Up until... well hell up until this past week in alot of ways, I have been pretty unhappy with my current company.  Not my job mind you, just the company (yes, the same company that hired the doggy day care girl to work for me).  It's a giant clusterfuck of redundancy and red tape, and most of the people in the corporate office are complete nimrods.
so I've been looking around for a new job for the last 6 months or so.  during the time that I was truly miserable, I had 3 interviews that seemed promising and eventually turned into nothing.  At least one got dragged out over a couple of months, only to result in nothing.
About a montha and a half ago, while I was stuck in the corporate office being absolutely miserable, I interviewed with the company that I've always wanted to work for in this area of the state.  Again this process has gotten dragged out.  In the interim I've been promoted, have 3 people working for me, am in charge of a pretty high profile and potentially very profitable project, moved out to my jobsite trailer, and have pretty much turned around in the way that I feel about my job.  Mind you, I still have concerns with the company, but I absolutely love my job.

Of course, what happens, but as soon as I'm happy again, I get the offer from the dream company.  It's for $5k more a year than what I make now, but it's in their estimating department, which means their corporate office.  They are trying to break into a new sector of work, and need someone with my experience to get it going.  I basically have a chance to get in on the ground floor of this new division, and be responsible for setting it up.  Lots of potential for future greatness there.

And thus I'm torn.  Do I stay with the current company, that I hate, because I love the job, or do I go with the company that I love, and take a job that I will potentially hate, keeping in mind the $5k/year raise?

5k a year isn't enough if you're gonna be miserable. Maybe 20, but not 5.

This is a no brainer! YOU HATE OFFICE GOOBERS WORSE THAN THE CLAP! It aint worth it. Your just gonna wind up clobbering some drooling Nancyboy and get fired anyway.

Ask yourself the question without considering the money.

In this case 5k a year isn't worth your work life sucking again.

Send your resume to Kellogg Brown, & Root, go to Iraq.  A change of scenery would do you good.

Quoted: Send your resume to Kellogg Brown, & Root, go to Iraq.  A change of scenery would do you good.

Ironically enough my current parent company has work there too.  I would go, but I wouldn't know what to do with my dog.

Stay where you are. You can't take your bike or dog to Iraq and you hate the office. A bit more experience where you are and you can write your own ticket.

Quoted: Let your current boss know you've got an offer for more $$, see if he'll sweeten the pot somehow if you stick around.

I have thought of that.  Our company structure is so weird (one of the things I hate) I'm not even sure who I'd ask about that.

go back to college. Seriously, If you are in transition from careers, it is a great opportunity to educate yourself and look great to a potential employer.

Quoted: go back to college. Seriously, If you are in transition from careers, it is a great opportunity to educate yourself and look great to a potential employer.

I love my chosen carreer path, and I'm already over-educated for it.  Having a master's degree in construction management, and a bachelors in Architecture is pretty much overkill in the construction biz, and actually intimidates alot of people.

From my experiences in the Florida construction industry, "dream companies" can become 'nightmares' all to soon.

You're still a young man, stick it out in your present position.

Quoted: Quoted: go back to college. Seriously, If you are in transition from careers, it is a great opportunity to educate yourself and look great to a potential employer. I love my chosen carreer path, and I'm already over-educated for it.  Having a master's degree in construction management, and a bachelors in Architecture is pretty much overkill in the construction biz, and actually intimidates alot of people.

If your not moving forward, your moving backward.

Right now you are in a supervisory position right, is the other job a supervisory position as well?

Oh yea, One more. "sometimes its better to swim in a big pond with little fish than to swim with....ah hell I dont know the rest

100% estimating all day every day would suck.  One particular gc company around here has a chief estimator that does no project mgt.  He bids most all of the work, and then hands the successful bids off to one of a half dozen proj mgrs.  To me, that seems like a recipe for disaster.  You know that poor estimator is constantly catching hell from the proj mgrs when he hasn't put enough money in a certain aspect of the project, or has used numbers from shitty subs who can't perform.  Even if he has put enough money in the job, the proj mgr could mismanage the project and still lose money on it.  The estimator will still be the guy who gets blamed.  To top it off, the estimator I mentioned is the only guy in the office who doesn't have a company vehicle.  He never gets out in the field, so the owner figures he doesn't need or deserve one.  I feel sorry for the guy.      

The grass is rarely greener...

From my observations, the companies that are 'buttoned down', are also the ones that are the biggest political bureaucracies.  The ones that are cluster fucks, tend to be more fun working environments.  The issue with the cluster fuck types, is that they were set up by talented people, who didn't need much structure.  They eventually leave, and the bureaucratic types move in, and the incompetence wars begin.

you are young, single, rent your home. what the hell do you have to lose? go for the new job, if it pans out right you will be head of the dept in a few years and grow grow grow. nothing ventured nothing gained.expand yourself, ground floor is the best way to take the express elevator to the top.


take the new job, maybe you can get rid of the sporty and get a big twin

Hmm.  Money does count for a lot.  That extra $5k adds up over 10 or 20 years, and it also presumably translates into larger 401k contributions.  Look at the whole benefits package and things like commute and whether you can move up in the new company as well.  I know what it's like to work for a lousy company--I worked for the Federal government.

GunLvr

Tell your current company another company has offered more.
Ask for the 5K difference.  If you are a stud, they will pay.
Stay out of the office.
Estimating sucks (but if you are good, you can do 2 hours of work for the whole day and surf ARFCOM for the rest)

Quoted: From my experiences in the Florida construction industry, "dream companies" can become 'nightmares' all to soon. You're still a young man, stick it out in your present position.

Ain't that the truth.

But if you really trust your instincts,, you should go with the good company.  Once you're in you can do a great job at whatever they want you to do initially and then move into another position or, if you're really good, create a position for yourself doing what you love to do.

Even though you love your job now - you won't change your company's culture.  Better to take an acceptable job at a company that you respect and trust that they will reward you in the near future.

Again, this only applies if you're SURE the other company is "good". (Read Osprey's comments again)

Be happy in your work.

Peace be with you.

[/Imbroglio mode off]

Quoted: Quoted: go back to college. Seriously, If you are in transition from careers, it is a great opportunity to educate yourself and look great to a potential employer. I love my chosen carreer path, and I'm already over-educated for it.  Having a master's degree in construction management, and a bachelors in Architecture is pretty much overkill in the construction biz, and actually intimidates alot of people.

They are intimidated because you are educated more than they are. Nothing worse than being smarter than the boss, and everybody knowing it, esp. the boss.

In fact, with your education, contacts and skills, why don't you start your own company? I read your posts, you're one of the brighter people here. (And that's saying a lot!) I think you'd do pretty well.

The only thing worse than being smarter than the boss is having a dumb boss who is also an incompetent asshole. You're too young and too unencumbered to solidify into a life of being a desk droid. This job might run OK for now, but, no job is permanent- things change, and change before we realize.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: go back to college. Seriously, If you are in transition from careers, it is a great opportunity to educate yourself and look great to a potential employer. I love my chosen carreer path, and I'm already over-educated for it.  Having a master's degree in construction management, and a bachelors in Architecture is pretty much overkill in the construction biz, and actually intimidates alot of people. They are intimidated because you are educated more than they are. Nothing worse than being smarter than the boss, and everybody knowing it, esp. the boss. In fact, with your education, contacts and skills, why don't you start your own company? I read your posts, you're one of the brighter people here. (And that's saying a lot!) I think you'd do pretty well. The only thing worse than being smarter than the boss is having a dumb boss who is also an incompetent asshole. You're too young and too unencumbered to solidify into a life of being a desk droid. This job might run OK for now, but, no job is permanent- things change, and change before we realize.

Oh heck, 95th!  If there is one thing I learned in my 25 years in corporate management is that shit floats.

In life regarding business there is a basic decision one must make, career path or standard of living and they aren't the same.   Make up your mind on which is more important to you and the decision will come easy.

Tj

If you don't like working in an office then estimating isn't for you. I spend all day in my office taking off paint jobs and it sucks.  It sounds to me like you are a PM for a GC. I think with your degrees estimating would be a step back.

Quoted: Quoted: Ironically enough my current parent company has work there too.  I would go, but I wouldn't know what to do with my dog. Take it with you! And then they dont go for it tell them you will be late everyday so you can take it to Doggy Day Care!

Goddamn, I almost pissed myself laughing at that one!

Quoted: In fact, with your education, contacts and skills, why don't you start your own company? I read your posts, you're one of the brighter people here. (And that's saying a lot!) I think you'd do pretty well.

That's exactly the ultimate goal.  And one of the things I weighing between the two companies is which one will give me the better experience in the long run to start that business of my own.  I'm also somewhat afraid that the new larger company might be too easy to get comfortable at, and I'd never leave.

You wanted to go, so go.

Tell your current boss (if you can figure out who that is) that you're leaving for more money and more responsibility and explain why you aren't real thrilled with your current job. Maybe you will get an offer that will make you happy. If not, then you have a new job with no doggy daycare lady.