Difficult choice
1) Clarify the role at the private equity firm first - this could even involve working with them for 2 - 3 weeks till you get a grip for what they expect you to do.
2) See if the role provides you with opportunities to learn what you think you would be learning.
3) If you think not, then don't jeopardise your current position.
4) If you think yes - then doing double duty will be sustainable only with a suitable adjustment from your current employer - make a leap of faith. At this point it is a question of evaluating what is worth more - your promotion (with an increased level of responsibility) or experience in an alternate area that gives you exposure to a variety of businesses - albeit local.
Good luck!
Devon wrote:
I
received an internship offer at a private equity firm locally. They're willing to work with me and have it be part time so that I can retain my current engineering job, however it would require negotiating with my current employer. I work at a small ~25 employee manufacturing firm so I know everyone personally, and feel like I am on track to being promoted to engineering manager.
However, I'm going to have to tell them about this internship in the next week or two, which I'm 99% sure means telling them I'm leaving for business school. I'm applying this fall, though, so I won't even be leaving until Fall 2015. I'm concerned that if I tell my CEO that I'm leaving next fall, that he will no longer be interested in promoting me to engineering manager. Is this concern valid? Or because I'm so far out I could still get the promotion and help develop the department until I leave? Would he look at a predictable time that I'm leaving as a good thing and useful for planning ahead?
The promotion would be so good for my b school apps, but I can't turn down this internship! I want both! How should I handle this?