Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Should I stay or should I go?

So for those of you out there who don't know, I'm debating leaving law school. No degree, just $30k down the toilet. In doing this, I would be taking a job in Austin for a salary higher, at least, than when I was at IBM. I haven't gotten an actual offer yet, we'll see what it actually looks like, but apparently I'm likely to get one.

Let's look at the pros and cons of staying here in law school:

Pros:

  • Staying here with S
  • Staying here with the dogs
  • Not completely turning my life upside-down
  • Getting my law degree
  • Doing work on the jurist website.

Cons:

  • Not really happy with law school
  • Worried about not finding a legal job when I get out
  • Worried that I won't be able to get a tech job then either (remember, this is 2 years down the road)
  • Another 2 years of being relatively poor
  • 50th percentile in my class makes it seem even sillier

Now, to look at moving to Austin:

Pros:

  • Back in the computer field, where I want to be.
  • Back in Austin, which is way better than Pittsburgh.
  • Money in my pocket.

Cons:

  • Company already does some outsourcing to India.
  • Described by my friend there as not a great place to work, but they pay well. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
  • Apparently the biggest problem with working there is my hiring manager. Also not necessarily the best situation to walk into.
  • Could theoretically get laid off in 6 months, then I've given up law school for no job.

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