I got the job!

[Matt Meiser]

I got the call about 9 last night. The new company made me an offer with a comparable salary, participation in a bonus plan which pays 12-13% annually, and a home-based office. The lack of a commute will be the equivalent of about a $350/mo raise, plus about 28 extra hours per month not sitting in the car.

You know things are bad when you tell your boss and he thinks you've got a great opportunity.

[Von Bickley]

Matt,

Congratulations on the new job. I am presently helping my Son In Law build a home office in a pole building so he can work from home.

Good Luck with the new job....:D

[Jackie Outten]

Matt,

Congratulations on your new job. Sounds like you made a great deal.

Jackie

[Ken Garlock]

Congratulations Matt.:) It sounds like you hit a home run. :cool: :cool:

[Nancy Laird]

Congratulations, Matt. I'm sure you know this already, but be warned again: working at home can be a nightmare when you have honey-do lists staring you in the face and the lathe or bandsaw calling you. Just have to make sure that you keep "office hours" even at home, without the LOYL or the children dropping in. Good luck with the new job!!

Nancy

[Glenn Clabo]

Way to go Matt!
I only get to telecommute one day a week...but I love it. It does take some discipline...but it's worth it.

[Aaron Koehl]

Congratulations Matt!

[Anthony Anderson]

Congratulations Matt, I am happy for you. What Nancy said too. Keep regular hours, where the wife and anyone else, know that they do not have access to you. Separate the honey do list from the work/professional time, and things will work out fine. Neighbor has been working at home for about a year and it seems to be working out for him. At least it appears. Good Luck, Bill

[Art Mulder]

... made me an offer with a [...] , and a home-based office. The lack of a commute will be the equivalent of about a $350/mo raise, plus about 28 extra hours per month not sitting in the car.

Congratulations, Matt!

Your phrasing makes it sound almost like the new place will be funding your home-based office, which I kind of doubt. Do you already have a place, or do you need to section off a spot in the basement? Make sure you have a nice window to look outside!

You've got young kids, I think? Are they all in school? that would be good, as the house quiets down when they're away.

I'll bet your estimate of the cost of commuting is even low. After you've settled into the job, (and are sure about it.) you might even be able to let one of your vehicles go, which would reduce costs further. At the least, check with your auto insurance company. Around here, at least, they set the car insurance rate based on how far you need to drive to work.

hope it works well!
...art

ps: sayyyy, do they have any more openings?

[Matt Meiser]

Actually Art, they do pay for some of the cost of the furniture ($500) and all of the supplies and, as he put it, the "stuff that plugs into the wall." They also pay for the second phone line, and I think for the Internet access (not that it matters if they don't since we already pay for it.)

My commuting cost figure was gas + eating out every day for lunch. I'm sure the wear and tear on my vehicle adds up as well.

My daugher will still go to daycare in the summer. In the fall she starts Kindergarten and I will either put her on the bus or she'll come home on the bus depending on whether she is in AM or PM Kindergarten. She'll also have to go to daycare when I am out of town.

[David G Baker]

Matt,
Great!!!!! Glad to see you got what you went after.
There are so many things that you save on by not commuting.
Good luck on your new job.

[Dennis Peacock]

Congrats Matt.!!!!!!!!!!!!! I told you that you'd ROCK!!!!!!!!! ;)

[Art Mulder]

They also pay for the second phone line, and I think for the Internet access (not that it matters if they don't since we already pay for it.)


No, no, no! :cool: You'd better believe that it matters.

I pay almost $50 a month for high speed internet. That is $600 a year, and to have $600 after taxes to pay out, then you need to earn how much? I'm not familiar with the US tax system, but for me, that would basically work out to $1000 a year. So by paying for my internet, my boss gave me the equivalent of a $1000 raise, and it only costs them $600. We all win.

[Karl Laustrup]

Congratulations Matt. And you don't have to move.

An occasional trip to the home office maybe? That would be OK.

Karl

[Jim Becker]

CONGRATULATIONS, Matt! Welcome to the virtual office world!! :D :D :D

[Joe Mioux]

Matt:

Congratulations on your new job.

Art is correct about the cost issues.

I am a small business owner and everytime I donate say $25.00 cash to a charitable organization, that donation costs me atleast an additional $250 in new sales just to make that donation.

Run your office as a business and accurately account for your business expenses. That mind-set will help tremendously!

For me, I am never - not - working. I just choose a different gear while at home.

Joe

[John Shuk]

Congrats Matt. Do well.

[Doug Shepard]

This is going to beat anybody's new tool gloat for at least a week.:D You are one lucky dog. I'd love to do the telecommute thing.

[Earl Reid]

Nice going, Matt, wishing you well.
Earl

[Matt Meiser]

An occasional trip to the home office maybe? That would be OK.

Actually it will be more than that. They say 15% travel, which is actually low for my industry, but it is one of their founding principles and modern technology makes it just as easy to install software on servers from home as from the customer site (and half the time the customer's servers are on their site anyway.)

Oh, and the company is located in St. Louis which is my mom's hometown and I have several aunts, uncles, cousins, and cousin's kids there to visit during off hours.

[Bruce Page]

Congrats Matt!
I’m not sure that I would have the self-discipline for telecommuting. :o :)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Congrats Matt! I hope the new job goes well for you!

[Keith Outten]

Matt,

The drop in travel time will provide extra hours in your tractor seat :)

Congratulations!

.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Congratulations.

[Belinda Barfield]

Congrats Matt! You've had good advice from everyone. I had a home based office for about three years. Absolute musts are making that office space true office space and off limits during "working hours", and discipline. It is nice to have a window to the world as well. Keep up with all business related expenses and if your office is only used for business purposes, and isn't just a space in the corner of the garage, you get a tax deduction for a home business (unless the tax laws have change in the last several years). You can count a portion of your electric bill, internet service if not provided by your employer, any equipment/furniture you buy, etc.

Here's the hard part . . . having to go back out into the "real" work world after working from home! Hopefully you won't ever have to. :)

[Mark Pruitt]

Good for you Matt! Congratulations!

[Charles McKinley]

Way to go Matt!

I hope that the arrangement works out well for you. Now that you can live anywhere you ay want to look for a tax friendly state.

[Ed Breen]

Congrats Matt:
Know you'll do well. One of the swell things from my perspective is that when you visit the home office you'll be able top eat at a White Castle! We don't have any in Okie'ville and its the one thing I miss from Chicago.
Ed:D

[Gary Herrmann]

Matt, I'm in IT. Which company, if you don't mind me asking.

[Don Bullock]

Matt, I just saw this. Congratulations!!!!:D

[Justin McCurdy]

I am very envious. I worked from home for years and the savings is substantial. Best of luck with the new job.

[Matt Meiser]

Thanks everyone. I worked over the weekend on getting the new office set up. I pulled up the old carpet which was completely shot and put in a laminate floor. We also moved in the furniture. The desk and the drawer unit under it are typical particle board stuff, however I only paid $120 for both of them since they were display models. I'm getting a return for the left side of the desk as well. We'll end up with about $300 in the desk which is less than materials for a good desk would have cost and I don't have time right now to build one anyway. After tomorrow I'll have 1 week to go at the current job. Since I announced my resignation various members of middle management have shared a lot of information with me that I didn't know before--helping to reassure me that it was definitely time to go. I seriously think they are jealous.