Author Topic: Thoughts on a new job opportunity...  (Read 3305 times)

newgirl

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Thoughts on a new job opportunity...
« on: October 05, 2017, 08:00:00 PM »
Hi all - I am a former active member of this community who dropped off for a while. Back now with a new username and a dilemma and would be interested to hear the thoughts of the MMM community...

To try and make a long story very short I have a job opportunity. I's a little odd because they've basically told me I have the job if I want it (my former boss works there and recommended me highly, and I've spoken with the person who would be my direct manager over the phone). There hasn't been a formal salary offer but I did decide to tell them up front what my expectations would be to get me to change jobs and they have indicated it won't be a problem to meet my number.

Current Job:
Work out of the office, zero options to work remote. We're capable of it but management doesn't allow us to.
Hours are 8:30-4pm, I'm not closely supervised at all and basically left alone to do my work
Commute is 40 min each way on a good day, 60+ minutes on a bad day (i.e. MN winters).
I take the bus each way and my pass is subsidized by my employer.
I like my job, I like my coworkers, and I have good work-life balance. I'm not expected to work OT or weekends.
I'm paid fairly for what I do - base is $88k per year with 10% target bonus - last year actual payout was around $13k
Not much opportunity for advancement in current position, either with respect to title or salary. I would expect to get 3-5% raises per year and maybe a promotion in 7-8 years.

Job opportunity:
100% remote - I would work from home
Hours would be fairly flexible - I could start and end between 6am and 6pm, but they would want me to settle on some core hours - I would just get to choose what they were.
Pay will be at least 7% increase to base salary over what I make now, with same target bonus.

The kicker is... I'm nervous about the type of work I'd be going back to. I was in this line of work before and I got out for a reason - for about 5 months out of the year the hours are punishing (evenings and weekends would be required), but the other months when it's quiet I would expect to work quite a bit less (maybe along the lines of 20-25 hours a week during the slow season). This particular job is also very technical and is 100% driven by insane external deadlines that I have no ability to change or influence. It's stressful and tiring.

However, when I was previously in this line of work, I didn't get the option to work remote and I was making a hell of a lot less money and had less seniority than I'd have with this position. I do hate my commute, it takes a lot of time away from my kid who I get to see about 2 hours a day during the week. I also like the idea that if I was remote, our family would technically be able to move anywhere and work anywhere and keep our high paying jobs (partner is remote about 80% of the time and his work would let him go 100% remote if he asked. We just happen to live across the street from his office).

I don't know. I'm really on the fence. I like the idea of the flexibility, reclaiming some of my time during the day, making more money, etc but this line of work seriously scarred me the last time I was in it. I keep reminding myself that I got out for a reason. At the same time, I know that my employer ran an insanely lean ship when it came to staffing and I'm not sure that it would be a repeat of the same experience.

Would appreciate hearing some outsider opinions...

FIREySkyline

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Re: Thoughts on a new job opportunity...
« Reply #1 on: October 05, 2017, 08:05:31 PM »
This is a great dilemma.

On the one hand, if the new job was likely to have more periods of stress and crazy hours it might not really be worth the 7% pay bump.

But throw in the elimination of the commute (7-10hrs/week) and the location flexibility... and it kinda seems like a no brainer to me. Even if the hours get crazy, you've gotta work a bunch of extra hours before you match your commute. Granted, your commute is passive rather than active driving, which helps. But based only on the known parameters it seems like a good choice. Being able to choose any location you want is pretty unbeatable in my book. It's like an early taste of FIRE.

EDIT: You could also try the "let me work remotely or I'm switching to a new job" tactic with your current employer.
« Last Edit: October 05, 2017, 08:07:39 PM by FIREySkyline »

newgirl

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Re: Thoughts on a new job opportunity...
« Reply #2 on: October 05, 2017, 08:23:21 PM »
Thanks FIREySkyline, I appreciate the thoughts. Certainly to an extent the increased hours will be made up for by losing the commute, though in the worst of the busy season 11-12 hour days plus weekends aren't unheard of.

Thinking about this more, maybe what I should do is request the phone number of one of the current people on the team who has the same title/responsibilities that I'd have. Having done the job before I think I can ask the right questions to figure out what the workloads and hours are really like even if they are trying to sell me on the change.

I WISH I could pull the "let me work remotely or I quit" move at my current job but they would 100% just let me quit. Others have tried before me, I've also brought up just the possibility of remote working ONE day a week and was shut down so hard. Management has been intractable on this issue for years.

FIREySkyline

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Re: Thoughts on a new job opportunity...
« Reply #3 on: October 05, 2017, 08:30:34 PM »
That's a good idea if you have such a resource; that would give you a complete set of intel with which to make the decision. If it doesn't get too ridiculous like you're thinking, the decision basically makes itself!

Linea_Norway

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Re: Thoughts on a new job opportunity...
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2017, 05:16:39 AM »
I support your idea that you should contact one of the people that currently have that position and ask about working hours. But unless they tell you otherwise, you know you hated the stress, the working hours and the external deadlines. It does not sound like a great job to get back to. The fact that you are so much in doubt says it all.

Another option is to look for a whole different company, one that has reasonable working hours and lets your work remotely one day a week or more. You current employer sounds unreasonably strict.

Are there other companies in your vicinity, or in the opposite direction, that could give you a shorter commune?

If you say that your spouse could work remotely if he wanted to, you could also move to some place where you would have a much shorter commute. Or combine it with moving to a whole new LCOL area with new job.

newgirl

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Re: Thoughts on a new job opportunity...
« Reply #5 on: October 09, 2017, 05:44:56 PM »
To close the loop, I turned down the job today. I just couldn't convince myself it was the right long term choice - that would enjoy the work and have a decent life balance and time with my partner and kid. I know many people who do this same job at a variety of companies, and I don't know a single one of them who isn't dying 6 months out of the year with the stress and deadlines and OT. It's possible that this particular company has figured out the secret sauce and bucked the trend, but I'm not banking on it.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Thoughts on a new job opportunity...
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2017, 02:11:52 AM »
To close the loop, I turned down the job today. I just couldn't convince myself it was the right long term choice - that would enjoy the work and have a decent life balance and time with my partner and kid. I know many people who do this same job at a variety of companies, and I don't know a single one of them who isn't dying 6 months out of the year with the stress and deadlines and OT. It's possible that this particular company has figured out the secret sauce and bucked the trend, but I'm not banking on it.

Sounds like a very good choice.

elaine amj

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Re: Thoughts on a new job opportunity...
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2017, 07:52:18 PM »
Thanks for the update! Sounds like it was the right choice for you even though the new job sounded so tempting on paper.

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