Which job, where?

I'd go to Austin. There are lots of technical companies which means there more opportunities if this one doesn't work or if you'd like to change companies for career advancement. You're going to be a single parent with no support network. It's unreasonable to expect that you'll do a 6 hour round trip to enjoy the city culture on a regular basis. If you're scraping by then it'll be hard to arrange weekend child care which would allow you to be in the city. Winter in the far North is just colder, icier and muddier. It's friggin' darker. It's dark when you go to work and dark when you come home. That might be a non-issue for you, but I hate it. I was in Austin last week and the traffic has gotten pretty awful. However, it does vary quite a bit during the day. If you have flex schedules, you maybe able to avoid some of that.

>Since there is precisely one company that fits company B's profile, I would recommend against company B. There isn't really work-life balance there, and I think it would suck as a place to be a single mom. The other thing is that it isn't in Madison, but at the outer edge of suburbia. It is a pretty long commute if you actually want to live in the good, fun urban areas of madison(near east).

Check out the Glassdoor.com reviews for company B, it is the epitome of un-family friendly. I cannot stress this enough. Working there was the worst year of my life.

Do you have any issues with seasonal depression, or does lots of overcast/ dark/ non-sunny time make you significantly less happy? http://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/new_hampshire/hanover, but compare that with http://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/texas/austin which is significantly sunnier than average, and http://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/wisconsin/madison, which is less sunny than Hanover. BestPlaces.net also lots of other general information about cities, which might help shape your choices by pointing out positives or negatives that you hadn't thought of before (such as, http://www.bestplaces.net/docs/studies/migraines_list.aspx, and http://www.bestplaces.net/docs/studies/datingcities.aspx).

OP it sounds like you are being very thoughtful in your approach and decision making (i.e. who do you know in an area, salary, skill set, etc.). I am just going to point out 2 factors that I don't see you strongly address and it may just give you yet a few more variables to think about: • Since you are in this position, you will be likely to negotiate salary for all the positions to some degree. Do it since can influence whether you will take a job in addition to your salary at the next jobs. If you can, wait until all job offers are in (if they give you this time). Then state to each company that "you are really excited about this job, very excited for reasons 1, 2, 3, but you need a few days to decide and one of your concerns is the salary because you have another job offer." Then be silent for a few days (or even on the phone). I've almost always gotten someone to add more to the original offer this way, but I usually only do this when I am in the position that you are: you have a few job offers, and money will be a deciding factor. But you may get one of the jobs to offer a slightly higher salary. • Ask to look at the contract or ask if non-compete agreements are part of this. I am concerned in particular about your Wisconsin job- I suspect that I know that company, which is known for low salaries, travel, and having their employees sign non-competes. The advantage of that company is to be competitive for future jobs and the non-compete can ruin that chance - I could be wrong (it is not that company), but many companies try to play that game.

Madison is a great place to live and despite the lack of mountains (I'm from the west. i get where you're coming from on that) it's really not a bad place for a nature lover. It's also a pretty friendly city with enough to do and eat and see, even if it's not a great metropolis. BUT, if company B is the company that is obviously is, I can't see how you're going to be happy working there as the single mother of a 2-year-old. That company is known around here for hiring new grads and working them like dogs for 2-4 years until they burn out. I'd also be careful about the travel issue, since if you're on a team that implements their software or trains people on it, you can end up traveling 60 or 70% of the time.

Well, I left a job I liked in Princeton, New Jersey to come to Austin and it was a good fit for me, so clearly job 'C' is right for you... ... like I'd know. My real advice is you'll have a better feel for what's important to you and what your gut tells you is really important to you but that your head is suppressing than any of us will. Given that, I'll tell you some things about Austin. Austin is a place you can live without learning to cope with Winter (ours is 8 days long, randomly chosen sometime between Oct 1 and May 1 by a vote of the local weather forecasters). It does get hot, and that lasts for a while. I don't spend a lot of time outside in the summer, but days like today are near-perfect for me. We don't have kids, but our friends with children are happy with their opportunities to do things here. Austin is the 13th largest city in the country, so it's San Francisco sized (but not Bay Area sized). It's also close to San Antonio and not far from Dallas and Houston. We regularly take trips to see concerts in each of those places, but we also take trips to see museums or do other touristy things. South Austin is the funkier side, but the growth is moving to East Austin, so you may be able to find someplace that's both cheaper and nearer to your place of work. And I know locals say "the traffic is horrible", but honestly, I've lived in other large cities and it's really not, unless you have no choice but to drive on I-35 during morning commute. Even then, I have to get from south Austin to 183/Breaker Lane about once a month (usually on a Friday by 8AM) and it turns a 22 minute drive into a 35 minute drive. East Austin might also let you avoid the big choke-point, which is the river. Your possible routes multiply when you don't have to cross Lake Lady Bird. So, listen to your gut and then use your brain to figure out why that's your gut reaction and if the reasons are right, follow it. Austin is a pretty wonderful place to live, but it may not be the most wonderful place for you. Good luck, and congratulations on having a good problem to have.

I'm very biased because I love New England, but I definitely think Job A. Are you sure it is as expensive as you think? Perhaps right in Hanover may be more pricey but there have got to be towns around there that don't have very high costs of living. Based on your likes, I just think that you will fall in love with that area in terms of the lifestyle. The seasons up there can be pretty wonderful too, yes, even winter! And I have lived not far from there in the past as well as in the Midwest and I don't see how there is any more or less mud there than in Wisconsin.

Managing regular work travel is a nightmare even if you aren't a single parent; I can't imagine doing it if I were. I personally would rule out Job B on that basis alone.