Hello all, I am facing a bit of a dilemma here and wonder what you guys think. This isn't exactly a technical question.
I'm pretty smart and have some experience but am just finishing a BSEE at a fairly well known college. I'm in my mid thirties (the military got in the way of school a couple times.)
Through college my girlfriend and I have been planning on moving to the Florida coast. I'm confident that I can find some sort of work and was planning on asking for about $48k. We have some "maybes" from some people who "might find some work" for me. I figure I have about a 75% chance of that turning into a job offer.
Out of the blue, I just got an offer for an engineering position in upstate NY for 62k. It's with an old and successful company that is in no danger of going bankrupt. I am trying to decide whether I should take the offer (not to mention it sounds like an amazing job) and become a geographical bachelor, or stick with the original plan, which I'm still pretty sure will work.
My biggest concern is that I am faced with the decision to trade what I already have in my hand for what I might get a shot at. The economy still sucks right now.
Obviously there are much more complicated issues here than just salary and job prospects but I am trying to be objective and practical here.
48k would be enough. However, if there are really no jobs in the south, or if 48 is unrealistic for a new grad, or if 62 is outrageously good, that makes a big difference. After all, an extra 14 thou a year will buy a plane ticket every couple weeks if nothing else.I'm dazzled by the money, yes, but I also have about thirty grand in student loans to think about.
Maybe one of you had this choice to make a few years back and made the right/wrong decision and want to share your thoughts. Should I go for it? Cheers!