Chargersgrl's musings...

Which path to choose? I have a decision to make that will change my life in a big way. My company is offering to let us leave with severance. And it's a pretty sweet deal. I have been struggling for the past 2 days with the pros and cons of leaving my company. So far, what I have are the following:

Pros:

If I leave now, I can't get laid off later. (There's no guarantee of a good severance if I DO get laid off in the future.)

I really want to take time off from work to study for the MCAT. With this opportunity, I can do exactly that.

If I leave I can spend more time with my horses for a few months (while studying for the MCAT).

I have 6+ years of experience in a few different areas (fermentation, cell/tissue culture, protein purification, buffer and media prep., filtration, etc.) and I have a lot of contacts in the industry.

Cons:

If I stay, there's the possibility that I'd get moved to another shift or even another department (which would suck).

If I stay, I probably won't get my promotion any time soon.

If I leave, I might not find a job where the hours are so good. Plus, I do make decent money.

Then of course, factor in the following:

At this point, I'm not sure I'm getting a bonus this year (which would have been $$$$ that I could really use) because the company screwed me out of it. I was going to use some of it to go to Chargers games...possibly the game in England, even!

I busted my butt for this ungrateful company and all they do is keep me down. (Hence the fact that I deserved my promotion and they came up with some BS excuses not to give it to me.)

And just to further screw it all up, there's this:

What if I decide that I WANT to leave, but then I don't get to...and I get stuck working on another shift (translation, less money and crappy hours)??? After setting my heart on leaving, I could get completely screwed over (AGAIN!!).

This is all even slightly further complicated by the fact that for the first time in a LONG time, I am actually interested in someone. If I stay working for now, I don't have much time for socializing and dating. Not to say that he's even interested, but I'm pretty sure he is. I guess I shouldn't really take that into consideration when making my decision. But damn, it would be nice to have Friday nights off to go out. Of course, I will have to watch what I spend and will probably find other ways to make extra money for a few months by working minimally.

Well, you know what they say: when something in your life goes right, something else goes to crap, right?

The fork in the road of my life...

From someone who has made some major career changes in his time, I would say that the most important thing is happiness. If you are really unhappy with your job maybe it's time to move on. If you do decide to take the severance, then in addition to the MCAT, you might want to be looking for another job, too. With the experience you mentioned, there are lots of companies in the SoCal area that would hire you. SoCal is one of the top biotech regions in the world and there are lots of companies who would love to hire someone with experience.

A couple things.
1) Do you love your job? Do you see yourself loving your job if you can get promoted? Can you get promoted. It sounds to me like the answer is no, no, and no for those, at least right now. None of your pros were "I really like this job". And you say that "this company keeps me down". Well, if there are few opportunities, then you need to find a new company.

Now, you won't want to hear this, but you also have to look inside yourself a bit, too. If you are really unhappy with your job, are you putting your best effort into it? It's easy to hate a job and then lose the desire to even try. If you feel that way, then you need to find something more fulfilling. But remember...the grass isn't always greener. You'll always deal with jerk bosses who seem like they want to "keep you down". You have to overcome those people not let them win. If you are good enough, you will eventually be their boss. But, it's important to actually like your job or at least know that you can get a good promotion if you work hard enough.

2) Are you really dead set on going to medical school? Or are you just interested in the concept of being a doctor? If you want to go to medical school, get out now and put all your focus on taking the MCAT and getting your applications out there. If you aren't really all that set on it, then start looking for a more stable job.

I know very little about you, but one thing you might want to consider is a masters degree if you aren't totally set on medical school...chemistry would be a great bet because bio experience with a chemistry masters makes you pure gold in the biotech market. It's a 2 year commitment and you get a moderate paycheck while in school to boot. It would even give you a chance to study for the MCAT if you still want to. The only problem with that is the horses. I'm not sure how expensive they are and you might not be able to afford them on a grad stipend...although if you could get a fellowship it might be possible.

3) If you decide you want to leave, but they don't give you severance, start exploring other options. You can do so while still working there, especially if it's grad school or medical school. Start putting feelers out to other companies looking for your experience. 6 years of any type of biotech experience goes a long way in the market.

4) Don't be afraid to grab the future and make it your own. I don't know how old you are, but I'm positive you're younger than me. I've taken a very long and winding route to where I am, and I'm still not quite here I want to be, but I've always taken the best opportunities that will get me where I want to be. I don't regret anything and I'm enjoying the trip. Don't lose sight of enjoying the trip because if you put your happiness off to "what might be" you'll miss out on "what could be right now".

The fork in the road of my life...

A tough decision. Sounds like you getting a one-time special severance offer. Before you decide, compare the standard severance policy to the special offer. With your current years with the company, what is the difference between the plans? It should be at least three months, or the special offer isn't that good.

Consider that survivors in a downsized company can be more valuable than ever. With each downsizing, the Company loses some of its Corporate memory and must rely more heavily on those left behind. Could that in fact decrease the likelihood of further less lucrat

Badger_colorado Reputation: 97 Level: Superstar Since: Jan 24, 2007	Posted on: February 15, 2008 9:50 am Score: 93 The fork in the road of my life... From someone who has made some major career changes in his time, I would say that the most important thing is happiness. If you are really unhappy with your job maybe it's time to move on. If you do decide to take the severance, then in addition to the MCAT, you might want to be looking for another job, too. With the experience you mentioned, there are lots of companies in the SoCal area that would hire you. SoCal is one of the top biotech regions in the world and there are lots of companies who would love to hire someone with experience. A couple things. 1) Do you love your job? Do you see yourself loving your job if you can get promoted? Can you get promoted. It sounds to me like the answer is no, no, and no for those, at least right now. None of your pros were "I really like this job". And you say that "this company keeps me down". Well, if there are few opportunities, then you need to find a new company. Now, you won't want to hear this, but you also have to look inside yourself a bit, too. If you are really unhappy with your job, are you putting your best effort into it? It's easy to hate a job and then lose the desire to even try. If you feel that way, then you need to find something more fulfilling. But remember...the grass isn't always greener. You'll always deal with jerk bosses who seem like they want to "keep you down". You have to overcome those people not let them win. If you are good enough, you will eventually be their boss. But, it's important to actually like your job or at least know that you can get a good promotion if you work hard enough. 2) Are you really dead set on going to medical school? Or are you just interested in the concept of being a doctor? If you want to go to medical school, get out now and put all your focus on taking the MCAT and getting your applications out there. If you aren't really all that set on it, then start looking for a more stable job. I know very little about you, but one thing you might want to consider is a masters degree if you aren't totally set on medical school...chemistry would be a great bet because bio experience with a chemistry masters makes you pure gold in the biotech market. It's a 2 year commitment and you get a moderate paycheck while in school to boot. It would even give you a chance to study for the MCAT if you still want to. The only problem with that is the horses. I'm not sure how expensive they are and you might not be able to afford them on a grad stipend...although if you could get a fellowship it might be possible. 3) If you decide you want to leave, but they don't give you severance, start exploring other options. You can do so while still working there, especially if it's grad school or medical school. Start putting feelers out to other companies looking for your experience. 6 years of any type of biotech experience goes a long way in the market. 4) Don't be afraid to grab the future and make it your own. I don't know how old you are, but I'm positive you're younger than me. I've taken a very long and winding route to where I am, and I'm still not quite here I want to be, but I've always taken the best opportunities that will get me where I want to be. I don't regret anything and I'm enjoying the trip. Don't lose sight of enjoying the trip because if you put your happiness off to "what might be" you'll miss out on "what could be right now". [ Reply to Comment ]
TennFan1975 Reputation: 91 Level: All-Star Since: Sep 4, 2006	Posted on: February 15, 2008 4:06 pm Score: 91 The fork in the road of my life... Is your office merging with the Stamford, CT branch :) Hey, check out this workplace video, its a LMAO-er http://theater.despair.com/013006icbwwmv.html [ Reply to Comment ]
Jellydonut Reputation: 98 Level: Superstar Since: Oct 19, 2007	Posted on: February 15, 2008 11:11 pm Score: 90 The fork in the road of my life... A tough decision. Sounds like you getting a one-time special severance offer. Before you decide, compare the standard severance policy to the special offer. With your current years with the company, what is the difference between the plans? It should be at least three months, or the special offer isn't that good. Consider that survivors in a downsized company can be more valuable than ever. With each downsizing, the Company loses some of its Corporate memory and must rely more heavily on those left behind. Could that in fact decrease the likelihood of further less lucrat

Chargersgrl1

The fork in the road of my life...

The fork in the road of my life...

The fork in the road of my life...

The fork in the road of my life...