One of my friends, Mike, who has been on the job market a while, faced a tough dilemma this week.  He received two fairly attractive offers in the same geographic location and had to decide on one of them within a few days.  Mike got Job Offer #1, which would have a really steep learning curve, on the strength of his resume, which did a great job highlighting his tangible contributions to this previous employers and clients.  Job Offer #1 paid $10K more in salary.  Job Offer #2, on the other hand, was generally a better fit for Mike’s existing experience.  Though it paid a little less, he knew he could show up on the first day and be confident that he wouldn’t choke.

The situation highlighted for me why these types of decisions are so personal.  You see, Mike works at a corporate job for a paycheck that will support his lifestyle of eating out, traveling, and going to concerts.  He does not derive his life satisfaction from his job, and that doesn’t bother him.  But Mike doesn’t like to be stressed out either.  He’s a mild-mannered guy, and over-achievement isn’t really his thing.   It was for these reasons that I thought he would take Job Offer #2, which was less challenging and where he wouldn’t have to work as hard.  

But Mike’s also a risk-taker, and, not overly concerned that the new job might be too much for him, he took Job Offer #1.  I think in the end, it was the money that swayed him.  

Mike and I pretty much have opposite personalities.  I would be tempted to take Job Offer #1 precisely because of the opportunities for growth it offered, but I would be worried about screwing up and making a poor impression, so I would probably go with the safer option.  What would YOU do?