Thursday, November 13, 2014

Contemplations

I had a great phone interview this morning with Time Warner in Albany. They made it no secret that they want me. It was nice to hear such positive feedback on my resume and website for a change! I wonder if I'm destined to continue in television. It's what I know. They didn't offer the job, but I am going to interview with them in person next Friday. I have a feeling they will offer me the job. We already talked money and benefits and he asked how quickly I could start. So this gives me time to figure out what the heck I would say if they offer me a job.

That's kind of a huge decision. And I'm honestly not sure what the right thing to do would be. We'd have to sell the house and move. But would we wait until after winter and work and live long-distance for a few months. I could come back on weekends. Eric wouldn't have a job in Albany. The tables would be turned. He'd then have to start the job hunt process. He could obviously start now if we decide to do this and hopefully get a head start. But you never know. These things apparently take time! It would be nice to get him out of that evil WCNY place.

Or... do I say no and stay here and keep looking? Get a job at the mall until I find something. I mean, I will eventually find something. But when?

So. What would you do? I'm looking for advice. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Oh and a positive would be that we'd be closer to Alex and closer to Boston. The Time Warner Albany offices are 2.6 miles from the UAlbany campus. Heh.



6 comments:

Beth in NEPA said...

Well, it is 45 minutes to an hour longer from our house.... But it would be a new area to explore for you..... Just how stable is Time Warner these days?????

D said...

Wow, what a tough decision. How does Eric feel about moving? Would Alex commute instead, a money saver. Would your income be enough while Eric job hunts? If you lived in Albany there would be rent issues to think about. How is the cost of living in Albany? Unfortunately all I can offer is probably all the things running through your mind. In the end, go with your gut. (You'd be closer to us too).

Roger said...

Roger here. Just some thoughts - pretty much off the top of my head, but something for you to consider.

This would obviously be a very big and disruptive move for you and Eric - selling the house (at a time when the market is still soft), him finding a new job in a fairly narrow field, and the inherent risk of any new job where the rule of thumb is that a person should move for at least a 20% raise. Granted you are out of work, but your former salary will be the standard that defines your worth to a company.

My biggest concern is the uncertainty surrounding Time Warner and the potential merger with the much larger Comcast. It is anybody's guess how things will play out, but as a relatively small market, Albany could be swept up in a massive reorganization - maybe not right away, but in the next two or three years something is likely to happen. Maybe good for you, maybe not, but you will have made a commitment that you would have to live with. I would be talking differently if you were taking a job at Time Warner headquarters in New York City, though even that could be risky.

If you can stand it, I would pass on Time Warner/Albany NY. At your interview, see how they respond to these concerns.

So those are my top of mind thoughts. Take them for what they are worth.

Good luck with your decision. Keep us informed. You know our hearts are with you.

Roger

Aunt Margi said...

Hi Amanda,
Roger would like to join your blog. Would you please invite him. His gmail acct is rogerbaron.media@gmail.com.
Good luck on your job chase.

Amanda said...

Wow! Such great comments!! I appreciate all of the thoughts and advice. Roger, it's funny, the guy I was talking to at Time Warner actually said TW was purchasing Comcast. After a little research, I found out it's just the opposite. That is a big concern. Comcast could decide to shut down the entire Albany Headquarters, or if nothing else, strip it down to nothing. A huge group of Syracuse Time Warner employees were laid off about 6-7 years ago and they sent all the work to Albany. So it certainly is something to think about. My heart would very much like to stay put, it's easier. We like our house. We have friends and family here. But I do need a job and they truly seem to be lacking here.

Roger said...

I didn't know about the TW experience with Syracuse, but that is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about. With the economic troubles in Syracuse, you may actually have to move, but you want it to be to a situation without so many dark clouds on the horizon.

Although the TW/Albany move may not be right, it sounds like this has opened you up to seriously thinking about, if not national, at least a Northeast job search.