Ask HN: Soon to be college graduate weighing career options... | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Soon to be college graduate weighing career options...

4 pointsthrowaway826 comments

Hi,

This is a throwaway account because I do not really want my potential future employers to figure this out. Anyway, here's my situation. I am a senior in college with two potential job offers. Both are startups in the beginning stages (<20 employees each).

Job one is in a different city: a city that I do not have much interest in living in. The salary is about average, health and dental insurance ($X / month), stock options, 401k matching, Y days of paid time off plus other benefits.

Job two is in my current city that I am located in and have lived in for years. I really like this city and I really want to stay here. Job1 has a below average salary ($10k less than Job1), $X/2 per month reimbursement for health care (it does not say anything about insurance, just "reimbursement"), no stock options and Y/2 days time off.

Both companies seem great. Like I said they are young, small, fast paced just like I want (I always said I wanted to work for a startup right out of college). I feel I could grow a little bit more with Job two as it is more broad and I feel I could gain a good network out of it (working with multiple clients).

Now I am having trouble making this decision. It seems to come down to a couple of things: location is really important, obviously. Also, the better offer seems like it is almost too good to pass up. I guess I am just looking for general advice from people who have experience in this sort of thing.

I really appreciate any help. :)

There are a lot of unknown variables here that makes this question difficult to answer. As such, I'll throw out a few things that come to my and hopefully that'll help you make a decision.

You should ask yourself, which company/team/idea you like more. Ultimately if neither have an edge over the other and you like both, then you can skip this but if one has a bigger interest, it should be considered. Working for a startup for most you people is about the experience, the education that comes out of it, and being surrounded by people you love working with. And you ultimately want to be happy with the idea and culture.

Next, I think the best advice I can give is, when possible, don't make your decision base on financial weight. There are times when that matters and times when it doesn't. If $10k is negligible and having insurance isn't a big deal for you, go with the option that makes you happier. You could always negotiate the extra $10k saying you have another offer, and see what they say. Nothing wrong with that. It's more about the approach of how you bring it up to not screw up the offer.

As someone else said, what about living in a nearby city you like and commuting? Keep in mind there are a lot of other variables I'm probably not thinking about off the top of my head.

The only solid thing I can tell you is that from experience, not every career choice you make is the way you think it is. Some times something crappy turns out be great and sometimes the thing you thought was great turns out crappy. The only way to know is to experience and take your best guess. Weigh the options and if one choice seems to be bothering you more i.e. location is a huge issue, go with the lower income but stick with the happiness (of course focus on the above factors I mentioned and others I didn't mention).

One perhaps pertinent question: Do you currently have health insurance through your parent(s)? Could you continue that, if you go with the employer that may not offer health insurance? (One of the early changes of the so-called "Obamacare", already active law and regulation, is that children can stay on their parents' insurance until... age 26, IIRC. Although I don't know all the details / ins and outs of how that works.

I pose the question assuming you are the typical age for a college senior (21 - 22).

P.S. As I've pointed out before, (good) health insurance is something you carry for your family, not just for yourself. So that they don't go broke caring for you if something catastrophic happens to you.

P.P.S. Confirm for yourself that I'm right about this. It doesnt' affect me, personally, so I've not paid that close attention to it.

At your age it is "acceptable" to sacrifice some level of happiness for your future (in my opinion). There are limits, but moving to a lesser city for $10K more/year might be worth it.

I think you have to think about liabilities and secondary benefits. Can you live with your family in the city you currently live in? What is the cost of living difference? Most importantly what is your debt load. You need to get rid of debt ASAP.

What about living in some city near to the one that you don't want to live in that is sort of decent? Also you could explain to them that the location isn't as attractive as where your other offer is and you really need some sort of relocation bonus or other package to tip the scales.

it does not say anything about insurance, just "reimbursement"

So ask them.

Live in the city you like. You are strongly influenced by the people around you, and you want to make sure you are around people and a culture you want to emulate.

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