Job A vs B vs C! Job advice please

[kittenponypony]

I am currently at a company (Job A) that was recently bought out by another, larger company. Pretty much everything has changed for the worse from my perspective (less PTO, no potential for overtime, no holidays, clocking in and out, an awful blend of nitpicky micromanaging combined with lack of clarity and general mass confusion, having to request time off months in advance, etc. etc.) They also denied raises to several employees. I was promised a raise by my former company, but it is up in the air as to whether that will happen (an if it did, would likely be a dollar or two more per hour only.) Importantly, I am near to completing a certification that typically means a bigger bump in pay in my field.

As a result of the new company, one coworker quit, my (very capable, very good) manager left, and another coworker is following her to the facility where she will be working in a higher level, more autonomous position. A new, extremely green seeming guy is taking over the management position, which will no doubt mean chaos for the rest of us in the ensuing weeks/months. Before my old manager left, she expressed interest in bringing the whole team with her to the new company (...is this legal?). She just texted me tonight to see if I would be interested in a full time position there (Job B).

Even before my old company's buyout, I feel I am generally in somewhat of a transition period with this new certification. Broadly, I am at the crossroads of choosing something more professionally interesting, with lower pay (the Job C's), or choosing higher pay with less professional development but more flexibility and autonomy. I can see the pros and cons of both paths. I would love to continue aggressively paying off my nearly triple digit student loans and catching up on retirement while I am young and childless, but I also have a deep hesitation with getting farther away from my professional degree without seeking out a more "prestigious" lower paid setting where I would learn more, which might open more doors for me later down the road.

I applied to three of the Job C's last week -- all got back to me the next day, one with a more promising position opening in October, and the other with the initial phone interview only thus far.

SO, my options are:
1. Stay at current Job A. Close commute (10 minutes, so spoiled), higher salary than the Job C's (as much as 20k)
2. Go to Job B (old manager, new company). Farther commute with more commuting costs (40-50 minutes), higher salary, flexible, easy going, and competent boss, same type of setting as my current position
3. Keep applying to Job C's. Lower salary, more skill learning/professional development, more prestige, less flexibility, potentially more stress. Likely a longer commute than my current job.
OR
4. Apply to different companies similar to my current setting, try to use the job switch as leverage to make more money and possibly have a closer commute than I would with Job B. But, any new company I join might have the same type of rules/issues/difficult managers that I want to get away from at my current company, however, this is partially knowable up front and I could potentially negotiate for better benefits.

All thoughts welcome, TIA. 

[kittenponypony]

This is my last advice grubbing post with an account I no longer have access to for the curious

[vanillacourage]

I would say B but that commute is a killer. Can you negotiate to work from home at all?

[ellipses84]

Job C. I've been in your situation and chose job B (after months of them asking, BTW, so you might have some time to consider it). I made tons of money at B but in the long run I don't have much to show for it financially and it was very challenging to get back to the part of my field I truly love. I commuted far, worked a ton, and gained valuable management experience. A lot of my extra pay went to convenience things because I was too busy to deal with them. I'm not sure if do it again and the only reason I would was because the management experience has been great on my resume. I had to take a huge pay cut to go back to my passion, which was an adjustment and concerned potential employers who asked for my salary history.

Eta: or option 4.

[MNH2013]

I would choose option 4 or 2. Leverage what you do now with your upcoming certification to increase.
While I took a position that was a slight step back it was the right thing at the right time (new kid, stressful previous work situation). Now that dust has settled I'm ready to take on more.

[sfy]

I see being young and childless as the opportunity to take a job like C, before you're responsible for anyone else. Job A is not an option, we can rule that out. B sounds close to a current offer, while you are still applying for C, is that correct? If so, I guess another part of this is how long you can bear to wait it out at A. I'm leaning toward C--In cases where a C job will eventually get you to B income, I think it's best to follow your passion and wait for the money. Not very MM, perhaps.

[ECB]

A isn't even an option to me.

So B, C, or D. Honestly, I lean towards C. For the fact that you are young and getting started. Take the job that will really help your career in the long run. If you start chasing the $$ now, it's hard to NOT chase it and you lose sight of what you really want. If you think C will bring more career satisfaction, that's where I'd go.

OR D. D can't hurt either. But of the 3 you laid out - C speaks to me the most.

[Pom]

Anything but A. I try for C or D but do B in order to get out of A.

[kittenponypony]

vanillacourage Nope, direct patient care unfortunately.

sfy ECB Job C will likely never get me to the same salary as the setting I'm in now, but as others have said, money isn't everything and I still have many years of my career in front of me. I can see myself getting burned out/pigeon holed so that it will be tougher to make the switch later on. But it's very likely my partner will outearn me and I will scale back to part time in the next 5-7 years anyway.

That being said, I just got a soft offer from Job B last night, and it's a 20% increase over what I'm getting now (40k over what I'd likely be offered at a Job C), standard seeming benefits package (1 week sick, 1 week holiday, 2 weeks vacation, full medical/dental, unclear on 401k, no LT/ST disability), and opportunity to mentor a less experienced colleague.

I am thinking I could always take Job B for a temporary time (a year? or more) while continuing to apply to the Job C's, with the thought it will probably take me a while to get into a full time Job C position. The only issue is I don't want to be screwing over my manager by leaving early, though people move around a lot in this setting. 

[kittenponypony]

Sept 2, 2015 22:14:00 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

I had to take a huge pay cut to go back to my passion, which was an adjustment and concerned potential employers who asked for my salary history.

Good thing to consider! Hadn't thought of this. 

[scout8]

It is hard to tell from the info whether you think you would be happier at job c. If so, then c. Otherwise b. A is a no go.

[sfy]

Sept 3, 2015 9:44:59 GMT -5 kittenponypony said:

I am thinking I could always take Job B for a temporary time (a year? or more) while continuing to apply to the Job C's, with the thought it will probably take me a while to get into a full time Job C position. The only issue is I don't want to be screwing over my manager by leaving early, though people move around a lot in this setting. 

I like this idea. A year or more is not leaving early and it gives you some time to be aggressive with your loans before you take a cut. Congratulations on your offer!

[kittenponypony]

sfy Thank you!

scout8 I think I might be more professionally fulfilled at Job C, but I love the flexibility and shorter hours in my current setting. I think on the whole I might be more geared towards lower stress jobs, with the tradeoff being professional growth... but I'm not closed off to exploring more companies and settings to see if that's the case. 

[scout8]

Sept 3, 2015 13:22:41 GMT -5 kittenponypony said:

sfy Thank you!

scout8 I think I might be more professionally fulfilled at Job C, but I love the flexibility and shorter hours in my current setting. I think on the whole I might be more geared towards lower stress jobs, with the tradeoff being professional growth... but I'm not closed off to exploring more companies and settings to see if that's the case. 

With the additional info, I would go ahead and accept the offer from B. Then, keep informally looking. Maybe you will come across a C type job that is a good fit.