It's been almost a month since I updated my blog. We've been in such a holding pattern that it's been hard to get enthusiastic about blogging "still looking". We have news though, so it's time for an update!
A couple weeks ago Willy had a really good interview with a local company that he hoped to work for. We waited... and waited... and waited for word on the results of the interview. Willy's contact with the company kept him in the loop in a sense, dropping him emails and letting him know they were interested in him but still reviewing all received resumes (mandatory because it was for work on a government project), trying to work out budget and billing issues for the position they wanted to hire Willy for, etc. So we waited but not entirely blindly. We started to get our hopes up. It seemed pretty apparent that they were trying to keep Willy positive and excited about the job even though their hands were a little tied and unable to just offer him the position immediately. Finally on Friday afternoon Willy got the call letting him know they'd like him to come in early this week so they could make him an official offer! Then we got all sorts of excited! And relief sort of washed over us.
So Tuesday he went in and was offered the job. Unfortunately the salary offer was almost a 25% decrease in pay compared to Willy's last job. Because of the nature of the job and the fact that it's a government project there's an absolute maximum cap on the amount that can be paid for the work, and that's the amount the company is offering Willy.
The company wasn't trying to low-ball him or instigate some negotiations or anything. In fact they're doing everything possible to entice Willy to work for them including lots of discussions about future opportunity possibilities that would have a higher pay rate, etc. But there's no established time frame for any of those opportunities.
We can't support our family on possible opportunities.
So at this point it's feeling pretty apparent that it's time for us to move on. People don't always understand how expensive it is to live here in Hawaii. Nearly all of our foods and general supplies are imported which means our grocery bills are pretty astronomical. Housing is outrageously priced for small homes with little or no yard. It's consistently one of the most expensive places to buy gas. Electricity costs are out of control and climbing. Add to that the fact that we've chosen to keep me home with the kids and not out working a full time job, and that puts a lot of burden squarely on Willy's shoulders. A lot of households here in Hawaii have multiple income earners, and I'm not just talking about a mom and dad who both work outside the home. A lot of time there are adult children living with their parents, aunties or uncles living with family members, grandparents living with family, etc. And they all work or earn income. And all the income is necessary to keep a household afloat, because despite the cost of living, pay rates here aren't necessarily that much better than elsewhere in the country. I could return to work full-time, but we still have Molly at home and would have to pay for childcare and me being away from home simply isn't what we feel is best for our family.
So all of that just to say that the offer the company made Willy simply won't be enough in the long run to keep us here. It feels a bit like putting a bandaid on a wound that really needs stitches. We feel confident that with the job, we'll be able to stay afloat until the school year is out so the kids can finish up and not be displaced mid-year. But unless some of those potential opportunities the company suggested start actually happening, we won't be able to stay beyond July-ish. And of course if we're relocating we want to do it before the next school year starts, so mid/end July is a perfect time to move.
If there's ever a perfect time to move away from Hawaii.
So Willy is taking the job and will probably be starting in the next 2 weeks (this is a new project and new position so they have to get his office space prepared with new computer, etc). And we're SO grateful for employment. And honestly we're grateful for the offer Willy was made because it helped us make our decision to start aggressively pursuing employment on the mainland. It helped us realize that it's most likely time for our family to move on to the next adventure. The offer was just low enough for us to know we can't cut enough corners to make that salary work permanently, but just high enough to tide us over till summer time which gives us time to prepare for the move. (Moving across the ocean is no small feat...) And the company understands that what they're offering isn't adequate for long term and they know he'll be searching mainland jobs and most likely be leaving them sooner than they'd hope but they still want him for as long as they can have him, which just adds to how proud of my husband I am. He's got the skills companies need. I know the right job is out there for him and now we can be willing to look for it even though it means relocating.
So! Willy is on the Linked In network and all of his resume and experience information is listed there. (HERE is the link to his profile.) Feel free to try to sell us on your corner of the world hehehe. We're open to just about anywhere at this point as long as the job is right to provide for our family. Feel free to pass his info along!
