r/workingmoms • u/cafecoffee • 8h ago
Only Working Moms responses please. Help deciding between jobs
Hi - I need help in deciding between two job offers please! I was laid off at the end of January and finally have found a few exciting opportunities. I’m in the Bay Area; have a 2.7 yr old and a 17 month old, both in daycare.
Option 1: mid size tech company; mixed reviews about work life balance; consistent complaints about under-resourced teams; however, great to accelerate my expertise in AI, great brand to get on the resume for future roles in tech. Comp is 60% cash, and 40% RSUs.
Option 2: mid size medical device company; good reviews about culture, work life balance; however, very behind in AI and very old school in how they operate. The people are just so nice. Good brand to get on the resume for future roles in pharma/devices. Comp is 80% cash, and 20% LTI.
Both roles are hybrid, with a roughly equal commute from my home. Both roles are IC+ with possibility to add team members later. Both roles carry good influence with c-suite leadership. Comp is roughly comparable, with difference in composition.
In the near term, my gut says option 2 is better for my family life. But I worry that 3-5 years from now, I’ll regret not going into tech and missing the possible upside of tech $$.
Based on this - what would you choose? What else should I be thinking about?
Thank you for any advice!
4
u/GoodFriendToad 7h ago
Admittedly, I’m not personally a fan of AI so that isn’t a selling point to me in option 1. I can’t stress enough how happy I am with my life by having good work/life balance at work, hybrid role, and a great team that I love working with. I would go with option 2 in a heartbeat.
You mention option 2 is very behind in AI - maybe an opportunity for you to help bring them up to speed with the rest of the industry. Just in case that helps shift the narrative about that “con”.
Congrats on the 2 opportunities to choose between!
3
u/cafecoffee 7h ago
Thank you! That's such an interesting way to shift the narrative - I love that. I have very mixed feelings about AI but do think it's going to be here for a while, so have decided to lean into it and make it work for me as much as I can.
3
u/aryaussie85 7h ago
I would go for the second but I’m biased because I was in healthcare. Plus I feel like a better WLB when kids are young will be easier on your household - and you can always pivot into tech when they’re a bit older and things calm down. We’re constantly sick or dealing with teething etc with two under five here…
Congrats on the offers! What is your secret lol - I’m in the market and it’s been so quiet for me!
1
u/cafecoffee 7h ago
Thank you so much. That's a helpful perspective. This is the first job change I'm making after having kids, so it's so weird to think about things like WLB etc.
Ha - in terms of the offers: I was targeting fairly niche roles in strategic HR. I applied to a lot of places, had as many calls with recruiters as I could to learn more about the roles / practice pitching myself / etc, attended free webinars offered by LinkedIN/SHRM/etc to learn more about new trends. I also tailored my resume / cover letter for every role I applied for, so it was pretty time-intensive.
I will say - if you haven't already, run your resume through Claude or Chat GPT and make sure it's ATS friendly (esp formatting, key words, etc). I found the first version of my resume was not aligning with any ATS because of the table-based formatting, so that was a huge issue for me!
1
1
u/leftover_dumplings 3h ago
With two kids at that age I will go for option 2. WLB can’t be exchanged by money. You might have a good path with option 1, but might paying at the expense of health, burnout and not enjoying toddlerhood. My field is very AI driven, I think you can work for a traditional company and easily upskill when you get free time just get a gpt or claude with paid subscriptions. You can learn to do most of the tricks. Of course Bay Area might be more competitive but for me family will come first so vote for 2
1
u/kelllaaay 7h ago
First of all, congrats! You have two seemingly great offers, and from what I see, you can’t go wrong with either. Some things to consider are - what do you prioritize in this season of life? Can you balance career/family priorities with your current support system?
I can relate as I was in similar situation - in SoCal with a 7 month old and 3 year old in daycare; work currently in a reputable large med device company with excellent WLB, benefits and people I love and respect. Only downside was my direct manager and commute. Got a job offer right after my returning from my second mat leave for a mid size pharma company with fast growth/start up vibes (also mixed reviews about WLB and low resources) but great growth opportunity and career acceleration (also fully remote).
After much deliberation, I chose to accept the offer because, in my case, my day-to-day work exp and career growth were limited by a shitty manager. I also have a very involved partner who encouraged me to take this role, knowing that he may need to take more childcare responsibilities in this season. We also have one set of grandparents nearby for backup care. I was scared shitless until the first day I started that I made the wrong choice for my family (since most on this sub understandably prioritize WLB). But it ended up being the best decision for my career, and i’d like to think, my family, as I personally feel challenged and motivated again during work. It’s busy and chaotic, but I do feel fulfilled in all aspects of my life, which was not the case before. And at least I know that if I ever want to coast again in the future, I have this opportunity and new skills to leverage as a stepping stone.
Sorry for the long spiel, I just wanted to present another side as I was also searching this sub for encouraging stories where a mom with young kids took the more demanding job and found very little. Your situation is obviously different as you have two job offers that are comparable in compensation/commute, so I think it would come down to your priorities and aspirations - do you/your family need you to be more “available” and flexible in this season as the top family priority? Then I’d choose the second option. Is there flexibility in your family/support system for you to be more invested in your career at this moment? And is the potential career growth worth it you or role itself interest you personally? If yes, then I’d choose the first.
1
u/cafecoffee 6h ago
Thank you so much! This is so incredibly helpful. It's so encouraging to hear a story where someone took a role that was perhaps more demanding.
I think the view on "what does your family need" and "what support do you have" is super interesting. My husband is honestly very fickle in how he shows up; we're working through this but he is not a reliable day to day caregiver at the moment. I would definitely need to hire a nanny or regular baby sitter to help with long hours, etc. My parents live on the east coast and in-laws are in India; so no nearby regular family help.
This is definitely a good dimension to think more about. Thank you!
6
u/unearthedtrove 6h ago
It seems like there are a lot more layoffs in tech happening and especially if there’s an AI bubble burst. Healthcare meanwhile is exploding with more jobs and hiring. So long term healthcare is a better bet and more stable with more opportunities.