What would you do?

L0gicB0mb508

I'm at a very weird crossroads in my career. I have a few possible options as far as jobs go, so let me ask what would you do? Here are your options and my own personal opinions:

Option 1:
An extremely lucrative position working for the U.S. military in the Middle East. Mostly SA/DBA work. Pay is near the 1/4 Mil mark for 12 months of work. It is however in a combat zone. You earn that check. I have worked as a systems admin in a combat zone before.

Option 2:
Entry to mid level security "analyst" position near DC working for the US government. I have to move to take the job. They pay range isn't extremely high, but I would like to switch from SA style work to security.

Option 3:
Small consulting firm I currently am employed with would like to make me a partner. This is however on up the road. At the current time the pay is not so hot, and the business is going to take some work to get to the point that is needed. I would be one of the only high level systems engineers they had.

So would you take the huge money/adrenaline rush, the stepping stone to what you want to do, or the possibility to help run a business and make it succeed?

eMeS

L0gicB0mb508 wrote: »

I'm at a very weird crossroads in my career. I have a few possible options as far as jobs go, so let me ask what would you do? Here are your options and my own personal opinions:

Option 1:
An extremely lucrative position working for the U.S. military in the Middle East. Mostly SA/DBA work. Pay is near the 1/4 Mil mark for 12 months of work. It is however in a combat zone. You earn that check. I have worked as a systems admin in a combat zone before.

Option 2:
Entry to mid level security "analyst" position near DC working for the US government. I have to move to take the job. They pay range isn't extremely high, but I would like to switch from SA style work to security.

Option 3:
Small consulting firm I currently am employed with would like to make me a partner. This is however on up the road. At the current time the pay is not so hot, and the business is going to take some work to get to the point that is needed. I would be one of the only high level systems engineers they had.

So would you take the huge money/adrenaline rush, the stepping stone to what you want to do, or the possibility to help run a business and make it succeed?

Is option 1 also tax-free? If so, then you're looking at effectively much more than .25 million.

MS

L0gicB0mb508

It's roughly 1/4 mil over all. It is tax free, due to the Afghanistan law dealing with subcontractors. I would actually get a tax credit back. So I would come home with the 1/4 mil clear.

SrAtechie

First questions first (and apologies for getting personal but it plays a huge part in my opinion) do you have family? Wife, kids, the whole 9 yards? If so, I would humbly suggest consulting with them about option 1. As my wife always reminds me when I consider going downrage, "it ain't just about you pal. And you're worth more to me alive and making money for the next 40 years, than dead and paying me out for 1!!!" Yeah, she loves me

If family isn't a problem, then by all means: take the friggin deployment job! I've got a buddy who left our office two and a half years ago to go to Iraq. he's on his third stint downrange and has enough money to buy a house pretty much anywhere he wants (save insanely expensive locales like Hawaii, San Fran, New York, etc.) Not only that but he has so much time on his hands he's going through certs like they're first grade tests. So when he decides to get off the deployment wagon, he'll have certs and experience to place him wherever he wants to be.

Beyond that, the remaining two options are really a personal preference. Government work is always good, but if the company you're currently with ever grew substantially, it may be an opportunity to fast track to higher positions later (CTO?)

L0gicB0mb508

I do have a wife. She is definitely not crazy about the idea. The good news about this particular trip over, I know where I'm going. It wont be nearly as dangerous this time around. I'd also be taking that job purely for the money. It's not something I really enjoy, as the security position is what I'm more geared for anyway. It's actually going to be a very tough decision.

skrpune

Wait, so is this middle east position something that's a year contract? Would your wife come with you or stay behind? If she came along, what would she do while there? Same questions for the DC relocation. What about extended family & friends, how would you both feel about being far away from family/friends?

As the spouse of someone who's had to relocate a couple times, I can say that it can be rough. My husband and I relocated three times together (NYC to Phoenix to Toronto to Chicago), and I can definitely say that it was much harder for me than it was for him - the moves were for his grad school, a post-doc position, and his current prof position now. So he had a purpose with each move and I was the tag along that took care of all the details and then was really bored and lonely and unemployed after we settled in. I battled with minor bouts of depression and anxieties with each move. But I also used the last two relocations as an opportunity to finally switch careers and get my butt back in school, so all in all, it's worked out well. But it's been a long and hard road.

Unfortunately due to the nature of my husband's studies/work, it's not like he can just go get a job in any town at any place (not many places are looking for geochemists with a flair for research and teaching), so the relocations were necessary and not a matter of choice. But in your case, you do have a choice and so you and your wife need to sit and have a serious conversation not only about what the opportunities are for you and your career, but also for her and what the impact will be on your relationship. Having one person be unhappy or lonely while the other is thriving and diving into work can be a recipe for hardship, but if you go in with eyes open and full disclosure you can make this into a time for some serious growth in your relationship and you can make some plans for your future together.

Each of these positions involve some risk. The middle east position's risk are obvious, but there is some small risk in staying put on a "possible" partner track, and there's also some risk in doing the DC relocation as well. I say sit down with the wife and bust out a bottle of wine (or your beverage of choice) and have a serious chat, and jot down pro & cons & concerns. My bet is that once it's all out in the open and down on paper, the answer will seem a bit more clear.

JDMurray

It sounds like you already have personal experience with Option1, so nobody here is more qualified to choose or disregard that option than you.

Option 2 is very safe and secure. You'll work in a nice part of the USA that has a *LOT* of security jobs at companies that love to employ ex-military people.

Option 3 seems like an exciting, ground-floor opportunity at an entrepreneurial start-up. I, personally, love those opportunities the best. Make sure that the company has solid financial controls (e.g., a conservative CFO, and accountant or controller, and a "money guy" to court investors), investment capitol or operation and growth, clear and sensible long-range business planning, and sales and marketing people who understand who are and are not their customers. All of these components are necessary for business success.

Also realize that in the small company you will be working very hard and very long hours with little or no reward. If they don't have the money to pay you extra for your effort, they certainly don't have the money to hire all the people that they need. Make sure that in addition to your salary, you get some sort of stake in the company, because your employers are not legally obligated to reward you for your forthcoming Herculean efforts in keeping their company running. Working very hard for for little pay, and without a stake in the future success of the company, you won't want to keep that job for very long.

L0gicB0mb508

skrpune wrote: »

Wait, so is this middle east position something that's a year contract? Would your wife come with you or stay behind? If she came along, what would she do while there? Same questions for the DC relocation. What about extended family & friends, how would you both feel about being far away from family/friends?

As the spouse of someone who's had to relocate a couple times, I can say that it can be rough. My husband and I relocated three times together (NYC to Phoenix to Toronto to Chicago), and I can definitely say that it was much harder for me than it was for him - the moves were for his grad school, a post-doc position, and his current prof position now. So he had a purpose with each move and I was the tag along that took care of all the details and then was really bored and lonely and unemployed after we settled in. I battled with minor bouts of depression and anxieties with each move. But I also used the last two relocations as an opportunity to finally switch careers and get my butt back in school, so all in all, it's worked out well. But it's been a long and hard road.

Unfortunately due to the nature of my husband's studies/work, it's not like he can just go get a job in any town at any place (not many places are looking for geochemists with a flair for research and teaching), so the relocations were necessary and not a matter of choice. But in your case, you do have a choice and so you and your wife need to sit and have a serious conversation not only about what the opportunities are for you and your career, but also for her and what the impact will be on your relationship. Having one person be unhappy or lonely while the other is thriving and diving into work can be a recipe for hardship, but if you go in with eyes open and full disclosure you can make this into a time for some serious growth in your relationship and you can make some plans for your future together.

Each of these positions involve some risk. The middle east position's risk are obvious, but there is some small risk in staying put on a "possible" partner track, and there's also some risk in doing the DC relocation as well. I say sit down with the wife and bust out a bottle of wine (or your beverage of choice) and have a serious chat, and jot down pro & cons & concerns. My bet is that once it's all out in the open and down on paper, the answer will seem a bit more clear.

The DC job is only about 5 hours from where I currently live. It's really not too far out if you think about it. No my wife can not come with me to the Middle East. The position is in a combat zone in Afghanistan. The only time I get to see her is when I come home on vacation. I only get about 4 weeks vacation time for the entire 12 months. The work schedule there is 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.

L0gicB0mb508

JDMurray wrote: »

It sounds like you already have personal experience with Option1, so nobody here is more qualified to choose or disregard that option than you.

Option 2 is very safe and secure. You'll work in a nice part of the USA that has a *LOT* of security jobs at companies that love to employ ex-military people.

Option 3 seems like an exciting, ground-floor opportunity at an entrepreneurial start-up. I, personally, love those opportunities the best. Make sure that the company has solid financial controls (e.g., a conservative CFO, and accountant or controller, and a "money guy" to court investors), investment capitol or operation and growth, clear and sensible long-range business planning, and sales and marketing people who understand who are and are not their customers. All of these components are necessary for business success.

Also realize that in the small company you will be working very hard and very long hours with little or no reward. If they don't have the money to pay you extra for your effort, they certainly don't have the money to hire all the people that they need. Make sure that in addition to your salary, you get some sort of stake in the company, because your employers are not legally obligated to reward you for your forthcoming Herculean efforts in keeping their company running. Working very hard for for little pay, and without a stake in the future success of the company, you won't want to keep that job for very long.

The issue with the small company, is just what you mentioned. I'm just wondering if they are actually going to pull out the stops, or if its going to be nickle and dime. All the above mentioned stuff is why I'm leaning more towards the security position. It's been much for difficult jumping from an SA style position to a security role than i ever thought it would be. I appreciate all your thoughts!

L0gicB0mb508

In a completely surprise move, I was hired as a security engineer with another company! I start Monday! wooohhhh!!!!! Time to dust off the Cisco knowledge and go at it.

Icecube0045

Awsome!!..good luck with it!

veritas_libertas

Great, good luck!