I was thinking about it today, doing a little math in my head, and realized that there’s no way I’m taking the job I was offered.

They want me to do from-the-office tech support, write documentation for the software, and do onsite training for new and ongoing clients. That’s three hats, each of which has a clearly defined ‘average pay’ listing in the Denver area.

Their proposed pay is equal to the lowest paying of the three “hats”.

Let me put it another way: the Unemployment checks for the month net me very nearly the same amount of money.

It’s not enough. Not for wearing the training hat, and certainly not for wearing three. I want to work, but I want to be paid well enough to make it worth my while. Right now, except for bills, my outgoing cash is nil. The small amount of extra cash that the paycheck would provide above the Unemployment checks would be completely consumed and then some by gas and lunch. I’d end up making LESS money.

What, then, would be the point, other than getting rid of this nagging sense of being an unemployed loser? None. No point at all.

Anyway, it’s a start. An insulting start, but a start.