Can't Pick Between Two Offers! Help!

So, I decided to do a little job searching over the last month and this is where I currently stand. I'm split between taking the job with the highest pay versus taking the job w/ the best experience for what I ultimately want to do (Security).

The other thing I've considered is going to Job #2 and showing them the offer from Job #1 to see if they will take a counter offer. Is this out of bounds? How likely is it that they just revoke their offer if I do something like this? Should I worry about them contacting the other company?

Job Offer #1
$57,500 Salary + $8000-10000 yearly bonuses (Depends on performance)
Best Pay
Worst future salary expectation
Worst job security
Worst job experience
Least transferrable skills

Job Offer #2
$42,500 Salary
Best job experience for what I ultimately want to do
Most transferrable skills
Decent Pay
Decent future salary expectation
Best job security

Current Job
$38,480 + Overtime
Worst Pay
Best future salary expectation
Decent job security
Decent job experience
Decent transferrable skills

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Comments

Tom Servo

I would try to negotiate Offer #2 up. It is very important to get experience in what you want, and I am a firm believer that you get the most knowledge of security by actually doing security full time. However, I think you will feel underpaid (and subsequently not totally happy) if you know you are worth around 60k a year but only make 42.5.

RHDS2K

always counter.. but with that being said, this thread is kind of useless without details on each position.

danny069

Job# 2, Job# 1 does not sound good to me.

nx1no

aderon wrote: »

So, I decided to do a little job searching over the last month and this is where I currently stand. I'm split between taking the job with the highest pay versus taking the job w/ the best experience for what I ultimately want to do (Security).

The other thing I've considered is going to Job #2 and showing them the offer from Job #1 to see if they will take a counter offer. Is this out of bounds? How likely is it that they just revoke their offer if I do something like this? Should I worry about them contacting the other company?

Job Offer #1
$57,500 Salary + $9,000 yearly bonuses (Depends on performance)
Best Pay
Worst future salary expectation
Worst job security
Worst job experience
Least transferrable skills

Job Offer #2
$42,500 Salary
Best job experience for what I ultimately want to do
Most transferrable skills
Decent Pay
Decent future salary expectation
Best job security

Current Job
$38,480 + Overtime
Worst Pay
Best future salary expectation
Decent job security
Decent job experience
Decent transferrable skills

How old are you? Do you live alone? Are you in debt? Where do you live?

Not trying to get personal, but things like that matter.

If you're single and no cares in the world, and if you're a risk taker, I'd do #1

Otherwise, #2 all the way.

I never like to talk about "salary" and "overtime" in the same sentence. Overtime is never a guarantee and is one of the things a company will try to cut back on. So if someone says "Oh yeah you'll get 38K base but 50K with overtime", I'd stay away. Also, they say anything above 5-8 hours a week OT will get killed in taxes. Plus, who the hell wants to work 50+ hours a week?

#2 #2 #2 #2 #2

robS

Based on the information provided, I'd be leaning towards the second. Stability and long term prospects for your career will pay off a lot more than teh difference now.

Zartanasaurus

Offer #2.
Get skills now, get salary later.

seigex

I think you answered your own question. That said, nobody here can answer for you what job you should take. You have to go with whatever's going to set you up for the future.

I made a horrible decision years ago to leave an industry I was set up in, trained in, and had huge potential to be happy and make a huge salary right off the bat, and I regret that decision all the time.

You should think about what future you is going to think about today you, rather than living for today you.

Thechainremains

Take Job #1

Money is money.. whether it's $2 or $20,000.

You can always move into a different position if it doesnt work out.. Dont be married to a Company or Position EVER. They couldnt give A RIP, about who you are or how much experience you have..

ALWAYS always always... take the higher paying job, because you can only move up from that point.

robS

Thechainremains wrote: »

....Money is money.. whether it's $2 or $20,000.......

Yes and no. It depends on the job certainty and over the period of time you're expecting the two jobs to last. You can then model it.

For example, let's say I'm considering a move that I expect to last about 3 years before moving on.

Job A is 40k/year and has a 98% certainty of lasting the 3 years (nothing is ever 100%)
Job B is 60k/year and only has a 50% certainty of lasting 3 years

then,

Job A has expected value of 40 x 3 x 98% = 117.6k
Job B has expected value of 60 x 3 x 50% = 90k

So based on this simplistic calculation alone, Job A is the better one.

If you then model after 3 years, ie. how likely you are to get the same or better job versus finding it difficult to get any job because you've dead-ended yourself in the higher paying but more specialised job then you start to add nuances to the model.

This is obviously highly subjective and not a fool-proof method, but is one of several techniques you could use to decide between two jobs.

On the other hand, consider how much extra money you could save from the higher paying job to give you a buffer against unemployment.

NotHackingYou

With Job #1, what does 'worst job security' mean?