Should I accept a low starting offer to move down a better career path?
Please excuse me if this is the wrong forum but I was not sure where else to post this
Had a few questions and I would appreciate the feedback of some experienced people.
[B]Situation[/B]: I recently graduated with a 4 year MET degree. I have a good resume and 3 internships experience for someone who just graduated. I'm working an internship as a drafter right now at a company called Kiewit and they'll probably offer me a position, but I don't want to do just drafting. I want to do something more exciting.
[B]The offer[/B]: I got an offer for a job in ND with a company that designs, tests and manufactures agricultural tractors/equipment (1 year contract). The catch is, it's only 22/hour which comes out to less than 46k a year. That seems really low, the town is Fargo which isn't that low cost of living either. I was under the impression starting salary for METs was in the range of 55k-60k as I have friends starting in that range.
[B]Decision I'm faced with[/B]: Should I take the offer in Fargo which does more interesting work than Kiewit? It is a test engineer position, a lot of hands on and a combination of a lot of things such as mechanical, testing and electrical. This sounds like good experience but it seems like such a low offer. Or should I pass it up and hope something better comes?
[B]Question 1[/B]: They need work quick and they have only given me about 1 day to make a decision, is this common? This seems incredibly low time frame to make a decision. Does it make a difference I'm working with a recruiting agency?
[B]Question 2[/B]: Would it be out of line to call them up and try to bargain for a better paycheck?
[B]Question [/B]3: What is a realistic offer that I should be shooting for with my degree and experience?