I'm at a crossroad. Think about my life or career?

[bantone]

So I am in between jobs because I was affected by a reduction in force at work. Good news is I am on a severance package and in the process of looking for work. Turns out my mother's friend is starting up a company in Montreal, QC of all places. The idea of living up there a while seems really good opportunity to immerse myself in a different city, way of life, etc. Did I mention the women?

Anyways he told me the downers to it. The job would be consisting of me installing satellite systems for local residence (e.g. mostly manual labor) but most importantly I might take a pay hit of potentially 5-10K (maybe less due to the CAD being stronger than the USD now and I actually have the potential to make the same salary but I am not sure what that would require...more hours possibly). Oh and I very certain I will have to become bilingual but I'm not too worried about that.

So what do you think?

PROs:
- New city
- New experiences
- Different culture, lifestyle

CONs:
- Major pay hit
- Manual labor vs my white collar office jobs

The reason I am thinking about taking the risk is because I think how many times can you get the opportunity and live in another country? I live in the states and I have been out of college a bit but I find the area where I live is socially dead. It is always great to make money and work towards my career as a sales engineer in the IT field but in the area I live it is at the expense of not having much of a social life. I feel most 'alive' when I am around people and can have that avenue in life, outside my family of course.

I have a few leads here going and generally when I go after jobs I tend to make more than the previous job so if I stay here there is a good chance that I will be making 5 - 15K more than I was. I might have to relocate anyways.. Thoughts?

[bantone]

The sales engineer job I had I was making 45K a year in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. I am 24 right now so considering the fact that I have not completed my degree yet and many of my friends come out of school making 35 - 40K it was good money for me.

The thing is with the company with my mom's friend is the fact that it is 1) a start up and 2) there is only one satellite company in that part of Quebec and he has got a deal with that company to install satellites for them. The thing is initially he will not have many people working for him to do the job (10 - 15 people at most) so that could explain the salary workout. I COULD make more than that but is it at the cost of working 40+ hours a week compared to my other job behind a desk? I don't know.

Career options, well I could go somewhere else such as northern virginia or atlanta and start at 50K+ potentially or more and it would be a linear path into what I want to do in the IT field...fill sales engineer and/or systems analyst type jobs. I might also have options in this area to get a security clearance which would give me a LOT more job options in the future.

The option of me taking the job in Montreal could potentially sidetrack me from my career path...but I actually envision myself going back to school before I am 28 and having a job to support me at the time. The perks are, from a job perspective is, becoming bilingual, learning to work in that type of environment, and potentially more technical experience.

My mother's friend also told me if I find a better job up there he would be willing to sponsor me to make me eligible for residency since acquiring a work visa only grants me to work for his company.

The cost of living in Montreal, I heard, is lower than most north american cities so that might offset the pay drop.

This is really killing me at the moment because logically I know that my decision to move up there might not necessarily be the best decision for me when it comes to looking at my career BUT I know my heart wants to go up there which is causing an internal battle.

[Dave Kaminski]

This is really killing me at the moment because logically I know that my decision to move up there might not necessarily be the best decision for me when it comes to looking at my career BUT I know my heart wants to go up there which is causing an internal battle.

Hey man,

I'm going through the same thing. I'm 20, have a LOT of options, and have been saving so I have some extra cash.

The thing with monetary opportunities you have to realize is that life consists of more than your career path. I know as an American we're led to believe this isn't the case, but in breaking free from conventional American mindset, I've sold my car, gotten rid of my cable, got an IT Manager job, and saved almost enough to put a down payment on an apartment house.

Here's the rub - I don't like it! It's fine and all and duty certainly is bliss; I love to help others, etc.

Just remember - there's more to life than your 'career path'. I'm currently planning on taking a couple-few months off to get some certifications in the beautiful Philippines, and come back and maybe work here or work in the Philippines.

Make sure, above all, you're ENJOYING YOURSELF, HELPING OTHERS, and HARMING NONE. Forget what everyone else is making/doing/planning. Look out for your needs first, then move on to others. Needs is the key word here, though.

Long two cents, I know. Just going through similar internal conflict so I thought I'd share

Dave

[LifeCrisisGuy]

Hey man, I'm assuming you're in early 20's. If so, you have all the energy, guts, curiosity, enthuasism ... that other older people don't have.. esp the commitment part. Do you have commitments like girlfriend, feeding your parents, ...etc. ? If not and twenty someting, then I think you should try the new city, new experiences, new ... everything new ... Cos when you get older, you may not have the "flexibility" to move around as you want.

But, remember, for all and any decisions you make in life, you're responsible! Do not blame me a stranger here, your friends, or your parents.

Good luck to you!