Should I take this job?

October 25, 2015 8:10 AM

After deciding to leave my current job that has grown to be a toxic, stressful environment which is exacerbating my mental health issues, I finally have a job offer that I am excited about! But I'm on the fence as to whether or not it's worth making the jump for - if these concerns are legitimate or if it's my anxiety holding me back from a great opportunity. Please help me decide the most appropriate course of action.

I have an offer for a job that looks very interesting to me and would provide a way out of my miserable job situation now, but family members are urging me not to take the position as they are concerned about safety issues. However, my family tends to be a little unsupportive and over-dramatic even at the best of times, so I'm finding it hard to weigh the actual risks.

This position would be as a field interviewer for a government study, going to different neighborhoods and homes to get pre-selected people to participate in the study. However, as a 22 year old female, my family is concerned that I'm going to be putting myself in danger and could get threatened/mugged/shot at/killed/???.

Pros:
- Better pay
- The job is in my field of interest/related to my degree (when there are little to no opportunities for this around here)
- Sounds like fascinating work and would not be a sedentary, mind-numbing office job
- Independence

Cons:
- Possible safety issues?
- Mostly evening work
- Not a set schedule, nor guaranteed hours (but I can supplement with freelance work)

I've been trying to weigh out the pros and cons to come to a decision, but I really think it comes down to the safety issue. Part of me wants to take it, for the pros mentioned above, plus the fact that I am trying to gain more independence from relying on my family's opinions so much, since they tend to be sort of limiting and negative. However, I can't push out of my mind the fact that this may be a valid concern. Just how much danger would I be putting myself into, and is it worth taking the job? I'm supposed to get back to them by Monday - how can I decide?

posted by Malleable to Work & Money (11 answers total)

It might help us to know what city/neighborhoods you'd be walking around. The answer about whether safety is a true concern would vary a lot based on that.
posted by joan_holloway at 8:15 AM on October 25, 2015

Response by poster: I meant to include that but forgot, whoops! This would be in my hometown of Reno, Nevada.
posted by Malleable at 8:16 AM on October 25, 2015

I have done a job exactly like this and nothing bad ever happened to me. If you are in the hairiest of neighborhoods, it could become slightly more risky... ? But you're probably going to be fine. Your family is being obnoxious anyway, it's really not up to them.
posted by easter queen at 8:17 AM on October 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

Having been a 22-year-old generally perceived as female, I'd do it. If a specific situation feels bad, trust yourself and skip it; if it turns out that your supervisors aren't supportive of that or that you're encountering so many legitimately problematic assignments that you can't do your job, then you're at least in a better position to find something else in the new field/with the job characteristics you value.
posted by teremala at 8:37 AM on October 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

Where do you want to go next, in terms of your career? Do you know where other people who have done this work have ended up? Is that somewhere you would like to go?

If this job will move you in that direction, it is probably worth it, even with inconvenient hours, etc., especially since you are miserable where you are now. But, they key will be to keep your eyes on the prize and use this as a stepping-stone rather than an end point.
posted by rpfields at 8:38 AM on October 25, 2015

Best answer: Can you contact the new employers and say you're thrilled to be offered the job and just keen to clarify some issues about safety before you accept?

Ask if they have safety procedures in place to support staff - Do they know exactly what addresses their staff are calling at when? Is it possible to opt-out mid-assignment without recriminations if you feel unsafe? Do they maintain an active blacklist of addresses/areas that have been problematic in the past? Could you chat with one of their other female employees to put your mind at rest before signing on the dotted line of the contract?

If they're employers worth their salt, they'll take your questions seriously and already be aware of this as an issue which they take active steps to address.
posted by penguin pie at 8:54 AM on October 25, 2015 [14 favorites]

Best answer: Reno is pretty safe, and you probably won't be "alone" (if you don't have actual partners you'll have a supervisor nearby.)

I mean, it doesn't sound hideously dangerous to me, and I'm a cautious person. The odds are more in favor of your family being excessively negative than of the job being a real safety hazard. Remember that your employer has the legal obligation to keep you safe - your family has no obligation to be reasonable.
posted by SMPA at 9:01 AM on October 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

When you say 'pre-selected', do you mean they have already agreed to it and are expecting you? If so, that woold make me even more comfortable.
posted by Vaike at 9:07 AM on October 25, 2015

Another thing to consider aside from safety questions: since this is for a government study, is it a temporary job with a definite end point?
posted by daikon at 9:32 AM on October 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I also want to say that I know a person with parents like this, who vehemently disapprove of everything he does (yes, he, so even though they're making it about your femaleness, it's about control, NOT keeping you safe). They harass him about it until he gets uncertain and changes his behavior and it's just the worst to watch. So if you family is like that, get used to learning how to ignore them COMPLETELY.
posted by easter queen at 1:00 PM on October 25, 2015 [10 favorites]

I am not you, but I let my family talk me out of trying for things that they thought weren't safe enough for me to handle on my own when I was your age, and those are some of the biggest regrets of my life. it's one of those things where I look back and literally say, "what the hell was I thinking?" you are a grown woman, and you know much better about what you can handle than your parents do.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:33 PM on October 25, 2015 [3 favorites]