I have a job offer in a city I would eventually like to move to, but I am not sure if I should take it.

I am a motion graphics animator who is currently based in Ohio. My wife and I moved here 3 years ago, then purchased a home last January.

Over the last year (thanks to the pandemic), I took on some hobbies that have done relatively well. I am massive theme park fan, so over the pandemic, I built this crazy themed tiki bar in my basement that has backstory, lighting effects, projection mapping, a whole bunch of stuff (You can find it in my post history, actually). It has garnered me some attention and encouragement from folks in the themed entertainment industry that I have looked up to for years and years. This experience has made me start flirting with the idea of trying to shift over into that industry, using what I already know, and what I've learned over the last year, to find a job in that market. Marketing, creative design, etc.

So, with my wife's support, I began freelancing about a month ago with the plan of trying to find my way into that industry. So far, I have a confirmed gig lined up to do something similar to my basement at a bar in California, but so far I've been doing mostly the same sort of animation work I was doing before. I am not saying I regret the move to freelancing (it's only been a month), but it has definitely been an adjustment.

On top of that, I was approached by some folks in themed design and theme parks for some potential (some more likely than others) gigs that would be more in-line with what I want to do, which could hopefully blossom into more. One of the gigs (which I preliminarily started but has been on hold) is with a buddy of mine who works for the planning/design division of a major theme park chain, and he could vouch for me to join the team if it ever became possible (he mentioned months ago the prospect of them wanting to grow their team). He doesn't have a say in hiring or position openings, but he's at least an inside contact, I guess.

I am a pretty anxious person, so every day I've also been checking the job boards for themed entertainment jobs I felt qualified for. As of yet, I have not been able to land one of them. However, I found a full-time posting for a job in the Orlando area for a motion graphics studio, a similar job to what I've been doing since I left college. I talked it over with the owner, and they offered the job. It is about $5k more per year than I made at my previous position, but it isn't exactly in-line with what I am ultimately wanting to do. The reason I applied to this position is because Orlando is pretty much the prime headquarters of the jobs I would eventually want to take. And I expect these postings I've been finding are more privy to hiring a local than someone 15 hours away. So in my mind, accepting this job would effectively act as a stable bridge to move us out there.

My wife is not fully ready to move yet (she wants another year in this house, which I understand), but thankfully the job is willing to flexible and allow me to wrap up my confirmed freelance jobs, then work remotely for as long as I'd need. However, there is an ultimate expectation that I'd eventually move out there, which my wife is fine with doing in a year or so.

The reason I have some trepidation about accepting is that I feel as though if I took a full-time job so soon, those aforementioned freelance jobs that I would really love to be involved with are things I would not be able to accept. In addition to that, I feel like my application to this offered job was a little more about the location than the job itself, which I have to admit is probably not the most sound reasoning to take an offer, as tempting as that move sounds. Starting to think I let the anxiety get the best of me and that I applied to a new full-time job too soon.

So, I'm sort of between a rock and a hard place here, and I only have a few days to accept this offer. I think it's going to come down to one of two outcomes:

• Accept the job, and likely have to pass on the freelance gigs. Work remotely for a year or so, move down to Orlando and hope something more in-line with my goals opens up.

• Decline the job, hold out hope for the freelance gigs to pick up, and blossom into more.

It's definitely a sticky situation with a lot of moving parts, just seeking an outsider's perspective here. Happy to clarify any small details that I probably missed.

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