Fresh Grad - Job Offers? (San Francisco, Oakland: sales, school, college)

[1120A]

Hello everyone,
I'm a fresh grad from CSULB and am stuck between two job offers. I'm really at a loss of which direction to take and would like to seek everyone's advice.

I just received my Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Both jobs look appealing to me, one pays significantly more.

A: an internet advertising firm in San Francisco. Pays $35,000.

B: sales rep for non-technical products. Lots of traveling to retail stores.. otherwise work at home. $47,000.

A is appealing to me because it's somewhat in the high-tech field. Leaves plenty of room for growth. In San Francisco - great for marketing opportunities. Challenges me. However, it pays fairly low. I honestly don't mind the low pay, I'm just afraid it may be difficult to live a stable lifestyle in the Bay Area?

B is appealing b/c it pays more. Still seems interesting, I just feel that A might have better opportunities in the future.

[EscapeCalifornia]

$35k is amazingly low pay for San Francisco. Can you sleep standing up in a closet?

[Social Democrat]

Gotta say 35K a year in SF, even if just starting, is just too low. Finding even a room in a decent area is very expensive and ya gotta eat, live etc.
If you're just starting out I suggest the higher paying job simply for economic reasons and if you look around for other work it will give you some leverage for better pay. Hopefully it will let you save a few dollars and keep looking in SF if that's what you want to make the transition easier.
That you have two job offers is great!

[ccm123]

Congrats on your degree!

35K is way too low of a salary for a college graduate in the Bay Area, to be able to live comfortably. Negotiate for a higher salary, or take the other position.

[slo1318]

For a single young adult if u see quick upside you would be fine in the bay area.

[oldtrader]

Consider $35,000 in San Francisco to be equal to minimum wage most places, due to the high cost of living there. That is why everyone is warning you away.

[ippi76]

San Francisco are resident here, if you really want the 35K job you can make it work.

You'd have to be fine or able to take the local BART train to work (if your office is near a train station) and be willing to commute from Oakland/Berkeley or somewhere on the BART line. You'd also have to get a room, not your own place, which would be around 600-700 bucks.

[spotlesseden]

i would pick the 35k job because of more upside and you can look for new(better) jobs while working there.. But that position should be 60k+.

[SunnyTXsmile]

Originally Posted by 1120A

Hello everyone,
I'm a fresh grad from CSULB and am stuck between two job offers. I'm really at a loss of which direction to take and would like to seek everyone's advice.

I just received my Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Both jobs look appealing to me, one pays significantly more.

A: an internet advertising firm in San Francisco. Pays $35,000.

B: sales rep for non-technical products. Lots of traveling to retail stores.. otherwise work at home. $47,000.

A is appealing to me because it's somewhat in the high-tech field. Leaves plenty of room for growth. In San Francisco - great for marketing opportunities. Challenges me. However, it pays fairly low. I honestly don't mind the low pay, I'm just afraid it may be difficult to live a stable lifestyle in the Bay Area?

B is appealing b/c it pays more. Still seems interesting, I just feel that A might have better opportunities in the future.

I was about to type what you already said. Go with your gut. Option A sounds like it has larger growth potential which means, if you do well at your job, you'll likely move up fast and will eventually surpass the pay of job Option B.

Job B sounds to basically be a dead end. They couldn't pay me enough to do that to my career, especially when you're just starting out.

Listen to your gut.

Pay for Option A is likely lower because demand for the job is higher. Get a roommate if you must. Cut your living expenses where you can, but pay your dues in the better field and you'll quickly move up and be glad you made the right decision for the long term.

Good luck.

[SunnyTXsmile]

Originally Posted by spotlesseden

i would pick the 35k job because of more upside and you can look for new(better) jobs while working there.. But that position should be 60k+.

$60k+ for a fresh out of school grad with no experience? Not in my market. I don't know the exact job details, but while $35k sounds low-ish for that area, $60k sounds way too high, as well.