This isn’t exactly related to graphic design, just career as a whole. I know a lot of people here are more experienced in life than I am, and maybe they’ve had to make a similar decision.
I’ve been interviewing for new positions, and I’ve been made two official written offers as a UI developer.
One is a smaller company. They are offering 100K base salary with company paid benefits. This is a full time, permanent, direct hire position. The atmosphere here is great, the people were warm and friendly. I felt that I fit in great from the very first phone conversation. It’s a small team. After a month of on-site work, I can work 100% remotely.
The other is a two year contract. It’s W-2, so they still pay their share of the taxes, and they give benefits as well (I pay my own health insurance here). During the two interviews that I had with them, I didn’t really click with anyone. While the first company felt like friendly conversations, this one felt like an interrogation. The environment and people felt cold. Everything felt top-secret. They have security badges to get around the building. My first impression of the people could be wrong as I’ve only talked to them 2-3 times. I wouldn’t even consider this position given that i’ll be job-searching again in 1.5 years, and the other things, but they are offering 145k base salary. 45K a year is a huge difference, even when I’m paying for my own insurance.
What are the opportunities for advancement in the first job?
How much of that $45K in the second job are you going to spend if another 100-145k job doesn’t land in your lap in a year and a half?
How important is it for you to work offsite?
How important is it for you to like your coworkers?
If you were that uncomfortable in the interview but could leave… imagine how it will feel 8 plus hours a day and you can’t leave.
The first job sounds much better to me. But, I’m someone who has to feel like I belong … not like someone is doing me a favor by paying me for working my ass off.
Going just on what you’ve said, both jobs pay well. It’s just that the second job pays the most. The trouble is that it’s temporary and seems, on the surface, uncomfortable, full of people who follow rules, wear badges, keep secrets and reek of paranoia and mistrust.
If it were me, I’d take the first job.
Even if the higher-paying position turns out not to suck as much as it seemed, it’s still temporary and you never know what the economy will be doing a couple of years from now. We’re overdue for a recession, and the middle of an economic downturn is not a good time to be looking for work.
I’ve done the corporate gigs, the international gigs, teaching, fine arts, illustration, advertising, and graphic design all over the US and Europe. Now I work for a small label company in Florida. For me it came down to quality of life.
I could go back to mediation tomorrow and make twice as much money as I do now. But I’d have to wear a suit every day - deal with uptight businessmen, other lawyers, bankers, and politicians, - and have 7 bosses remind me about my TPS reports and have little to no control over the outcome of my work.
But I make stickers: I can help more people do better work with less interference AND I control the quality of my work. I work with people I like and enjoy being around. Also, I just more than doubled my freelance fee because I was too busy, and ended up getting more work )perceived value I guess).
The 1st place is a place where you will be happy at least for a while, and if you want to leave after a couple - few years you go out with experience and good references. = good connections.
The second place you will be miserable for at least a couple months. Then if you’re lucky you will find out that it’s really somewhere you enjoy. But if you leave, don’t expect a large firm to write you any kind of recommendation. = bad connections.
Actually I’m not excited! I’ve been working as a software engineer for a while now, but my current contract is expiring. While I love the work, I’m sort of a loner/extreme introvert and dread becoming acclimated to new social situations. Or rather forcing myself to be likeable/outgoing to be successful.
As an update: Printdriver’s post did a good job at striking at my insecurities about the future. Everyone else sort of validated my thoughts on wanting to take the lower paying job.
As an additional bonus, I’ve managed to put the decision on hold until Monday. The first offer is being renegotiated and my representative is trying to get a better deal.
