Well, I definitely wouldn't quit my job outright to be a part-time package handler. That simply wouldn't work. As others have said, the only way I could really do this is to do the part-time UPS job at night after I finish my regular IT job.
As for the pros and cons of my job. Here is how I see it:
The pros:
1. Pretty stable employment (not likely to get laid off)
2. Pretty good retirement system (I'm a government worker)
3. The work from time-to-time can be interesting (just definitely not all of the time)
The cons:
1. I think I'm fairly close to topping out pay-wise. I can move up but the raises involved just aren't that good.
2. We are salaried and don't get paid for overtime. We get compensatory time ("comp time"), which is like vacation time. However, what good is it if you never get a chance to take a vacation?
3. Our insurance premiums have increased as well as what we as employees have to contribute to retirement (its mandated). I imagine we will have another increase in what we are required to contribute to our retirement fund this year again.
4. I work more overtime than most government workers and, like I stated, that work isn't really compensated. It is going to get worse because of the projects that keep getting thrown at us.
5. Pay increases are basically non-existent right now due to the budget/financial situation. They have cut out any raises tied to continuing education, which is an incentive that they previous gave to employees for completing educational programs.
So, I would list those as the cons right now. I make a decent salary ($51,400 a year right now) but I won't see a raise until I get promoted from my current Analyst II position to the Senior Analyst position. That is likely 3-5 years away and would put me at $55,200 a year. After taxes, that would mean about $175 a month more than I make now.
The next step up from a Senior Analyst position is Lead Analyst and that pays $59,500. After taxes that probably pays $425 a month more than I make now and around $250 more per month than what a Senior Analyst makes. I would assume it will take me somewhere between 7-10 years to get to a Lead Analyst position. So, to get a $175 a month raise by becoming a Senior Analyst would take 3-5 years and to get an extra $250 a month on top of that could take another 4-6 after that. So, that is why I think I'm just about topped out as far as what I can make here. Certainly, its better than nothing but $425 a month extra in 7-10 years isn't really all that great of a raise and isn't going to keep pace with inflation. Between that and the constant tightening and restrictions in other areas of our work, I've started to think about getting out.
