Which job would you select?

[sanantone]

I've been offered two positions within my agency a few weeks apart. I didn't expect this to happen because I thought I would bomb the statistics part of the interview for one position, but I ended up remembering what I learned nine years ago and haven't used since. 

One position involves regulating the fossil fuel industry, and I'd mostly be out in the field doing site visits and viewing business records. I'd also have to go out of town several times a year and board my dog. It's at the same pay grade that I'm at now. It has the same full performance level as my current position, and I'm already at the full performance level. That means that I would not get an automatic pay grade increase; I would get smaller step increases each year. I would have to compete for the next highest pay grade, and in this position, I think that's a supervisory position. I'm not sure. From what I can see, since they don't have many employees in this position, there aren't many supervisors. My prediction is that supervisor openings will be few and far between. My supervisor will be in a different state; he supervises the entire Southwest. 

The other position is a management analyst position, which will involve a lot of research and statistics and sitting at my computer. I would be dropping down a grade level, but I would retain my current pay under the pay retention rules. This position has a full performance level that is two grades higher. That means I could get automatic promotions up to two grades higher than where I am now as long as my annual performance evaluation is okay. There are also many more people working in this position, so I expect there to be more supervisory openings once I'm qualified. 

The one thing I'm mostly weighing is which job will provide experience that will be the most marketable either in the government or in the private sector. The management analyst position exists in multiple federal government agencies, but I'm not sure how valuable that experience will be in the private sector. The fuel regulation position has fewer skills that would be applicable to other careers, but accounting firms look for fuel industry experience when it comes to their fuel tax specialists. 

[Ideas]

Between the two, management analyst sounds better. But perhaps you can find a third better option?

[ROYISAGIRL]

Of the two I'd also pick the second, but would the second option require you to board your pup too?

[Alpha]

My only thought is that the first option might give you more networking potential and that might translate into a better position in the future.  Or maybe not

[Pats20]

To me it would depend on how many overnight stays. I know people who log 100+ hotel stays a year. Not for me.

[sanantone]

Of the two I'd also pick the second, but would the second option require you to board your pup too?

No, I won't have to travel for the second position.

[ss20ts]

Depends if you want to travel and board your dog. Has your dog been boarded in the past? For how long? How long would the trips be? Something to keep in mind is that often times in interviews you can be told it's only a few trips a year, but once you start the job, then you find out that it's traveling every month or every few weeks. You're the low rung on the totem pole so if someone doesn't want to travel, it may fall on you. I know a few people that's happened to and they were less than thrilled.

Are you happy in your current job? It doesn't sound like you'll be making anymore money with either of these jobs when you start. There may be potential for a raise in the future, but that's not a guarantee. There are other jobs out there. You don't sound super excited about either one.

[Vle045]

If either were a good fit, you would just know. You would be excited about the opportunity. Don’t jump from one dumpster fire into another.

[sanantone]

Depends if you want to travel and board your dog. Has your dog been boarded in the past? For how long? How long would the trips be? Something to keep in mind is that often times in interviews you can be told it's only a few trips a year, but once you start the job, then you find out that it's traveling every month or every few weeks. You're the low rung on the totem pole so if someone doesn't want to travel, it may fall on you. I know a few people that's happened to and they were less than thrilled.

Are you happy in your current job? It doesn't sound like you'll be making anymore money with either of these jobs when you start. There may be potential for a raise in the future, but that's not a guarantee. There are other jobs out there. You don't sound super excited about either one.

My dog has been boarded a few times for two to three-week stretches of training. The hiring manager told me that I would have a large territory to cover, so I would knock out site visits in an area over the period of a couple of days. If I recall correctly, he said that businesses usually need to be visited once per quarter, but with everything being spread out, I'm guessing that I might have to do overnight stays about once per month to cover each part of my territory. That could cost me about $70 to over $100 per month in boarding fees. 

I get bored with jobs after about 1.5 years. I'm overdue for a job change. I've held out for as long as I could hold out hoping for a position I really want in public health. 

If either were a good fit, you would just know.  You would be excited about the opportunity.  Don’t jump from one dumpster fire into another.

Objectively, my current job isn't terrible. It's just repetitive, and I have ADHD. Doing boring tasks becomes unbearable, so that had me leaning toward the field job since I would spend most of my time driving and visiting places.


Thanks for your input, everyone.

[cpoteraske]

Depends if you want to travel and board your dog. Has your dog been boarded in the past? For how long? How long would the trips be? Something to keep in mind is that often times in interviews you can be told it's only a few trips a year, but once you start the job, then you find out that it's traveling every month or every few weeks. You're the low rung on the totem pole so if someone doesn't want to travel, it may fall on you. I know a few people that's happened to and they were less than thrilled.

Are you happy in your current job? It doesn't sound like you'll be making anymore money with either of these jobs when you start. There may be potential for a raise in the future, but that's not a guarantee. There are other jobs out there. You don't sound super excited about either one.

My dog has been boarded a few times for two to three-week stretches of training. The hiring manager told me that I would have a large territory to cover, so I would knock out site visits in an area over the period of a couple of days. If I recall correctly, he said that businesses usually need to be visited once per quarter, but with everything being spread out, I'm guessing that I might have to do overnight stays about once per month to cover each part of my territory. That could cost me about $70 to over $100 per month in boarding fees. 

I get bored with jobs after about 1.5 years. I'm overdue for a job change. I've held out for as long as I could hold out hoping for a position I really want in public health. 

If either were a good fit, you would just know.  You would be excited about the opportunity.  Don’t jump from one dumpster fire into another.

Objectively, my current job isn't terrible. It's just repetitive, and I have ADHD. Doing boring tasks becomes unbearable, so that had me leaning toward the field job since I would spend most of my time driving and visiting places.


Thanks for your input, everyone.

As a Criminal Analyst in my full time position, I would say that you will run into the same problems with being stuck behind a computer. Im stuck behind a computer and it can be tedious. Both options seem interesting but if you are not fully on board with either I would continue to look.