. Either one is a real benefit, and a hybrid schedule would make your commute savings even bigger.
- Asking who else can approve it. A recruiter or HR may have more flexibility than the hiring manager, especially if you ask about a different level or title.
You could say something like: "I'm really excited about this role and the work. I want to make it work, and the base is a challenge for me given the cost of living here. Is there any flexibility on a signing bonus or an earlier salary review?" Keep it warm and specific, and don't bluff about other offers unless you have them.
If they say no to all of it, decide on the merits. The base gap is small, the bonus is guaranteed, the commute is shorter, and you'd be excited about the work instead of dreading it. Those are real advantages, and a 3k difference in base pay is a fair price for leaving a culture that's wearing you down. The main question is whether you can cover your expenses on $75k in this city without going further into debt. If you can, I'd take it. If the cost of living makes that impossible, that's a reason to keep pushing on the signing bonus, or to keep looking.
Two practical points: don't resign until you have a signed offer in writing, and when you do get it, ask about the bonus calculation, payment timing, and whether the 9% is based on base salary alone.
38, stuck in a teaching career I no longer enjoy, struggling to break into tech. What are my options?
I'm 38 years old, and lately, I've been feeling pretty stuck in my career. I'm struggling to figure out what direction to take next, and I'd appreciate some honest advice.
I've been teaching English in Japan for about seven years, working both as an Assistant Language Teacher in public schools and as a conversation English teacher at private language schools. At this point, I'm struggling to find any passion for teaching anymore. I'm finding the work increasingly repetitive and unfulfilling, and I don't really see a future for myself in this field.
Outside of teaching, I'm much more interested in creative and technical work. I've been doing digital art on the side, and for the past couple of years, I've also been teaching myself programming. I've been developing my own EdTech game, which I actually use in my lessons.
I initially thought that learning to code and building projects would help me transition into the tech industry. However, I've had a really difficult time landing a tech job in Japan. Many of the positions I find are looking for experienced developers, while entry level roles often require business level Japanese proficiency, which I don't have yet. My Japanese is somewhere around the JLPT N3 level, so I can get by with some things, but I'm not professionally fluent.
My educational background is in biomedical science, and I have a bachelor's degree in the field. I originally tried to pursue a career as an MD, but that didn't work out, and I ended up with a substantial amount of student loan debt. Now I'm trying to figure out how to build a more sustainable career without spending years going back to school or taking on even more debt.
The rise of AI is another thing that's making me nervous. I've been putting time into learning programming, but I worry about how difficult it will be to break into the industry as a beginner when AI is changing the way software is developed.
I feel like I've spent years working toward different paths without finding one that really works out, and I'm worried about getting stuck in teaching indefinitely simply because I can't find a realistic way out.
Should I keep pursuing software development, look into adjacent fields like IT support or QA, explore EdTech roles that combine my teaching experience with my technical skills, or consider an entirely different direction?
I'm not necessarily looking to get rich. I want a career with room to grow, better earning potential, and a future that doesn't leave me feeling like I'm standing still.
I'd really appreciate any advice, especially from people who have been in a similar situation.
Jobadvisor
You have more to work with than you may feel right now. Seven years of teaching, fluent English, a science degree, real programming skills, and a game your own students use is an unusual combination. The problem is less that your background is weak and more that you've been aiming at the most crowded entry point, general software developer jobs in Japan, which asks for both experience and Japanese you don't have yet.
The Japanese requirement is the biggest practical constraint, so I'd start by separating roles by language need. Remote work is probably your biggest lever. Many companies outside Japan hire remotely for English-speaking roles, and your time zone and English ability are assets there. Tokyo also has international startups and English-first teams, though they're a smaller slice of the market. Whichever route you take, keep improving your Japanese, because it expands your options over time even if it isn't required now.
Among the adjacent fields you mentioned, a few fit your background especially well. QA and test automation is a realistic entry point, and it's more accessible than full development because it rewards systematic thinking and some coding in Python or JavaScript. Your biomedical training could matter here. Regulated industries like medical devices and pharmaceuticals need people who understand validation and documentation, and that's a niche where a science background is valued. Bioinformatics or health data analysis is another option, since it combines biology with Python or R, though it may require a graduate degree for some roles. Instructional design and EdTech roles are probably the closest match to your teaching experience and your game. They use tools like LMS platforms and authoring software, often with some scripting, and they tend to pay better than classroom teaching. Customer success, solutions, or content roles at EdTech companies are also worth looking at, especially ones that value someone who has taught with the product.
On the AI concern, I'd be honest with yourself. Entry-level software hiring is tighter than it was a few years ago, and that's real. But the roles that are holding up best tend to combine code with domain knowledge and communication, which is close to your profile. A shipped product that real learners use is more persuasive to a hiring manager than a certificate. Frame your game as a product with users and results, not just a side project.
Two practical points deserve attention before you commit to anything. First, check your visa. If you're on an Instructor visa, switching to a tech job may require a change of status of residence, and the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services category is the usual route for many non-teaching professional roles. A company that sponsors can make a big difference, so this should shape which jobs you target. Second, your student loans and your savings runway determine how much risk you can afford. If possible, keep your current job while you transition, since teaching gives you income and time to build without pressure.
For the next few weeks, I'd avoid trying to choose one path forever. Pull fifteen to twenty job postings across two or three targets, such as QA, instructional design, and remote junior developer roles, and note which requirements you already meet and which gaps keep appearing. Then build one focused project aimed at the path that looks most promising. Finally, talk to people already doing those jobs, especially people who came from teaching or science. Many will tell you how they actually got in, which is often more useful than a job board.
What kind of work energizes you most when you're deep in it: building things, explaining things to people, or analyzing data? Your answer would help narrow which of these paths is worth your next few months.
Accidentally found proof of some coworkers belittling me. Should I bring it up to my boss?
I work at a small business that deals with animals. We don't really have an HR department - there are maybe 20-25 employees, total. I'm going to be as vague as possible for anonymity.
I have never experienced something like this in a workplace before. I started this job 1 month ago and am still learning, and yes, making mistakes - but I take any and all feedback with my chin up and do better the next time. I think that's completely normal.
I work overnights, and the job has a huge learning curve.
One of my tasks as an overnighter is to go on each store phone (cell phones for any day shift employee to use) and delete every photo that was taken that day for privacy purposes. I was doing this task as usual, when upon unlocking one phone, it was open to a chat where I was being discussed. I saw my name on the screen and let curiosity get the better of me, so I read it.
The employee who was still logged in had been talking about me to another overnight employee - and completely tearing me apart. Saying I'm a dunce, have no braincells, making fun of me in every way possible, cursing about me, you name it. I was heartbroken. They even brought up my partner, because I had brought him up and tried to be friendly while chit-chatting and told them a little about my life. They ripped me apart in every way.
I understand I am new. I know I have made some little mistakes during my shifts, but I've taken the feedback and gotten better. I've also only been here a month (if that!). On overnights, nobody else is in the building, so I do the best with the instructions and training I have been given.
These coworkers seem to hate me. What I read absolutely crushed me - I thought they liked me. I was going to ask if they wanted to hang out outside of work, because they seemed cool. Not now, I guess.
If you were in my position, what would your next move be? I've been sitting on this for about a week wondering what to do. I've asked people in my personal life, and some suggest leaving it be, others urge me to tell my boss and show the photos I took of the chat (because yes I got proof.) The thing is, I am worried that by bringing this up, it could make me seem like a problem. It was not my chat to read, however it was already on the screen when I unlocked the phone, and it's not a personal device - they are for any employee to use. So there is no expectation of privacy. But I am worried I will be under a bad light for reading it, despite seeing my name right on the screen. I could have closed out of it instantly and not read further, but I was curious.
I am also worried they will take these employees side - it's two against one, and they've been here longer than I have. I'm the newest one here, so I guess it would be easy to just fire me and give them a write-up if it gets to that point. I love the job and love the business I work for, and everything they do for the animals in our care; that's why I applied in the first place. When I was hired, I was over the moon. Now, I feel horrible; I feel like if I make any mistakes my coworkers will continue trash talking me behind my back. I also wonder, if it's them... is it anyone else on the team? Overall it's thoroughly destroyed my confidence, and I'm considering leaving.
What should I do?
Jobadvisor
I'm sorry. Reading that about yourself, after a month of trying your hardest, would hurt anyone. Your reaction makes sense, and so does the second-guessing.
I'd tell your boss, but carefully. Your coworkers' messages are not what you need to report. What matters is that two employees were speaking about a new colleague in demeaning terms, including bringing up your partner, and that this is affecting your ability to work. In a 20-25 person business without HR, your boss is the right person, and this is the kind of thing they'd want to know about, since it affects team culture and how people treat each other when no one else is around.
On the worry about reading the chat: be upfront about it. You saw your name on an open screen, you read further than you should have, and you're telling your boss because you think they should know. That honesty is what makes your report credible, and most managers will see that you didn't go looking for it. You don't need to over-apologize or make it the center of the conversation. Mention it briefly and move on.
I'd describe what you saw rather than showing the photos. Showing screenshots of a private conversation can turn the focus onto how you got them, and it spreads your coworkers' private messages around. You can say something like, "I came across a conversation where two employees were talking about me in very unkind terms, including personal things I'd shared. I didn't feel right ignoring it." If your boss wants to see it, you can show them then.
Before you talk to your boss, write down what you remember: the date and time, which shift, the general content, and roughly who was involved. Keep it factual and short. That protects you if this turns into a dispute.
Don't confront your coworkers yourself, and don't bring it up with the other overnight employee. That would likely make things worse and could make you look like the instigator, which is the fear you already have.
About the feeling that you're easy to replace: you're a month in, you're doing your job, and you're taking feedback well. Workplaces are generally expected to address harassment or demeaning talk regardless of tenure, and a manager who fires the person who reported it would be creating a much bigger problem for themselves. You can't fully control how it plays out, but reporting it honestly is the reasonable step.
It's also fair to wonder whether others feel the same way, and your boss may want to check in with the rest of the team. That's a good reason to let them lead that conversation rather than trying to investigate it yourself.
Finally, I'd hold off on deciding whether to leave until you've had that conversation and seen how it's handled. You can take the job seriously without carrying the whole weight of their opinions. Your confidence will come back more easily if you can see that the place you chose to work will take this seriously.
I built my entire career around a system my company is about to replace?
I'm 30 and work at a regional trucking company. For the past 4 years I've become the only person who really understands our old dispatch software. Whenever something goes wrong, everyone comes to me.
Management announced they're replacing it next year and want me to oversee the transition. Sounds good, except my boss couldn't explain what my position would look like once the new system is running.
I never studied IT and my actual title is operations coordinator. I'm starting to realize most of my value here comes from knowing something that's about to disappear.
Has anyone been in a similar position? Not sure if I should use this transition to build new skills or start looking elsewhere now.
Jobadvisor
You're not alone in this. Long-tenured people who know a legacy system inside out often face this moment during a migration, and it's usually more of an opportunity than it feels like at first.
Your value is probably bigger than the software itself. Knowing that a certain dispatch screen fails when a load has two stops in the same city, or that a workaround everyone uses exists because of a state regulation, is knowledge about how your operation actually runs. The new system will need someone who knows that, and it's harder to hire for than software skills. The part that may disappear is the specific tool, not the understanding behind it.
I'd use the transition, but deliberately. Your boss's vagueness is worth pressing on, since it tells you the company may not have planned your role yet. Before you decide anything, try to get answers to a few questions: Who is the vendor, and will they provide implementation support? Will the company need someone to administer and configure the new system after launch? Is there a budget for training or a title change tied to this project? You could ask, "I'd like to make sure I'm set up for the role after go-live. Can we define what that looks like in writing?" How they respond will tell you a lot.
Meanwhile, build the skills that transfer to the next system, not just the current one. Useful areas include documenting processes, mapping workflows from old to new, data migration and cleanup, testing and user training, and working with vendors. If your old system has a database, learning SQL would be valuable, because reporting and data analysis skills carry across almost any platform. Keep notes on what you're doing, since a record of the migration work will help you in interviews and in negotiations.
Start looking now, even if you stay. You don't need to leave, but knowing what your market looks like gives you leverage and removes the sense that you're stuck. Look for titles like TMS analyst, transportation systems administrator, operations analyst, or implementation specialist, and see what requirements keep appearing. You'll learn which skills are in demand and what your experience is worth outside this company.
If the company gives you a clear role and a path after the transition, staying and growing into it may be the best option. If the answers stay vague, that's a sign to put your energy into a move. Either way, you're in a stronger position than you might feel, because you understand the business well enough to help design what comes next.
Would it help to draft the questions for your boss, or to sketch a six-month skills plan around the migration?
Got rejected for a supervisor position and now they want me to interview the candidates?
I've been covering the warehouse supervisor position for about 8 months since our previous supervisor quit. I handle scheduling for 14 employees, supplier issues and pretty much everything the old supervisor did.
When they finally advertised the permanent position, I applied and got rejected because I supposedly lack formal management experience.
Now HR wants me to sit on the interview panel and create a practical assessment for the outside candidates.
I'm not upset about them hiring someone else, but asking me to evaluate people for a job they say I'm not qualified for feels ridiculous.
I want to move up within the company, so I'm worried declining will hurt me later. How would you handle this?
Jobadvisor
I'd probably accept, but on your terms. The request is awkward, but it's also useful. You know this job better than anyone on the panel, so they're asking you because you can tell them what the role actually requires day to day. Declining could look like you're taking the rejection badly, and that's the reputation you least want while you're still hoping to move up.
Before you agree, ask HR or your manager for specifics on the rejection. "Formal management experience" could mean supervising people with a documented title, completing management training, or having hire-and-fire authority. Those are different gaps, and you need to know which one applies. You might say, "I'd like to understand what the panel felt was missing so I can plan my development. Could we talk about that?" How they answer will tell you whether there's a real path or whether the door is closed for now.
When you build the practical assessment, base it on the work you already do: prioritizing schedules when two people call in sick, handling a supplier who misses a delivery, or telling a team member their performance is slipping. Strong candidates will handle those well, and the exercise makes the job's demands visible to everyone. It also puts your experience on record, which matters if someone later asks who understood the role.
During the interviews, judge each candidate fairly. Don't go easy on someone because you'd rather not be overlooked again, and don't be harsher on an outside candidate than you'd want someone to be with you. If the hire becomes your supervisor, a good working relationship with them is worth more than any single decision you make in that room.
Then turn the rejection into a plan. Ask whether there's a formal development path, such as a supervisory course, a leadership certification, or a written list of milestones for your next opening. Keep a record of the scheduling, supplier, and coverage work you've handled since you started covering the role, because that's the evidence you'll need next time.
If you do decline, keep it simple and avoid bitterness: "I'd rather not evaluate candidates for a role I applied for, but I'm happy to help with the assessment design and the job description." Even then, you may be better off staying involved.
Job that I interviewed for said they can not offer structure, and therefore I wasn't hired?
They interviewed me 3 different times for about 5 hours + a case study. They said I seem like a person who does their work well, and I was the most experienced applicant, and that it's a lottery win for any company to have me.
But. They did not hire me due to them not being able to offer the "structure and guidelines" they thought I'm looking for. I said in the interview that I work in a structured way, but surely did not mean I need handholding to do my job. I also mentioned that I enjoy open communication and clear expectations. By expectations, I do not mean square instructions to every task, but more a consistent feedback and transparent targets.
Just never thought it could come across negative. Thoughts? Why would a company feel this way?
Jobadvisor
That's a frustrating outcome after five hours and a case study, especially when they told you that you were the most experienced candidate. I can see why the feedback feels contradictory.
I think you're right that you didn't mean you need handholding. The problem is that "structure" is a word that can mean different things to different people. To some hiring managers, it means "this person needs direction." To others, it means "this person wants a process and predictable feedback." When you say you work in a structured way, the interviewer may have heard the first meaning, especially if they're worried about how much time they'd spend managing you. Even your clarification about feedback and targets can sound like a request for more management if the role is already loosely defined or if the team lacks a clear framework.
It's also possible the concern had little to do with what you said. Companies sometimes hire for a specific working style, and if they're unsure they can offer what a candidate expects, they may pass even on a strong applicant. The team may be rebuilding its processes, or the manager may simply be unable to commit to regular check-ins. Those are things you can't see from the outside, so it's worth finding out before you assume the problem was you.
I'd ask the recruiter for specific feedback. You could write something like, "Thank you for the process. I'd value any feedback on what concerned the panel about structure and guidelines, since I want to present myself clearly in future interviews." Recruiters don't always reply, but when they do, you'll learn whether the concern was about your communication, your expectations, or the job itself.
For future interviews, the key is to show the difference through examples rather than describe it in the abstract. Instead of saying you like clear expectations, you could describe a time you asked a manager for a target and how you checked your progress, or how you handled a project when the brief was incomplete. That makes it obvious you're self-directed without sounding like you need supervision.
It's also worth considering whether this company's way of working matches what you want. If they're looking for someone who can thrive with minimal framework, you'd be happier somewhere else anyway. But if the concern was about how you described yourself, that's something you can fix.