I wanted to give an update on the whole job situation. Actually, I am in desperate need of outside advice and opinions.
So I ended up accepting the job offer several weeks ago, and when I told my existing employer the news he was a bit surprised and I think disappointed. He ended up attempting to get me to stay by offering slightly higher compensation than the offer. This made my decision even more difficult since it took away one of the pros of leaving. He also said on more than one occasion that he thought I was making a mistake. I still ended up leaving since I had already accepted the other offer.
Fast forward a few weeks and I just finished up my first week at the new job. My new supervisor is very nice, and even gave me a gift card welcoming me. She has a lot on her plate and seems to be really good at her job and on top of things. Those are all positives. They also set me up in one of the nicest offices and is actually a big improvement from the small office I had at the previous company. Another positive.
On the flip side, I have some concerns that I am not going to like some of the work. The work is certainly going to be a bit different than what I was doing so there also is going to be some growing pains. I don't mind learning new things and that can be a good opportunity, but again the concern is that I am not going to enjoy much of the work. At my previous job, the biggest positive was that I was enjoying the work and was good at it. That is extremely important. Granted I had only been there about 3 months, so I probably didn't get a full picture yet. Yet I decided to leave primarily due to the proximity of the new job to where I live and it was a pay raise (although like I said the pay became irrelevant with the counteroffer). In addition I knew the office conditions would be an improvement (although this is probably relatively minor issue). I most likely would have moved if I stayed at the previous job to reduce the commute time, but I am single and live in an apartment so a move was doable. I do have some good friends where I live so that would be a bummer, but it is not like I would be moving to a new state. But I am not sure any of these positives matter if I don't end up enjoying the work. I don't expect to like everything, but need to enjoy most of the work since I will spend a lot of my time working.
My concerns were so serious that I actually called up my previous manager and had a talk with him at the end of the week. We talked for awhile and I expressed some of my concerns of the new position. He said he was in the process of interviewing and reviewing resumes. It sounded like the job would be mine if I wanted to go back.
My question is whether or not I am jumping to a conclusion way too early since I am only a week in. But the old position will likely get filled in the near future, so I don't have the luxury of giving it more time. Also I seem to have difficulty determining which issues are the most relevant to base a decision upon. If I decided to go back, it could be rather embarrassing to leave so quickly. And I would feel a tremendous amount of guilt and shame. I guess I am looking for everyone's thoughts and opinions. Depending on the time and day, I seem to switch back and forth on what to do.
When looking back, I have always had serious difficulties in making major life decisions. I seem to become overwhelmed by possibilities and I almost become paralyzed. I also end up obsessing endlessly about what to do and it greatly interferes with my ability to function. Sometimes I seem to subconsciously make up my mind on something right away before having all the information to consider, and I kind of only hear what I want to hear and ignore or minimalize anything that does not support me initial subconscious decision. Perhaps this is what happened when I first applied for the new position. I was reading how having difficulty making decisions is a pretty common issues in those with ASD. It certainly is true for me.