Job offer.

[ximinez]

Got a job offer yesterday. Two weeks of hunting. Hot damn.

PHP developer for a marketing company. Located in Boca Raton. Starting base salary will be 93% of my previous salary, but there's a lot of potential for solid and quick advancement. The company has about 150 employees, and should bring a level of stability that I haven't had for a few years. I'd start August 8 or sooner. Bimonthly pay cycle.

Pros:

1. Benefits start on day 1, which is huge since most places start after 3 months, and my severance coverage will run out by then. Medical and vision (with open access HMO or a POS). Dental PPO. Company paid life insurance, short and long term disability. 401K with 4% matching. Flexible spending account (pre-tax). Available discounted health club membership. 9 paid holidays. Two weeks paid vacation year one, three weeks year two, 4 weeks year 5. One week sick leave, two days "personal leave".
   
2. Direct deposit.
   
3. If this works out, we'd have a foothold further north to be able to move out of Miami.

Cons:

1. 35 mile commute.
   
2. Small pay cut.
   
3. There's pretty much no way I'd be able to continue at FIU.
   
4. Isn't there a rule of thumb about not taking the first offer?

Migitaging factors:

1. The commute is mostly against traffic, and may end up being the same time or less than my old 14 mile 45-60 minute commute. (Need to leave here early one morning to test that.)
   
2. 5 or 6 weeks of severance (depending on when I start) will be about 10% of my old salary. 93% + 10% = 103%, which is more like a very small raise. And the company is switching to a quarterly review / raise cycle, which could put my first raise before year-end.
   
3. FAU's main campus is less than 6 miles away.

The delimma: This is my first offer. But it's the best one on the immediate horizon. If I take this offer, I'll get double paid for a few weeks, and can stop worrying about this insane job hunt. OTOH, with 7 weeks of severance left, I have the luxury of being able to wait if I want to. I really don't want to, but I have a strong sense of doubt about whether I should wait for something better.

Comments

[bexfiles.livejournal.com]

I agree, I think the appeal of the place and gut feeling go a long way towards the decision.

[ximinez]

Thanks.