Thoughts?

My second interviews for both the consulting gig and internal job were today. I could really use some feedback so please share your thoughts on the following.

The consulting gig is a huge opportunity for me. It's such a small company that I can make my position whatever I want it to be. I could do everything from meeting with clients for requirements gathering to data map conversions to test script writing to who knows what else. While the company currently specializes in legal accounting system implementations, the experience could really open doors for me to become a project manager in any industry. Concerns:

1. This is a big lifestyle change. I wouldn't be a nine-to-fiver any more. I'd either be working from home, at a client's office, or on the road all hours of the day, even weekends. For the past 10 years, my company's quitting time was my life's starting time. What will it be like to not have an official end of day?

I know I always write about my social life, but that's only half of who I am. I love my alone time, too. I stayed in every night this week and I couldn't be happier. (Poker was cancelled tonight by the way.) I vegged out, watched a movie (Expendables wasn't as good as I wanted it to be), talked to myself for hours (I never stop talking), meditated, shaved my legs (it's a chore), went through my junk drawer, etc. My point is the best part about being a SINK (single individual no kids - did I make this up?) is that I own my time. It could very well be that working from home makes me own even MORE of my time, meaning I set when I want to get up and work, or it doesn't at all.

And of course, the social half of me needs room to breathe as well. And I'm not just talking about going to bars either. In NYC you're surrounded by people all of the time whether you acknowledge them or not. I easily see at least 500 people on my way to work, at work, and on my way home without even looking. Would I go crazy sitting in my apartment all day? Should I commute into Manhattan to sit at Starbucks instead?

2. I could potentially be making $20K more than I am right now. FUCK YEAH. The only problem is that the health insurance isn't as good as Minnow's. It never occurred to me how good the Publishing industry's insurance coverage seems to be, probably because I was too busy complaining about the low pay. This is a first for me to look at the whole package (heh) and while the salary is what I want, I'm not sure if I want to pay possibly $300 a month just for healthcare. I have to wait to see what the final number is, what the copays are, and what's even covered. Apparently smaller companies aren't given many options, which is a huge concern of mine considering I'm a crazy lady. Women's and mental health coverage seem to be the first to go. (WHY IS VIAGRA COVERED?)

3. Is working for a start-up smart in today's economy? If I had a nest egg, hell a SAVINGS (I suck), I wouldn't mind taking a risky leap. I have this fancy iMac and a $250 Max Azria dress. That's all of my assets, people.

4. The woman I'd be working for is exactly like me. For realz. She is a psychology major who picked up a DOS manual for fun one day, taught herself computers, streamlined the data at her first job which lead to a career as an IT trainer and project manager. I am a psychology major who learned SAP by reading the user guides I had to photocopy for my boss at my first job, which lead to assuming IT liaison roles at every company I've worked for since. Basically we are both nerdy mentholes. This could be awesome or awful. Chances are there will be no gray.

PHEW. I'm glad I'm writing all of this out.

The internal job is also a big opportunity for me as well. I hate my current gig for one reason: IT'S FUCKING BORING. The only things keeping me alive are the special projects I take on. Have I ever written what my real job is there? Probably not. I'm an Inventory Analyst. I KILL BOOKS. There I said it. If there is too much stock I try to liquidate it. If not I burn it. I am the Eva Braun of Minnow. I hate it. I've tried a zillion times to change the mission statement of my department (not that they even have one), but in the end we are the dregs of the Publishing industry. No one wants to deal with us because we are where their precious title goes to die.

Okay. That was dramatic. I do more than that, but still. It's shit.

Interestingly enough this new gig is about killing books too, but at least there's some fucking excitement around going digital. I'd be responsible for managing interfaces and feeds to various e-tailers, working with IT and senior management on developing new business processes and systems, all the creative things I love. Yes, I finally realized I can be creative without using paint. If I stay at Minnow, it's a great opportunity to pull myself out of the shadows and into the spotlight. Concerns:

1. I'd still be working for Nun. My second interview was with him and an IT guy. The IT guy was first and I gotta say I was really excited after speaking with him. Then Nun killed it. The woman I'd be directly reporting to said that a decision would be made next week. Nun decided (probably today) that the job description needs to change and the position won't be filled until after the new year. Really? You're an asshole. If this was really true, why the fuck are you interviewing already, dipshit*?

2. I'm pretty sure I'm the most qualified candidate in-house. The problem is since I already work for Nun, I could see him being a real dick about transferring. I betcha fifty bucks he tries to make me do Gorilla's work still. Crap, I could even see him not letting me transfer for fear of losing a head in my current department. Fuck.

3. I can also see him lowballing the salary.

I don't want to let Nun ruin this for me. As much as I'd like to leave the company, I don't want to miss out on what might be my last chance to feel good about working at Minnow after all these years.

DOUBLE PHEW. This whole post might be moot considering I wasn't even offered either position, but I do need to think about all of these things. Must-haves for my next gig: a fatty paycheck so I can pay off my debt, good health insurance (I'm worried about this), NYC based office (I'm not ready to leave NY yet), and an opportunity to learn something new. Oh and leading me to my husband isn't a requirement, but that would be an awesome plus.

What do you guys think?




* HA! Dipshit.