I may be jumping ship again!

BIG NEGATIVE OF POSSIBLE NEW JOB #1: THE ENVIRONMENT

It would be in a pretty damn corporate environment, in a company just like the one I left last September because I couldn't stand it.

BIG NEGATIVE OF POSSIBLE NEW JOB #2: DESIGN AIN'T REALLY MY THING

About 25% of the work that I would be doing would be design. I don't have very much confidence in my design skills, although I did some design at my last job and didn't come up with anything embarrassingly bad. But I'm very worried that I won't be able to cut the mustard, design-wise. Uncertainty, lack of confidence, etc...that is my biggest worry.

BIG HUGE POSITIVE OF POSSIBLE NEW JOB: THE MONEY IS PRETTY SUPERFANTASTIC

As I mentioned, I would see over a twenty percent increase in my check every week. that's a pretty nice chunk of change, I have to say.

MY DECISION? Hmmmm...

How about hours re present place, and, separate from that, stress in general. I know you work like crazy in the present place, but I bet the stress has less sharp corners, given the group of people. Plus in the present one you may eventually get more time in areas you like. I dunno. Tough decision, re more moolah and more of the work you prefer.

And, oh, by the way, I miss seeing you around, kiddo.

Oh kicky, environment is big friggin' deal. I'm not one for an ultra-corporate environment. In fact, I think working in such environments makes me depressed and I wouldn't be surprised if it does you too.

Tell your current job what you told us. You love the environment, you want to stay, but you want to do more layout/production stuff and you know you can find that work elsewhere. I'd be surprised if they didn't try to accomodate you.

Osso, how are you? Yeah, I don't have as much time as I used to to play. Oh well. I miss you too, my friend. Thanks for the food for thought.

with out reading your second post, my gut said stay the fu.ck put.

Not many jobs have a work PLACE that makes you comfortable.

On the flip side of that, those hours can really drag you down.

A pay raise is always nice, but at what cost?
Will you be stuck in a Dilbert cubicle , where you could suffocate and end up right back at square one looking for a job that is suitable?

Can you sort of.... drop IN on the job prospect and look around at the office and the faces of the other working ants there and see what it is like?

---------

funny. I post THEN read your second post.
sums up what i said.

Oh Freeduck, if only it were that simple. I know how this stuff works. They really like me in my department, and what's more, they really NEED me there. It would be a pretty long time before I'd get to do production.

I thought about it--interesting mix of stuff to sort.

It depends on which aspects are more important to you, I guess.

Less Stress, more money, more free time, ambition...

But, I guess the less stress job may not be less stress because of the hours.

There was a time when I would have taken the corporate job, with sights set on advancement--with the extra cash, you could take in seminars or a class and you know, improve your confidence in design--but, now the environment and the people would edge out everything, for me. I finally work in a place where the personalities all blend--and that is a really valuable thing--especially when you've experienced a bad work environment.

Anyway--congrats that you have such a nice "problem." Hope you feel good about your decision, whatever it is.

Hmm...shewolf, I'm not sure whether you are advocating me taking the new job or not. I already sort of know the environment in the new job, since I worked in a place like that before. BUT the guy I interviewed with has an advertising/production background, UNLIKE the guy I used to work for in the last corporate hellhole I worked in. I think that might be another good thing.

My thoughts are that I am going to be annoyed no matter what job I take in this field (that's how it's always been, and I've been doing this **** for over ten years), and at least in the new job I pretty much know I'll be able to go out and have a social life.

Lash, thanks for your input also. I was actually leaning towards the more money option, but it seems everyone here thinks different.

I think I should have started a poll.

What's more important in a job?

A) Environment

B) Money

hmm..

nope.
I completely missed your drift on that. Hehe, not uncommon for someone with my brain.

so, if you are always going to be unhappy at any job.. why are you happy at this one?

hehe.. a little reverse psy-kology.. did'ja catch it? huh? didja didja?

Anyway..
I see what you are saying. And frankly, if it comes down to money .. i would go for it .

you are right, you have no real opportunity for a social outlet, or much free time where you are .
Granted, the work PLACE seems right up your alley.. but you are not going to spend your entire life there and what happens OUTSIDE of work is more important to a persons well being then what happens inside.
There are exceptions to that statement of course.

But, having said that, I side with FD too.
Work environment is everything.
You sound happy where you are . Besides the late night crack hours you work, it sounds like a comfortable place to be for you..

Dunno . Im torn as well.


If you take this other job, get the pay raise, work at it for a bit, would it be reasonable to expect to put that amount as your starting amount on your resume if you decide to leave??? Or is that so much more then you would expect in your position that asking for it from another company would be out of the question?

If you could reasonably expect another company to pay you what you could be making at this new job offer.. ****.. go for it.

ill stop blabbing now.

You know, we're all chicks. Blasphemy though it is, that may make a difference.

I don't know if we're more in tune with stress, or workplace personality imbroglios....

You may want to talk to some of the guys.

i am NOT small and yellow thank you very much

We're chicks and ducks...?

no clucking..

>bawwk<

OK, I'm blown away by how many job opportunities you've come across in such a short time. That's got to be good.

The hours thing sounds like a serious issue -- no chance of that changing?

If there is any way to take that big negative out of your current job, cool.

Otherwise it sounds like the other job offers more for you, in terms of your entire life, not just the job, and that if you want to jump ship again, you can.

You don't want to do that TOO often, of course, but it sounds like the choice is not really your current job (foreverandever) or this other job (foreverandever) -- if this other job turns out to be too stultifying, do something about it.

Too much about it sounds good in the big picture.

My advice right now would be, tell your current boss about the new offer and that you are seriously considering it but that you love the job for (x y and z reasons) and are open to being persuaded to stay. (You don't have to say so in so many words, can just start with how you got this other offer... pause for him to counter... if he doesn, and how you really love working there... etc.)

You might get your current job sweetened, and if the other job really wants you, THEY might sweeten the deal in turn. (My favorite thing ever was being the subject of a bidding war between two agencies -- awesome.)

You'd have to decide for sure that you'd want this other job, though, in case your hinting is met with icy silence...

Like the other chicks, my first gut reaction was to say...go with the good environment, don't worry about the $.

but, it depends on how bad the hours are stressing you....

what's worse to you...sh!tty hours or sh!tty people?

Just kinda throwing it out there, but you said you don't have the opportunity to be social during the week. Well, most people I know don't do near as much during the week as on weekends.

Of course neither one of us has kids, so that's not in the way. but for me, I'm more of a homebody. I like being home in the evening.

I guess it depends on the crowd you run with.

hmmmm. if you make 20% more money, being a guy and all, you'll probably spend 20% going out during the week. Then go into a corporate environment maybe hung over, really starting to hate the people.


Tell me, how bad are the hours? How many hours are you putting in a week? Are you salary or overtime?

Benefits?

I don't know, liking the people you live with all day means a lot.

When I was in my 20's everyone talked about getting ahead in their careers, all that, and I'd feel like a failure sometimes because I didn't want to admit it, but being on top really wasn't that important to me. I sometimes tried to make what "they" said was the goal my goal too...but it never really stuck.

Now, I'm like pfffffffhtt.

hey yeah, we all miss you here. it's not the same. take the corp job so you can fool around here.

Okay guys, you have really given me some stuff to ponder here. I will take it under consideration.

I really would not mind staying where I am, if it weren't for the hours. That is not going to change though. It is the nature of the advertising business. Maybe if I could get more money from them it would make the hours more tolerable...tough choice though.

Oh, Soz, by the way, if you think I've had a lot of job offers lately, you should have seen it when the job market was hot. Back in the late nineties, when I first moved here, I could literally find a new job every week. And for about a year and a half, I did. It was soooo cool! It's not me, I swear, it's just that NYC is a humongous job market.