Major career crossroad: government work or the private sector? Which to choose..

I am in desperate need of advice, as I have recently received two job offers and have been stressing over which to choose. ***Both opportunities pay about the same to start.

I'm twenty-nine years old, a U.S.A. citizen, with my entire career ahead of me. I am completely clueless as to what plans I want for my future career path, and I am getting increasingly overwhelmed with indecision and constant second-guessing. I tried making a PROS and CONS chart numerous times, only to end up frustrated.

Job A is a government job, in police records working for the city. Job B is a manufacturing technician position within a large company that produces microchips.

Both Job A and Job B offer comparable benefits; including medical, dental, PTO, etc.

Job A is union-based, so I would be part of a union (for the first time-I don't know much about unions). Job B is work-at-will and is not union-based.

I have an IT degree (a two-year). Obviously, Job B may require more use of my degree but only in a "fab" or manufacturing setting.

Job A doesn't require a degree and is in a completely unrelated field; however, the work seems as if it would be interesting at times.

Job B offers a compressed schedule: Rotating Wednesdays and every Thurs - Saturday for 12 hours. Job A offers an 8-hour/5-day week schedule in which I would be working a swing shift from 4:00pm to 12:30am.

I am assuming that my opportunity for advancement would be rather limited in either position, so I cannot assuredly say that either one would provide impressive advancement opportunities. And when it comes to the future, I have no idea what sort of plans I want for my career.

Job A is a brand new department, brand new extension of my city's police department. Due to my application submission date, I have been given 3rd seniority within a group of 14 people... which is actually quite desirable. I'm not sure how seniority works exactly... but according to what I am reading on the union contract, it would help decide future promotions and scheduling?

Job B offers the opportunity to finish my B.S. degree for free. And being a competitive and self-improvement-oriented person by nature, there may be opportunities for me to move within the company depending on my strengths.

I am sorry if this is all too much information. I am pulling my hair out trying to make a decision. If I choose Job A, I start on Monday. If I choose Job B, I start on Moday. This has literally come down to the last couple days of indecision.

Any advice would be appreciated. I would love to hear about your own experiences and would be happy to answer any questions that you might have.

I've worked for the Gov't my entire adult life. For job security... You can't beat it. For benefits... Better than most. For advancement in pay... It can be better or it can be worse - that just depends on how high you want to go up the ladder. Plenty of politics involved in any Gov't job. For that matter... Just about any job has some sort of political BS because people feel threatened when there comfort zone is challenged.

Personally, if job B wants to pay for your education - I would go for that. My job paid for my education and I don't regret it one bit. You, as a student, are well aware of the costs for a formal education. If you can get it paid for without having to take out $60,000 in student loans... Go for it.

Job B.

Education benefits, education and skill level of your colleagues, networking and schedule all are advantages.

The benefits of being union especially pay off when you stay a lifetime, and your education and aspirations suggest you've no inclination toward a career with the city police department. Job B puts you close to your field where you have more chance to meet others whose ideasand connections will help you advance within your areas of interest.

I'd generally never steer anyone away from government work, but not all cities are created equal. Look into your city's retirement benefits. A lot of them offer 50% of your salary for life after just 20 years and full health coverage included with it. It's, frankly, unbeatable in the private sector, as is the job security of a public union. If I could go back in time, I'd have joined the Army as anything other than Infantry and stayed in for 20 years. I'd be retiring in 8 years at 38 if I had. Granted, that's federal, but many municipalities have similar plans. It's a good door to have your foot in.

But, again, not all municipalities are the same. Do some research. And, all of this said, if you think you'd enjoy the chip manufacturing more, I'd go for that.

It doesn't sound like you can go too wrong either way. If your heart's steering you one direction over the other, I'd consider it a safe bet.