Context: I am a recent (May 2024) college grad currently unemployed and living with my parents, been struggling to find an entry-level job since graduation, but I got my first job offer yesterday morning. I’ve read through the offer letter and it seems decent, but I have a few concerns, so hoping to get some advice here
The offer: $80k base salary, pretty standard benefits package (401k, 10 vacation days, medical insurance), start date and work hours TBD after accepting
The dilemma: the company is nearly an hour and a half away so ideally would like to move closer, but the cost of living in the job area is pretty high; ~75% of my income would be spent on necessities alone. I recently discovered that the company also doesn’t offer relocation assistance and I don’t have enough money in my savings currently to afford the upfront costs of moving on my own. I’ve considered commuting from home, at least for the first few months until I can save up enough money to get an apartment, but with the job being 100% on-site and long work hours to be expected, I’m not sure I can do it. What should I do? My parents seem to think I should decline and try to find something closer to home, but I’d really like to get to work and start gaining more experience asap
Other questions: I am asked to sign an arbitration agreement to accept the offer (basically waiving my rights to have a trial with a judge and jury should any disputes with the company occur). How common is this and is it anything I should be concerned about? There is also a non-competition agreement that says I wouldn’t be able to work for any of the company’s competitors within a 50 mile radius of the site for at least a year after termination. Does this sound reasonable? This is my first full-time offer so I’m really not sure.
Thank you for reading this far, and any advice would be much appreciated