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Recently, I mentioned that I had been offered a job that I really wanted, but wasn’t sure if I could risk taking it. I also related how my experiences as a student seeking internships had left me with a strong sense of regret about taking positions that weren’t really what I wanted because they paid better than the ones I did want (but couldn’t afford).

In large part because of those experiences, I have decided to take the risk. In spite of the short-term cash-flow problem it will create for me, I have accepted the position—and the lower montly salary it entails—because it is the job I want, not the “safer” one I have now.

This will be my last month with my current employer. Next month, I start working at Canon.

I am quite pleased to have this opportunity, but I have to acknowledge that the risks now are higher than when I was a student. I was paying for an education then, but now I’m supporting a family—a growing family—so I hope I have made the right choice. Much more depends on it now.

The next few months are going to be tough (and I don’t think my wife is very happy about that), but if we can make it until the first bonus comes, we should be okay from that point onward. The problem, of course, is that our child will be born between now and then, so that puts an even greater strain on our already precarious situation.

Thanks to those who offered advice and suggestions. In the end, it was Luis who was right. The solution was to compromise on the student load repayment plan in order to use our savings to offset the pay cut. I won’t be able to pay off my loans as soon as I had hoped, but in exchange I get the job that I want. That’s fair enough for me.