Decisions, decisions

Bee

Bee

Founding Member
#1
#1
Okay, I'll start. My current situation is:

I love my job
I have a decent salary
I'm about to buy a house - I move in about 6-8 weeks within the area where I currently live
My friends live close by - or within a reasonable driving distance
My location would be hard to beat as I'm a minute from the sea, minutes walk of all the amenities I need, and the most beautiful countryside surrounds me.

The problem that's taxing me currently, is that I've been headhunted. If I was successful, these are the factors I'd have to consider:

The new job is 100 miles away and it would be too far to commute
The new salary starts at £10k more than I earn now - and the top salary is £20k more
The new job may not be as exciting or complex as my current one.

I think I know what I should do, but it would be interesting to see how someone else might tackle the problem.
 
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L

Lez

New member
#2
#2
I feel your dilemma its a big decision, I am a great believer in fate and our lives take twists and turns for a reason, the move may bring something or someone fabulous into your life :) However I also think happiness is more important than the extra money so dont make your decision based on that!
 
T

The_Doc_Man

Founding Member
#3
#3
My uncle Maurice told me that one secret of success is to first feed the soul, then figure out how to make enough money to feed the sharks circling around you. (Like hunger, rent, entertainment, etc.)

If you think the job is neither exciting nor complex, it would not feed your ego. I read (between the lines) that you think the job is beneath you in some way, a waste of your talents. I might be reading a bit too much there, but that is what I get on first impression. Now, if you could somehow persuade the new employers to allow you to telecommute...
 
Bee

Bee

Founding Member
#4
#4
No, Doc - I don't think it's beneath me. I'm thrilled to be considered and headhunted. It just feels like a backward step as I did something similar 2 years ago, and enjoyed it, but I do feel as though I've done it before and the only things I would learn come from being in a larger organisation.
 
Jon

Jon

Administrator
Staff member
#5
#5
Get the job offer and use it as leverage for a pay rise. If they won't give you a pay rise, get a comfier office chair plus an extra half hour for your lunch break. Or, ask for more holiday. An extra week please. Or the ability to spend more time from home doing work.
 
Jon

Jon

Administrator
Staff member
#6
#6
Another way to view the problem. You need good visualisation for this. If you did take the job "up north", write down your typical weekday. Write down your typical weekend. Put the times in. 9am I got up to get ready for my train back to xyz. 10am Off to train. etc. Then, do the same for if you stayed where you currently are. Then compare the two. Work out how much extra take-home pay you will get in the new job verses your current job. How much extra per day is that? What could that extra money buy you in utility? Pimp that Tescos Finest range of food, or get the takeaway that will shorten your life but tantalise your tastebuds?

Another exercise I sometimes do when trying how to best spend my limit resource of money, is to work out the "happiness points" each potential purchase may bring. So, you put up some columns on paper: Potential purchase item; Cost; Frequency of use; Happiness points per use; Total Happiness points; Cost per happiness point.

By following this procedure, you can max out the amount of happiness you get per unit of money spent.

While this is about purchases, you could use a similar method for working out what to do should you be offered the new job. You work out your total happiness points per day for where you are and then compare with what you would get with the new job, factoring in how many additional happiness points the extra cash brings.

Yes, it does take work. But your time is well spent when it comes to the big decisions, because the implications are potentially life-changing, for better or worse.
 
Bee

Bee

Founding Member
#7
#7
I like that approach, Jon. I prefer logical, quantitative decision making when it comes to the bigger decisions in life. Well, nowadays at least. In the past I've been impulsive and emotive.

My happiness is rooted in where I live, moreso than the job I do. I can quantify that and work out a number of scenarios - assigning each one a happiness quotient.
 
Jon

Jon

Administrator
Staff member
#15
#15
Bee, what are your current thoughts about the job you were headhunted for? Have you evolved your thinking in anyway since this conversation was first crowdsourced?
 
Bee

Bee

Founding Member
#16
#16
Thank you for asking.

I'm in an odd situation. I went for the interview last week, which was in fact three interviews in an afternoon. I thought I did well at two of them, but I messed one up completely. There were three other candidates interviewed and it's my understanding that the other 3 have been rejected.

However, they did seem to like me and I've had very positive feedback - to the point where they want to give me a second chance to show I'm not actually a gibbering idiot. And so I am returning for a second interview. I am actually undecided as to what I intend to do in the event of an offer, as I am in the process of moving house (in the next 4-6 weeks), but I have a number of options.
 
Jon

Jon

Administrator
Staff member
#17
#17
I suppose it also depends on what the offer is. Presumably, you have an idea of the salary range but you don't know where in that range the offer will be?
 
Bee

Bee

Founding Member
#18
#18
It will be a minimum of £10k more than my current salary up to £20k more. It's more likely to be at the £10-12k end though.
 
Bee

Bee

Founding Member
#20
#20
Because Local Government tends to make job offers at the bottom of each scale. I can probably negotiate a little higher, but they like to leave headroom in each scale for progression each year.
 
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