MBA Job Offer Advice Needed

Go with the oil and gas firm. $115K in S.F. isn't very much. Compare the costs of living.

Plus, who you going to party with when the Longhorns win another MNC and the Rockets take down the Mavs on their way to Championship tres.

 

I would choose the Bay Area firm simply b/c that area is a great place to live.

But an equivalent 90K salary in Houston means you will have to earn 180K in San Fran to have the same standard of living. Thus instead of getting chrome spinners on your Escalade in Houston, you will only have alloy spinners on your Escalade in San Fran.

Oil and gas is boom time right now, but these things generally go in big cycles over time. Right now we are in commodity super bull cycle, but oil is already already leading this pack.

Only downside, is you have to move every 2 years, but if you can afford to do it is while you are young (assuming you don't have kids right now).

 

I think you should accept the offer from the Bay Area. The Bay Area is one of the nicest, most diverse places in the US. There's always lots of things to do...

I don't know about the cost of living in Houston, but I think the cost of living in the Bay Area is exaggerated. 115k is not going to put you in the upper class, especially if you're going to work in Silicon Valley... but you definitely will be comfortable with 115k here.

 

At your age, go with the job that will give you the most marketable skill sets.

Three years from now, you'll be moving on to a different job (I mean that in a good way).

 

Baqui, do you mind telling me what your GMAT score was? I'm looking at some MBA programs right now and am having a hard time breaking 680 on my GMAT exam.

Also do Wall Street firms in NYC recruit from UT MBA program as much as other programs around the nation?

 

90K in houston gives you a way more baller life than 115K in the bay area does imo

 

I spent over 10 years in Ca; agreed... $90k in Houston is way much more than $115 in Ca (before you even get to the much higher costs for rent, food and transportation, lop off nearly 10% for the Ca Stats income tax). Although if you predict growth for the company, options can provide you with enough capital to fund your own start-up.

Tha said, I would discount the salary issue almost entirely. Not like you have a family; you should have 2 issues at this point: the life experience you prefer for the next couple or few years and more importantly, what industry, career, and work experience you'll gain.

So where do you see the industries going? What kind of job do you enjoy/looking for? You should be prepared to 'pay your dues' to get there, so neither of these jobs may be the ultimate but do they provide you w/ a foundation (training)/career path (doesn't have to be w/ the same company); are the skills transferrable to another industry if that one tanks? Not sure how one defines 'stagnant' industry... I would have assumed tech could maybe be defined as in a cyclical downturn, but there's still way too much going on in it to call it stagnant and nanotech will be crazy when it takes off. There is certainly $$$ are in oil for now... but we're all praying for cold fusion.

So are you high-tech or a trader?

Good luck.

 

dont lie on your resume and then not tell us about it later

 

Mr. Brightside, send me your email address (huy@alum.mit.edu) and I"ll send you some study stuff.

 

cool...email sent..thx

 

off the cuff, i think San Fran is an AMAZING city. but i know i could not deal with the commute on a day to day basis.

if energy financing is what you want to do long-term, houston is the better place to be. take the houston job, enjoy the cost of living. you'll have more opportunities to jump ship here if you stay.

that being said, go on a huge vacation before you start and get that "i want to be out of texas" feeling out of your system.

 

#2

Your standard of living will be MUCH higher in Houston

 

Man, that's tough. You'll make quite a bit of money in your first year in the Bay Area job, but after that, the base salary will be lacking. But then again, after 18 months, they may send you to another part of the country where the cost of living is lower, so it could conceivably work out.

Only 90k + 5k signing bonus for the Houston job? In energy finance, too?? That seems low to me. Finance historically pays more than marketing does (a lot more in some cases), yet my compensation package, when taking everything together, was higher than yours. Seems out of whack to me. I'd totally talk to Mike and Stacy (the career counselors) about negotiating the offer. Nicole helped me negotiate with HP.

Personally, I think you'd be happier with the Bay Area job, as I know you're interested in getting out of Texas (from your posts). I'd say just give it a try and see what happens. If you hate it, move on to somewhere else (or hey, back to Houston). After all, I think Nicole told me that MBAs leave their first post-school jobs after an average of only 2 years. So go live it up, I say.

 

Easy. Take the first one. If you have a chance to get out of Houston and go to a beautiful city like SF, do it. Plus they move you around every 2 years? Can't beat that. The money is good, and you have a chance to get out of the humid, polluted, swampy city of Houston.

I moved to Phoenix for a new job, took less mone initially, worked hard, am now making more than I was in Houston and I have never looked back.

 

Bay Area.

Are there more offers coming, or are these 2 the final 2?

Seriously, though, at the end of the day it comes down to people. If you feel more comfortable with one group versus the other, go with that. Any differences in group/team/department sizes? I'm picturing high-tech company and thinking smaller company, smaller department, more autonomy, which would be better for me, but then you said it was very bureaucratic, so it may be a huge tech company.

 

This was my first thought also. $115k in S.F. is NOTHING, and the $90k in Houston goes a lat farther.

However...

One must also consider the future. Do you intend to stay at these jobs for the rest of your life? If not, which do you feel will open doors more in the direction that you want your career to go?

 

if you plan on staying in energy finance, houston imo is the obvious choice.

 

huypham, could you possibly send me some study stuff as well...

Just graduated with a bachelor's in Healtcare Administration from UH-Clear Lake and I am currently working with a prominent healthcare organization in the Med Center and I am deeply considering to go back in a year or so to further my educational resume with a MBA or MHA(Healthcare Admin) or a dual masters.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

email is jason_zalun@yahoo.com

 

90K in houston..is actually more then 120K in San Fran...