Why is my job decision causing me to second guess myself?

[Double J]

I recently posted about a situation I had last week. I interviewed for two positions - one last Monday and one on Friday. To make the long story short, the one on Monday would have given me good experience in my desired field but the pay was very low (almost half less than what I was making at my last internship) and it was only slated to last 2 months. I interviewed for another position on Friday which is a huge company, pays better, and offers benefits after 6 months. The first job was offered me officially on Wednesday, but I told them I needed more time to think about it (since the interview for the second company was Friday). They told me fine but that they needed to know by noon Friday.

 

Friday came along and the interview for the second company went well. However, I called the first company to ask them if they could give me until the following week to make my decision but they told me that they had already hired a back-up candidate who was also interested in the position.

 

I'm still waiting for the second company to call me - they said they'd let me know either today or tomorrow.

 

I don't know why but I'm feeling a lot of unease and dissonance as of late. I really liked the work that I would have been doing for the first company, but honestly I think taking an almost 50% cut in salary was too extreme, even though it was only going to last 2 months. The internship for the first company, initially, also came with another perk - I would have received credit upon completion of the internship from school but apparently I was too far into the semester and the application wasn't started on time (I think it was sorta unprofessional for the first company not to have looked into this sooner and have everything ready at the time of interview). I was also leery about the fact that the department I wanted to work in only consisted of 4 or 5 people.

 

Aside from the fact that the second company pays better, I picked it because in general, it's a huge company. It's one of the largest research companies in the world. They told me I'd become eligible for benefits after 6 months. They also said that there are endless opportunities within the company for advancement, to move into different areas, etc. As opposed to the first company I think the department for this company has more people.

 

In theory, it seems like I made the right decision because the advantages for Company B seem to outnumber those for A. But why does my gut tell me that maybe I should have gone for the first one? Am I feeling this way because the second company hasn't told me I got the job yet?

 

I think it's other things too. I think the first job would have given me more recognition/responsibility than the second one (I would have stood out more since it was only 4-5 people), whereas I believe that in the second job I'm going to have more competition since it's more people (I think a few people are going to do the same stuff I'll be doing). Something else I liked about the first company was the job location - it was somewhat closer to home - and the ambiance within the first company's premises (small bank with an art museum within it/nice people/mellow music in the background, etc) was also nice. For the first company I would have been more involved in their campaigns, etc.

 

I'm trying to rationalize whether I made the right decision. I'm not sure if money overrode good judgment, but when I saw the name of the second company I thought it was a great opportunity since not only are they a huge company but they actually specialize in what I want to do.

 

I also considered the fact that the first company was only a 2 month internship. They told me it was possible that I could stay for a longer period of time, but I'm sure that at that point I would have stayed only under one condition - that they increase the pay, and it doesn't seem like they were willing to do that. I think the pay they were offering for someone who is close to graduating and with my academic credentials just wasn't fair. They were looking for a junior with a 2.7 GPA, whereas I'm a senior with a 3.95 GPA. I guess my pride played a small role in this - I didn't want to settle for less pay than I thought I was worth. Although experience is wonderful, one has to pay the bills too. One of the reasons I've worked so hard in school is to be able to find great opportunities once I look for work, whether prior to or after graduation. I think settling for such a low-paying job is doing a disservice to myself - I think I'd be selling myself out. Thus, I think I was probably academically overqualified for the position.

 

I think the experience I'd get in both places is pretty even, but the big company's pay and opportunities seem more fair and attractive. My first thought after leaving company A's interview was, "Is there something better out there?"

 

I appreciate any feedback - Thanks guys.

[Tigris]

In my opinion you definitely made the right decision.

 

Company A had already messed you about by not looking into the credit system properly thereforeeee you'd already lost something through them. Then there was the pay cut. Plus only 2 months work. Then they went against their word and hired someone else when they said they'd wait for you to call by the afternoon.

 

When you'd finished your time there other companies would've looked at your cv/resume and wondered why they'd only hired you for two months.

 

You've given yourself numerous advantages by going for this one. More money, a large company, at least 6 months work, etc. Plus a large company can make people redundant from office to office where a small company might close the whole place down!

 

Don't think of it as other people doing the same job as you. Instead think of the other people as being an advantage if you're having problems and need some help.

 

I've had that gut feeling before when I was offered two jobs at the same time. Stop thinking about it you made the decision and now it has gone. You made this choice because a better opportunity came along.

 

There's no point in thinking 'if only this had happened' you made the right choice.

 

No matter what job you get now or in the future, work hard and show them you're worth the position in their company.

 

Good luck