Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Pros and Cons

Big things on my mind these days:

Current job positives:
Interesting work
Great hours
Some travel but not much
Great boss
Good salary
Run to work 3 days per week
Work from home 1 day per week (could be 2 if I wanted)
Many friends in ofc
Great network of professional relationships built with people I regularly interact with
Can work from other places or other cities/states (if I want to visit friends or family in other cities and there is wifi, I don't need to take vacation to do it; all that matters is that I get my work done and my hours billed)
Great gym in office
Boss knows I want to move to Italy in about 10 years and work remotely (not clear if this will work, will depend a lot on what changes technologically in 10 yrs, what travel is req'd for my job (right now about 8 trips/year), and if someone else could cover that, but at least boss knows that's the goal)
Good benefits (some 401k match (unknown in the law firm world), employee stock purchase plan, pretty good insurance, reasonable amount of paid holidays)
No real office drama (at least none impacting me really)

Current job negatives:
Billing time (tracking what I'm doing EVERY SIX MINUTES...)
Glass walls in office (well, walls between offices, but glass on outside of bldg and toward inside of bld, so people walking down hall can see in my office)
Ofc location may move in 2.5 yrs to location 10 miles away in city where my husband works
Incompetent idiot assistant
Only 2.67 weeks of vacation per year until 2016 (then more)

Theoretical new job positives:
Approx 20% pay increase
Work from home 1 day/wk (more if I want)
Some travel but not much
Great hours
No billing time
One colleague left here to work there and I like her, so at least 1 friend in the ofc
Presumably a standard office with no glass wall

Theoretical new job negatives:
Longer commute (about 10 miles each way, but to the same city where my husband works)
Less interesting work expected
Boss is an unknown
No running commute (unless we moved, then maybe even a short walking commute)
Unknown assistant (and unknown level of support)
Unknown amount of vacation (presumably no less than I have now)
Unknown if there is a gym in bldg

As to the location issue, the theoretical new job is very near where my current job will likely move in about 2.5 years.  If we wanted (and if my husband had his way), we could sell our condo, buy an identical condo by the same builder with same floor plan and everything, and make over $100k on the deal.  But if we did that, we wouldn't be living in our awesome 'hood, near our awesome neighbors and near our awesome running store.  If we moved, I could possibly run to the new job (not sure of shower situation), but I could also possibly just walk -- that would all be true also if my current job moves in 2.5 years. 

So what does it boil down to?
Significant pay raise at theoretical new job (I know the data says that once you have a comfortable salary, making even significantly more doesn't increase happiness, but in this case, what if the hours stayed exactly the same and instead we were able to pay off the condo sooner?  Or is it really mo' money, mo' problems?)
Great boss at current job
Love running to work at current job, but this may end either way in 2.5 years (but by then, maybe I'll be over it, have met my marathon goals, etc.)
More interesting work at current job
No daily recording of time at theoretical new job (time recording seems to be the bane of most attorneys' existences, and I thought I got away from it when I moved out of law firm life, but surprise, some places still expect you to bill time so they can track resources/time; I'm fairly used to it and I don't hate it, but it would be lovely not to have to do it)

Hmmm... thoughts? 

2 comments:

  1. I think it's worth going in for an interview and finding out more about some of the unknown factors. I'm someone who craves change, and more money is always a nice thing. (You could give yourself that Vitamix).

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  2. Sounds like an exciting opportunity has presented itself. Go with what is in your heart! If your heart is telling you that it is time for a change, then go for it!

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