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Take first (and low/not ideal) unexpected job offer or wait?

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ebella:
I am a lawyer currently working in a short-term position clerking for a federal judge that's up this summer.  Next year I'll be making $97k/yr before taxes/benefits and I owe $83k in federal student loans.  What I thought was a casual networking thing turned into an offer to start at a small firm in January with a salary between 120-140k and possible annual bonus of 10% of that.  So just shy of $160k max.  They also pay 3% of salary into 401k.  It's a small labor and employment firm that relies primarily on 2 clients, 1 in auto parts, which makes me nervous for stability.  Also I want to make $180k, so I can pay off my loan in 1 yr, and be at a larger firm, so I have more exit opportunities when I leave.  I don't want to be a partner at a firm doing this kind of work. I've run the numbers through my spreadsheet and, my current expenses remaining modest and stable (which they will, except maybe property taxes and HOA will go up), I won't be able to pay off the student loan in 1 yr with that salary.
In raw, economic terms this is obviously more money than my current job and taking it will help me pay off my loans faster in the short-term. But I'm not excited about this job and just (as in the last few weeks) started looking elsewhere (at bigger places that pay more).  I'm told I can get more at other firms but I'm worried if I don't jump on this now and wait for other offers, I'll end up with nothing when my term is up in 5-8 months.  But I also worry that I have this tendency to take the first job, or apartment or whatever that I get offered and it's been an unrewarding life trend for me.  I don't want to start this job, and then hate it and have it be another short term job on my resume. But I'm also worried about the economic outlook for job in 2019 and beyond and that is gonna be a bigger and badder recession.
So, given the things I can know (i.e. this job will give me x amount of money and I have x amount of debt and expenses), should I just take the money and leave my current job and keep looking for other jobs with the hope of landing something better?  I am worried the additional money might not outweigh the difficult to quantify potential damage to my resume and goodwill (if I leave my current job early). 

herbgeek:

--- Quote ---Also I want to make $180k,
--- End quote ---

Is this realistic for a position for someone with your experience to make this amount?   Also if you've been clerking, is that directly related experience for a private sector position?

mozar:
So you very recently graduated and the clerkship is your first job? Were you going to start applying for jobs next summer?


--- Quote ---But I'm also worried about the economic outlook for job in 2019 and beyond and that is gonna be a bigger and badder recession.
--- End quote ---

It's unlikely that a great depression/recession like the one that happened in 2008 will happen again in 2019. The stock market will go up and down. But only 2 clients would make me nervous as well.

When I was in grad school for accounting I was offered a job at a non-profit doing accounting. Most people I talked to said it was better to work at an audit firm and I can go work for a smaller company or non-profit down the line. I turned down the non-profit job and started applying to other jobs. I applied to an audit firm that specializes in non-profits/government and got that job. Thank goodness I took that one because it was fall of 2007. The economy did fall apart the next year.
Taking an audit job did make it easier to get other jobs and did give me more options down the line.  On the other hand the non-profit probably would have probably been fine. I still might be there, but instead I got burned out and quit.

The thing about this job offer is that they will probably treat you well. So what do you want ten years from now? Do you aspire to work for big law for 2 or 3 years and then start your own practice? Settle down with a small firm now? If you did could you see yourself in that area of law for a long time? There is no wrong answer here.

I wouldn't worry about whether you can pay off your loan in 1 year vs two years.


--- Quote --- I don't want to be a partner at a firm doing this kind of work.
--- End quote ---
This is the most important statement.

cchrissyy:
wouldn't it reflect badly on you if you leave this clerkship halfway through the year instead of making your move in the summer?

Dee18:
Assuming I am reading your post correctly and you agreed to clerk for a federal judge for a specific time period, you need to stay at the clerkship until the scheduled departure time. Your reputation is your most valuable asset and leaving a federal judge in the lurch is not a good way to begin a legal career.

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