To take a job offer or not?

[wiggs]

Hi all,

I have spent several sleepless nights debating on whether to take a job offer and decided to create an account and seek the collective wisdom here.

Currently I'm working for a large (15,000+ employee) technology company. A former manager who I enjoyed working with at another company offered me a position for a bit more pay and growth potential to come to a ~100 employee tech company he recently joined.

Current company benefits:

• 5 mile commute
• Very stable industry and company
• Potential to move to many other teams
• Reasonable hours

Current company drawbacks:

• Currently a training administrator, which involves a lot of boring and/or busy work
• Likely a longer path to advancement
• Company size means that change is slow and I am probably several years from a leadership position

New company benefits:

• Slightly higher base/bonus pay + options
• Indications from VP for opportunity to advance quickly (possibly director level within a year or two)
• More marketable skill set - Sales Ops w/ Salesforce Admin responsibilities
• More autonomous, interesting, and engaging (if also more stressful) work

New company drawbacks:

• A VERY non-mustachian 160 mile round trip commute that I'd have to make 3-5 times/month (other days telework)
• Not a knock-your-socks-off pay increase
• General concern about working for a much smaller company, though one that by all indications is pretty stable

I made a little table using the federal mileage rate of $0.54/mile and MMM's estimate of $50/hr for time investment to compare. Seems like it is a wash but the intangible benefits stated above + options that would likely vest at $20K in the next 2-3 years and the promise of further monetary and title advancement are still drawing me to the new position.

Table is attached because I couldn't figure out how to paste.

So should I stay nice and close to home and suck it up if I don't love what I'm doing, or take the new job with the non-mustachian but intermittent commute, or ask for more money at the new company to sweeten the deal?

Any thoughts would be very much appreciated!

[EDIT]
Well thank you all very much! It seems that we have a consistent theme so I think that I'll be staying and maybe use this to have a discussion about future prospects with my current manager.

I should have added that the new offer was from a former manager who I know and trust very well. And also that I was previously in a Sales Ops project lead position with a couple of full- and part-time data stewardship and analytics folks working for me, so while jumping to director would still be big it's not something I'd be coming to with zero experience. But still, you all brought up great points about commuting creep and the instability of small companies. I came from a company with 250 people and we laid off 10% of the workforce last year. Still gives me shivers...

[englyn]

Urgh, neither. Stay at your current place (easy, with short commute) while you look for work elsewhere.

Unless you have a lot of skills and experience that you aren't telling us about here, and a very good reason for currently not using them, I'd be looking VERY wary about the competence and/or honesty of a company that suggests you could advance from admin to director in a year or two. People just don't acquire the necessary skill set that fast.

[Dave1442397]

I think I'd stick with the current company. As stated above, you can always keep looking and see what comes along.

I worked for a smaller company (around 150 employees) that hired a new CEO and CIO to help with their expansion plans. Unfortunately, the CEO and CIO weren't much good, and with unfavorable market conditions, the company almost collapsed. I don't know how many people are still there, but the IT department went from 28 people to 3.

[Smokystache]

IMHO a huge factor in this is how much you would enjoy/hate working remotely. If you're only going to be on-site ~4 times a month, then that means you'll be spending a lot of time working out of the office (home, coffee shop, etc.). I'm assuming you primarily work in the office with your current position.

Some people love the flexibility and reduced distractions of working from home, while it would drive other people crazy. Would there be some potential tax/financial implications of a home office deduction? Have you ever worked remotely before? Do you have a partner and/or kids that would make this difficult (or perhaps ideal). Would the new employer be checking on you (lots of conference calls, etc.) or would you have a lot of flexibility in how/when you completed your work.  I guess it is possible that some people would view that as a non-factor, but I view it as a huge change in your work-life.

[brute]

Take the future promotions off the table. It's a common lie. If you still want the other job, then go for it. Personally, I would use the offer to try to leverage more at the current company.

[AZDude]

Take the future promotions off the table. It's a common lie. If you still want the other job, then go for it. Personally, I would use the offer to try to leverage more at the current company.

Agree. The new job does not sound worth it to me. Look at the total compensation package. Smaller companies might have a higher salary, but the tangible benefits they offer(401(k), insurance, paid time off, etc...) are usually much worse.

I have worked for a company that had 8 employees and for a few that have a 100,000. The bigger the company, the more boring your job is but the benefits are much better. There is also usually a more stable atmosphere(40 hour weeks, few surprises, less turnover, etc...).

That being said, that job where I worked with a small company meant that I made lifelong friends and connections, learned extremely useful and cutting edge skills, and enjoyed a roller coaster type of life. It didnt work out in the end(company went out of business) and there was a falling out between employees and management, but nevertheless, a very memorable experience, which is more than I can say about the majority of the corporate jobs I have had.

[redbird]

New company drawbacks:

• A VERY non-mustachian 160 mile round trip commute that I'd have to make 3-5 times/month (other days telework)

That alone would be the deal breaker for me. Especially because, in my experience, when hiring managers say that you "only" (insert small number) (insert bad thing that people wouldn't like), they tend to make the small number lower than the job, in reality, needs. Call me a pessimist, but I see you doing that long commute more than 3-5 times/month.

I think you're better off staying in the current job and putting your resume out there in the meantime, to see if you can find better options.

[wanderin1]

My guess: the higher-level jobs you'd hope to get promoted into at the small company would require you be in the office a lot more. So:

promotions = more commuting