The Kind Of Problems I Like To Have

There are a few problems that I think I would like to have. Problems like winning the lottery and having too much money to manage. Problems like dating two or three great guys at the same time and having to pick the best among them for a Friday date. Those are good problems. Oh, and this one just cropped up for me the past week or two-having a job that you like and getting an offer to go back to work in an industry you loved with people you already know and love. Yeah. These are the problems I would wish on everyone. I only have one of them, but it's a doozie! I need a little help here so I am going to explain the situation and maybe someone out here will read this and think they might know the right answer. Maybe.

I work as a building manager. I don't have my realtors license so I make a lot less than most in my position, but I am doing okay. I deal with over 100 tenants and most of them have complaints at least once a month. The building has it's problems, but mostly it is doing quite well. I have 4 employees and they are great. I have some issues with them, but mostly they show up and do a great job. I have made friends here. The company I work for is a small operation. The benefits here aren't the best. They don't offer health insurance for my son, only me. There is no 401K or retirement plan. I only get one week of vacation and that must be taken when the owners are in the country. No vacation at Christmas this year. Or ever as I understand it. Each year I get another vacation day until I have 10 days (aka 2 weeks). That is all there will ever be. 2 weeks. The job can be high stress. I have Lupus and sometimes this gets me a little down. The company only gives 4 days of sick time a year. Only 4, ever. On the other hand, it is a small operation and the owners are my direct report. Mostly when I ask, I receive. Mostly. Being in a small company works in the sense that ones accomplishments (and shortcomings) are recognized. Luckily, I rarely have much trouble being recognized even in large corporations, but here I look like a super star even when I am not. Kinda strokes the ego, ya know? And that is where I am now.

I got a call the other day from the VP of Human Resources who hired me at my last job at XXX Construction. He moved on to a company that the former CEO of XXX Construction started about 2 years ago. Confused? Yeah, I know. Anyway, I miss the construction industry and this company is already HUGE. As in 1 billion in backlog. At least 5 more years of work at a continually busy pace. I know most of the people I would be working with. I would be giving up a position as a manger to be an administrative assistant. The money would be same. The stress would probably be less, but this job is in estimating. If you know anything about construction you know estimating can be CRAZY. Estimating is the department that does exactly what it's name implies. They take plans and then estimate the cost to build. They do this estimating under enormous time constraints due to the fact that bids must be in on time. The job can be very taxing on the estimators and, by extention, the staff. The benefits at the new company would be MUCH better. MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better. My insurance would be paid by the company. My son's insurance would be 75% paid. I would have a 401K that the company puts 5% of my salary + profit sharing in each year and they also match 50% up to (I think) 12% of annual. I would get 2 weeks vacation the first 5 years, then 3 weeks after that. One week of sick time each year. The possibility of transferring out to different department are there if I don't like what I am doing. Construction was very good to me and I am feeling that it can be again.

Now, I know it doesn't seem like much of a dilemma, but it is to me. I do like my current job, but if I stay here I know this is what I will be doing for the duration of my career. The company isn't going to get much bigger in the next couple of years and even if it did, what sort of positions would open up to advance to? I am kinda high on the totem pole right now. And let me tell you, that isn't the worst place to find one's self. It's nice. I would be going back to being an admin. I liked being an admin. I like being a manger. I am so confused. These are the sort of problems everyone should have.