Decisions, Decisions!?!?!?!???????

I had an interview with Michaels Art and Craft Stores today and it went really well. The job is in the bag, as they say, if I want it but I am not sure I am ready to leave my current employer. No wait, that is wrong. I am not sure this position is what I am looking for. The pay is great, it will be a lot more than what I am currently making and they will give me some great benefits but I am not sure it is all worth it.
Pros:
$$$$$$
New Experiences
New Responsibilities
More Aggressive Environment
Opportunity for Growth

Cons:
The job is in Irving, 45-60 minute drive
Does not have any direct reports to the position but it is a management position
Does not offer tuition reimbursement
I would work with an old co-worked that hates me (and I hate her) with a passion.
Did I mention it is really far?


I am going to think about it because I am very confused right now. If I take the job I don’t think I would be willing to commute to Irving every morning so I would probably end up moving closer to that area. If I move, then the money I get will not be enough to cover the extra housing expenses and the tuition cost that I will have to pay out of pocket.

What surprises me the most is how many people are surprised that I am ready to leave my current employer. I have been here for a little over 5 years and I think it is time to go, everyone else thinks I should stick around and see what the future holds. I think I have learned all I can learn from this place and I should probably take my experience and go profit somewhere else.

My other option is to go back to school full time and just enjoy life.

Today during my interview I had a deja vu moment. I was sitting there being interviewed by the vice president and all of a sudden I stopped listening to him because I was trying to remember what happened next. As he kept talking I knew I had already lived through all of it. But I couldn’t remember if I accepted the position or not. Maybe I will dream about it tonight, I wish I didn’t have to make a decision on this. I am working on a big project and I would hate to leave in the middle of it and leave everyone here stuck with what I started but on the other hand I would hate to let an opportunity pass me by. I don’t want to burn any bridges so I am not sure how I am going to approach my boss about this one. I am very confident that he is not going to make me a counter offer to try to keep me here. He has strong feelings about letting people leave if they want to leave, no matter how valuable they are to the organization. His belief is that if they want to leave they will leave no matter how much money they are being offered. So I have a lot of thinking to do, the position has not been formally offered to me but I think it is going to happen on Wednesday. Stay tuned for the next episode of as Cesar’s World Turns.