Into the Wild...Let the Hunt Begin #11

I was SO not expecting this!

So let me ask a question. What happens when one job is moving at lightening speed while all the other jobs are moving at a jogger's pace? I am asking because I got an offer. Already. It's only mid-March, and I have a job offer.

I asked for some time to think about it because I have interviews with a few other schools in the next few days. But now I'm in this position where I can either a) accept the offer (and it's a good offer, too) or b) roll the dice and try to see if my other interviews will lead to offers. It's really made me re-assess my whole job search process and review my needs. Basically, I need to decide if this job is "the one."

Remember that campus interview I was talking about maybe two or three posts ago? The one where something was holding me back and it was the living situation. Yup, it's that school. Now this offer has me reassessing everything I said before. Again, I took my own advice and talked to people about it. Everyone is telling me that the offer sounds great, I just really need to think about whether or not I could live there. The salary they will give me changes everything because it allows me to move to a much nicer area, which will be safer for a single woman like myself. So let's see now... The job is great, it's exactly what I want. The people are great and really seem to care about helping me make the move to this new area if I decided to take the position. I can really tell they want me--from the first phone interview I could just tell they liked me. I'm not saying that to brag, it just says something about the environment. The people were very down-to-earth. They were responsive and easy to read throughout the whole process. That means a lot to me because I know now that I could work with these people. It's been one of my top choices. My other top choice, though, hasn't gotten in touch yet for a 2nd interview. So I now have to call them and ask where I stand. Even with this clarification, I'll still have a tough decision.

What if my other top choice says I made it to the 2nd round? That's great but it doesn't guarantee me the job. So what I really need to think about is compared to the offer I have, is my other top choice really good enough for me to take the risk and reject my offer? What is missing from this offer that I may get there, or vice versa? I have some decisions to make.

Part of me wants to be adventurous and roll the dice. But the more I compare jobs... the more I realize this offer really is great. Once I got past my fear of living in area I wasn't comfortable with, I was able to really analyze the pros and cons. Here are my pros for this offer:

- Close to my family. I could visit them on weekends and more often throughout the year without having to fly. Other locations I've applied to would only allow maybe 2 visits per year at most because I'd have to fly (which costs $$).
- Great staff structure. I'd like to work with people I met and the team environment of the office is really appealing.
- Medium-sized school. I've applied to a few large state schools, because that's where most of the jobs were at the time, but this school is a smaller size. I always felt like I would feel more comfortable on a smaller campus. My other top choice is a huge state school which makes me a little nervous...
- Student interaction. The job allows for a lot of student interaction and building relationships with students over time. I love that.
- The supervisor. The person who is in charge is amazingly kind. I feel as though I would really benefit from working with her.
- Great salary. I've never been easily seduced by money, but their offer really showed that they are putting their money where their mouth is and it does make a difference.

What about the cons? Hm.. the only things that I can think of are:
- The cost of living is a little high
- The crazy driving may take some getting used to
- The area may not be as green as I'd like (not many trees or much nature to admire, well at least directly near the school. If I move a little east I may get more nature and beaches even)

I'll keep ya'll posted. I'm off to a conference for the next few days and have interviews to do so I can still survey what else is out there, but I'm not sure what's going to come next. I'll either accept this position or roll the dice. It's scary to be in this position so soon! I was SO not expecting this!