job advice needed

sorry if this is long, but I could really use some advice from some outside sources!

I am finishing up my degree right now and the next step is a 2-3 year training fellowship. I've applied to and gotten offers from several places (all which would require us to move, so that is not an issue). The issue is this: my boss is an amazing person who I basically consider like a 2nd dad. He has really put his everything into my training for the past 6 years. I got accepted to a place that is pretty much the top place I could go to for my fellowship. Its big name in the field and I would get the very best training in the country. Boss is so excited and pretty much told me I would be nuts not to accept.
I ALSO got accepted to a place that I have dreamed of going for the longest time. Its not top tier like the other place, but it is still a good program and I would learn a lot there as well. It is closer to family and I really feel that I could be happy there.
So the dilemma is: do I accept the more prestigious offer in a place I'm not sure I could be happy but get the best training for the future and make my boss really happy (basically suck it up for 2-3 years), or do I accept the offer somewhere that I know I will be happy and still get great training, just not the big name training I would get at the other place?

If you've gotten this far, thank you Any and all advice is very much appreciated!

Re: job advice needed

My rule of thumb is always listen to your heart and do what makes YOU happy. You have to live your life for yourself. I'm sure your boss wants to see you happy even if that means taking the somewhat less prestigious offer.

Re: job advice needed

Congrats on having multiple offers!

What is it about the second place that you've dreamed of? Just that it's closer to family?

Working with the top person can open doors that you never even knew existed. There's a reason they're at the top -- they've got the best resources, the newest toys of the trade, the brilliantest () ideas.

On the other hand, BECAUSE they're to top person, they probably want to stay that way. So competition (both internal and external) may be more fierce and there may be more pressure to succeed. Also, the top person is likely to have lots of other trainees, so your one-on-one time with him/her may be very limited.

I wouldn't let my boss's excitement influence me that much. If you go to the top person, it's a feather in HIS cap too -- he'd get to brag that he placed one of his students with a big shot. So for him it's a win-win, but the decision should be all YOURs.

Good luck!