To stay or not to stay

This is definitely the toughest decision to make to date!

To stay or not to stay…that has to be based on what is offered?

Option 1 is where I was given lots of opportunities to grow, to develop, to experiment, and to earn so much of love and friendship for the past 8 years ++, and a place where I spent a quarter of my life and the entire of my career at, a place where I call home in KL. Here, I have a very supportive and appreciative boss, a great team of colleagues to path every journey with, a pool of talented and respectful students to work with, and a place that allows my creativity and talents to be exercised to the max. I have a track record here. I can get things done easier here because of the people I knew. I am familiar with the place, the process and the people here. I will be very engaged and enabled here, hence can perform to my best ability because I am effective. I think I belong here. To leave all my memories behind is a painful act.

But, what will I be getting into if I choose to stay? I still have not gotten the answers to all my uncertainties – What position am I offered? Will I be able to bring PC to the national level as a branding exercise for the company? What is my career prospect and advancement in the next 5 years? What is my future here? I need some solid indications to help me make my decision. I asked my close friends for their views, of course they all wanted to convince me to stay. I asked my family for advice, and I was told to follow what my instinct tells me to. My heart is asking me to stay but my brain is not. So, which organ controls the instinct formation? I am still in that battle, wishing a little push, or pull from either side. Who said having more options is good? It’s not when the options are indistinctively comparable. What about the other option?

Option 2 recognised my capability and offered me a position in the senior managerial level. And this offer allows me to leave my current job to expand my network to a greater level. I can do so much now…Or should I say that it was this offer that brought in the other offer from my current employment? This is indeed a dilemma I am in now. This option opened my mind to the corporate world. I am entrusted to handle a few big projects and execute the ideas of my boss. But, I do not actually enjoy being just an executer that much if I do not contribute anything in the process of creativity and brainstorming session. I don’t think I am a runner. I think I can do much more that running errands. I think I am a lot more better than a chore taker. I need to be able to lead, to practise my creativity and to contribute significantly to the growth of the company, both tangibly or intangibly. However, if set aside, this option only provides a bigger platform for me to work with people other than students and teachers. I will be able to work with other directors, celebrities, etc. Is this very crucial to my career advancement? Are meeting people like this and the experience I acquire along the journey fundamentally vital to champion my area of expertise and to move me up the corporate ladder? What if I have a boss who is very task-oriented instead of people-oriented; bluntly straight forward instead of tactfully sensitive; dominantly bossy instead of receptive of varied ideas and possibilities? Will I be able to adapt to such working environment and to stretch myself to such inflexibility and accommodation? Should I reconsider Option 1?

I need one week to decide!