can I back out after accepting a job?

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

A reader writes:

What do you owe a company when you accept a position? Is it ever okay to leave a good job only a few weeks after starting?

I worked for a decade in an industry I loved, then burned out hard and left for a better-paying sector. For the past 18 months, I’ve been contracting part-time with a successful startup, doing work that’s similar but less engaging (to me). Since I started here, I’ve made it clear that I’d love to come on as a full-time employee, and for a long time they’ve been saying it’ll happen. My interest is really about the good pay and benefits, since I’ve found this job market very, very tough. I don’t mind the work I’m doing now, but it’s not something I feel invested in.

A few weeks ago, I heard back from an application I’d sent months ago for a once-in-a-blue-moon job in a third industry that I’m very passionate about. The job seemed amazing, but after interviewing I was so stressed about what would happen if I got an offer … because the same day of my interview, my contract job let me know that I had been approved to be hired there as a full-time employee. In the end, I didn’t get the passion job, so nothing came of it and I didn’t have to wrestle with a real decision.

Yesterday, I received the official offer letter at the company where I’ve been contracting. BUT. Another job that sort of mixes my two sectors (passion and practical) popped up on LinkedIn. I felt like I had to at least apply, because it’s exactly in line with my experience and interests. I got a referral from a friend of a friend. And now I’m wracked with guilt.

The job I applied for is competitive, so I don’t expect to get an offer. But if I did, I’d have just officially started my full-time position. My sense of right and wrong is telling me that it’d be awful and would burn bridges if I were to leave a company just a few weeks or a month after starting, especially one where someone used their political capital to get me an offer.

I ran this by some friends and everyone seems to think I should just follow what’s best for my own career – that it’s not an ideal scenario, but that shouldn’t stop me from pursuing the other offer. What’s your take?

You can read my answer to this letter at New York Magazine today. Head over there to read it.