Thursday, March 30, 2006
The Big Decision
I heard from LAF the other day. It's one of those good news/bad news things. The good news is that they like me. They really really like me. They want to hire me and they said that I'm their top candidate.
The bad news? They ain't showin' me no respect! Their offer is a little lower than I was hoping. They even recognize that it's low, especially given what I made as an actuary. They tried to ameliorate me by saying that I'd be getting a review in a year and I'd be eligible for a promotion at that point. So, that'd be nice. But it'd be nicer to get more money now. Of course, when is it NOT nicer to get more money now?
So now I have a real problem. Do I take a job that I think would be fun and interesting even though the pay is low? I think the answer is yes. For one thing, I don't have a whole lot of companies knocking down my door looking to hire me. (I have a few that are trying to get me to pay my bills, but that's another matter. And don't get me started with those childcare payments. One drunken night in Phoenix does not a baby make!)
Rick actually told me a couple good things about working for LAF. One of them is, like I mentioned, I'd learn a lot there. They're great at training, so in a few years, I'd be a goddamn expert. Rick also mentioned that I could then take my experience and go work for a hedge fund somewhere making "bookoo dollares." (Name that movie quote. It's a great movie from the 80's featuring one of the best topless scenes of any movie everywhere. And it also features Judge Reinhold jerking off.)
The other good thing about working at LAF is that it might be possible for me to ease on back into actuarial work. For one thing, I'd be working with actuaries quite a lot. LAF would pay to get my credentials updated. I could study up on recent pension law. And maybe in 2-3 year, I'd be able to get back into it. So given that there might be a big payday in 2-3 years (via actuarial or hedge fund) and I'd probably be getting a promotion in 1 year, I think this is a good idea. Add in the fact that I'm interested in the work and it seems like a no-brainer.
Now the only question is whether I can use the skills I learned in my negotiations class to get my starting pay ratcheted up a little bit. Anybody actually think I'll be successful? Yeah, me neither. But it'll be fun trying.
The bad news? They ain't showin' me no respect! Their offer is a little lower than I was hoping. They even recognize that it's low, especially given what I made as an actuary. They tried to ameliorate me by saying that I'd be getting a review in a year and I'd be eligible for a promotion at that point. So, that'd be nice. But it'd be nicer to get more money now. Of course, when is it NOT nicer to get more money now?
So now I have a real problem. Do I take a job that I think would be fun and interesting even though the pay is low? I think the answer is yes. For one thing, I don't have a whole lot of companies knocking down my door looking to hire me. (I have a few that are trying to get me to pay my bills, but that's another matter. And don't get me started with those childcare payments. One drunken night in Phoenix does not a baby make!)
Rick actually told me a couple good things about working for LAF. One of them is, like I mentioned, I'd learn a lot there. They're great at training, so in a few years, I'd be a goddamn expert. Rick also mentioned that I could then take my experience and go work for a hedge fund somewhere making "bookoo dollares." (Name that movie quote. It's a great movie from the 80's featuring one of the best topless scenes of any movie everywhere. And it also features Judge Reinhold jerking off.)
The other good thing about working at LAF is that it might be possible for me to ease on back into actuarial work. For one thing, I'd be working with actuaries quite a lot. LAF would pay to get my credentials updated. I could study up on recent pension law. And maybe in 2-3 year, I'd be able to get back into it. So given that there might be a big payday in 2-3 years (via actuarial or hedge fund) and I'd probably be getting a promotion in 1 year, I think this is a good idea. Add in the fact that I'm interested in the work and it seems like a no-brainer.
Now the only question is whether I can use the skills I learned in my negotiations class to get my starting pay ratcheted up a little bit. Anybody actually think I'll be successful? Yeah, me neither. But it'll be fun trying.
