My uncle said to take the $38k job over the $45k one and I can't tell if he's crazy

Phoenix Hall · 2026-10-21T11:30:05.447147+00:00

So my uncle drove down from Cleveland last weekend and we got to talking about a job offer I'm sitting on. He said flat out, "take the smaller check if the people are better," and he wasn't joking. He worked 16 years at a place that paid well and he said the money stopped feeling worth it around year 4 when the boss started calling people at 9pm on Sundays. Here's my problem though: the $38k gig is a small shop with 6 people and the $45k one is a bigger company with real benefits and a 401k match. I'm 27 and my rent just went up $120 a month, so the extra $7k is not nothing. Part of me thinks he's stuck in a past where loyalty got you somewhere, and part of me thinks he saw something I can't see yet. What would you weigh more here, the paycheck or the people you'd be around 40 hours a week?

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My uncle said to take the $38k job over the $45k one and I can't tell if he's crazy | Career Advice - Babble Community