Money, Career or Family?

Last week was a busy week for me, as I was running around the whole island attending interviews. I am not complaining really, coz it's a good sign that my somewhat limited skill sets are still in demand. Met some nice interviewers along the way, one of them was even my ex-superior's good friend! what a small world so my advice to you is never to burn bridges. :) Anyway, here are some of my interview highlights:-

Company in Tuas
Remember the company I mentioned earlier that is located right next to the isolated western coastline of Singapore? I got the job.. and was even offered a 1K increment! Well, monetary-wise it is no doubt attractive, but it sucks in terms of location - too far to even meet my friends for lunch, job scope is mundane, prospect and advancement is almost NIL, and it's in the most unexciting industry you can ever think of.. lubricants (for industrial use lah, not ky jelly!).. office is pathetically small, working conditions depressing. Sigh, no wonder they are willing to pay, hardship allowance maybe!

Company that requires me to start work at 7:30AM!!
This company took me by surprise. I was half-hearted, coz the advertised job scope was that of a book-keeper and honestly it is the next most boring job after a librarian. However, during the interview, the hiring manager told me that he had changed his mind over the weekend and decided to hire a controller instead of a book-keeper. And coincidentally, he turned out to be a good friend of my ex-superior and we hit off quite well! Thank God I am still on good terms with my ex-superior so my chances are not jeopardised :) What is enticing about the role is that it has an excellent scope for advancement. A high profile role where I'm supposed to implement policies to address business risks, and play a critical role in influencing the growth and performance of the company. It certainly entails a lot of challenges and it'd be a steep learning experience for me, which I believe is highly beneficial for career development and advancement in the long run. Sigh, the catch, however, is that the company starts work at 7:30AM!!! I almost fell off my chair when I heard that! I think he could see the look of horror on my face too, so he told me to think about it carefully and give him a call if I'm still interested. Look, who in the world, other than the newspaper delivery man and the coffeeshop uncle, wakes up at such unearthly hours?? I need my beauty sleep! Moreover my biological clock is telling me that I should really be thinking about starting a family soon, and if I do take up the job, it may mean putting on hold my family plans for a while given the demanding nature of the role. Well, I'd really have to prioritize between family and career.

Competitor Firm
The interview went ok.. nothing exciting to rave about. Quite a quick session coz I think the hiring manager is a busy man. But I guess I should have an advantage over other candidates since I'm from the same industry and currently doing exactly the same stuff as the job requires. The job and me kinda fit each other like a glove. Come and think of it, it's going to be so boring..*yawn* to be doing the same things in the same industry all over again. But then again, it might as well be the right job for me at this moment, since I'm planning to start a family soon and work stress is the last thing I want to deal with. Plus it's nice to visualise a pregnant me in a familiar and comfortable environment..gee..


At the end of the day, it is a choice about family, career and money. Mini asked me to use the Tuas job as a leverage to ask the competitor firm for higher pay, if they offer me the job that is. What a brilliant idea! At least I can fulfill my family goals and get more money at the same time. Let's keep my fingers crossed that I'll get the job.