ASK DR. DISH: Choosing jobs

January 18, 2011

Catherine Toth Fox,

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?

***

To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at cat@nonstophonolulu.com.

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