Job vs location?

[supergeek1313]

first job out of grad school... and here are the choices:
- same job title
- both private sector
- similar salaries/benefits
- same region

about me:
- went straight to grad from undergrad
- did both undergrad & grad in big cities
- grew up in the 'burbs but haven't moved back since
- willing to work hard... want to take a career step (not just looking for a job to kill a few yrs)

job 1.
- big city
- have an interest in retention, but no formalized training program/trajectory
- in a way, more networking opportunities b/c of location

job 2.
- suburb of city (about 2+ hrs away)
- more straightforward career trajectory & formal training opportunities

it's really coming down to a decision of job vs. city. neither is bad, and i think i'll be happy either way, but given that it's my first go at things i really want to make the most of it. any advice?

[TexanOkie]

I'd go with whichever brings more responsibility faster, and it sounds like job #2 would do that. You don't have to work for the same firm for your entire career, and can always move back into the city after you're done with entry-level work or gain more experience. Also, same pay and benefits will usually stretch a little farther in the 'burbs, which has been really helpful for me being just out of school. Just my 2¢. Good luck with whichever you ultimately decide.

[supergeek1313]

i've calculated the cost of living, and b/c i'd be sharing a place in the city vs. my own place in the burbs... plus more driving in the burbs, the COL will actually be the same (if not slightly less in the city)... decisions, decisions

[dandy_warhol]

how old are you? what's your social life like? are you in a relationship? who has better restaurants? parks? recreational opportunities? i'd look at the quality of life you'd have in both settings. there is more to life than the job itself.

if you're young, i'd go with the city. there's time enough to settle down and become a suburbanite. live it up while you can. you'll need some good stories to entertain the rest of the suburbanites once you settle down.

and frankly, with the price of gas i'd want to work where i had the shortest commute and most transportation alternatives.

[Masswich]

Qualiy of life cannot be discounted - I think its actually mor e important than COL. Remember that you may end up where you choose longer than you expect, if (a) internal advancement is fast and/or (b) you get a social circle there and don't want to leave and/or (c) romantic interests intervene and you don't want to leave. So pick where you live carefully. I never thought I'd end up back in the Boston area, and never thought I'd stay here this long. But other factors intervene and now its hard to imagine leaving, at least for a while.

Me, I'd pick the job in the city. I think working in an office park in the suburbs (which I have done) is not so much fun.

Good luck.

[MacheteJames]

job 2.
- suburb of city (about 2+ hrs away)
- more straightforward career trajectory & formal training opportunities

Is this suburb a happening place at all? Do you know anyone there?

Think long and hard about this. You don't want to end up spending all your time alone if you're in a place with zero social scene and no opportunity to make connections. 2 hours is a long way away from the nearest real city and living alone in nowheresville might make you feel super isolated.

[supergeek1313]

i'm in my early 20s (hence coming right out of grad school, which i entered straight out of undergrad)... my bf is in grad school in the city of job #1 (for 2 more years), so we would live together in that case. if i take job #2, i could commute there for weekends but don't know anyone in the suburban region. because he would need to take public transit to get to school, and the school is near the job, i would be living no more than 3 miles from the job in the city while my commute to the job in the suburbs would be at least 15 miles away.

either way, i plan to give it my all... and i'm utterly (happily) surprised to have two good options, i just feel like i'm comparing apples to oranges in a sense.

[wv06]

i'm in my early 20s (hence coming right out of grad school, which i entered straight out of undergrad)... my bf is in grad school in the city of job #1 (for 2 more years), so we would live together in that case. if i take job #2, i could commute there for weekends but don't know anyone in the suburban region. because he would need to take public transit to get to school, and the school is near the job, i would be living no more than 3 miles from the job in the city while my commute to the job in the suburbs would be at least 15 miles away.

either way, i plan to give it my all... and i'm utterly (happily) surprised to have two good options, i just feel like i'm comparing apples to oranges in a sense.

I did the same thing in the past- I took the job more like #2 cuz for me it paid it a little more. Fast forward and the suburbs weren’t exciting enough for me- the small area politics is hard to deal with- the commute is getting on and I relocated to the big city where my girlfriend(now fiancé) has 2 years of grad school left.. trust me and take job #1!!!
Ive lived in Both kinds of areas and the city is much better suited for a person in their 20's for social life, career ambitions and i cant stress enough how much easier life is when you are with the ones you love rather than trying to go career first on your own..