On August 31st my friend from MBA school, who works at one of the major hospitals in the Boston area (hereinafter called “The Hospital”), sent me a Facebook message asking me if I was interested in getting a job description for an IT job at The Hospital. Since I hadn’t received an offer from The Corporation yet, I figured I was still fair game, and I agreed to look it over.
Certain things stood out from the posting: working directly with clinicians, process mapping of clinical IT use cases, training clinicians on use of software, software enhancements. Wait a minute… working with DOCTORS?? Mapping their use of software??? TRAINING them on using software??? This position couldn’t have been tailored for me any better if I had written it myself!
I mentioned it before, but I have been obsessed with the medical profession for many years. I own a copy of the Gray’s Anatomy book, the MOSBY’S medical dictionary and the big fat MCAT Kaplan book. I wish I had time to study these things on my own, but I never seem to get around to it. My point is that this is an area that just calls my name!
On September 1st I submitted my resume and cover letter to the hiring manager. She got back to me the same day, and we scheduled an interview for the following Tuesday.
We hit it off right away. She and I had so many things in common, and it seemed like a perfect place to work. I loved the fact that she casually mentioned having a wife and a child, only because I am very comfortable in diverse environments and it was comforting to know that I was not going to be the only minority in the office. I felt right at home.
I was called back for another interview to meet the chief of IT and the chief of medicine who sponsored the IT department. They loved me and went gaga for my passion for the medical field, and I could tell they felt at ease leaving this position in my hands.
On September 22nd I got a call from HR with a verbal offer. They were offering me a much lower amount than I make right now (a difference of about $10K a year), and they said they don’t give out signing bonuses, so I could say goodbye to that idea. That meant I would be putting up about $8K out of my own pocket to pay my current company for MBA courses. That was a loss of $18K in a single year.
Shortly after my conversation with HR, the hiring manager sent me an email (long letter) telling me what a great fit this was and that she knew the salary was not what I was expecting to make. She said she made the decision to take this job three years ago at a much lower salary than a different offer she had on the table, and never looked back. She loves her job, and she thinks this would be a perfect fit for me. If I didn’t take the job, she would understand, but be very disappointed. I replied thanking her profusely for the heart-felt email, and told her that the finances had to be thought of very carefully, and assured her I was giving this some very serious thought.
Was this “perfect job” worth it? Was I investing in my future happiness? or was I shooting myself in the foot and ruining my chances at a higher salary later in my career? Could I afford my dream job?
After talking to everyone I could get advice from, I decided that all of this thinking would be moot if I didn’t like the team. I decided to call them back the next day and, instead of talking about numbers, I asked to meet the team. I suggested next Tuesday, and I am waiting to hear back.
So, what’s it gonna be?
Pros
- Can you say “dream job”??? Working with doctors, mapping out their needs, learning how they work!
- Training doctors on use of software. I am AWESOME at presenting, and I get a lot of energy from being in front of a crowd.
- Not having to work with people outside of the area (equals no crazy calls in the middle of the night or wicked early in the morning)
- Working with great people
- Awesome medical benefits
- Reasonable working schedule. Family friendly.
- I would get to learn about the medical users of software in the field. That’d be a great learning experience for anyone in the health care industry.
Cons
- The pay is way less than what I am making right now. That would put me at a great disadvantage if I’m left without a job trying to get a salary upgrade on my next one.
- If the job falls short of expectations (which are pretty high at this point), I’d be in a job I hate with a crappy salary.
- I would have to pay $8K out of pocket (tuition pay-back) by giving up my current job and The Corporation job.
- I would be downgrading to an analyst position, when my MBA and my experience should have been preparing me for a team leader or project manager position
- The Hospital was very much affected by the recession and has been laying people off. Would I be next in line?
I guess what I’m seeing here is that I would be taking a huge career risk. And why? Because I am being lured into a very sexy job. This job is my sirens from the Odyssey. Should I give in? Are the risks worth the job? I guess that’s why I called them back asking to meet the team: I want to make damn well sure that the position I have idolized in my head is the exact same position they are pitching to me.
I don’t want to miss out on the best job of my life because of a few thousand dollars. But I don’t want to take a step back in my career for a job that might not be all it’s cracked up to be.
What to do?
abi