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Career advice needed - Money vs Comfort

pnad

pnad

Senior member
I have it made where I am now but I have another job possibly on the table. Had a good interview but no offer yet.

Is it worth 10k a year plus better growth opportunities to leave a cushy job with many freedoms? The new position would be a better 'career' move but it just seems weird to walk away from this awesome setup I have. It feels like a mafia no-show job sometimes.

Pros/cons of current job (support engineer @ midsize telcom):
+Very casual environment.
+come and go as I please, can work from home whenever I want
+Easy work
+Great co-workers
+decent pay
-little bored
-not much chance of advancement or growth
-not the best benefits - no tuition reimbursement

Pros/cons of new job (network admin @ medium corp):
+10k more per year (15% raise)
+Growth position with advancement opportunity
+Better benefits - bonuses, tuition etc
-Harder work with much more accountability (1 of 2 admins)
-fear of the unknown
 
mafia no show gets boring

money can buy some comfort

growth is good

if you stay and don't go anywhere in 10 years you will want to murderize yourself
 
depends where you are in your career

if you're 40-50, I wouldn't

if you're 26 then fuck yes.
 
What are your career goals and what part of your career are you in (early/mid/close to retirement)? I think you should step back and evaluate some of these factors first.
 
If you're decently paid now...then I'm assuming 10K is only a mild improvement from your current standing.

The bigger question is really do you want to progress in your career...or are you cool with cruising. I'm not a fan of cruising...that would drive me mad all on its own...but some people are fine with it. If you are fine with it...just stick with the cushy job and find other parts of your life to "excel" at.

My one piece of advice is to not let your whole life be "cruising". Your job doesn't have to be where you deal with personal growth...but if you don't put your time and energy into something...well that's just depressing.
 
It's not so much the extra 10k as the advancement opportunity that's the big plus. If you do well there, you could end up far better off. If you're bored right now, why not go for it?
 
I was met with the same decision 6 months ago.
I am glad I took the step up.

If you do get the new job, be aware that you will be useless for 6 months while you get to know the new company and systems.
 
I'm 35. Current pay is 66k and I feel like I'm stealing. Been in IT for about 10 years.

Cruising is soooo easy to do but as you can tell I do feel a little like a loser for doing it. Not going anywhere in life, just getting older and accruing more material things.
 
I'd stay put. Screw work. I can find challenges on my own time that are interesting to me. Flexibility at work is worth more than anyone will pay you. I'd rather come and go as I please instead of being told I WILL be working 60 hours a week for the foreseeable future.
 
If you're starting to feel bored at work now, I would imagine that within a year or two, you're going to be more bored, and you're really going to regret not trying out this opportunity when it presented itself. I'd say take a chance and go for the unknown. The additional challenges it presents you will probably alleviate your boredom, and having extra money in your pocket isn't a bad thing either.
 
Why do we work? Money. That's it. Get as much as you can. Maybe 10 years from now you'll have the cushy job again except with much more cash.
 
pnad said:
I'm 35. Current pay is 66k and I feel like I'm stealing. Been in IT for about 10 years.

Cruising is soooo easy to do but as you can tell I do feel a little like a loser for doing it. Not going anywhere in life, just getting older and accruing more material things.
Click to expand...

years i was making $75k in IT and being paid:
- to play online games (2hrs/day): i had lots of free time on my hands. Boss didnt care as long as nothing blew up.
- take extended lunch: see the latest movie that came out Fri at the noon showing. Then go take my actual lunch 😱
(went WITH boss)

God i miss that job! was a 33% raise worth it in new job? NO NO NO!
 
JEDI said:
years i was making $75k in IT and being paid:
- to play online games (2hrs/day): i had lots of free time on my hands. Boss didnt care as long as nothing blew up.
- take extended lunch: see the latest movie that came out Fri at the noon showing. Then go take my actual lunch 😱
(went WITH boss)

God i miss that job! was a 33% raise worth it in new job? NO NO NO!
Click to expand...
awesome
 
Ns1 said:
depends where you are in your career

if you're 40-50, I wouldn't

if you're 26 then fuck yes.
Click to expand...

Well put.

With what you list you don't want to be bored for another 30 years, especially since you'll probably top out your pay rate soon enough without a chance to advance
 
Do it. You're still fairly young and the better chance of advancement alone is probably worth it. 10k is gravy.
 
dfuze said:
Well put.

With what you list you don't want to be bored for another 30 years, especially since you'll probably top out your pay rate soon enough without a chance to advance
Click to expand...

More isn't necessarily better. The way I see it, Bill Gates doesn't have enough money to pay me for my time. If I have enough money to pay my bills, have some fun, and leave work at work, I'm doing great. If 66k is enough now, it'll always be enough(assuming at least a cost of living increase). Every minute of your life you lose at work, is a minute you won't get back. Freedom>*.*
 
I would ask myself 3 questions:
out
1) which is more important to me: money/advancement or stability/comfort?

2) Will a job change significantly affect family/Significant others, etc?

3) Am I willing and able to handle unemployment should I go to the other job and in the worst-case scenario, not work out?

Basically as yourself: does the current comfort/certainty outweigh the other job's better pay and more uncertainty?
 
don't do it, stay put in the cushy job and find some other venue outside work to advance yourself, use the idle time to learn new skills, maybe go back to school or just start a business.
 
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