Two Job Offers...

[Yobz]

So basically I have two offers:
Company 1 has a great location (Boston) and the best benefits package under the sun, offers a very decent salary and great promotion opportunities
Company 2 is located in Seattle and also has a a great benefits package (not as good as 1), good promotion opportunities (not as good as, but close to 1's), and a great salary with a starting bonus the size of company 1's annualized salary.

Company 1 is probably the best in the field while the second company has a good name (you've heard of it), but nothing spectacular.

Which would you go with...bigger/better name and benefits with lower salary or bigger salary?

[BradleyT]

I'd help but I'm still bracing myself.

[Yobz]

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I'd help but I'm still bracing myself.

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You can keep bracing, I won't get to that thing for a while...

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What about non-job factors?

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I prefer Boston (closer to family, more bar/young scene, close to other big cities). I lived in Seattle over the summer and thought it was a tiny bit of a drag...not live enough.

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2) Define "not as good" with regard to benefit packages and promotion opportunities.

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Comp 1 gives free gym membership, no vesting time for 401k plan, full blown medical, cheap company store, tuition re-imbursement, and a cpl other things.
Promotion: Both have decent promotion plans, but cmpy 1 is a lot more formal and has certain goals to get you that next level, cmpy 2 is a lot more haphazard about it
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3) Define "great" salary in comparison to "lower" salary.

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~10k difference and no starting bonus vs huge starting bonus
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4) Are either of these companies types of companies you feel like you could work at until you retire? If so, the one with better retirement benefits and promotion opportunities would be the way to go. If not, then take the money and run.

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I could see myself at cmpny 1 for a long time, not too sure about cpny 2 yet
As for hot chicks, both have decent pr and hr chicks [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
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What do you do, and what to the companies do?

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programming/tech stuff

[BradleyT]

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What do you do, and what to the companies do?

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programming/tech stuff

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I'll take whichever one you don't want then.

[RunDownHouse]

If you think the opportunities for promotion are good enough such that the present value of your earnings with Company A are greater than the present value of your earnings with Company B, go with A.

[KJS]

What about non-job factors?

I live in Seattle and would rate certain things very high: size, availability of outdoor recreation, food/bar/film/music scene, poker but other things low: super high real estate prices, traffic, proximity to other urban areas, weather.

Do any of those things make a difference, or is this strictly a job decision?

KJS

[Warik]

1) Would you rather live in Seattle or Boston? How much less would you like to live in X than you would in Y?

2) Define "not as good" with regard to benefit packages and promotion opportunities.

3) Define "great" salary in comparison to "lower" salary.

4) Are either of these companies types of companies you feel like you could work at until you retire? If so, the one with better retirement benefits and promotion opportunities would be the way to go. If not, then take the money and run.

5) Which one is more likely to employ hotter women?

[samjjones]

Company 1.

[jba]

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I live in Seattle and would rate certain things ... low: super high real estate prices, traffic

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bad arguments when comparing to boston.

Which job would you enjoy more?

how does the market look for other jobs? something about your post makes me think tech (Micro$oft?), if you end up not liking the job but liking the city, it would be good to consider your options.

[highlife]

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super high real estate prices, traffic, weather.

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the funny thing is boston is actually considerably worse than seattle in all these areas.