2 totally different jobs - which would you take???

[Anonymous]

I've been offered 2 jobs. Like everyone else here on this board, I'm an attorney. However, I went out of my comfort zone a bit on this job hunt and am now a little thrown about what to do.

Job 1: Fed attorney job. Comfy. Know the material. Not as senior as I've been in the past (but took a break for kiddies -- so trying to get back in the door), but could be a springboard into something else within that agency. This job maxes out at the pay grade they are hiring me at so, to advance, I would have to jump altogether. Might be flexible about hours. Will likely be boring but predictable in about a month.

Job 2: C-level executive assistant. Definitely more exciting and busy. Great boss with great business. Better hours -not real flexible due to boss's schedule but better hours for school aged kiddo. LOWER PAY - 15-20% lower gross pay. However, would meet new people (i.e. make great connections). Would obviously not be back in Fed world making strides as attorney. Could lead to something great. Could be boring as heck. Just excited about the opportunity to do new things and meet new people. However, the pay cut is concerning -- don't know if we could afford the full-time nanny with this one.

Thoughts? Anyone jump off the lawyer track and love it? Anyone regret it?
TIA!!

[Anonymous]

Do you want to be a lawyer or an executive assistant? Only you can answer that question. They are vastly different, and the choice is obvous to me, but is highly personal.

I am a lawyer and would have no interest in giving that up to be an exec assistant. Do you not like being a lawyer? The fed position ssounds great.

[Anonymous]

Not a lawyer but fed employee. Go with the fed job. Better security, benefits, flexibility, connections. Remember the flex time option for kids and school. Hands-down to me.

[Anonymous]

I am an attorney who is no longer so enamored of being an attorney, and I would also consider leaving the field. However, the exec. asst. position would give me pause - if it turns out to be boring and you hate it, it will be harder to recover from and move on to something else. If you are returning to work after SAH, and you take a non-legal job, seems that it will be harder to get a legal job in the future. Are you ready to turn your back on being a lawyer? If you're unsure, I would hesitate to take the exec. asst. position. I do see the allure in doing something new and exciting though, you'd just have to be prepared for the consequences if it didn't work out. Can you tell I'm pretty risk averse? Possibly why I'm still an attorney ...

[Anonymous]

Job 1.

[Anonymous]

I don't know that I'd take the executive assistant position unless I didn't want to go back to the law. I think it would be kind of a red flag on your resume. There are other things you can do with your law degree - have you explored nonprofit work, general counsel work, etc?

[Anonymous]

The Lawyer job.

[Anonymous]

While I am a federal attorney and would choose it over the second position, I would have several reservations.

First and most timportantly, I just do not think it is true anymore that federal jobs necessarily have better flexibility, security and benefits. I work in an office that does not allow AWS or telework, my pay has been frozen, it looks like we might take 5% take-home hit due to retirement contributions, and if plans to reduce the workforce by attrition happen, we will all do more work for no more pay.

I am NOT complaining about it and again, I said I would choose the fed job. But the reasons are not security, pay or flexibility. It could very well be that the private company is better on those fronts.

[Anonymous]

I am the 1st PP--don't be so sure that you will necessarily have an opportunity to meet people, even if your boss does. There is a vast difference between working as a lawyer and as a secretary.

[Anonymous]

I think that the executive assistant position could be a dead end and unlikely to lead to anything except other assistant jobs. I think the fed. attorney job would open more doors even though you won't be meeting as many people. Good luck with your decision!

[Anonymous]

Ack--sticky keyboard--where I said "working", I meant "networking"

[Anonymous]

The first one. The second one has so many pitfalls - you will be beholden to someone else's schedule and attitude and if you don't like it, it will be really hard to get another job.

[Anonymous]

I am a former attorney who has taken an extended break to be with my kids. I am looking for a non-attorney job as I no longer want to practice law but I would take the fed attorney job in a heartbeat if I were you. I, too, know that if I want to do something non-legal, I would likely have to do something more administrative to start with but I have been looking at program coordinator type positions, not executive assistant positions. Just my opinion that although you will be meeting a lot of new people, they will likely view you as their potential executive assistant (not that there is anything wrong with this type of position) and not as their potential marketing person or whatever role you want to move into. Fed attorney jobs are hard to get so it is awesome that you got one. I just think that you will get bored at the executive assistant job making travel plans, answering phones, etc. You can always look to transfer within the gov't to another agency in a non-legal position and if you are already in gov't, it will be easier.

[Anonymous]

no question. the lawyer job.

you are probably romanticizing the assistant job. as i think about the executive assistants i know, they are all either trying to break into another field (school at night etc) or riding it out as career assistants.

[Anonymous]

OP,
Is the exec. asst. gig in a field you went to enter? What's your passion, your dream?