Which Job to Choose

Oh - the job in North Dakota will pay me a relocation bonus and/or pay for my move up there. I do not think the job in Wilmington will do that, even though the cost of moving will be considerable (obviously more to move farther in ND, but still).

I'd take the job you'd enjoy more over the location you are in and it's not even close..

yeah, most of your life will be spent slaving away at work, so go with the work environment you will enjoy the most imo. I'd feel much more empowered in the industrial one. Even if the city is small, can still find things to do, I'd go camping often and join some sport clubs. Anyway, It's hard for people on the internet to advise 'cause this is a super complicated decision that only you have the full picture on and depends on weighing up what you think is important in life. But one thing is for sure, 'Bismarck' is a cool name, sounds like a battleship!

Would go for Bismark, especially if you're not considering staying there for the rest of your life. Incentive to work harder, better education and more money for the future beats out the location imo

On October 06 2013 20:08 djforever wrote: I'd take the job you'd enjoy more over the location you are in and it's not even close..

Sounds like DJ can say that with some experience now eh? :D

Well, do you want happiness or money?

I'd rather stick with my friends/family/nice city than move to North Dakota. I mean, wtf is in ND other than awesome wilderness? A bunch of hicks and nothing.

Just IMO of course and I really don't know much about NC or ND but from what I do know, I'd snap call the NC and not even think twice about it. If you want other options, check out east/west coasts.

2nd choice and does not even seem close, not to mention accounting in a public institution sounds like the most boring job ever

On October 06 2013 22:28 GoTuNk wrote: 2nd choice and does not even seem close, not to mention accounting in a public institution sounds like the most boring job ever

+1.

i think you've broken down the pros/cons pretty well so you just have to look at whats good for you in your life right now. like most people - id choose the second job. choose decision by ev of much better life down the road + being adaptable to new places (even if its the worst location ever id still be happy enough just working at a job i like and having the internet for a year or two)

you painted the second job in a better light so I think you should pick that one. Also I'm guessing the cost of living in ND is cheaper than NC, so that would make the salary worth even more.

did cost of living calculations and they are basically the same cost (forgot to mention it, but good thinking Whoosel)

I think maybe I did paint the second job in a better light, I am not sure. It can be tough living in a crappy/boring town. For example, the town I am in now has only ONE BAR. There are no girls that go there. It is terrible here, so either place will be better.

The thing is, North Dakota is COLD. My concern regarding the future is location as well; if I am in ND it might hurt me later from the location, but again, as mentioned, it's surviving someplace new. Oh, the internet is really, really fast. Like $45 for 50-100 Mbps.

As for the hicks; it cannot be worse than where I currently am, lol

Accounting in a public institution isn't necessarily boring; I would be processing insurance premium payments and reconciling all the premiums to payroll withholdings and deductions for about 3500 people each month, with different insurance plans, etc.

Each month would be like putting together a gigantic puzzle.

I appreciate the comments. If you guys have any advice, or things to consider I have not mentioned, fire away!

Thanks again!

On October 07 2013 00:43 thewh00sel wrote: you painted the second job in a better light so I think you should pick that one.

On October 07 2013 00:43 thewh00sel wrote: you painted the second job in a better light so I think you should pick that one.

From what I understood, the main difference between the two jobs is salaray, and not so much about one being more interesting than the other. If it is only about money vs location, I would choose the location.

Getting your Masters would cost you a shitload of money otherwise, right? I think choosing option two is wiser, just for a 'free' Masters alone.

SNAP call #2, get your masters, and go job hunting again with your new experience / increased credentials.

Looks like obvious choice as described, #2 all day long.

To those who suggest #2 - Location doesn't seem to really matter to you guys. Is it not important?

To whose who suggest #1 - Are you happy making less money for the rest of your career to live in a nice place?

The job in Wilmington will pay $34,000 a year, plus benefits and a retirement contribution, with 2 weeks paid vacation. It is for a school system of about 3,500 employees and an annual budget of $223 million. I have asked about relocation assistance and paid education and am waiting for a response. I think it is unlikely they will offer either.

The job in Bismarck will pay ~ $40,000 to start, with a yearly bonus in February and bi-annual evaluations and raises (but I was not told how much the raises or bonuses would be). The company would also give me stock every year. It pays some insurance benefits and matches some retirement contributions. It would pay for my relocation and my education. It is a private company that has about $75 million each year, but is one of 40 subsidiary companies from APi Group, and I would receive stock in APi.

Those are the specifics of each job, in terms of salary.

Obviously the job in Bismarck is better, but the location in Wilmington is so much better. It is a tough, albeit fun, process and choice. I will update with more info as I receive it.

Thanks guys

Is the location #2 that much worse then #1? Have you been to either of these places or are these just general assumptions you are making based off someone's opinion or something you read online? You should make a pyramid list of needs / things that will make you happy and then compare of each of these opportunities will fit in to your list, try not to think of right and wrong more along the lines of "location #1 will give me 80% happiness in my social life, but location #2 will be ~70%". There is also the issue of money, it does not buy happiness but it does buy peace which ultimately leads to a higher quality of life. I find a lot of what happens in life is directly correlated with what you expect to happen, if you think you will be unhappy and unsocial in location #2, you more then likely will be, a positive and optimistic outlook will open more doors and opportunities for you. Sometimes it's better to meet and know 4-5 really awesome quality people then to know 500 who gives a shit people in a bigger city.
Try and make your decisions on a comparable numerical scale instead of a right or wrong one

I would pick the one which you believe you can enjoy more. There's no point in more money if you hate your job, you really just have to ask yourself what do you want out of your life and which job best aligns with your own personal values and expectations.

Best of luck regardless and let us know :D

I think I will enjoy the job in ND more, and the pay is better, but the jobs are similar in that it is centered around payroll and insurance.

I have been to Wilmington a few times and I think it is a nice little city. I have never been to ND. I do know it is cold there, read the Wikipedia pages for both. I would like to take a visit to ND before committing to it, if that is what I wind up choosing.

I put together a spread sheet with important factors of each job, including location, salary, advancement, company industry, etc. and weighted their importance, then graded each company and then a weighted grade.

The job in ND had a higher score, but when it was weighted both came out to be dead even (go figure lol).

I plan to do a few other more detailed comparisons, maybe 3 or so, and then cross weight them to come to an aggregate score and see where that takes me. If the job in Wilmington would help with relocation or higher education that changes the grades.

I like the way you think Tom. Thanks.

Cost of living is very high at the moment in ND - ever since the big oil find. So although you may be getting an extra 6k per year, it might actually be a wash relative to living expenses. However you might have a bit more swing in asking for more for the ND job. McDonalds in or near some of those cities with oil starting wage is almost 11/hr just because they tend to lose people to the oil fields where they make 100k.

Otherwise you could use the ND job for bargaining if you really wish to stay in NC - just wait until you have a firm offer from both obv

Options gives you more chance for negotiating - which means a better outcome for you (whether you get an extra PTO day or two, or 5k).

Isn't there a third option? Ever thought about moving somewhere where you actually want to live and look for job opportunities there? Last I've heard, the US is a pretty big country :o

I'd say at least look bigger and consider instead of moving for a job, move to somewhere you want to live (somewhere warmer) and find a job there.

I'm assuming your white since hicks don't really seem to bother you that much.

#2 fo sho think about how much of a better position you'll be in when you're 35 with that job...and us Men always look better when we are a bit older anyway, the skirt hunting can wait till you're bawling

hi,

i'm in argentina now but i've spent 95% of my life in north dakota (Minot) and have a bunch of family in Bismarck so i thought i'd chime in, not necessarily to encourage or discourage you but to comment on what it's like there.

On October 07 2013 16:02 Svenman87 wrote: Cost of living is very high at the moment in ND - ever since the big oil find. So although you may be getting an extra 6k per year, it might actually be a wash relative to living expenses. However you might have a bit more swing in asking for more for the ND job. McDonalds in or near some of those cities with oil starting wage is almost 11/hr just because they tend to lose people to the oil fields where they make 100k.

this is an important point - the Bakken oil boom of the past 7-8 years or so has had a pretty major impact on life in ND. actually i know at one point the McDonalds in Williston was paying people $20/hour+ starting out (they still are for all i know), so 11/hour is kind of nothing in comparison.

however, Bismarck is not really at the center of the activity. it's still effected like every part of the state, but not nearly to the extent of Williston, or even my hometown of Minot.



in Minot i know people who have had their rent doubled or even tripled in the past few years. it used to be easy enough to find something small but reasonable (Lemon[5thF]-style) in the $200-400/mo. range. now it's very difficult to find anything under $700/mo. last i checked. the situation in Bismarck is better from what i've heard. some people with "normal" jobs are moving or considering moving from Minot to Bismarck because the cost of living in Minot has jumped so much (wages have jumped as well, but in general not enough to keep pace with cost of living - except for those with oilfield jobs...and of course this situation is amplified closer to Williston).

i don't really have many warm fuzzy feelings for my home state. there are good people there, but there are good people everywhere. as you mentioned much of the year it is quite cold but the summer is also very hot, basically we have 4 very distinct seasons. for nightlife as you might expect there's nothing basically, just a bunch of bars with pool tables/bigscreen TV or whatever.

but if you have to be stuck somewhere in ND, Bismarck isn't a bad choice tbh. if you like outdoors stuff it's decent for biking/hiking/some lakes nearby - although not so much bikinis sadly. in the winter there's some "ok" skiing/snowboarding areas nearby. also, it's not my thing, but hunting and fishing are supposed to be really good if by any chance you're into that. in my opinion Bismarck is probably the prettiest city in ND, although that's a bit like being the smartest retard or something.

as you probably know, ND is a pretty conservative state and remembering some of your posts about your frustrations with the people from your current location you are probably likely to have a somewhat similar reaction to Bismarck. i don't know how to compare the redneck factor to where you're from because i've never been to southeastern US (besides Florida), but let's just say i have more than one family member who thinks Obama is a muslim and born in kenya. in general though people are pretty reserved about discussing anything slightly controversial like politics or religion.

i gtg now but if i think of anything else i'll add it later, good luck with your search.

thanks bigredhoss, please do chime in some more. your experiences are very valuable

Think about how much money you will be able to save in North Dakota. I mean... Wtf is there to do ?

so option nr1 means settling for something where you have a good idea of what to expect and consider it not bad but not great (limited potential upside by limiting the downside) whereas option nr2 is going into something much more unknown with pros and cons each being larger in magnitude?

maybe it depends on your personality and many more factors/details that are either left out or you just can't communicate them but only feel them in your gut, but according to my very simplified model of your decision i fail to see how this isnt option 2 hands down. gl

On October 07 2013 14:16 chris wrote: To whose who suggest #1 - Are you happy making less money for the rest of your career to live in a nice place?

Yes, and plenty of friends want to change location even if they earn more money.

Another keypoint, you make it as if you had to choose now and can't change later. But would it be posible that you find a better opportunity in one or two years? So I would take 1 and go on applying for a more interesting and better paid job.

If you take the job with better pay but with
A poorer lifestyle surrounding, you may end
up depressed and not seeing the point
of working for and earning so much money.
You mentioned a point about girls, so I
will assume you are single. Go with what
your heart is telling you my friend, if you
Deepened living in a brighter, sunnier city
will make you happier, then go for it.
Money is not everything, and even though
It may seem that the first choice is limiting
From a career perspective, I would rather
Feel happy living somewhere rather than
Working In a location that I do not enjoy
because of the money.

Go to the location where it is sunnier and
The life is more vibrant. You will never
Know what opportunities will present
Themselves once you start to meet new
people.

That's my 65 cents worth

There may be a third option and I did not mention it before because I had not heard back for a bit over a week, but got a phone call today.

The job would likely pay the most, but likely wouldn't pay for me to go back to school. It is located in Atlanta. It is working for a corporate advisory firm, specializing in proxy solicitation and investor relations, as well as mutual fund asset reunification.

It would have the highest career arc, although unlike the previous two job options (where both are pretty set at 40 hours per week) I will likely have to put in extra hours at times, mainly during proxy season. The company works with fortune 100 and 500 firms, so it has the best chance for networking.

I have met with a vice president of the company a few times and he told me that, should I land this job, my pay would start around 50k a year and after a few years I would likely reach the six figure mark. He also mentioned that after working there for a few years, if I decide I want to do something else, the connections I should establish would allow me to pretty much go anywhere.

It was, by far, my top job option, but I didn't think I would get the opportunity. When I spoke to the VP I know today, he said he was in contact with the VP or President in Atlanta office and that things look really good. He said if he was a betting man, he would put a good amount of money on it happening and I am supposed to get a phone call from Atlanta office sometime within a week.

If I am able to get the Atlanta job, that is where I am going to go. The potential issue is timing; proxy season is fast approaching and it's hard to train someone when in the thick of things, so it looks like I might either start right away or have to wait till the end of spring. If I have to wait, I will go to Wilmington to say in a closer proximity and spend more time with my friend.

I will update this blog or make another post as things develop.

Guys, I really appreciate your comments and support. All of your advice has been solid. Your insights have helped me out a lot in the decision making process.

gooo hawks!

#2 / #3

Go to Atlanta.