Posted by:
justrob
(
)
Date: February 22, 2013 12:51PM
I've talked with bc about this a bit, but everything is culminating now, and I thought I'd gather some more expert info.
I got a job offer that would amount to a 38% raise.
I let my boss know, and he is working on a counter offer, and seems confident that they will match this offer.
I like my current job, and it is at a large/reputable company with great name recognition. I'm being groomed to go into management, which is both exciting and frightening (I'm an excellent programmer, but I have no reason to believe that I would make an excellent manager).
The new job is one I would be very comfortable doing, and I'm convinced I would excel at it, but the company is smaller (not small, but smaller) and has far less name recognition. But, I would be exposed to more technologies, and opportunity to grow in a non-management path.
If I stay, the yearly lay-offs would be more likely to hit me. I also could be viewed as a money-grubbing traitor (especially since I just got a big raise/promotion, when most people on my team didn't... and now I'd be adding an additional 38% to that). But, I know the company is stable, and my stock I'm awarded each year could become very valuable. When/If they move me into management, my resume becomes more diverse, and would let me stay on a high-compensation career track. It also would hedge against the many predictions of programming outsourcing more and more. They also have lots of vacation time, but I end up working so much overtime, that I don't usually take much vacation time.
If I leave, the potential politics of the new job are unknown. The company seems very stable, but it will never be as stable as my current job. I'd learn new technologies, increasing my programming prowess. But I wouldn't really have the option to move into management (if I decide that is something I want to do, or if outsourcing becomes a problem). The company is considering going public, which could potentially give me enough money to retire and work on my side business full time (I'd probably get somewhere between a few hundred thousand and a couple million, if they go public and do well... or the business could fail and I could lose a few thousand [whatever the cost is to exercise my stock options]). They also have less vacation time, but they seem to be averse to making people work overtime.
So, assuming that the offers are 100% equivalent in salary & benefits, what's your advice?
Pros/Cons of experienced people here that I probably haven't considered?
P.S. 1 last tidbit, my current job is very liberal about internet use (hence why I can post here during the day), whereas the new job is VERY strict and tracks internet use thoroughly (as that is one of the products they make), so my RfM time would be only in the evenings.