I’m having a dilemma. I started my current job about a month ago. Around the same time I also interviewed for a job at an academic institution. At the time that I interviewed the academic job seemed like a no-brainer to me. The pay was actually equivalent or better and was more in line with what I’ve been doing. The locations and people there seemed very welcoming and appealing. By contrast, the pharmaceutical company where I had started to work that very week seemed to have an oddly impersonal culture and didn’t seem to be particularly competitive pay-wise. Fast forward a month or so. I’ve now received confirmation that I will be offered the position at the university (things move slow). Now the choice is not so easy for me anymore. I had a momentary surge of anxiety when reading that email. My current job has grown on me a lot. The company environment doesn’t seem so sterile and weird now that I’ve had time to acclimate. I like the people, I like working with my supervisors, and I dare say I’ve kicked ass so far with what I’ve been working on. The place is very laid back, my commute is easy, my responsibilities are surprisingly light, but the job remains interesting enough that I could see myself here long term. My potential to earn more long term remains unclear, but likely it’s more than I’d get at the university. It’s also nice that I’m non-exempt and get paid for every minute of overtime I do, so if I’m here working late it’s just that much easier to be cool with it psychologically. On the other hand, the university position would be much more responsibility, probably much more interesting, and probably a lot more work—including things I’m not so familiar with. It potentially could be a bigger boon to my career than where I’m at but that’s dependent on a lot of factors. It’s also unclear to me there what my potential for earning long-term could be. It’s no doubt a better opportunity for personal growth for me, but at the same time I’m pretty intimidated by the enhanced responsibilities, probably in no small part thanks to the experience at my last job. Long term, either job should be quite stable, but I am wary of a risk of failing spectacularly at the university job early on. Either way I’ll be disappointing someone with potentially bridge-burning consequences and I’m looking for some item to make the choice easier. I was hoping I’d get placed in a higher pay bracket for the university job to make it the clearer choice, but it sounds I’m probably being placed in the lower one where I’ll probably be out-earning that after my 6 month review here. Basically I’m torn and don’t know what’s really best for me long term or short term.
"I'm sorry, I can't afford to take your position." Done. Full stop. They wanted my wife to teach down in San Diego. She would have had to give up a couple days of being on call (as in, "miss the births of clients if they happened while she was down there"). They were going to put her up in a hotel and all that shit but when it came time to pay, they were all "we can only afford to pay you as an entry level person because you have no academic credentials but boy howdy we sure would like to pay you more eventually!" My wife pointed out that she didn't seek the job - they called her up. And she said that while she wanted to help teach bright new doctors, the amount they were offering was wholly inadequate for the opportunity cost. The person who offered her the job was butt-hurt. Because obviously my wife isn't seriously interested in the True Love Mission of education. But he took his butt-hurt to the administration who completely disregarded my wife's experience, crawled up in their ivory tower and pissed him off so much that he quit. Because at the end of the day, the guy hiring you wants you for the job but the amount of money being offered is almost certainly out of his hands. And if you say "I'd take this gig except for the fact that I have to eat" you aren't making it about the gig. PROTIP - nobody with half a clue says "I sure wish I could find a job that gives me more responsibility, more work and less pay."I’m looking for some item to make the choice easier. I was hoping I’d get placed in a higher pay bracket for the university job to make it the clearer choice, but it sounds I’m probably being placed in the lower one where I’ll probably be out-earning that after my 6 month review here.
Done. Full stop. I'm borrowing this for a job I haven't been offered yet. Thank you. I expect them to offer slightly lower pay and benefits, and while I like the location and want to leave my company, I can't do it for less money, less retirement, and less vacation. I can keep looking."I'm sorry, I can't afford to take your position."
For probably 2 decades, I defined myself by my job. I had no identity outside of who I worked for, and what I did for them. (See: any job in silicon valley.) Eventually, after having my heart broken by not getting a raise/promotion I expected, or getting fired, I realized that my employer cares exactly zilch about ME as a person. That's when I flipped the script, and put myself first. I now make more money than I ever have before. I work 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week. I set my own schedule. I have seniority, respect, and - when I started looking elsewhere for work - they gave me another significant raise to keep me here. I have a 15-minute commute. Everyone from the CEO down solicits my opinion/input on important subjects (we are a 400-person company). When I walk out the door in the afternoon, I have ZERO work on my mind. Nobody (except my direct boss) has my cell phone number. We are driven to subsume our lives to our work. To be available for phone calls on the weekends. To check our emails at 10:PM. To work "just a couple extra hours" every week. We think that if we say no, or do not make ourselves available in this way, that we will be fired or demoted or overlooked for promotions and raises. In actuality, setting boundaries is HEALTHY FOR YOU, and good for your job. It earns you respect. Have I worked all night? Sure! Absolutely! When I have CHOSEN to. I also wander off for 2-hour long lunches if I need a break, and maybe stay a little later in the evening to make up the time. YOU ARE NOT YOUR JOB. The University gig is your LIFE. The corporate gig is one in a long line of jobs that will allow you to ALSO have a life. Take vacations. Get promotions. Get head-hunted by other companies and given large hiring bonuses. Etc. Choose wisely, grasshopper.
I think you need to think about which values you hold high and which values you want to see reflected in your job. Do you care about stability and consistency or about innovation and new possibilities? About collaborating closely or doing your own thing? Do you want to venture into new directions, or do you want to dig deep into what you're doing? How much agency do you want? Then you can check how the two options align with those values. Also something to consider is whether you can take elements of option A into option B. You have every right to have a serious conversation with the institution / your boss about this. Can you take what's interesting in the academic job and do that where you're at now? Can you discuss with the institution that you're afraid of failing and want more support? Personally, I've come to realize that choosing a career path based on status (which is what you're actually saying when you talk about it being a boon to your career) is a dead end, a dependancy on extrinsic confirmation that's not necessary or helpful. Following your interests and scratching your own itch has brought me much farther than I had anticipated. I'd also try to focus on just the next year, maybe two.
All good points. I know I’ve fallen victim to chasing status before. I actually applied to the academic position because it aligns with my interests and what I work well with in many ways. When I applied actually, the status was lesser than it is now. The job I’m being offered is actually expanded from the one I technically applied for. That’s both cool and scary. Reviewing things about my current company pushes me a bit more towards leaving. They really aren’t paying great wages for what is typical. Reviews on Glassdoor et al really drive that home (although I take that with a grain of salt because I’ve never seen a company presented favorably on those sites). So maybe the future of staying here isn’t all that bright. I’m wondering if I’m looking at my current position with a rose-tinted view because the 1) honeymoon phase hasn’t worn off and 2) it has the appeal of the path of least resistance.