Question: I know I should not be complaining or even asking this at this time in today’s job market, but I got two job offers from good companies and I cannot decide between the two. The first job is at (Company A), which is in San Francisco where I already have family and friends. The pay is not as good as the job at (Company B), but the job is interesting and lets me be creative. (Plus, I really love SF.) The other job is here and the pay is better, but it sounds a little boring though there’s room for growth. I also like the idea of staying here because I wouldn’t have to move and I’m like you, I hate moving. But my dad told me that I’m young (I’m 26) and I should try living somewhere else. I don’t know what to do.
Answer: I don’t envy your position. Then again, it’s a nice place to be, choosing between what sounds like two great jobs.
I was recently in the same position, actually. I had a job offer to jump back into writing full time, but that would mean giving up my job as a teacher. I did what everyone should do when making a decision like this: I wrote a list of pros and cons. Then I thought about what matters most to me. And here’s what I discovered:
• I like being creative
• I enjoy helping and working with others
• I like to be in control of my schedule
• I don’t like supervising others
• Time off is more important than the paycheck
That being said, the job that I decided to take was an obvious choice.
It sounds like, to me, you want the first job at Company A. But you’re worried about relocating and, to some extent, the pay. But as my brother told me, you may as well take a job that you actually like. You’ll be doing this for at least 40 hours a week — you may as well enjoy what you’re doing.
Anyone else got advice?
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13 Comments
the pay thing might be a bigger difference than at first glance. if it’s more money, in absolute terms, in HI,then it will be much much cheaper to live there. SF is not cheap at all. probably on par with HI for cost of living. the big differences are gas (but you drive more up here than in HI), and packaged goods like groceries. counter the groceries thing, though with the lifestyle of many that sees them going out to eat most of the time instead of staying home and cooking.
also, things like clothes are cheaper up here but you have to buy more expensive clothes, all things being equal.
in general, the questions I ask are “where do I want to be career/life-wise in X years?” and “which job/experience will help me get there. take it with a grain of salt, as I’m stuck on the continent and want to move home.
@matti2d I agree with your last statement – where do you want to be in X years? While I’m bias to San Francisco (I’m here now) it’s a great city to grow your career and really network. It’s a big melting pot and can lead to other opportunities across the globe. San Francisco is an expensive city, but you can find good deals depending on where you want to live. A car isn’t necessary in San Francisco, but is nice for getting out and seeing other great places around the Bay Area/California.
I would follow @Cat ‘s advice and make a pro/con list. This has helped me make many decisions from buying a discman to choosing which country to study abroad in. It helps to see it on paper and really examine what is most important to you. Good luck! (and if you choose San Francisco, feel free to reach out!)
can u live on the pay in sf? if so, go there. u love the city, u have family and friends there, and the shot at living away in a place u love may not come again. u can come back to hawaii later. the oppty to live away is harder w/o a job offer and when u’re older.
I say go with what you want to do. Job satisfaction is worth more than money when it comes to life. If you’re in it for the money, then that’s a different story. I went from Hawaii to the continent for a job that wasn’t necessarily more money, but it’s a job I love, and allows me to do more of what I want to do in life. In Hawaii, work was my life, and that wasn’t much fun. San Francisco is an awesome place to be. Take advantage of the opportunity you have and make the most of your chances to learn more and gain experience. You can always move back to Hawaii later if you play your cards right.
People join brands, companies with good reputations. Location is the number two attraction/repulsion point. While writer, teacher, correctional officer, ER nurse, etc., have somewhat functional connotations. Most jobs these days do not. Work in an office is pretty much like work in any other office (e-mail, meetings, securing confidential information, administrative paperwork). For that reason, I recommend against focusing on the work itself. The daily tasks are going to change and an initial perfect fit would be temporary anyway. You have considered the major variables, gotten the Dr’s informed judgment, and talked with other people you trust.
Leap and the net will appear…
As a side note, move to San Francisco or stay in Hawai’i? Ninety-eight percent of the population of Muncie, Indiana, or Topeka, Kansas, would kill for those work options, although that might disqualify them from consideration.
@WildeOscar ‘ Leap and the net will appear’ – a-freakin’-men
that’s good advice; make a list of pros and cons. of course i never do it. place is paramout with me. i go where i want to be first and then look for work that i either like or can stand. i’ve had both and i’ve had some i couldn’t stand.
i was hard pressed to give advice to my own son, so i just told him what i would do if i had to do it all over, which is what i am doing now, but 30yrs later. and this is what it is:
shed the job holder mind. you know what you’re good at, think of a way to make it pay you directly. set goals. set deadlines. be flexible. be persistant. evaluate what you did every day, and how what you did served your goal that day. fail. fail again. fail again. you learn nothing from your successes. be without fear. you don’t need it. it cannot help you. never compare yourself to others. they have their lives, you can live only yours.
finally i told him: there’s no way you can understand this now, anymore than you can explain at 24 what life is like to a 9 yr old, but you will understand it. life is shorter than you can ever imagine, if you measure it in years. but it’s infinite if you measure it in dreams, in joy and in love. your mother and i dreamed of you, you came and gave us joy. we love you. now go out there and do whatever the hell you want to do.
About ten years ago I was offered a high paying job for an architectural software company from Budapest, with US offices based in San Francisco. The job would have required extensive travel throughout the US with about four Europe trips per year. It was a company that I had eight years of a working relationship here in Hawaii as a salesman and trainer/support for local clients–but was a supplemental service to my existing architectural business.
I love the Bay Area. I love”d” traveling, and of course, who doesn’t love a high salary? No brainer, right?
Well, I didn’t want to give up my local business after ten long years of building its foundation of contacts, clients, and knowledge of local regulations, etc. Plus, I loved paradise too much. So, I turned it down.
One year later, they moved to cold, cold Boston (for closer proximity to Europe in both distance and time difference), and 9/11 happened–which made traveling an unpleasant experience now to most who enjoyed it previously, and finally, the position was eliminated after just a few years anyway.
I feel like I dodged a bullet there.
…and I forgot to mention, it was a grueling, back and forth decision that did not come easily. A couple of times I had made the preliminary decision to take the job, before finally deciding not to.
@MaxMaxMax you mentioned local regulations. my wife deals with SF and other bay area cities building permit offices all the time. she has some horror stories. her biz partner retired, moved to S.Carolina and began taking on small projects, one at a time. last week he called her and related his conversation with the building department of Fort Mill, SC. when he handed in the plans, he was told; “it’s gonna cost you 28 dollars and it could take a week”
I agree w/your correspondent’s dad: take the SF gig. It may not pay as much, but there are many more economic and career opportunities in SF. In a few years, it’s entirely possible to be making more at that gig. Plus, SF is one of the best cities in the world — food, entertainment, social life, job choices, even infrastructure and public transit. Living and working in SF is a rare treat–take advantage of it.
IMHO—and this is just IMHO, based on my own 20/20 hindsight—you shouldn’t do it just for the pay. I can totally understand doing it for the pay, especially if you need to survive. But if you’ll be happy without the extra boost in $$, go with the SF job.
I once jumped jobs just because the pay was better. Granted, I needed to do it to survive, but I already knew when I took the job I wouldn’t be happy….and sure enough, it was the worst job of my life (and the catalyst for many of the health issues I have today). Go with your gut!
The fact that you applied for a job in SF looks like you want to try living there. It ‘s always hard to leave your comfort zone. The only way your going to find out what it’s like to live there, is go. If you will be moving in with a friend or family it’s easier. Make sure if you want to move back you are able to. Also if there is someone else in your life, that you work it out with them. If you’re running away from them then it’s wrong. Good luck on your decision and let us know how it turns out.