Would you rather get have a 50% chance of getting 100% of what you want, or a 100% chance of getting 50% of what you want?

This philosophical quandary was ultimately my first major working decision. The situation: the three analysts and one intern all share a big office. When we (meaning myself and the other new analyst who started at the same time as me) started, the office was equipped for two for the first week. We had computers and everything, but they were set up on tables instead of desks. This last Friday, they furnished the office with desks. Exciting? Perhaps if there was not 3 desks for 4 people.

The other new guy and I were supposed to flip for who got the huge desk by the window and who had to share a desk with the intern.

I decided to opt out of the flipping completely and bargain on my own terms. My own terms being the “Rachel can’t lose” terms. Other new guy gets the window desk until December and then we switch.

Could I perhaps have had the window desk the whole time? Yep. But here’s my logic for making a deal. 1) I hate losing. I’d rather put things in my terms than have to lose. 2) I know I like the intern now, whereas the interns in the future might not be such cool desk partners…now that’s not my problem. 3) Apparently the desk by the window can get a bit hot during the summer, which I can hopefully avoid come December. (okay, that’s just me trying hard to convince myself I want to stare at the wall…) 4) In my heart of hearts, I am not lucky (except for the two miraculous times in elementary school when I won a cake walk, both times when I was standing on the number 8… AWESOME). I knew that I was going to end up and the shared desk anyway, so decided to strike a deal. 5) Basically, I have a “risk averse” profile.

What would you do?