Should I quit my brewing job?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I recently just landed a brewing position. 600 barrels a year and I make about the same as you. I cover everything from brewing to cellaring and serving. Also lots of cleaning. Your pay sounds just about legit. Also I have no family to support.
 
I would say if your under 34 years old go for the oil rig. 35 or older just start doing the amount of work you feel they are paying for.
 
To OP

I worked in a restaurant for 5 years, living paycheck to paycheck trying to support a wife a two kids and pay the mortgage on a house that was bought at the peak of the market and the tanked in value. I enjoyed working in a restaurant while trying to get a job in the natural science field, which I have a bachelors degree in. I lived 12 minutes from work and I still had to be very strict on a 200/mo gas budget.
Recently I took a job working in a lab at a steel mill. I drive 3 hours round trip every day and I still make more than I was at the restaurant. I know how hard it is to be unable to pay bills. I took a hard look at my finances and did what was right for my kids. There are two kinds of jobs, ones that you love and ones that pay well. If you're really lucky, one job can be both. I took the job that will put my kids through College and put me to retirement.
Just my experience and $.02
Good luck
 
I had a look over on www.probrewer.com forum and came out with this

So $400 per week for a assistant brewer in a small brewer actually looks in line with the above... sorry :(

Jesus that's a sad wage scale. I make way more money than that. I'll gladly take the money I make and homebrew for fun on my days off, which compared to what people say about brewing professionally, has more free time to actually do what I want.

Sorry to hear that these jobs suck so bad. I had no idea.
 
$800 a paycheck isn't very good no matter where you live. I was able to support myself on that out college but certainly wouldn't be able to support a family on it. If you think you can improve your family's quality of life and earn more in another field then you should look into it. I wouldn't quit your current job though without something else lined up - most employers don't seem to want to hire unemployed workers in this economy. I will say that working in the oil fields is brutal and you need to be in excellent physical and mental condition otherwise you won't make it long. If you do find another job just remember that you can always brew at home. My wife was all about opening a brewery until I showed her just how little we would make and how much financial risk we would take, and how hard we would have to work!
 
Thanks for confirming what I already knew: unless you are a business owner, working in a hobby is usually not going to pay the bills.

I will keep my day job and my weekend hobbies, thank you very much.
 
I had to leave a fantastic job in consulting for a government crap job because I needed the benefits. It still stings 5 years later. At least there I was making 40k a year and had a cheap mortgage. Now I make double that but live in Chicago where everything is so expensive that the extra pay is a wash.

Yeah, but you live close to Lou Malnati's and Portillo's, so that makes you about even. :D

:off:
 
I work in a Texas brewery and I love my job. The only problem is they don't pay worth a ****. I'm getting $800 and some change for busting my ass and I can't make ends meet. My family is suffering bc they don't want pay. I've asked for raises and all I get is lies and empty promises . Dont know if I should quit or if I should stick it out and hope for the best.I love being a brewer and the sense of purpose it gives me. Would you quit if you had an awesome job but the pay sucked balls or would you stay and endure the royal ass ****ing in hope that they might actual use lube one day

Can you say what brewery your working at? just curious. I say start looking and see whats out there before you leave. That is what i'll do or sadly you might have to takes a second job but just start looking. There are jobs out there you just have to find them. Good luck!
 
PistolsAtDawn said:
Yeah, but you live close to Lou Malnati's and Portillo's, so that makes you about even. :D

:off:

Two of the most overrated restaurants in the city...don't get me wrong, they both make good food but I can't remember the last time I had either.
 
Two of the most overrated restaurants in the city...don't get me wrong, they both make good food but I can't remember the last time I had either.

Well, I have never lived there. I could imagine that one might get burned out on them.

I have family there, so I've spent plenty of time in Chicago and the 'burbs spread out over three decades, and therefore we've taken plenty of trips to both. I always enjoyed it.
 
I know he isn't necessarily popular on this forum but Dave Ramsey says to do something you can accept that will support yourself and / or your family, do your other loves as a hobby. Living comfortably is the priority.
 
Back
Top