Ask HN: Should I choose a job aligned with my main or auxiliary interests?
I've had a not bad offer recently for a CEO assistant job aligned with my auxiliary interests and skills (medical/IT translation), where I may have an opportunity to also develop a bit one of my main interests (computer programming). Its advantage is short commute time, 80% familiar work routine. I may be building a website on Wordpress (LAMP) for them, but Wordpress is not my main interest, as they just need a better SEO.
But today I've had an offer for another CEO assistant job aligned with my more of my main interests (biophysics and biotech) for a company dealing with biolab equipment and reagents. I may have the basic (administrative and clerical) skills they require for this job, though less experience. The advantage is that it will allow to dive deeper into the biotech world and have staff trained in neurobiology as myself. And the main disadvantage is 3x longer commute time. Also their staff seems to be mainly russians settled in a baltic EU country and due to recent global events I have a mental allergy to any type of russians in the EU. At first I declined their offer and they said that ok they have enough candidates to choose from. Then I called again and got an invitation for an interview tomorrow.
Should I choose a job with a longer commute time aligned with my main interests or a more comfortable job aligned with my auxiliary interests?
Comments
Auxiliary.
In a society where you graft to buy back your own leisure time never let what you really care about become a mere job. All the good things in life happen despite and around the "day job".
And if you care, don’t let them know
Don’t give yourself away - Joni Mitchell
Main actually offers 3/4 full time in the beginning and a hybrid model, so I may be this long commuting only ~3 days a week. Just hate to choose between apparently equally acceptable offers.