Accepting a lower offer 2

[mnelson249]

I will be graduating with a mechanical engineering degree in December and currently have two job offers. The first job is more of an industrial engineering job and I really enjoyed my interview there and seems like a great opportunity. The second job is from a company that I had previously interned at but in a different department than I had worked in. The second job is as a product engineer. I know that I would not enjoy this job at all. Pretty much every day would be miserable.

However, the second job pays $9,000 more per year and the benefits and retirement package are better.

So I was wondering if anyone had any advice or took less money for a job they'd enjoy more or took a higher salary for a job they did not enjoy.

Also I have already contacted the first company but they said they could not come up at all in salary.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Your call.... $9,000 of hell just might not be worth it!!

 

[rowingengineer]

flip a coin and have a beer.

http://www.nceng.com.au/

"A safe structure will be the one whose weakest link is never overloaded by the greatest force to which the structure is subjected” Petroski 1992

 

[SAK9]

Research indicates that the lure of more money wears off after a few months.You spend about 1/3 rd of your of you time at work and if it is not enjoyable,it is going to wear you down soon and will affect your personal life as well

 

[GregLocock]

Interesting that I have found someone who is prepared to be miserable for the sake of $5 per hour, before tax.

Look at you first job as an entry in your resume. If you are enthusiastic you'll work harder and have more to write and talk about.



Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[TheTick]

More money for a job you don't want? As an added bonus, starting your career down a path you don't like! If you can't figure this one out, you're too dumb for our advice.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Been there, done that, made the wrong decision twice and chased the money. Second time took me to the brink of a nervous breakdown. Never again. Thankfully the previous company asked me to come back, and I gladly accepted their $6K lower offer.
Keep your sanity and happiness, accept the lower offer and don't look back.

 

[SAITAETGrad]

In a few years you may be married. Try changing to a lower paid job that you'll enjoy more then...ha!

Any job that you are in for less than five years (unless you leave to start your own business, etc.) must have been a mistake from the outset. That said, varied experience is a huge asset so mistakes are not all bad.

From personal similar experience trust your instincts. They are obviously telling you something important in this case.

If you enjoy your job and do well, you might find that gap in pay is quickly made up by performance based increases. Don't laugh- it happened for me!

Who you work for might be a lot more important than what you are actually doing.

Since you are a newbie, if you have work that is in any way or form interesting you are probably a lucky one. Looking back at some of the recent graduates that I've been around, I'd say I started out very lucky indeed...building rocket-powered Gyroplane UAVs. That said after a year I was still finding it very difficult to survive on the very small salary so I took a better paying job that was slightly less interesting...so there is no right answer.

 

[IRstuff]

Seriously?

You contemplate RETIRING from a job you're going to hate? WTF? Why is that even remotely a consideration? Do you really think you'll get comparable raises in a job that you hate? How are you going to be a high performer in this job?

I'll assume that Greg rounded up, but $9k/2080 is only $4.32/hr. You didn't say what the base salary was, but let's say it was $60k, so $9k is 15%. I'll assume that you'll get 3% better raises at the job you like, compared to the job you hate. In less than 5 yrs, you'll be at par.

TTFN

FAQ731-376
Chinese prisoner wins Nobel Peace Prize

 

[rowingengineer]

I hate to point this out but I have been to a few interviews that were great only to find myself in a hell hole.

Deciding between the two is not a life threating decision. Pick whichever one you want; you have many years ahead to regret/change the decision. A Job is only what you make of it.

http://www.nceng.com.au/

"A safe structure will be the one whose weakest link is never overloaded by the greatest force to which the structure is subjected” Petroski 1992

 

[jmw]

This is a life altering choice only if it is a lifetime commitment.
Chances are you'll change jobs a few times and for better money so why take a bad job on?
OK, the job you think is better may prove a hell hole but again, it isn't for life.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[mnelson249]

Thanks for the advice. I ended up accepting the offer from the lower paying company. The decision in the end came down to the fact that working there would give me experience in a different field and make me more marketable when looking for future jobs.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Congrats - at least you are employed.... many are not