Trying to decide between 2 jobs - long but need help!

I was laid off from my job at the end of June and have been searching for a new job since.

About a week ago I started a temp to perm position making Ok money (I'd really like to be 5 - 10K more per year). It's a 6 month temp contract and then I can go to perm. It's literally 10 minutes from my house and my son's school (he starts Kindergarten in September), which means not only is it convenient, but I'll get home at a reasonable time each day to make dinner and pick up DS from school. It's also a NO stress job - I have very little responsibility and there's really no late hours or taking work home. On top of that, they have summer hours which means on Fridays in the summer I'm out by 2:30. The down sides to this job is that there really isn't anywhere to move up within the company and it's temp right now and we're looking to buy a house in the spring, so I worry about being approved for a mortgage.

On Friday I went for an interview for a different job - this one is a direct hire position and they're offering me $20K MORE than what I'm making right now. It has a lot of potential to move up within the department. The problems are that the commute is 30 minutes, plus, I'd have to go 20 minutes out of my way to drop my son off at school (he doesn't get bused from our house) so that makes my commute 50 minutes without hitting traffic. On top of that, I'd get home pretty late in the evening making it a race to make dinner and such after picking DS up from the after school program. This job is also going to be a lot more responsibility and stress. It's likely I will have to answer emails and calls from home a lot and I may have to work overtime and long hours.

I'm young...only 30 years old, so I'm really just starting out in my career but DH and I are looking to expand our family soon. We're also trying to sell our townhouse and upgrade to a house within the next year, so the increased salary would be nice, but the commute is going to be tough. We'd also have to lease a commuter car since right now I drive a pickup truck and I can't do an hour commute in that gas guzzler each day. I really don't know which job I should be taking right now. They both have pros and cons. The salary on the 2nd job is really appealing but the convenience of the 1st job is also really great. I'm worried the commute and the hours of the 2nd job might make my quality of life decrease so greatly.

What do you all think??

Trying to decide between 2 jobs - long but need help!

Honestly - I would take the shorter commute and the less stress especially if you'd like to expand your family in the near future. The less stress alone is something to consider. The commute would be a big factor to me as well.

Truthfully though, it all depends on if you'd like to be able to move up within the company. If you see yourself with a career at the place offering you more $$, then take that. Is it possible that you could talk with your current company and see if there is any room for movement at all.

Re: Trying to decide between 2 jobs - long but need help!

I would take the job w more money for various reasons:

1: its more lucrative and will open more opportunities to save $ or stock away more for the kids

2: better advancement opportunities. At 30 you have at least another 30 years in the work force, so might as well get the most bang for your buck. The new job will not be feasible if you are 55 when your energy levels are just not there.

Commute times suck for pretty much everyone, but people find a way to make it work...it also seems like this job may open doors for you in the future for other jobs that are closer to home. I would just suck it up and deal w the harsher hours/schedule if it will allow you to really be in a better position career wise/financially by the time you are 40.

Re: Trying to decide between 2 jobs - long but need help!

There's no right answer here, it's really a personal decision. If you are more career-oriented, then you should take the 2nd job hands-down. But if you just need to make some money and prefer to be home more, then take the first job.

Re: Trying to decide between 2 jobs - long but need help!

Like others have said, there is no right or wrong.

A few thoughts:

1. A 50 minute commute that includes child drop off is really not bad. It does depend on perspective a bit; my commute is longer so for me that would be a break, while someone commuting 15 minutes would not want to make the switch. However, when I think of my friends and family and how far they travel to work, almost every single one is on the road 40 minutes to an hour plus. With the traffic in the metro area, the fact is that many people end up commuting some distance and there is almost never a guarantee that your job will be close by or that your child care will be on the way to it.

2. Mortgage companies are getting stricter so if you are serious about buying a house, make sure you qualify based on DH's income alone before you turn down job #2.

3. If I were you I would ask for more info about the extra hours commitment. I am a NYC teacher and the quantity of work I bring home does add a bit of stress to my life. However, I feel like many good quality jobs that entail much responsibility are hard to shut off from. I would want to know specifics about time commitment: how many hours at night, how many on weekends, etc. Are you just checking emails and attending to emergencies or will there be routine things you have to do? Can you control when you do them or do you have to drop everything? Will you be taking phone calls (more disruptive than email)? Bring work home is tough, and being able to control when I do it keeps me (somewhat) sane. So I would ask a lot of questions.

I don't mean to make it sound like I am pushing you to job #2. A low stress job is wonderful and has so many benefits that are not quantifiable. Just make sure it's worth the things you would be giving up.