To start, I feel/am extremely blessed to have offers on the table especially given that the job market is still so up and down with Covid. It's a true blessing and I am in no way complaining. ♥️

Diving in!!

Welp, I negotiated and they countered at about $4k less than my counter offer. I then had another job offer come through from an interview a few weeks ago and they are offering me $7k more than the pay of my most recent job. Which equals $13k more than job offer#1.

I am having the most difficult time making a decision.

Here are the things I am looking for. Continue living in the same city (not really looking to relocate). So in city or near city I reside in or remote. Company/Position is in line with my 5 year goal or there'sroom for fair timed advancement (simply meaning, if you excel in your role by month 11, you'd be considered for the next level position or opening instead of being required to wait 2-3 years or however long to be acknowledged. An Industry where I have experience.  Company has to have decent employee reviews and decent former employee reviews, this will allow me to get a feel for the environment and the work culture. Lastly, decent pay for my level of expertise.

Both positions are in finance.

I feel that both are wonderful opportunities.

Offer#1: In the same city. In office about 30-35 minutes away with no traffic. Reviews are decent but the field of work is not in line with my 5 year goal nor my area of expertise so I'm essentially going in at entry level. End of year reviews are above the average percentage so despite their offer coming in much lower than expected even with my counter offer, there's a decent chance that within 2 years I will make the current salary I desire. Also, this position is bonus eligible immediately and the bonuses are based on the ability to generate income from some of the expenses. Smaller company, I should add.

Offer#2: office is based 3 hours away. Allowing me to work remote until September 1st but will require relocation. Reviews are decent but some are questionable based on other areas of the business such as claims adjusters and auditors. Offer is well above asking. The position is an exact match to my 5 year goal and level of expertise except for the fact the work is a 1 person show. I am well versed in the field and already know the systems. Therefore I am going in just above a senior level. Larger company.

I should also add that I am engaged and getting married in April. He works for the city with a decent salary and pension but he is unable to move his pension and right now if he quits, he will lose it. So, he wants me to take the in city career and I just can't say for sure to either.

I know that Noone can make this decision for me but which one makes more sense?

Sorry for the long post. To add this final detail, offer#2 is VERY similar to my most recent position but the lines of business are different. I'm familiar every single system that they utilize including the ledger. Because offer#2 is a one person show, I will be working alone. In my last position, I worked alone for 16 months after my colleague quit and the workload was unbelievable!! It was impossible to stay afloat and became a high stress job. After working really hard to catch up, I found out one day that a merger was in place for 2 years and there was a final decision to eliminate my team. I had a chance to speak with the employee at job offer2 and she is retiring soon which is why they are hiring to replace her but also that she's processed the work alone for the 11 years she worked there. So that brings a bit of comfort meaning the workload is maintainable. I'm leaning towards both as both provide a little bit of what I am looking for going into my next career.

Lol. Help!!