Back in March, I had a very difficult decision to make. I had two competing offers, one from my current employers and one from HP in Boise, ID. The offer from my current employer was located near a much more attractive metropolitan but was 25% lower than HP’s (though still 20% higher than my previous position). The position at HP seemed more attractive, offered more money than any offers I heard other people had received, but the metro had little to offer in terms of universities. It was hard to determine my worth, so I mostly based this on what I heard other people received. Knowing one’s net worth is extremely important in accepting/rejecting an offer. I went for my current employer mainly because I have plans of attending a nearby university for my graduate degree.

While I was interviewing with HP, they were announcing the appointment of a new CEO (Hurd). Just after I made my decision, news that there would be tons of layoffs to counteract thier losses from the Compaq buyout. Currently, their earnings are less than half what they were a year ago.

Well, it looks as if their earnings are on the up and up. HP just announced their fourth quarter earnings, which were still down, but higher than expected.

Seven months later, I have no regrets about my decision. The company is stable, my boss is the greatest, the work is interesting (I always get the really odd problems), and I love that my work is appreciated by my employers and co-workers.