
Ask HN: What should I do? - tonym9428
I have a really tough situation. Two job offers that are roughly equal and I don&#x27;t know what to do. Can anyone help me make up my mind? What should I do?<p>Dayton, OH:
small company,
small city,
cheap housing,
60,000,
mediocre benefits,
analytics, reporting, some modeling<p>Pittsburgh, PA:
medium sized company,
bigger city,
cheap housing,
63,000,
educated population,
good benefits,
modeling, visualization, and client interaction,
good chemistry with hiring manager
======
hiram112
One thing rarely mentioned when these questions pop up is the ratio of single
women / men for various criteria. For example, certain areas, mostly in the
West, are heavily lopsided with single men in various age brackets. This
means, if you're a hetero guy, it's really tough to date, find a potential
partner, etc.

OTOH, in NYC and DC, there are more women with college degrees than men; this
equates to an easier time for that same guy.

Same thing applies if your a woman, gay, etc. - find whichever area favors
your target market. You can have a good guess of your boss, work environment,
etc. based on the interviews, but until you've worked there, a lot of it is a
gamble. OTOH, finding a detailed study of demographics is a Google search
away. There is an interesting chart here:

[http://labs.time.com/story/see-the-ratio-of-single-men-to-
wo...](http://labs.time.com/story/see-the-ratio-of-single-men-to-women-where-
you-live/)

~~~
siquick
"there are more women with college degrees than men"

Why does it matter if they have a college degree?

~~~
hiram112
If you are asking honestly, it is because women, statistically, will only date
men of similar educational attainment.

So the result is that if you are a guy without college, you'd avoid an area
with a higher ratio of educated women, whereas you'd have better luck if you
did have a degree. Vice versa for women.

Not trying to make a point one way or another on educational attainment,
gender, etc., just recommending based on my own experiences.

------
boniface316
One of the best adice I received was 'Choose your boss not the company'. My
first employment was not a big company, but the man I worked for would lose
his sleep if I dont get paid that month. It tought me a lot. Hope this helps!

------
michaelpinto
Old dude advice here:

Have you gone to to each company and city in person?

If so which one really speaks to your heart?

Which company has people that you'd like to meet who you might learn from?

Which city would you want to look for the job after this one if this company
falls apart overnight?

Forget logic young Jedi Tomy and use the Force!

By the way it sounds like you're young, so realize that you can do something
in life, realize that it's a mistake and then move on. Once you're married
with kids and/or have elderly parents your choices become narrowed down a
bit...

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thelittleyes
That's not a tough situation, you're in a great situation! Two job offers that
you get to choose from is not a bad place to be.

I help people think through these kinds of situations all the time with my
work. If you're interested I'll give you a HN special of a free phone call so
we can figure this out together. I'm not going to sell you on anything, so
don't worry about that. If you're interested email samuel at thelittleyes.com

You can learn more about what I do here:
[http://www.thelittleyes.com](http://www.thelittleyes.com)

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trcollinson
I would personally pick Pittsburgh, because I lived there at one time. Lovely
city, so much to offer, and they are REALLY upping their business game. If it
were me, this would be a no brainer.

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JSeymourATL
> client interaction good chemistry with hiring manager

Social currency wins. The friends and contacts you make will create higher
visibility and more opportunities as your career progresses.

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MalcolmDiggs
Personally I'd go with Pittsburgh.

But, it should be noted: If you have two similar offers, you're in a good
position to make a counter-offer to either one and get more money out of the
deal. If Ohio is willing to raise the salary to dwarf the other offer, maybe
it's worth going with them. If you're considering telling them "thanks, but no
thanks", then you might as well send a counter-offer instead. You really have
nothing to lose.

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brucehart
I currently live near Dayton and grew up near Pittsburgh. If you don't have
ties to either city, I would take job with better benefits and manager in
Pittsburgh. Both are nice cities with a surprising number of tech jobs.
Housing is a little cheaper in Dayton but not dramatically different. If
family doesn't factor into your consideration then there are more lifestyle
options and things to do in Pittsburgh.

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debacle
I _really_ like Pittsburgh, and I really _dislike_ Dayton, FWIW.

What's your five year goal? Are you looking to start a family? Looking to get
experience? Looking to just have a nice life?

~~~
tonym9428
My goal is to become a better applied statistician, so career is impotant. I'd
also like to get married. I'm fairly mobile though, having live in three
states over the past six years.

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a_lifters_life
Just by the way you explained it, it appears you like pittsburgh better. Plus,
you mention "good chemistry with mgr" \- that is HUGE. good luck!

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whatnotests
PA all the way. There's nothing in Dayton. Also easier to find other gigs,
like-minds and leisure activities in PA.

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pavornyoh
Go with Pittsburgh. The good chemistry with the hiring manager is very
important here.

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percept
Do you have a connection to one city or the other (living in one now, family,
etc.)?

