Hypothetical scenario-Dream job vs. dream location?

EngrTennis · 08-23-2009, 01:02 PM

Assume that you are in a situation with you just graduating college. You major in engineering and your dream job of designing jet engines is in Alabama. But you get another job in the financial sector near where you want to live (assume near home) with lots of family and friends nearby. You do not hate the finance job, but your dream job is waiting in a different land. What would you do?

P.S-I hope this is the right section for this, I was thinking of putting it in HSL. Mods feel free to move.

ThePhilosopher · 08-23-2009, 01:16 PM

I vote Alabama.

EngrTennis · 08-23-2009, 01:45 PM

BTW-I should say I mean no disrespect to Alabama.

hmom5 · 08-23-2009, 03:55 PM

I'd go with the job, get the experience and choose location for subsequent jobs.

commentcomment · 08-25-2009, 10:29 AM

Don't think about the benefits for a bit and think of the drawbacks. Then see which one has less negatives and go with that one.

pinksoysauce · 09-03-2009, 12:27 AM

I would personally pick the job. Eventually, if you perform well, you could transfer to another area.

cbreeze · 09-03-2009, 01:37 PM

When you are young, work on your career first, more options will come later.

BigMike3541 · 09-06-2009, 09:12 AM

I'm kind of in this situation now myself. Pretty tough call for me, haven't decided what I'm going to do 100% yet. But its definitely a good problem to have I guess as so many people haven't found any jobs at all yet.

aibarr · 09-30-2009, 04:28 PM

You're going to spend a *lot* of your waking time at your job when you're just out of school. Plus, rent will be very cheap in a place like Alabama... and presumably you'll make a good salary, so you can visit home whenever you have time to, because you'll be able to afford it... I'd definitely say go for the job. You never know what sorts of adventures await you when you plow ahead into the unknown!

Packers1 · 10-06-2009, 10:11 AM

Take the dream job. Long term it will open up lots of opportunities. Spending all day at a job that you don't enjoy is a major PIA.

device · 10-08-2009, 09:00 AM

I'm in the similar situations for job placements. Since it is harder to get the dream jobs right after graduation. There may be no jet engine job opening at that time, or probably you need higher education in graduate school. If I were you, I will go for finance if you plan to go to graduate school in the future or you may like the finance job. Experience is important, including how you handle your time!

worried_mom · 10-12-2009, 07:33 PM

Did you major in engineering because you really want to be an engineer? Then go with the job in Alabama.

If you take the financial job, you are taking a big risk and may well be saying good-bye to an career in engineering. The financial job will make it harder for you to get back into the engineering field at your next job, since you will have been away from engineering classes for a few years and therefore may be perceived as being less current than the brand-new college graduate you will be competing with for that entry-level engineering job. Also, employers do not like to hire people who are taking a step down in pay, so if the financial job pays well, you may be pricing yourself out of the entry-level engineering market.

On the other hand, if you went into engineering just to have good employment opportunities and don't really care about engineering per se, then go for the financial job.

LongPrime · 10-16-2009, 10:01 PM

Seems like you went to a school that has a lot of local students and less of OOS/foreign/alien students.

Friends will change and move. New friends will be made. This will happen whether you go to where you are familiar and to where you are foreign.

DS, HS friends have moved all over the US. His undergrad friends at CMU were from everywhere and now everywhere else. His grad friends at Toronto were from everywhere. His internships in India, Germany, and Redmond were from everywhere. Now that he's settled in Seattle, Everywhere, comes to see him.