Okay, I am moving to Manhattan in less than 30 days. I found a huge apartment in a fantastic neighborhood. It is cheap, it is beautiful, and it is less than a block from the subway. It is fantastic! I am so excited that I could scream, but…
I was offered a job. It is a good job I guess, but I don’t know if I want to take it or not. I have a few days to think about it while the offer letter arrives and I need to decide so I can let them know if they need to find someone else or not. So I figured I would get the dopers take on it. What would you do?
The pros of the job:
-It pays pretty well. Not great, but well enough that I could be comfortable.
-It is in my field with room for growth.
-I like the people in the office.
-The really, really, really want me to work there. They really seem to feel like I would be a good addition to the team.
The cons of the job:
-It is in sales. I don’t like sales, but I would be salary + commision so it wouldn’t be that my paycheck was solely dependant on my sales ability.
-It is a long commute. I would have to take 2 trains and a bus from the west side of Manhattan all the way to flushing.
-It is quite a lot of hours and a 6 day work week.
-It will take a lot of training and I will have to earn a couple of new licenses, which while it would expand my marketability I would feel obligated to stay even if I hated it if they paid to train me and such.
I guess I don’t have to have a job the second I step into the city since I do have some savings to cover myself for a couple of months, but I would feel a lot better if I was working. So have any of you been in a similar situation? Do you think it would be better to have any job at all when you move 1500 miles across the country or is it better to wait for something that you know you will love and chance not having any income for a while?
Suppose you turn down the job. What are the chances of finding another one like it? Are they dime-a-dozen, or is there a chance you’ll get neither your dream job nor another crappy one?
Never fail to be cutthroat in business. Don’t feel obligated to anyone unless you actually ARE obligated. Keep the niceties for your home life.
I vote “Take the job, keep looking elsewhere.” You never know, you might be amazing at sales.
I know it sounds unbelievable, but it is true. It took about 9 months of looking to find it though, so I feel like I earned it. Less than 1500 a month for a 2 bedroom this size is really rare and I was one of 3 people applying for it the day it hit the market, they just happened to choose me and my roommate.
Back to the job issue…I am not entirely familiar with laws in New York. In Texas everything is at will. They can fire you for no good reason and you can leave with no notice or reason at all and nothing can be done about it. Is it the same in New York or is signing an employment contract different there?
IANAL, but I believe New York is also an “at-will” state. Obviously your particular employment contract might have other requirements, but it’s unlikely.
I know I’m off topic here, but are you 100% on the apartment? Like, you’ve checked that the person renting it to you actually owns it, and you and/or your roomie has gone to see it? Only asking because I’ve been reading lots of New York scam articles lately…
(Oh, and I say take the job. You never know what it might lead to)
Wait, is that $1500/person or total? If it’s total I’d have to ditto Cat Fight and say to make sure this is on the up-an-up. $1500 for a two bedroom here in Arlington is almost cheap, I’m sure Manhattan has got to be more expensive.
I think I would wait a little bit. Maybe you can just tell them that you need a little time to make your decision. The long commute, long week, and not-so-crazy-about-the-work would be a big-ass deterrent for me. If I didn’t have to start working right away, I’d chill.
You can get a McJob or a temp position to hold you over until the right gig comes along.
Yes, I have seen the apartment lol. It is $1500 total and it is awesome. It is near a large Jewish university in Washington Heights (which granted is not Times Square, but the part of the neighborhood the apartment is in is beautiful! It is near Yeshiva University if you know where that is. That is why it is so big and cheap, because it is way up toward the top of Manhattan.) It is an awesome place though…very close to The Cloisters and it appears to be filled with lots of families and old Jewish couples. I saw lots of apartments with an apartment finder and they helped me find it. They even discounted the brokers fee since I came prepared with all of my paperwork, references, rent payment history, etc.
My roommate and I have already signed the lease and paid the first and last month’s rent and all that jazz.
I don’t think I am going to end up taking the job because of the extreme commute and the long hours. I still have some time to think about it though so I might yet change my mind.
Check to see if the job is near an LIRR station (Long Island Railroad). You can take the subway to Penn station and then LIRR to Flushing, it will be much faster than the subway the whole way.
Move there with a group of your very attractive friends. Hang out at a coffee show with a cute name and a fireplace. Get involved in emotional and sexual escapades with members of the group and outsiders.
That is an insane commute from the Yeshiva area to Flushing for six days a week, that would be the deal breaker for me. I am guessing you are close to the 1 train? That’s a local which adds time to your commute, as you’re committed to the 1 for quite a ways before you can transfer to an express.
New York is indeed an at will state. I would say to keep looking because it sounds like you’ve made a nice transition cushion for yourself.
I know it sounds unbelievable, but it is true. It took about 9 months of looking to find it though, so I feel like I earned it. Less than 1500 a month for a 2 bedroom this size is really rare and I was one of 3 people applying for it the day it hit the market, they just happened to choose me and my roommate.