Major points:
1.) Currently in a job that about half the year I greatly dislike, and the remainder of the year is an OK place to work. Work situation is unlikely to improve, and in all likelihood will decrease.
2.) Current job pays ~$130k/year
-I spend about 14 hours biweekly commuting to this job
-Position offers very little in the way of professional growth or development
3.) Speaking with a government recruiter about an anticipated opening in my area
- About as close to an ideal job as I could imagine; opportunities for teaching, leadership, growth, + a great work/life balance
- About a 30 minute round trip commute (an easier commute (better roads, traffic than current))
4.) Potential opening can start as low as $70k and tops out at $105k. ->reading pay scale requirements I would likely fall somewhere between $75-80k.
Basically, I'm really interested in the position, but I am balking a tiny bit about the pay decrease. I currently save ~50% of my gross income, and realistically if I take this position I would decrease my savings by about ~50%. I doubt I would be saving much after TSP + Roth IRA. The other thing that comes to mind, is that I could almost go half time at my current job and make nearly as much money. I'm sure that there would be a lot of resistance to going to 0.5FTE if I could swing it, though. As to where my current finances are; I'm just about breaking even on net worth (graduated spring '14), with $80k in student loans as my only debt.
Another important point is that my girlfriend and I are looking towards progressing as a family, but are concerned about children when we both have demanding, stressful, and inflexible positions. If I took this position, I would work a normal schedule, and have more flexibility with my hours. For perspective, in the last year neither of us have ever come in late, left early, she has never had a lunch out, and I have maybe been able to leave work for lunch 3-5 times. Not that we greatly desire eating out, but I want to show that running an errand or picking up a sick child would be nearly impossible (not to mention I work 45 miles from home.) The reason I am looking for a new position vs. her, is that she enjoys her job and has a minimal commute. She is 100% for it and encouraged me to speak with the recruiter. I think I need to go for it, but wanted to get the opinion of other finance thinking types; in our relationship, I'm the one who worries about money.
So, would you do it? Thanks for you thoughts.