Hi all, help!

I have had a situation come up which is really changing my frame of mind and making me have to think quickly and I could use TWW's opinion. You can flame this thread if you want, I won't get upset - but please someone give me something constructive if possible to take away.

OK.

I have been working with Job A since Feb of 2006. It is a very large manufacturing company (Fortune 200) and I'm currently a Lead Recruiter recruiting all of Information Technology for the U.S. out of our Raleigh hub. It's a great role, huge responsibility, and good exposure. I've done amazingly well, had out of the park performance reviews and have been tagged a 'top talent' to promote within the next couple of years. Also due for a raise in about a month or two. I have to share my salary info for Job A this advice to work so here it is.....Currently at 60K bonus with quarterly bonus putting me at about 66K a year consistently. Full benefits, etc, matching 401K.

The problem is it's a friggin manufacturing company whose roots are based in the midwest, and the culture is amazingly stifling and corporate to the max. I hate that shit...but I put up with it daily even though I bitch about it daily. There is no middle ground, its a huge company with lots of opporutnity, but the culture is very stiff. It's hard to get excited about axles and power grids, etc.

Now, Job B has come along which was a lead off of a gaming website for a company in Eugene, OR. I love out west and am on rent to rent so that's not a problem, and it's in the gaming industry - which has been a passion of mine since I was - i don't know when, so that's good. It's for an HR Coordinator which is pretty much building their HR systems for scratch becuase they are an expanding company growing...they also have exiting games down the pipeline that they can't tell me about, but it's coming.

So it's a risk vs. reward, with the potential to be bigger. They are very interested in me, want to fly me into Portland this week, and all that. That's alll good, but I'll be taking a huge paycut. They pay around 50K with full benefits, some performance bonuses down the pike, the potential to grow into the sole HR builder (direction/managing HR) from scratch. Which is exciting. And it's about games which is absolutely stellar....and you can imagine the culture is MUCH more relaxed. But that's a huge pay cut.

What the hell do I do. Take a risk and get in the industry I want with a sizable pay decrease and moving to somehwere unkown, or keep in the safe corporate manufacturing company job?

Just need gut reactions for the bored people that actually read all of that. Sorry.

8/20/2007 1:48:09 PM

I say if you don't have any huge financial obligations and you think it'll make you happier in the longterm then go for it. It sounds like a great opportunity and if you're good at managing your income then it's not a huge setback in terms of pay.

8/20/2007 1:51:27 PM

Go with the new one man. You can easily live comfortably on 50k a year and if you wake up every day looking forward to your job, you will overall lead a happier and healthier life. Sure you won't have that extra 16k and a few other things but if you are as passionate about gaming as you say you are then it is well worth it. You could probably score some free video games/accessories too.

8/20/2007 1:52:29 PM

Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life.

Risk, sure its a risk. But likely, even if it falls though, you can land on your feet somewhere eventually.

8/20/2007 1:55:50 PM

Quote :

"Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life."

true


and what company is it? up and coming or established? in other words how stable is the job?

8/20/2007 2:01:15 PM

this is good...or at least I'm happy that these responses are well put. I have no one to turn to at the moment and things are moving so damn fast, that fuckin any advice helps right now.

i do love the gaming industry, with an absolute damn passion. I just am hesitant to the risk...im so well established here, albeit in a boring damn way. I also hate dissapointing poeple like my boss, who is my mentor. Plus it means i have to ask my fiancee to move when she just got an awesome job here as a montoursorri school teacher. Granted, she is totally open to the move and sounds excited about it - but her motivation in her own words is 'she is totally fucking sick of hearing me complain about my corporate up my ass job every day' she says it makes day to day worse when you dont like what you do.

See, i wouldnt know - ive never liked what i was doing b/c i cant get passionate about it. I really need to consider this don't I? I'm so good at giving others advice but suck it up when it makes taking my own. LOL.

8/20/2007 2:01:37 PM

it's established...and they will be getting larger into next year as they are taking on a full project.

they've also done games on xbox live and license gaming engines to indie developers.

8/20/2007 2:03:37 PM

Well take your level of satisfaction with your current job now. And look at yourself 5 years from now. Could you really see yourself being motivated to do a job you hate for 5 more years? Doesn't it sound way better doing something you are interested in and have a passion for for 5 years?

8/20/2007 2:19:21 PM

Be careful believing that "do what you love..." bit. You may love gaming as a hobby, but eventually (if you take Job B) it will become your job, and the luster will wear off.

Jobs are jobs -- even MLB players, who obviously love baseball, are likely to be ecstatic when the season ends and they can put down the glove. Why? Because it becomes a job.

Not trying to sound pessimistic, just be wary.

Personally, I'd stick w/ the current job. But then again, I wouldn't want to leave NC and you're well-positioned to make even more than you are now.

8/20/2007 2:20:33 PM

yeah...although if you are trying to get in an industry you love, there's no premium you can put on that. I mean that's big...walking down the halls looking at people develop games is sorely different than this boring ass cube farm among billions of cube farms.

The pay cut sucks, and the move seems daunting but I'm not questioning the job evnrions or material. Hell they have break rooms with arcades and stuff, people working on xbox live titles, the works....here I've got fax machines and PR releases with a billion corporate acronyms.

8/20/2007 3:26:06 PM

I'd go with the new job.

I have no advice/input other than that...

ACTUALLY! got something...will new job help pay for, if not all, expenses for you to move? if so, definitely no brainer--go for the new job.


[Edited on August 20, 2007 at 3:37 PM. Reason : sp]

8/20/2007 3:33:42 PM

as long as your fiance is on board i'd go - no sense in bitching every day - go try it out

8/20/2007 3:38:18 PM

yeah they said they'd help with costs...like 3K or so for a moving fan and ancillary stuff.

Fiancee is on board. She wants something new....it'll be tough for her to spin up, but she's a smart cookie and will land on her feet.

It comes down to sizable pay cut vs. the industry ive always been passionate about. As well as 'working quality of life'. I don't feel like I matter at my current job....that sounds emo, but really, i'm a freaking cog. I'd like to know I gave something a shot...does that make sense?

dunno, feel like im throwing responsibility to the wind to a degree, and then theres the part of you thats like - fuck dude, live a little, take a risk.

8/20/2007 3:49:24 PM

I'm surprised no one has mentioned cost of living yet (maybe they have and I overlooked it). It's not a huge difference, but it is 2.1% more expensive to live in Eugene than Raleigh ($67,361 vs. $66,000, respectively). So your pay cut is effectively that much more.

http://www.bestplaces.net/col/?salary=66000&city1=6640&city2=2400

If you live below your means now and don't have a lot of debt, I would say don't let salary stand in the way of what you'd rather do. You're too young (not to sound like an old person) to do that and you have the rest of your life to make money at a higher paying crappy job if you change your mind or if it doesn't work out.

8/20/2007 8:45:20 PM

he lives in the midwest not in raleigh i thought he said.

while id normally talk down something like job B, 50k is not a bad salary a few years out of school, particularly in HR. you presumably have supplemental income from your soon to be wife as well. if job B was just "in the industry" i might be concerned, but not only is it in a field you love, but it has "resume potential." if you decide you hate it or the company starts to flop a little, it still sounds like good experience.

HR is a pretty field too, so it isn't like you're going somewhere that won't have fallbacks as well.

8/20/2007 9:33:41 PM

Quote :

"Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life."

I couldn't agree more.

I took a MUCH larger paycut when I changed career paths now 4 years ago. like, nearly a 50% pay reduction.

I have never been happier. Money is definitely not everything, and I can all but guarantee that your happiness is a hell of a lot more valuable than 10k a year. Not to mention you will likely have many more growth opporunities in the new position.

There are two types of people, those who work to live and those who live to work. Figure out which one you are and make your decisions accordingly.

8/20/2007 9:49:36 PM

good advice everyone. This is actually kinda helpful insight.

Also, Oregon doesn't have any sales tax whatsoever so that'll negate the cost of living comparison. And yes I live in Raleigh , have my whole life - but to move up in my current job, eventually it'll be Cleveland.

We do have dual income - my to-be wife is a school teacher so although we aren't rockin the bank I dont live for money...i just want to be comfortable.

8/20/2007 10:44:34 PM

Two things you do want to defintiely consider though.

Oregon is cold as FUCK, and pretty much impassible in dead of winter in many places. Also, outside of the few liberal cities, the northwest is as backward, if not moreso than the south. I came across far more intolerance, racism and fundamentalism in the northwest than I ever have in the south.

Other than that though I loved the big cities and would personally have no problem moving up there for a few years.

8/20/2007 11:07:49 PM

damn i didn't know that. I saw the alamanac thingy about their weather and it didnt seem too bad. I bet once you get into the wild areas of oregon though, that doesnt play around.

their wilderness looks to be the real deal. Hope if i take it i dont get killed by a bear.

anyway, job B just spent 1500 to fly me up from thurs-sat to interview on-site and put me in the hilton for two nights. That's a good sign....I'm going to do it and fudge a reason for my absence for Job A. I figure meeting them and seeing the job in person will help me make my decision much easier I'm sure.

8/21/2007 12:26:59 PM

If money is your main concern in life, then you should stay at the job that pays. If you would rather be happy, then take the pay cut. At some point you have to accept that you choose your level of happiness. If you are comfortable making a lot more money even though 40 percent of your life absolutely sucks, keep the old job.

If you can settle for taking a 15 percent pay cut in exchange for enjoying 100 percent of your life, I'd change jobs.

8/21/2007 12:36:41 PM

Tough one... My decision would be based on the product of the new company. The gaming world is pretty competitive. I wouldnt want to go to a start-up if I didnt think the product they were going to put out was really good. I'd find out how they are being financed, and if it is through a few investors, you might be weary (the funding might go away). If they already have some products that are making money, its a safer bet. On the other hand, if they start producing good products, then another company might pick them up. Human resources would be the kind thing they would probably cut (redundancy). In any event, you should get some stock options for tyhe company for assuming this risk. If you dont, I wouldnt be too happy. So there are risks either way.

I dont have any fondness for corporations either. if you work for Flex, then I know how bad it can be. But at the same time, it sounds like you have been recognized as a good employee, and have the chance to build your resume up, so when you do leave there, it will be for a better position with more pay.

Also remember that if you left the gaming company, the next prospective employer would not see you as a $70k a year employee, but rather a 50k a year employee, and it would be harder to get the pay back. Stepping back in pay has lots of bad consequences.

But bottom line, if you absolutely hate your job, there is no point working there if you dont have to. Tought choice...

[Edited on August 21, 2007 at 12:38 PM. Reason : .]

8/21/2007 12:37:09 PM

Good luck! Just take lots of time to decide...like at least a week. Don't let emotions make such a huge choice for ya, but enjoy the Hilton!

8/21/2007 12:38:06 PM