Should I Stay or Should I Go Part 3

After nights of tossing and turning and literally changing my mind every five minutes for 3 days, I decided to go. I chose to switch jobs and go work for the feds for a number of reasons. The first and most important was the money. The opportunity to almost double your salary is a hard thing to turn down....

The second reason I decided to switch positions was the opportunity for advancement within a field as grand-scale as the federal government. Hopefully, after gaining permanency within the federal government I will be able to transfer my skills and passions to a department that would better utilize my abilities and further elevate me towards my goal of helping young adults and working to improve the mental health of our young people.

I plan to enroll in grad school next year, in fact I'm working on my applications now. If I am able to start Fall 2011, I will be able to work and go to school at the same time. this will allow me to stay better focused toward my goal.

I absolutely, do not want to get comfortable in this position. I can not forget that I have dreams that go further than where I am now. I thank God for the opportunity to be where I am now, but I look forward to further blessing people in my field of interest. :)

Did I sell myself? Just a little bit. But I plan on buying every part of myself back. :)

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Part 2

Ok. So here I am with a choice to make: Stay with this wonderful non-profit agency that first hired me or put in notice and go work for the federal government.

Here's my case for staying:

1. Over half my family caseload is Spanish-speaking, with a great majority of them with little to no English language. This means I get lots and lots of Spanish practice. I love that everyday I get to practice a language that I spent way too many years(and a semester abroad) learning to speak.

2. I work independently. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have certain deadlines that I have to reach and I don't have anyone harassing me about it. I get my work done and no one breathes down my neck. Beautiful.

3. The job is directly related to things I'm interested in doing....working with children, helping low-income families. Doing therapy, etc. What can I say? I'm a giver...

4. And probably for me the most important thing, I feel needed here.

Here's me case for leaving:

1. They will pay A LOT more money. Like A LOT.

2. After two years, I become career conditional which means I can take my grade level and grade pay with me to any Federal government department anywhere in the world.

3. The location of the office is a block and a half from the Bart station which means I could use public transportation a little easier. And considering I don't have a car....that's a pretty big deal.

4. I would be able to save more money because I would be making WAY more. I kinda said that already....

So do I stay in the position that I actually like, with interesting people and unpredictable days or do I go to the well-paying job where I will be a lot more comfortable, but has a high likelihood of being boring, still who knows what opportunities might lie there for me.

It's hard because all my family and friends are telling me to go with the higher paying, more secure job, but I like what I'm doing. I will of course make up my mind on my own, but they do have a point. Maybe a part of me is also just afraid to upset things because I would be inconveniencing the agency by quitting with so little notice...what to do? que hacer?