To move or not to move...

Weiser · 02-24-2008, 03:49 PM

That is the question.

Friday afternoon the executive VP (rachel's dad) came up to me and pulled me aside, he said they desperately need someone who knows what they are doing and he wants me to move to Toronto and work there, clean the place up and make it smoother running. Basically I would be doing what I do right now, but soooo much more other stuff too. He told me to think about it this weekend and let him know monday.

Right now I am at a loss as to what to do.

There are alot of questions I need to ask Randy (vp) on monday. What do I ask for a raise? I only make 28k on salary, and another 14-16k in bonuses. Cost of living is MUCH higher there than it is here, considering I will be living downtown - and not commuting. I talked to a couple people from work and they said to ask for 40k base not including bonuses. Does that sound really high? As for bonuses, I make the most in bonuses that I can, but I am the low man on the totem pole. If I took this, I would be able to make more bonus wise - except it is all dependant on what the department makes, and toronto is not a cash cow yet...

Another thing is that the toronto office is so small right now, there are only 3 people there (there was 4, one quit) and so when it expands (which it will) I will be able to move up the ranks so fast - but that also means no Foreign Exchange for me. Ugh...

Then there is rachel, who I really really like, but if i move, that's it...

It's funny, I just had my palm read last night while we were pre-drinking at rachels, and the girl who read my palm told me that I always tend to think with my heart, and not my head - and I think she is right. Looking at all the pros and cons, I KNOW this would be an amazing career move, but I don't want to do it because I'll lose rachel, and never see like any of my friends out here ever again - I probably won't be coming back here, ever...

What the hell should I do, and how do I negotiate salary and all that stuff? I have never had to do that, my last job the told me what I would make and i nearly p00ped it was so much...so I don't know how to ask for more...

Luba · 02-24-2008, 04:33 PM

Negotiate Salary

I don't know if this will help, Weiser, I hope it does somewhat, give you something to think about.

I've read your post three times and it seems to me your heart is leaning towards staying where you are, but that's just me. Maybe your best bet is to take a piece of paper, divide it half, and list all the pros and cons for you!

Good luck with whatever you decide, for what I've learned about you, no matter where you are or what you are doing, you always come out doing great!

Weiser · 02-24-2008, 05:01 PM

Thanks for giving me that link Luba, but because what I do is so specialized, you can't do any research like this. I believe there are only 5 companies in canada that do what I do....

I'm going to list the pro's and con's later today, another thing about toronto is that my sister lives there, and my parents live 3 hours away.

I have been going over in my head what I am worth to the company, and I believe if I ask for 38-40k, I will probably get it. I mean, my immediate bosses don't even know I was offered this position, it was the VP himself that made the decision...

Vautrin · 02-24-2008, 05:04 PM

That is a tough decision. Luba's advice is good.

Don't forget that you should be more than decently paid for the additional tasks and responsibilities in Toronto as well. So 12K seems quite measly, to be honest (living expenses alone would take a large chunk out of it). So you would be dependent on the bonuses to improve financially on the deal.

And then there is of course the complicated situation with Rachel.

Luba · 02-24-2008, 05:46 PM

Quote:

but I don't want to do it because I'll lose Rachel

Being the VP is her Dad, she knows that you've had this offer, right? Have you talked to her about it, or do you solely want to make it your decision?

It would be interesting to learn what you dream tonight, sometimes dreams have a way of telling you what to do.....or not to do...

darkangelism · 02-24-2008, 08:01 PM

yeah 40k is not that unreasonable for that area.

TKDLady · 02-24-2008, 09:05 PM

I would talk to Rachel. See how she feels. Also, how serious are you and her? Also, think of your happiness. Maybe Rachel will move there to be with you eventually. No one can tell you what you should do. It has to be your decision. Some things are more flexible than others. As an analogy, the frame and foundation of a house can't be changed so should be where the money and time is spent. The paint on walls and the carpet can be changed later so spend less there and fix it later. In other words, this is your life, what you will do probably for the better part of the rest of your life. You need to enjoy it or it will only make you miserable. Rachel can move closer to you if she wants to but an opportunity like this may be a once in a lifetime thing if it is what you want. Do what feels right to you.

Weiser · 02-24-2008, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luba

Being the VP is her Dad, she knows that you've had this offer, right? Have you talked to her about it, or do you solely want to make it your decision?

It would be interesting to learn what you dream tonight, sometimes dreams have a way of telling you what to do.....or not to do...

You know what, she had no idea her dad asked me that. No one did.

I talked to rachel tonight about this whole thing and she is right, this is the best thing that I could do career wise. She's bummed about it, and hates Toronto, so if I do move there, that's pretty much it for us. Neither of us really believe in long distance relationships.

Upon looking at places to live in the downtown core, I am looking at paying atleast 1300/month for anything decent (1 bedroom wise), which is triple what I pay now. I'm going to be asking randy like a million questions tomorrow and get all the information I can before I make my decision.

Sleep should be interesting tonight.

darkangelism · 02-25-2008, 06:12 AM

1300 is a lot, so try and get as much salary as you can to pay for that

Luba · 02-25-2008, 07:37 AM

Best Wishes to you, Weiser! Please keep us posted on everything that happens!

Weiser · 02-25-2008, 07:00 PM

Well I accepted the position, I'll be gone in 2 weeks. Didn't get what I was asking for, but with bonuses I'll be sitting at just over 50k which I guess isn't too shabby for a single 26 yr old lol. They are also cutting me a cheque for 5000 for moving expenses / allowance, putting $500 back on my medical allowance and paying for my flights (should i need to make a return to calgary to clear up loose ends).

It's a good deal, Randy figures I will probably make manager in 5-6 years (which is amazing) and yeah...no where to go but up now.

Luba · 02-25-2008, 07:04 PM

Congratulations and Best Wishes to you, Weiser!

Now that you've made the decision, are you getting excited?

Vautrin · 02-25-2008, 07:15 PM

Congratulations and good luck in Toronto.

TKDLady · 02-25-2008, 09:14 PM

Congratulations Weiser. That is wonderful for you. Good luck in Toronto and keep up with all of us peons when you make it big!!

PepsiChic · 02-26-2008, 02:25 PM

congratulations weiser, that must of been an incredibly hard decision to make. i know you've talked of moving to Toronto before so choosing between 2 things is a difficult thing to do. I really hope it works out for you, hope you'll stay in touch here when you move