Another Turning Point, a Fork Stuck in the Road
(With apologies to Green Day, in "Good Riddance")
I now have, or will have by midnight, two offers of employment to consider. One is on a 1099 (direct pay, I pay all taxes including the employer's share), hourly, in LA. The other is in the DC area, on a W-2. There are so many different factors to consider here.
The technology used in both jobs is Ruby on Rails, no doubt there would be some differences in what other associated technologies are used (e.g,. maybe one would use rspec and the other not), but the basic tech is the same. Both would probably involve multimedia aspects as well. The applications are both far more interesting than what I was doing at Dunbar Consulting (intranet work for the US SEC).
DC Job:
+ No relocation, or only when I want (I'd like to move to a complex/building with a heated pool)
+ A large social network in the region (including most of my immediate family)
+ W-2 job, so I won't have to pay employer's shares of taxes
+ Medical, but that's both a + and a -, as it is BlueCross/BlueShield not Kaiser which I prefer
+ Related to the above, I can start a lot sooner, and save relocation expenses
+ While at this job, I can start to seriously pare down my possessions for any future moves.
+ The Writers' Center in Bethesda
- This will allow me to slide by, not getting rid of stuff, unless I'm really vigilant. If I opted to stay in Alexandria, I'd want to move my storage locker contents down here from Kensington.
- I won't have the same chance to form new social networks in DC that I would in LA.
+ DC is a lot closer to Toronto, but too far to drive on a weekend trip.
LA Job:
+ Relocation, means a new place to know and explore. The climate in LA is almost certainly better than the climate in DC.
+ I can form new social networks in that region; furries, SF fen (LASFS, the oldest Science Fiction club in the world; SCA, in the state where it was founded.
+ While I have to pay it out of pocket, I can keep Kaiser insurance (since I need some coverage, it might had as well be what I like).
+ Possible more flexibility with my schedule, as I am paid for each hour worked, even over 40 week. And when need be I can take time off by not getting paid.
+ The trip across country would be very cool, and a chance perhaps to meet new furs along the way (I'd plan that out if I chose this option).
+ The trip itself will force me immediately to get rid of what I have at my house that I can't fit in my Subaru Outback, "TANFUR" (I have those VA plates).
- I would have to get my car checked up and make sure it is mechanically up to a 3000 mile trip.
- There would be a lot of stress to start getting packed, and deciding on what to toss.
- I might well feel isolated for a while until I can get the contacts made out there.
+ I'm a lot closer to the SF Bay Area! Not close enough to really drive up for a weekend, but still closer. :-)
With both jobs, I don't know how well they will stand me for getting the next job down the road -- it never hurts to think far ahead. I don't know about the stability of either, how well funded the DC company is or how long the Times will keep their contact with the contracting shop (my contract would be for six months, renewable). One issue with the W-2 vs. 1099 is that if I do have another opportunity in the future, if I stay for the duration and then leave, it doesn't look nearly so bad as quitting a 'regular' (W-2) job. I also have questions on the W-2 job about hours worked; some tech firms expect more than the normal business hours, but I have no way to know what is the situation in the DC job.
So hopefully tonight late, (or at least by the weekend) I will have the DC offer in the email to compare the LA offer to (come to think of it, I need to see the contact for that, too).
I want of course to do the very best work for whomever I work for -- do excellent work, write readable and efficient code that does what it needs to do. This is a technology I can take joy in using, and also both opportunities are interesting areas in which to work.
I guess in part it boils down to whether I am risk-taking or risk-averse.
As the song with the title above says, "It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right." I think I will do well with either option, I will do fair, honesty, hard work in return for my pay. And I will also pursue life with gusto with either option. I have the above factors to consider, and once I see both contracts, there might be other factors (but probably nothing that significant). If I knew either option would accelerate my gaining a Canadian skilled worker visa, or if either option would lead to finding a mate, yeah, that would trump all the others (or at least be a *very* high factor). I certainly hope that I will have "had the time of (my) life."
Comments are quite welcome!