re: Possible life changing decision on the horizon

You know dang well that every bit of extra money you make will go towards buying material things, a nicer house, a nicer car, better clothes, bigger tv, etc. In the end you will be trading material comforts for time with your son.

Not to sound like a total jerk but.... What outcome were you wanting? Not getting selected? I would assume going this far mean't you had given thought to moving and wanted the job bad enough to pursue it.

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Disagree. You can still provide (and possibly provide much more) for your son being a few hours away.

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Notice that the guy you responded to said nothing about being a provider.

Being a good provider <> being a good dad. You can be dirt poor and be a great father. But if you don't invest enough time in the relationship, his son will never say he was a good father no matter how much stuff he got from him.

Bottom line. As a grown man, his son will never fault him for passing on this job. There is no chance of that happening, unless he grows to be a POS of a man. However, there is a chance that he will stunt their relationships with distance. So there is no downside to him staying as far as his son is concerned.

How can you even consider moving? Stay with your son

There is nothing that is worth your own kid, man. I am speaking from experience brother. After me and my ex wife divorced in 2008, we had two young sons that we hurt very much in the process. My kids were 6 and 3 at the time. I had an opportunity to move to Vegas and make six figures. I couldn't leave my sons. I kept thinking how abandoned and vulnerable they would feel without their daddy and it broke my heart.
I was working a crappy paying job too and this would've dramatically increased my standard of living . In the end, I went with my heart and stayed and God rewarded me. I now make very close to six figures and my sons spend even more quality time with me and my new wife now than ever before.
Your son needs you, man. There isn't enough money in the world that can replace that father/son time and bond that you are building with him. If you leave, how do you think your son is gonna feel? Imagine him crying for his daddy when you're gone.
I'm not trying to guilt trip you, Austin...but don't sell your soul. Trust me. Making the noble choice is gonna pay dividends for you in the long run.

It's not about the money for me. Yes doubling your pay is great, but it's more about the job itself than the compensation.

For the industry I work in, Houston is a hot bed. Austin doesn't have near the jobs and doesn't pay as much. There is the possibility that the same position will open up here, but who knows when. For this job, there's only a hand full of them in Austin and the people who get it tend to stay. There's a very low turnover rate because it's very difficult to get into.
It may not be a once in a lifetime opportunity, but it's taken me 15 years just to get an interview. How long before I can get one in Austin?

If I do end up getting offered, I'll have to sit and talk with his mom and see what comes of that.

I certainly don't want to move away from my kid, but I also need to do better for myself. The last year and a half have been tough. I was laid off, took me 6 months to land the job I have and I'm making $20k less. Things are tighter right now than I can to be and I've had to do without some things to ensure I can provide for him.
I'm happy with my job now, but I'm not making enough money and it's not exactly what I want to do in this industry. It's really just a stepping stone.

I've been looking and talking with companies and there's just no openings in Austin right now. If I go to Houston for a year or 2, then it will be much easier to jump ship when an opportunity opens up in Austin and move back. It's just getting that experience, you're not going to hire just anyone to work on MRI machines.

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I certainly don't want to move away from my kid, but I also need to do better for myself.

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goddamn...so selfish. It's a freaking job versus your son. How is this difficult for you. I'm now 100% positive you are nowhere near the parent you think you are. This doesn't take a conversation with anyone. It takes you caring more about your kid than yourself.

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I've been looking and talking with companies and there's just no openings in Austin right now. If I go to Houston for a year or 2, then it will be much easier to jump ship when an opportunity opens up in Austin and move back. It's just getting that experience, you're not going to hire just anyone to work on MRI machines.

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You have your mind made up. You are just looking for people to reaffirm and tell you that you are doing the right thing.

When you come to a fork in the road, take it

Any chance that later down the road(3 years, 5 years) that you could move closer to your son(company growth)?

Or is Houston their only place of employment?

If there was a chance to move up and closer to Austin, its a slam dunk, but man, this is a frick of a situation.

U don't want to be your father, so if you move, u will feel the guilt.

U stay, u could possibly regret, and it could cause some sort of friction in your life.

For me, if i made decent cash, i'd stay in Austin and with your kid. Money is nice, but family is everything, especially your son.