Should I relocate for more money or stay and pay off my house?

[Senator]

Always build your resume for the next job, not the one that you are working on. If that next job adds marketable skills, go for it.

 

[Barry Darsow]

[/B]......to do what? Act as their unpaid handyman? Sort out their computer problems? Drive them to medical appointments?

Computer problems? Yes. The others, not presently. I have a couple family members that like to call at the last minute when they want to get together. If I were not around, we might actually have to make plans ahead of time

Did your family members pay for your education? Are they paying your mortgage? My guess is no, but they sure did encourage you to buy a house, because they knew it would tie you to the neighbourhood and keep you under their thumb.

The parents paid for part of my college, I paid for most if it. Yep I was encouraged to buy a house because "renting would be throwing money away".

I can deal with the family issue, that is not the main thing keeping me from jumping on this opportunity - it is mainly the house and lifestyle change moving from a house to an apartment in a more crowded city. And more importantly how it would affect my finances if it doesn't work out.

 

[convergent]

All good points. I am underpaid and renting the house would not be in my best interest if I were to move.

I am supposed to give them an answer today. They have given me almost two weeks and I am still not ready to accept or turn them down. Not good.

I wonder if maybe I turn this one down and take a weekend (without distraction) and figure out EXACTLY what I really want to do - whether to ride out the current job as I try to build something on the side....or just move on and figure out exactly which city I want to work in (and live in). Even if I turn this down, there should be offers but I would of course then have to go through the interview process again with other companies.

Is it out of the question to stall them for more time?
They said that I am the only candidate they are considering after the last batch of interviews and would repost the job if I do not accept so there is no 2nd choice.

Perhaps I say that I would like to take a tour of their facility or maybe even take a couple days off of work within the next week or two and offer to shadow his team? I have not met the people I would be working closely with. They could repost the job in the meantime and interview other people.

If both sides are happy with each other after working together for a couple days and I decide to relocate, we move forward. Otherwise we shake hands and part ways. There is that risk they find someone they like better but I am more willing to take that risk than jump into something that I might regret.

I think you are overanalyzing this. Its possible you could do all this and they still hire you, but they also may decide you are way too high maintenance. It takes a lot of time and energy by them to hire someone; not to mention the costs involved. I am in the process of hiring for two positions right now and it is a big drain of energy.

If you take the job and don't like it, you can always move on. But you'd be moving on from a position of higher pay and already in a more lucrative area. If you like what they offered, go for it. You could turn it down and find that the next one doesn't come for a while.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

And more importantly how it would affect my finances if it doesn't work out.

If you develop high demand skills, you can get multiple job offers and live where you want, even outside the U.S. if you choose. When I worked as a recruiter, we'd get some contractors who would move around from cities like New York to London to San Francisco for contracts.

 

[MooreBonds]

I am supposed to give them an answer today. They have given me almost two weeks and I am still not ready to accept or turn them down. Not good.

Have you negotiated with them yet? It is very common to offer at least some counter-offer ot their initial proposal (a company NEVER offers their best and final offer first). Look up a few good websites or books to do a quick read on how to interview and negotiate (a little late now for the "interview" portion of it, but you can still engage in some countering). Start w/ Salary, and if they steadfastly refuse, attempt other ways to sweeten the pot ("I have 3 weeks vacation per year w/ my current job, but you are only offering 2", or "I have this perk, can you match it?"). Also, you must see what the market rate is - are they paying above-market salary? What is your position worth on the open market?

 

[Barry Darsow]

I think you are overanalyzing this. Its possible you could do all this and they still hire you, but they also may decide you are way too high maintenance. It takes a lot of time and energy by them to hire someone; not to mention the costs involved. I am in the process of hiring for two positions right now and it is a big drain of energy.

True, I can see how that would be draining. Maybe I just accept and then back out within the couple days if I have second thoughts? I.e. tell them I am accepting a counter offer

If you take the job and don't like it, you can always move on. But you'd be moving on from a position of higher pay and already in a more lucrative area. If you like what they offered, go for it. You could turn it down and find that the next one doesn't come for a while.

That is true as long as I leave before they fire me

 

[Big_Hitter]

you a millenial?

 

[Barry Darsow]

Have you negotiated with them yet? It is very common to offer at least some counter-offer ot their initial proposal (a company NEVER offers their best and final offer first). Look up a few good websites or books to do a quick read on how to interview and negotiate (a little late now for the "interview" portion of it, but you can still engage in some countering). Start w/ Salary, and if they steadfastly refuse, attempt other ways to sweeten the pot ("I have 3 weeks vacation per year w/ my current job, but you are only offering 2", or "I have this perk, can you match it?"). Also, you must see what the market rate is - are they paying above-market salary? What is your position worth on the open market?

Yes they threw out a salary range and then I threw mine out there which is a little bit more and they offered me that. The main sticking point is the vacation time. He said the other day that he spoke with HR and and said they should be able to do 3 but not 4. The salary is about average for that area I think

 

[Barry Darsow]

you a millenial?

Nope

 

[COcheesehead]

Take risks, its how you grow. Most men take too FEW risks, not too many.

I moved 3 or 4 times early in my career and it set me up for the rest of my life. Bigger network of people I knew, more experience, consistently higher pay. Do it. Do it.

 

[kcowan]

Go for it Barry and never look back!

 

[Barry Darsow]

I asked some additional questions and he will need to get some answers from HR so I was able to buy another day. He has been understanding and that is a good sign. The HR person suggested to him that I come down for lunch and visit with them for a few hours but he didn't seem too crazy about the idea.

I am going to start making plans as if I am proceeding and if I start having second thoughts, I can turn down the offer and back out without looking like too much of an ass (as opposed to accepting the offer and then backing out). It is a big leap of faith to walk away from a somewhat stable job where I have built relationships and put my career in the hands of people who are friendly but I don't really know that well or vice versa.

 

[COcheesehead]

I asked some additional questions and he will need to get some answers from HR so I was able to buy another day. He has been understanding and that is a good sign. The HR person suggested to him that I come down for lunch and visit with them for a few hours but he didn't seem too crazy about the idea.

I am going to start making plans as if I am proceeding and if I start having second thoughts, I can turn down the offer and back out without looking like too much of an ass (as opposed to accepting the offer and then backing out). It is a big leap of faith to walk away from a somewhat stable job where I have built relationships and put my career in the hands of people who are friendly but I don't really know that well or vice versa.

In order to discover new oceans, one must lose sight of the shore.