Choices to make: what would you do?

[juliec]

I've been lurking on this fine forum for a while, trying to figure out how to leap into the fray and when to take a stab responding to a post.  But now I've suddenly gotten a quandary myself...  so I guess this is how I'll start.

I'm in a similar pickle as the previous poster, having two possibilities for the summer and wondering if there's a wrong or right choice.  I consider both of these completely phenomenal opportunities that I am very fortunate to be in the running for.  I feel deeply sheepish turning either of them down, but there is absolutely no way to do them both (believe me, I've asked about some creative options).

I know there's all this follow-my-heart business.  I'm really curious to know what more seasoned professionals would think about the dilemma (also knowing that nothing is ever for certain - either of these could be the worst experience I've ever had).  What would you choose?  What questions would you ask (yourself or others)?  What would be the important things you would consider and evaluate?

A) ASM at "the" local big house's summer showcase for their young artist program (which is within the top 3 in the country).  The talent from this program often goes on to national and international houses later in their career.  Possible to get a foot in the door, although it is technically a separate company from the big house and I don't think there is often a lot of cross-over.  The SM seems super great, really fun, laid back and connected to another well-respected house in the area (albeit in a different discipline than I am used to working).  The production is non-union, but they employ union crew (I would benefit from having that experience.)  It would also be a great resume builder since the house is nationally known and well-respected.  I applied cold for a different job, interviewed for it, and they came back with something that's an even better fit for me!  I do still love ASM opportunities because it's a great chance to see how others do things.

B) PSM for summer festival with strong connections to a big house in NYC (also Philly and UK) - and some extraordinary folks (cast, director, conductor, and guest faculty).  They will have both a professional-level show as well as a young artist showcase.  Too early to say where their young artist talent ends up, but pretty safe to say not on the same stages...  I haven't PSM'ed before (although I've acted in that capacity and been mistaken for one, so it wouldn't be a total stretch - the opp was for an SM, but they've offered me a PSM credit).  It's a small festival, but is growing - it has plans for growth, has grown, and seems to be able to attract the level of talent that will enable it's future growth.  This is the first year they've needed an SM so I feel that I have a lot to offer and it's right up my alley to start something from scratch.  It would be a frantic, action-packed, and exciting summer.  One of my mentors made the intro, thinking I would mesh well with the director.  Given the star quality of those involved, I am a little nervous that the people here since they have worked with some real pros (also knowing how truly amazing and experienced my mentor is) - I'm of course flattered that she recommended me, but there is that fear of "blowing it" (I can perform well under pressure though).  Although the production is itty-bitty, I'd learn a lot about how people who operate at a certain expect for things to get done - I just haven't had much experience in a "big house" environment (or summer stock, for that matter).

And then, since I think these are both amazing opportunities that I am so grateful for, how would you let the other go without burning bridges?

I have my thoughts on what to choose, but I'm curious about what others think before tainting the waters.
Pay is comparable (I don't do unpaid), but I'm looking more at the size of the opportunity and how it could impact the future.

More about me:
I'm a freelancing SM who has come to the career later than most.  I only have a couple of years of part-time backstage experience behind my belt, but over a decade of transferable skills to make up for it (did a lot of cross-functional and operational team building and management) in start-up and corporate environments and lots of performing experience.  My objective for the summer is to learn as much as possible, and also to expand my network so that I can support myself with my new career choice.  I wouldn't be adverse to moving for the right opportunity.  I'm used to doing whatever it takes to get the job done - and I do really poorly with job descriptions.

[ChaCha]

Hi
I don't have enough understanding of the US scene to be able to comment in any useful way on your dilemma. The nuances are beyond me. But congrats on reaching this point - choices just keep coming at you through a career in the arts - this is just the beginning and you sound like you have a great handle on how to wade through the decision points.

The letting go without burning bridges should not be difficult. whichever you reject you just have to thank them politely and sincerely for the opportunity, explain you had a difficult choice but have accepted a different offer tis time, and ask them to think of you on another occasion. While they may be disappointed they will understand. These things happen every day of the week. Then stay in occasional touch. Of these things are networks buillt. Just make a timely decision and dont keep them hanging on past their deadline.

welcome out from lurking

And chookas with the choosing!

Regards
ChaCha

[Maribeth]

I don't think that anyone is going to be able to tell you what the best option is for you, specifically. But, here's one way of comparing what these experiences might do for you.

I would make a list of what experiences are important to me at this point in my career. Are you interested in new plays? Is your short-term goal to work at the local big house? Or are you more interested in making contacts in a new market? What experiences do you feel like you are currently lacking? Have you always wanted to work with a particular director? I think you are already asking yourself a lot of these questions- you mentioned that you would like experience with a union crew, for instance. If possible, make this list of what you want out of a job without thinking about either of these jobs in particular.

Then, make a list of the benefits and negatives of each job, and compare them to your list of "wants". Making the decision might not be as simple as picking the option with the most "pros" or the least "cons", but laying the jobs out next to your long-term wants might help you make a decision.

Again, it looks like you've done some of this- I think at this point you need to weigh things for yourself and figure out which job best suits your long-term wants and needs.

The letting go without burning bridges should not be difficult. whichever you reject you just have to thank them politely and sincerely for the opportunity, explain you had a difficult choice but have accepted a different offer this time, and ask them to think of you on another occasion. While they may be disappointed they will understand. These things happen every day of the week. Then stay in occasional touch. Of these things are networks built. Just make a timely decision and dont keep them hanging on past their deadline.

Agreed. Politely declining an offer should not burn any bridges- it's just part of the business.

Good luck!

[Mac Calder]

I don't think there can be a wrong choice. Even if you hate the entire job and you don't get any future work from it, either one is still a good learning experience. There may be a "good" and a "better" choice - but unfortunately you can NEVER know which one is which in a situation like this.

The PSM role could be an awesome platform to launch your career... but if you are worried about the work load, if the job is done poorly, it could negatively affect your career.

The ASM role is a great networking opportunity but if you are looking to move into PSM/SM type roles it may be seen as "yet another ASM credit" if you get my drift.

You've already started listing the pro's and con's for each role, however I think you need to place some weight onto these - is more experience in a higher role something you need more than some good potential contacts?

[KMC]

Since the salaries are relatively equal I think you need to weigh which opportunity has more potential for the advancement of your long-term career goals. 

Do you have a 5 year career goal, a 10 year?  Which of these opportunities is most along that track?  I've always had a 5 and a 10 year goal.  I've never been on the same track long enough that either of these remained relevant, but I always found having these goals to be incredibly valuable in focusing my career choices and keeping me motivated for advancement. 

[juliec]

What wonderful advice and great reminders!  Appreciate all the input.

I hear your thoughts on long-term weighting and evaluation, as well as thinking abstractly about those career goals - it makes so much sense!  SM'ing kind of started as a hobby, but then it started taking off and I liked it much more than tech.  I haven't done a proper re-assessment of my goals since leaping in (in Dec/Jan) and I need to (in my albeit poor defense, but i've been working and gaining new skills instead of doing all that useful goal setting...!  sigh).  And having this choice totally came as a surprise - which just tells me, you need to be ready for anything.

Thinking about the long-term future (both in terms of building relationships and especially with letting one go) sounds really key, and ultimately may be more about handling the situation to build my network than the decision itself, with preserving/building relationships being the most important thing to consider (loved your perspective on using that to build networks, chacha).

It sounds incredibly silly, but despite having worked for 10+ years, I have never had to choose between jobs before - I've just gone from one thing to another.  Things came up at the right time, or I've just known what I wanted and pursued that.  It is incredibly interesting to be in a field where jobs last several weeks, and so one always need to be thinking about what's next... keeps you on your toes, that's for sure.  And, perhaps the nature of freelancing.

I had thought the comp would be similar, but it turns out that the ASM job at the larger house pays ~twice as much (theater is so crazy!)  I also have a financial reserve built up just so I could take things and not worry about the funds as much this year (as long as it pays. ).  If I do the ASM job, I could take another job working with my mentor because the schedules would work out.  I'd probably do a solid job with the PSM role - I know I'd love the challenge and intensity of having my first official PSM spot, but would need a vacation afterwards.  I built my previous career working in crazy... and I grew up in NYC, so I love being around crazy...  Definitely not an easy decision.  Better get used to that though, because (I hope), it's not the only time I'll have a choice to make.  Making a decision by the weekend...  Will keep you posted!

[juliec]

It's about time I reported back on my decision!  Especially since it has been made, and being experienced as we speak.

First I want to echo Mac Calder's thoughts that there are no wrong decisions.  You learn from everything you do.

After changing my mind a gazillion times (even on the day I made the decision) and asking a lot of people in the industry, I took the ASM job at the local Big House.  It was a difficult decision that I really didn't want to make.  I received a lot of mixed advice.  In the end, I felt that I wanted to have the experience of working somewhere that was really special to my appreciation of the artform, and because so many people I look up to have worked there, I felt I needed to see what it was about.  The hardest part was having to pick up the phone.

I also did what ChaCha suggested and just left doors open.  Or rather, the doors were left open for me and that made it much easier.  The connections I made with the summer festival left the door open for the future and they were *fantastic* about making me feel like it wouldn't come back to haunt me and that it would be great if we could work together another time.  I couldn't ask for more understanding people on that side of the table (but they are also great professionals working at top houses in the country).  I really do hope I get to work with them in the future.

So now that I am here, I absolutely love it.  At first, I was worried that I'd have a lot to learn, and I do...  but I also realized that I do know a lot and it's not all that different from the smaller houses I've worked at.  There's not a day that I don't think to myself, "I'm so lucky - I love what I do!"  In making this decision, I have the wonderful opportunity to work on another production with my mentor.

What has changed since is that I realized I *do* want to work for A Big House someday (I guess the 3-5 year plan?).  If I'm going to do this, I don't want to only work in small theaters - I really want to take on some big challenges and do some hard very hard, complex work.  So that has helped to refine my thinking about where I want to go next.

Thank you for contributing your thoughts to my decision-making process!!!