Tough decision...

For those of you who are wondering what my tough decision is...

Those of you who know me well know that I have a magnetic attration to companies that are being Acquired, sold, and merged. It all started in 1998 I was working for G. Heileman Brewing Company Stroh's as a brewery tour guide. This was one of the best jobs I have every had. Not only did I meet people from all over the United States I had the opportunity to sample a lot of beverages. I learned everything there was to making beer, bottling it, and distributing it. It was all a very interesting process. G. Heileman's brewery names and intellectual properties became part of the Pabst Brewing Company, the current owner. Pabst oversees the brewing of several well-known Heileman brands, including Old Style and Special Export, under the G. Heileman name. I was lucky enough to be able to give the very last brewery tour as G. Heileman. It was my biggest tour by far and most exciting. I still have the Tribune news article with me on the cover. It was crazy to see, but a great experience that helped my fear of speaking in front of a large audience. As of 2007, the former Heileman's flagship brewery in La Crosse is owned and operated by the City Brewing Company. The new brewery chose to use the name that the former Heileman's used as its start up name in 1858-1872.
Following that I had worked for First Federal Capital Bank. I started out as a Teller, which I had worked all through college. After graduation I moved into IT Support. First Federal was a great company to work for they really promoted within and the customers were very loyal. In 2005 Associated Bank Corp Acquired First Federal. This was a shock to most employee's since we were planning on building a new corporate office in Onalaska. Strike 2 for me! My finance also worked for First Federal and we were lucky enough to be offered a package deal for both of us to relocate to Stevenspoint. Moving at that time was something neither of us was interested in since we had just bought a house and were getting married that year. Isaac's department remained in La Crosse and I decided to take a few months off of working to plan our wedding. I also worked for my dad part-time to make a little extra cash. I ended up not working for 6 months, thanks to a great severance package I was offered from First Federal.
Six months later I was offered a job at FirstLogic. I had previously had hopes of working for FirstLogic since I entered college. FirstLogic was a software company that focused on creating mailing and data quality solutions to it's customers. They were very known for their outstanding customer focus and quality of service. After working for FirstLogic for 1 year... something that I knew all to well was happening again. We were going to be acquired by Pitney Bowes. Before this was finalized the market declined this acquisition because it would cause a monopoly on the mailing software market. I believe it was a couple months later and an offer came in from Business Objects. A year later from that SAP decided to merge with Business Objects. This is where it stands right now. There are so many uncertainties in my mind. Our SAP integration will start July 1, 2008. In any situation like this it's hard for one to decide what to do. Do I look for a new job... will my job be fine... no one will know until time passes. That is the hard part.
So for my tough decision.
About 7 months ago I applied for a job at a Hospital in the area where I live. I was called to come in for an interview, but decided based on the salary they were offering. To my surprise 7 months and some weeks later I received a call from this Hospital. They had researched the market and discovered they were paying below average for the position. They revamped the position and decided to increase the salary. They asked if I would still be interested. (You hear from employer often, we'll keep your resume on file for 1 year. I never thought they really did this. To my surprise someone did!) I thought what do I have to lose. I love my job in the sense that's in challenging every day. I save my customers $100's if not $1000 of dollar's with their mailings, but maybe there is something better out there. I got to thinking about all the uncertainties with my current job also and went for it. After 2 weeks I have been offered the job. The company I work for has great benefits in regards to sick leave... (no minimum), MBO quarterly bonus, short term disability, Flex time, 401/k match, vacation time, pay, and they just moved us into a new building right on the Mississippi River (my pod is right next to the river and is a great benefit). There is so much out there it doesn't hurt to compare.

What to do...
What's more important money or being happy? Happy for sure
Hours? Yes these are very important...especially when you have a little one
Job Security? Very Important
Vacation? This is nice, but not a deal breaker
There are so many other things that are going through my mind and I need to make a decision today, so it's a very tough one for me. Especially since I've gone through lay offs in the past and it's a hard process to get through. So I guess just stay turned for what I decide is the best choice for myself and my family.