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.