backing out of a job offer

[MissMackenzie]

Here's my dilemma: I'm about to receive a second job offer from a company in which I have already accepted a first job offer.

The first offer at Division A is close to my family (I've been away for over 8 years, and I would like to go back if given the chance. I'm from a small town, so tech jobs are not easy to come by.). I have my reservations of moving back home after living in the city for a long period of time. My friends who have also moved away have also warned me of the reverse culture shock of moving home. It's a well paying job, and certainly there would be room to grow, but not as much since the work environment is quite small. I'm not planning on staying there forever, as I am not prepared to settle down yet; I just thought that it would be nice to go home for a little while.

I was told today that I would be receiving an offer by Division B, located in another metro city area. The location itself is not my main area of consideration, but the actual growth potential of the job. I have at least another good 25-30 years left of my career, and yes, I would like to know that I have lost of room to grow.

I can honestly say that I like the Division A people significantly more than those in B, but B will offer me the better long term growth for my career. Is it worth backing out of A for a comparable position with B?

 

[rhodie]

If I had to make this choice, I'd ask myself:

1. Do I love being close to my family enough to sacrifice advancement?

2. Would my "less-likeable" relationships with Division B people eventually be enough to override the benefits of potential advancement?

3. Did I structure my acceptance agreement with Division A in such a way that if Division B ever caught news of my declination they might take action against me?

No simple answers, just stuff to get the wheels clicking.

 

[HVAC68]

Listen to your heart and not your head.

If I were in your shoes, (and I have been before), I would go nearer home - Career can always be built.

Just, my opinion - I know that not many would agree.

HVAC68

 

[Heckler]

MissMac,

I have been in that position and took Division A because when something drastic happens in you life Division B co-workers will go on business as normal with or without you but having family near is priceless. Best of luck and keep us posted


Heckler

 

[TheTick]

Listen to your heart and not your head.

The very foundation of nearly all miserable relationships, business and personal.

You refer to these opportunities as "Division A" and "Division B". Are these divisions of the same company?

Based on your information, I would go with "Division A", mostly because I place a high value on the culture of a workplace. Still, if it's this early in your career, you want to be where you can take the biggest steps forward.

 

[epoisses]

Do you really think growth potential is an important argument, or do you feel as though you're "supposed" to consider it important? It seems like you have more reasons to prefer div A. Do you think you would still be able to move from A to B at a later stage?

A technique I use for this kind of choices is: what if one of the two options is suddenly eliminated by whatever event, would you regret it a lot? And what about the other one?

Good luck

 

[TheTick]

By nature, I am a person who is not overly ambitious, who likes to take a slower pace and do what I enjoy in a place I would rather be. A few years ago, I would definitely have opted for "Division A".

However, if I could go back and have a similar choice, I would go with "Division B". Take advantage of your youth, when you have more energy and are encumbered by fewer responsibilities, to take on greater challenges and opportunities for growth. You will find that you are in a position to choose from more and better options later in your career.

I could be the world's greatest underachiever, if I could just learn to apply myself.

http://www.EsoxRepublic.com

-SolidWorks API VB programming help

 

[TheTick]

I realize I flip-flopped on my opinion, but I had given this a little more thought.

 

[MissMackenzie]

I sat down and made a list of pros and cons before I went to bed last night and went over them this morning when I woke up and realized that there is no comparison for a lot of the items; A weighs heavily on the side of "the human factor" whereas B wins in "the work factor". A has a relatively small site, and I'd be the only (yes, ONLY) female working there (so I've been told). B however, is a main corporate site - offering flexible schedules and telecommuting options. I know it's important to be happy outside of work, and fact of the matter is when the work is so-so, great people will make the 40+ hours a week a lot more bearable, but do great people really balance out a less-than-satisfying work environment?

B may not be an option a few years down the line when I'm thinking about leaving home (though it is likely that it might be). I'm quite worried that A may not open as many career options to be me later. It's a great job in great place, but I do think that it limits my options significantly down the road.

 

[buzzp]

People at work can make all the difference, in my opinion. I had a great job with great people that I walked out on. Of course, I have not found this again.
I currently work in a place thats equivalent to a morgue with people that are on a totally different plain than me. It makes it extremely difficult to be happy about coming to work, everyday, even if the work is somewhat interesting. I would put as much weight on the people you will be working with and around as the work you will be doing.

 

[AndrewTX]

My 2 cents worth is don't sacrifice your family for your career. The old cliche is still accurate. Most people don't regret not spending more time at work.

A healthy career is always a necessity, but squeezing every last drop out of your career potential at the expense of your family is not a good decision, in my opinion.

Most people have pictures of their family in their office and on their desk; not pictures of memos, reports and calculations because in the big picture view family is more important.

Is the preceived difference between offer A and offer B that big? Will accepting offer A be an irrevocable decision that will forever prevent you from taking a position similar to offer B? If not, go with offer A.

 

[ewh]

I have to agree with AndrewTX and the others. Life is what happens when your busy making other plans.

 

[DJKeng]

Fedral law controls such measures.

I suggest you look at the BLS.gov website.

 

[LHA]

Since you have a long career ahead, take B now. Get the experience, and if it is not satisfying, you will have a stronger resume later.

Taking A may be more satisfying, but job satisfaction is for later in life. Get the resume built now. That is the only task at hand early in a career.

Remember: The Chinese ideogram for “crisis” is comprised of the characters for “danger” and “opportunity.”
-Steve

 

[BRIS]

By now you have probably made your decision. It is interesting to note that IHA as a civil engineer recommends B - also as a civil engineer I would opt for B without any question. Selection of a career is a personnel choice and selection of priorities (family, job satisfaction, salary etc.) within one's chosen career is also a personnel choice. I would sooner be an engineer working on a miserable salary hundreds of miles away from home than an accountant working in my home town. I guess the accountant has different views otherwise we would all be civil engineers.

With 30 years of my career behind me and work in over 20 different countries I have always opted for job satisfaction. However, working on a small site can often prove to be more rewarding and offer much greater job satisfaction than being a statistic in a large organisation. I recently moved from a US$ 26 billion project to a US$ 1.5 million project and it is the latter one that is more interesting.

The main lesson that I have learned is whichever decision you take whenever you analyse it later it invariably appears to be the wrong one. The grass always looks greener on the other side. My advice is to set down your pros and cons – then tear them up and follow your heart. Don't look back. Jobs are more often than not what you make them to be not what you anticipate them to be.

Best of luck

 

[bandraoi]

You say in your first post that you want to move back home for a while. You also sound like you want to move back there permanently at a later date.

I'd go for the big city, if you go home now you'll either end up staying there forever or leaving in 5 years and not making it back.

 

[MissMackenzie]

Thanks for all sharing your thoughts with me!

I've decided, after a lot of thought and debate, that I will be moving to "the big city," with the blessing of my family back at home.

Maybe it's because I've always been the daughter who inherited the "workaholic" gene, but after spending two weeks at home, I realized that as much as I love my family that my life - and that includes my career - is something that I'm not ready to sacrifice at this point in my life. Perhaps when I'm older and settled I'll be able to appreciate family sacrifices. In the meantime, to the big city it is!

Once again - thanks everyone for the advice!