please allow...

...the business in me to make a 5 minute song and dance rant and then i will be silenced from disinteresting you with this nonsense. feel free to skip this post if you so please.

within the last year and a half, i have turned down a number more than one job offers, each which pay exponentially more than the one i'm at currently, and two of which were promotions from the position i was currently in. friends, mentors, and family have all voiced their opinions telling me i was crazy to do such a thing. many times, i doubted my own decisions too.

but i finally found affirmation today in Forbes' article, "Why You Shouldn't Take That Promotion":

"while it might make me more money, moving up on a path I couldn't stand would only be taking me further from the path I was hoping for."

AMEN. THANK YOU, meghan casserly! while i received peace in my previous decisions to turn down offers, i have been searching for some sort of secular, "real-world" evidence affirming that it is not insane to turn down offers for higher-paid positions. all i wanted was to have a stronger argument than a mere spiritual reason, "God told me so in a prayer" (even though i guess spiritual reasons should be the strongest). to know that "real" people out there do this kind of stuff too, with good reason.

anyways, she pretty much rephrases the God-speak to make it relevant for all, whether you're a Christ believer or not. yes, you might be moving up in your career, but no, that is not the path for you. and in the long run, it will hurt you more than make you happy. (this sound similar to something described as God's will for us? something along the lines of, "if it's out of God's will, you'll pay the consequences. so be faithful.")

"most of us are very flattered when we get offered a promotion and often that comes with the dangling carrot of more money, but will more money make you happy? where is your career headed? will you be up to the task? what are your priorities? - karen freidman

guilty as charged again.

so the article gives a list of reasons why not to take a promotion (or in fact, a new job offer). they're pretty biblical. a few in particular resonated in me:

• Reason 1. Because the promotion will keep you from the right opportunity. Freidman likens the career path to a board game: “To win, you have to be a step or two ahead of your opponent. In your career, if you’re looking forward, a promotion might bring you a short term windfall or growth but it might not take you to the top of the ladder or worse–to the top of the wrong ladder.” Look at your goals.
  
• Reason 2. Because the promotion doesn't mesh with your personal life. Decide if the promotion is the right opportunity at the right time.
  
• Reason 3. Because the promotion is set up for failure. (self explanatory. been there, done that.)

Affirmed. it IS okay to say no. i can finally sleep well tonight, and i love my current job and wouldn't rather be anywhere else. so think twice again before saying yes to that paycheck.