I will add, the job I recently took is at least an hour each way. It's rarely more than an hour in, but on really bad days it's been as much an hour and forty-five home.
I love the team, I love the company, I love the job, and my prospects for growth are huge, so it's worth it.
H does all of the drop offs and pick ups, so I don't actually wind up missing all that much time with them.
Well, I've never done those things anyway (except during these last couple months). I've always been the primary breadwinner with less kid time, so it's no change.
I tend to seek stability, so I may choose Job 1, even though there is a paycut.
Is there a chance Job 2 ia not going to maintain in house counsel? If so, how big a chance? Would your position be the first they'd cut if they needed to?
Who can predict happiness?
I thought my disaster of a job was going to be great.
And look how that turned out.
This company really needs counsel. I'd be second in command of the legal department.
Job 2, hands down. I mean, the commute sucks but I would not give up title AND that much pay. It will set you back so far now and for the future. You want to be able to show career progression and moves that make sense on your resume.
Working for a younger version of myself could mean I might never get ahead at that company because she's already ahead of me.
Does she seem the type to hold others down? Bc I've worked for that kind of ambition and it was soul devouring.
I would want to work in the place that the employees seemed happiest in, that the bosses seemed calm-ish and collected (bc everyone has their moments). The way you wrote things, #2 seems more likely than #1 for this.
I remember once I interviewed for an insurance company's in house legal firm and everyone looked white as sheets, miserable as hell, looking like death eaters were after them.
Hard. Pass.
No, I think she'd be a great boss.
But, because she is great, I could never leapfrog her, KWIM?
Take the $$ out of the equation for a minute- what job really appeals to you and you feel would make you happier??
There's a point where you need to do what makes you HAPPY. We've both been around long enough that you may have heard this story, but I'm going to share it anyhow.
DH was an attorney. He crashed and burned out of the field. We went from a 6 figure salary to him making nothing then he took up tutoring which netted us MAYBE $12K that year? I was working and making a somewhat decent salary (but not 6 figures) AND this is when I got PG and had a kid.
He eventually got into the tug industry. Started as a deckhand and has made his way up (now at 7 years) to a mate's position. He makes close to what I make, but I'm still the breadwinner. And I still make less than 6 figures.
He is SO MUCH HAPPIER with his job and his life. He was truly depressed when he crashed and burned.
$$ in nice and you alone can really decide what you can or can't afford, but money is NOT everything and I feel you've got to look past the $$ at some point. This may be your chance to really make a change that will end up being a great change for you.
It sucks to lose the $. I wn't lie. But there was a trade-off and it was worth it.
I'm happy enough.
I can tell you what would not make me happy -- $12k a year.
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy a shitload of other things.
I know myself. I like money. I'm not an inspirational story like your husband.
When DH was unemployed for a while right before Frank was born it gave him the opportunity to start a new career and it's worked out amazing for him/us, so I really get that appeal from job #1. But I don't know if I would be ok with that large of a pay cut (I know, it's more than you're making now).
How quickly can you move up at job #1(salary, title, etc.?), can you do pro bono work in the new field to gain experience and move laterally in a few years if you're more interested in that area than the area of job #2?
For me jobs tend to come down to three things: how fun and interesting the position is, the pay, and the commute.
It sounds like Job #1 has two points in its favor for those three categories, with pay being the big point in job #2's favor. Would it really be 15 years to get up to the higher salary, or would you be able to work 2-3 years at the lower salary and then leave and take that experience and turn it into a higher salary at another company? This is a game a lot of people in my industry have to play in order to get more significant raises - they'd work at my old company with a stagnant salary a while, leave for a year or two and get a big pay bump at a competitor, then come back to the same company at a higher salary. (This may be entirely not applicable here, I have no idea how lawyer salaries work.)
As an aside, an hour commute would likely result in me murdering someone. My commuting road rage tends to start boiling at the 30 minute mark and grows exponentially for each 5 minutes I suffer in traffic beyond that.
But why would I waste time at Job 1 to jump for a higher salary when I could be at Job 2 and jump for an even higher salary?
Because job #1 has more interesting work, a shorter commute, stock options, and gives you experience in a new area that you said would make you more marketable if/when you leave. I'm not saying it's an ideal option, or something you'd even want to do, just offering it as a possibility. It really just boils down to what your current goals are, and what is most important to you. (For me, a commute that doesn't make me want to stab people is a very high priority, and I have prioritized that over salary in the past.)
If your goals are to make enough money to keep your condo, while doing something interesting, and spend as little time commuting as possible, then Job #1 is it.
If your goals are to make as much money as possible, have a promotion, and would be happy to listen to podcasts for 2 hours a day in the car, then Job #2 it is.
As a lawyer facing imminent unemployment, I am really happy to read about your awesome prospects. Congrats!
I really don't want to move. I love our home, freeway and all. LOL. It is walking distance to the playground, library, cafes, ice cream, Trader Joe's, post office, and kid's preschool.
Plus it is in a great school district and five minutes from my husband's office.
"Familiar area of law" does not necessarily mean "boring", people. I've been in the same general area of law my entire career and I still find it interesting.
"Familiar area of law" does not necessarily mean "boring", people. I've been in the same general area of law my entire career and I still find it interesting.
"Familiar" means I actually already know what the fuck I'm doing. LOL.
Post by deanlicker78 on Jul 25, 2016 19:53:21 GMT -5
I would choose number two. I love money and I'd like more of it. Driving doesn't bother me. I live in BFE and have to drive an hour away just to go to Target.
Post by vanillacourage on Jul 25, 2016 19:53:55 GMT -5
#2. You don't backtrack your career so significantly unless it's for an opportunity that makes your heart sing. Job #1 just doesn't seem that special to you.
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." - Unknown
Post by VeryViolet on Jul 25, 2016 19:59:41 GMT -5
I would take job 2 because money can buy me happiness in the form of purses, shoes and vacations.
Also, I am happier sticking to what I know. I don't really have dreams that make me want to learn a whole new field/area in my 30s. Please don't tell my employer this I try and sell myself as constantly growing and learning new things. Lol
"Familiar area of law" does not necessarily mean "boring", people. I've been in the same general area of law my entire career and I still find it interesting.
No, but she specifically said the field for Job #2 is uninteresting, so I think that's where people are coming from there.
But at some point I give no shits about being interested if there's enough money involved.
I originally picked #1 (due to the new, interesting area and the shorter commute), but after reading the responses, I changed to #2. the idea of not going backward in title really resonated to me, and mp doing the math sealed the deal. good luck!! i hope this works out for you!
I tend to seek stability, so I may choose Job 1, even though there is a paycut.
Is there a chance Job 2 ia not going to maintain in house counsel? If so, how big a chance? Would your position be the first they'd cut if they needed to?
Who can predict happiness?
I thought my disaster of a job was going to be great.
And look how that turned out.
This company really needs counsel. I'd be second in command of the legal department.
This is why I think you should take number 2. Great title and hopefully good experience that can be more help if you want to move on. And do you really want to take such a huge pay cut? I don't count on stock options.
i am 3 months into my first in house job. I work for a white dude with a great sense of humor and I've been extremely happy (and we have that BS open concept and his desk is 3 feet from me so I'm around him a lot!)
I tend to seek stability, so I may choose Job 1, even though there is a paycut.
Is there a chance Job 2 ia not going to maintain in house counsel? If so, how big a chance? Would your position be the first they'd cut if they needed to?
Who can predict happiness?
I thought my disaster of a job was going to be great.
And look how that turned out.
This company really needs counsel. I'd be second in command of the legal department.
Oh, I just want to give you a hug. After 2 jobs that did not work out, I remember that feeling of not trusting myself to make a good decision on my next job. So much self doubt. I almost thought i should do the opposite of what I wanted to do becuase I felt like I made such bad decisions.
But it that's not true. It is just life. You win some, you lose some. It is not your fault.
Anyway, reading your posts, I think you want #2. #1 is a HUGE pay cut. I wouldn't do it. I would rather wait for a better offer than take that kind of a pay cut (unless it is dream job, but it isn't). A 60 min commute is pretty normal when you live in a big city. These boards are skewed by people who don't live in a big metro and don't get it. I mean, I hate commuting too, but I've done 60 min commutes before (and my H does daily). Lots of people do it. You adjust. Especially when the salary and opportunity are worth it.
So, forget job 1. It is out. Just decide if you want job 2 or want to keep looking. Good luck!