Please Help Me Make An Important Career Decision Before Monday!!!!!

[A.L.Z.]

miran, it is not too late!

Did you change your mind? You can always e-mail them at your new job offer and say you will be accepting after all! They sound like they targeted you specifically so it doesn't seem likely that they would have selected someone else!

85k is a windfall! Don't let butterflies stop you from grabbing what comes your way!

It is not too late!

 

[dah328]

Some definite fail advice here.

Originally Posted by A.L.Z.

I don't understand why people keep assuming just because one has a Masters from MIT means that they will have any job!

The OP i think clearly stated he is in an obscure field and jobs may be hard to come by in his field in the recession.
He never said that.

Originally Posted by A.L.Z.

I am not saying anything about whether the OP made the right decision. But I do sympathize with him now, when he turned down 85k for 65k. I also had difficulty finding a job in this economy. 85k for an engineering job IS a rarity and a windfall, no matter how one gets it. I don't know why he turned it down, maybe ethical reasons, but it is tough decision especially when he has his eyes on a watch like he said.
I don't know where you get this idea. $85k is hardly high compensation for a well-qualified engineer in a growing field.

Originally Posted by A.L.Z.

miran, it is not too late!

Did you change your mind? You can always e-mail them at your new job offer and say you will be accepting after all! They sound like they targeted you specifically so it doesn't seem likely that they would have selected someone else!

85k is a windfall! Don't let butterflies stop you from grabbing what comes your way!

It is not too late!
Horrible advice. He made the right decision. There will be plenty of time for him to go from $65k to $85k to $100k+ without taking a job early in his career with little opportunity for professional development and where it is known that his sole colleague will sabotage his reputation for personal gain. It's a total no-brainer decision.

 

[clee1982]

what's your background, EE+CS (you guys at MIT have a category thing that I forgot)?

if you're good at signal processing (sounds like you will be, given the nature of work), 85K+ job should be plenty. Where are you located? I am no longer in engineering, but my friends in engineering all tell me silicon valley are hiring experienced ones like crazy.

 

[miran]

So an update--

So the sinister Croat has either been disciplined or has been dismissed or I don't know...but is out of the new place for the foreseable future!
In any event, the 2 seniors who own the place (+ the renegade son) are still inviting me to join the new place...

My current job just landed a US government contract, for the aerial survey of Afghanistan. Yes, you read correctly. So, I will be sent to Afghanistan (operating out of a US military base), while we do the airborne survey of Afghanistan over the summer!
No, I still don't know what the danger money will be.....and yes, even my family has to sign a waiver in case I "vaya con Dios" literally on this little assignment...

Given these changes, any advice? Or do I still keep on with my old decision of staying on at my old job? Any advice gratefully received!!!

 

[MasterOfReality]

I think you made the right choice at staying at your current place.

For the time being.

You will want a hefty increase to go to Afghanistan. I wouldn't go, not for the money that you are on and for what that company is probably getting from your government contract.

My boss tried to send me to the salt ranges in Pakistan. I flatly refused, my salary isn't worth going to potential mining site, accompanied by miny army of armed guards.

Find out what company policy is like in a situation like that - in ours it states that if overseas work is required, then consent from both parties must be given.

 

[miran]

Originally Posted by MasterOfReality

I think you made the right choice at staying at your current place. For the time being. You will want a hefty increase to go to Afghanistan. I wouldn't go, not for the money that you are on and for what that company is probably getting from your government contract. My boss tried to send me to the salt ranges in Pakistan. I flatly refused, my salary isn't worth going to potential mining site, accompanied by miny army of armed guards. Find out what company policy is like in a situation like that - in ours it states that if overseas work is required, then consent from both parties must be given.
I see you work in the mining industry in Australia! I'm in Ontario, Canada. I guess you see where I am coming from. I'm turning away an 85k job to stay on at a 65k job, to be sent to afghanistan wihtout knowing what the hell i am even getting into! i'm probably nuts

aerial survey = low flying helicopter towing our instruments! For some reason they refuse to use UAVs. They are hiring a Russian helicopter company to do the piloting...I guess the insurance if shot down by Taliban is not that big of a payout in Russia! Not to mention the fact the last thing we need is a second Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

 

[MasterOfReality]

Originally Posted by miran

I see you work in the mining industry in Australia! I'm in Ontario, Canada. I guess you see where I am coming from.
I'm turning away an 85k job to stay on at a 65k job, to be sent to afghanistan wihtout knowing what the hell i am even getting into!
i'm probably nuts

aerial survey = low flying helicopter towing our instruments! They are hiring a Russian helicopter company to do the piloting...I guess the insurance if shot down by Taliban is not that big of a payout in Russia! Not to mention the fact the last thing we need is a second Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Personally I'd refuse to go if they don't at least talk about it with you and see what your opinions are.

I wouldn't worry about turning down the $85k job - a better one will pop up sooner or later. Besides, from what I read, it might appear that you may have to mentor the prodigal son, and then you might find he suddenly becomes your boss considering its a family run company. Not a situation I'd like to be in.

 

[miran]

Originally Posted by MasterOfReality

Personally I'd refuse to go if they don't at least talk about it with you and see what your opinions are.

I wouldn't worry about turning down the $85k job - a better one will pop up sooner or later. Besides, from what I read, it might appear that you may have to mentor the prodigal son, and then you might find he suddenly becomes your boss considering its a family run company. Not a situation I'd like to be in.

LOL the prodigal son is already in charge, of all "business, non-technical" affairs....

I actually wouldn't mind a family run company, if all members of the family are smart and well-trained....but this kid is a TOTAL MORON, and moron in the dork sense, not moron in the loser sense...no interest in anything and no common sense either (the annoying part)
sigh

 

[MasterOfReality]

Haha well I'd be steering clear of that then.

Don't know about you, but there is no way in hell I'd be going to Afghanistan for an annual salary of $65k.

Its not all about money (well yeah it is mostly but there are some things you have to weigh up). If you work in a specialist field, then you will have no problems getting another job, considering as you said companies are hiring again.

I have had some terrific job offers, but when I dug a bit deeper I found things which put me off. I held out and now I have a good job on better money that previous offers. Best of all is I have a good boss who really cares about professional development and goes out of his way to help us with technical resources.

 

[scientific]

afghanistan no chance for <250k+

 

[acidboy]

Originally Posted by miran

So the sinister Croat has either been disciplined or has been dismissed or I don't know...but is out of the new place for the foreseable future!
In any event, the 2 seniors who own the place (+ the renegade son) are still inviting me to join the new place...

so is he gone for good or just temporarily? and who's gonna be in charge after the croat? this could have new potentials.

 

[warmpi]

I'm in Vancouver, and in a different field altogether, but I would assume that you could do much better than either option -- especially with a Masters from MIT. (Admittedly, I'm extrapolating from my own group of Engineering friends)

Keep your eyes open, and hit up that former employee you talked to who worked under the Croat. She might be able to give you some leads, as she sounds a bit more senior than you and was recently job hunting as well.

Good luck

 

[RSS]

Stay put for now.

 

[toslat]

With a masters from MIT, I would think you should be knowledgeable and sound enough to not be limited to an esoteric field except by your choosing.

In general, there seems to be some underlying issues that may need addressing in the immediate future. I would advise that you go back to the drawing board to define your career and life goals; make clear plans towards achieving them; and then you should be able to make decisions like this more easily in the future, as then it would be a measure of how well the opportunity fits into your plan and brings you closer to your overall objectives. One should begin with the end in mind.

I would also advise that you take stock of your friends, as , IME, they often play a key role in how your life and career progress. You should have one or more good friends that are heading in the direction you want for yourself. Iron sharpens iron, but also sharpens wood.

 

[miran]

Originally Posted by toslat

With a masters from MIT, I would think you should be knowledgeable and sound enough to not be limited to an esoteric field except by your choosing. In general, there seems to be some underlying issues that may need addressing in the immediate future. I would advise that you go back to the drawing board to define your career and life goals; make clear plans towards achieving them; and then you should be able to make decisions like this more easily in the future, as then it would be a measure of how well the opportunity fits into your plan and brings you closer to your overall objectives. One should begin with the end in mind. I would also advise that you take stock of your friends, as , IME, they often play a key role in how your life and career progress. You should have one or more good friends that are heading in the direction you want for yourself. Iron sharpens iron, but also sharpens wood.
Thanks for this wise advice. the friends thing hit a nerve--i am alone right now. almost all--if not ALL--of my close friends over the past 8 years--have gone the academic route and become , or becoming, professors....with a range of career goals from full-on research to full on teaching. I am a bit of an odd-one out, in that I forsook the PhD and the academic route at age 28. i am 29 now....this is late to be changing careers. I got hit my the recession and was unemployed for a while. I have considered an actuarial career--i took the first Exam to qualify for the fellowship. I had a couple of interviews, including one all-out flown to NYC all expense paid (so they must have been serious), but didn't get the job. they didn't tell me why, but i guess I didn't fit the bill of whom they want to hire. So yes, I have been drifting aimlessly since derailing myself off the PhD/professorhisp route. Jobs in my field in industry can be easily done with a high school diploma/minimal community college training....so yeah, any job I find in my field will be with people who are not people I have known up to this point in my life, but that's not a major sore point.