Was offered internal transfer position...troubles making decision if I take it

[vi edit]

A while back I made a thread about an opportunity in Denver. I passed on that for a number of reasons.

Recently a position opened up with my current employer in a different area. I'm "Level 3" support with a very narrow focus on a specific part of our business. It's me and one other guy and we hand off the call every other week. That's the way it's been since December. I'm getting very, very tired of that much call work especially since my wife works a lot of nights and weekends. Trying to manage kids and call is a challenge on rough work weekends.

The other position is actaually a lower "level" of support at Level 2. It supports a huge range of applications and functions and acts a liason between the end user and "Level 3" to improve and correct application build issues.

This other group has no one that knows the applications that I currently support so I'm kind of a rare commodity to them. They'd bring me on at my current salary and let me continue supporting a lot of the stuff I currently do and offload some work load from my current group. I'd be the liason for my current group going forward along with taking on support of a couple hundred other applications the rest of the group supports.

As a bonus the call rotation of the new group is every 6-8 weeks.

I am just having troubles saying yes to the new position. The title and position isn't as marketable as my current one should I ever leave, and some of the interesting project work I get to do currently would be missed. I'd also be moving on from a known user base and "comfort" area to one that I don't know as well. Plus I'd leave my current team very thin in support.

I've talked a lot to my current manager and made it clear that the call structure was really the primary motivator for me. It really is affecting my home life and my wife is getting very frustrated with it.

Since applying for the new job we've extended an offer to an outside employee eventually bringing my current team up to three of us, and he wants to get another person on our team into the rotation making a total of 4 at some point. But that probably won't happen until October of this year.

So he is trying to improve it...just not happening real quick.

I'm having trouble sorting out the reasons to stay vs. the reasons to leave. And each one has it's own very valid screaming voice.

Uhg. I'm fortunate to have options, but damn it's not easy dealing with them.

 

[Schfifty Five]

troubles making decision if I take it

C'mon, does that really sound right to you?

 

[EagleKeeper]

Do not worry about the title for future use.
One can reword a job description to make it sound better or different, depending on the target.

You could actually use the old job title and just "add" the new responsibility to the existing job description

 

[Connoisseur]

Tough choice. To prefix my thoughts, note that Im fairly young and I have no family yet so my opinions may or may not matter to your position. With that said, I'd probably go with the same pay/less work job unless you think that you can get paid significantly more down the road with the current job. My reasoning is that family and kids should come first in this equation regardless of whether or not it's a wise career move. Also, the "bringing on extra people line" is typically not all that it's cracked up to be. As you mentioned, hiring won't be immediate. Also, there's quite a bit of time in training and supervising the new guys which will just add to your stress level in the short/medium term.

 

[vi edit]

Not so much the title as the more intimate support of that environment. It's a rapidly evolving field that has marketability in any major city. While I performed that role at one time it's not the same type of support I'd continue in the new group.

But if I'm not planning on going anywhere else it's probably moot anyway.

 

[mcvickj]

It really is affecting my home life and my wife is getting very frustrated with it.

Sounds like a pretty easy decision to me. If it is affecting the home life that much make the change to level 2.

 

[vi edit]

With that said, I'd probably go with the same pay/less work job unless you think that you can get paid significantly more down the road with the current job. My reasoning is that family and kids should come first in this equation regardless of whether or not it's a wise career move.

You hit it on the head. I'm the "flex" parent in the family. My wife has a concrete schedule. No flex at all. And her shifts are all over the place. I'm the primary care taker many nights and weekends. And over half the weekends she doesn't work I'm on call making plans to do anything a pain.

She has far less options available to improve her schedule so it's basically all on me to improve mine.

Hence much of the anxiety with the choice.

 

[twinrider1]

...let me continue supporting a lot of the stuff I currently do and offload some work load from my current group....

Call me a cynic, but it sounds to me like you'll end up doing both jobs.
Where is this offloaded work going to go? You mentioned it was just you and one other guy currently.

 

[Connoisseur]

You hit it on the head. I'm the "flex" parent in the family. My wife has a concrete schedule. No flex at all. And her shifts are all over the place. I'm the primary care taker many nights and weekends. And over half the weekends she doesn't work I'm on call making plans to do anything a pain.

She has far less options available to improve her schedule so it's basically all on me to improve mine.

Hence much of the anxiety with the choice.

Honestly, with the fact that you're not planning on moving or going anywhere else soon, I think it's a fairly easy decision. if you're not getting a pay cut and you end up doing less on call work, go for the 2nd level job.

This is your family on the line. Don't stay with a stressful position just because you think there MIGHT be light at the end of the tunnel. In a risk versus reward analysis, it seems to be a no-brainer.

 

[Elbryn]

would going from 1 out of 2 weeks to 1/3 or 1/4 make a big difference to the family?

it doesnt sound like there is as much growth potential in the new job. while you come in at current salary, it's a technical downgrade in "level" which could mean less room for salary growth if you're already at the high end for the position.
more apps to support would mean losing or diluting the specialized niche you have now, for a thinner but broader knowledge set.

were you guys happy before you went to a 2 man team? if you were three before and life was manageable, it sounds like a new member is being brought on board soon and a 4th may be forthcoming? how solid is that 4th person? you've made it 6 months from dec and should be back to that rotation soon. possibly going to 1 out of 4 in another 4 months.