Have Family, Can't Travel

I posted back in July that I was starting to look for a better job. I applied for two and then stopped for a while after not hearing anything back from those two and not seeing any interesting ones since then.

I then saw a role I am really interested in a couple of weeks ago. It's a Senior Consultant role for a major ETRM (Energy Trading and Risk Management) software vendor. So I contacted the boss of their Asia Pacific operations (an Aussie expat in Singapore) and sent him my CV and application letter.

He called a few days after to set up phone interviews. After two short informal phone chats and one lengthy formal phone interview, I learned more about the role and their company and managed to impress him enough to go to the next stage. The next stage is the technical test and the previous calls were more the experience, behavioural, and communication questions. I normally do better on technical than the soft side during interviews and they are hiring 4 consultants here so I was feeling very confident about this role.

Before we proceed though, let's step back and analyse the opportunity a bit more.

Pros:
A lot more new things to learn, both on technical side and on commodity trading business.
Trading risk management experience will open many doors in future.
Consultancy experience will allow me to establish myself and my reputation with many organisations, which is required if I do decide to go solo one day.
More potential to climb up the tree as their Australian operation expands.

Cons:
Lots of interstate travels and occasional overseas travels.
Didn't see an offer yet but from the general conversations, best I could expect is a package that's on par to what I am on at the moment. No pay rise in the move.

Whether the pros outweigh the cons or the other way around really depends on where you are in life. A single young person will probably take the learning opportunities and the experiences it offers. I was very keen too during the interview and conveniently overlooked the inconvenience of frequent travels.

A lengthy discussion with the mrs about the logistics of how we would cope with that quickly changed all that. For someone with a young family, the frequent travels simply don't work. The mrs summed it up best when she said it's just a job and even the most exciting job means nothing if you go back to an empty hotel room at the end of it. She is right, I'll rather come home to see a happy wife and kiddo and still have enough time to bring the kid out to the local playground and play before dinner time.

She hit the nail on the head when she said it's not even worth it if they offer double my current pay, let alone similar amount. At the end of the day, family is much more important than career and money for us. It's the same logic that we applied when she quit her job to look after Rafa full time.

Anyway, I just emailed the guy to advise him that I don't wish to pursue it any further with a brief explanation and an apology for having wasted his time so far. Looking at the current situation I won't even bother looking for the next two years. Just make the best of what my current employer has to offer until my long service is due and we'll reevaluate my career situation at that time. The slow and steady mule is proving to be a suitable ride for this old family man.

4am now, wrote this because I had been thinking too much and couldn't sleep. Hopefully now that I have emailed the interviewer and cleared my mind by writing out my thoughts loud I can sleep like a baby. Otherwise there will be one tired and grumpy old man at work later today.