Job offer ... do we take it or not?

February 7, 2008 1:21 PM

my SO has gotten a great job offer in another state, it's a great opportunity for him... but the timing is less than perfect. Do we take it? (more details inside)

The job opportunity would include a sizable raise for him, plus awesome benefits and a carte blanche in the IT dept of a large company. Having the boost in income would help us meet our long term goals faster, but we're not swimming in debt and the extra money isn't a desperate need.

He has worked for this company in the past, and they're good people. If there were no other factors, taking the job would be a no brainer.

But there are other factors:

I'm about 5 months into a new job. It's at a company that people in the industry would kill to work for and a HUGE name to have on a resume. Unfortunately, there are no branches where we would be moving, so leaving for this new job would definitely mean quitting.

I'm not 100% happy here (I just don't dig the industry) and honestly see this job as more of a stepping stone than someplace I want to be 10 years from now. By the same token, the idea of quitting after 5-6 months seems insane. I cringe at the idea of leaving projects on the table that I had solely been working on, or leaving my boss in the lurch and with a bad taste in his mouth.

On skills alone, I could probably easily find something else, but I don't know how a 5 month stint at a company looks on a resume, even in the Design/Development field where people seem to switch jobs all the time. This is my second "real" job (I had freelanced for years priors) and I had been at my last job for 4 years prior to resigning and taking this job to reduce commute time.

So, hive mind, I could really use some opinions to help us make the best decision.

posted by finitejest to work & money (15 comments total)

I just moved to a different state to take a job I wasn't looking for. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be a great job. My wife had to change her employment plans as well, but she wanted to do it anyway. I was more skeptical.

However, I'm 100% glad I did it. It was a pain in the butt to pull up roots and move, but switching jobs really is the best thing you can do for your career, I think (you know, within reason). You build your network of people and you build your resume and generally get more money. Also it was good for my wife and I to undertake an adventure like this together.

Anyway, change is good. Stagnation is bad. I'm all for it.
posted by jeffamaphone at 1:27 PM on February 7, 2008

see if he can negotiate deferring his job offer by a few months (i assume he woldn't be starting immediately?), you stay where you are till you complete one year (in the meantime looking for a job of interest in the new state). this may involve a few months of long-distance relationship (which i definitely do not recommend for long periods of time) but it can be done.
posted by barrakuda at 1:30 PM on February 7, 2008

If you don't dig the industry, and are only working there for the cachet it brings you in discussions with outsiders, then I would say follow your husband. You should stop living with the fear that projects that you are working on or spearheading are going to be abandoned because you are leaving. If this company is as stellar if you say, it's probably likely they can find someone to take over.
posted by parmanparman at 1:30 PM on February 7, 2008

You've only mentioned the aspects of your respective jobs, how about other things in your life? Family? Friends? Housing? Commute? Geography-specific hobbies?
posted by gyusan at 1:32 PM on February 7, 2008

While leaving after only 5 months in a job is never a great thing, your reason for leaving is a perfectly reasonable one - both to your current and future employers. And much as I understand your discomfort at having to tell your current employer that you're leaving after only 5 months, they will get over it.

I'm not 100% happy here (I just don't dig the industry) and honestly see this job as more of a stepping stone than someplace I want to be 10 years from now.

This is the key statement to me. Your SO has a chance to get a really great job and the main sacrifice is a job that, while impressive, isn't making you all that happy and you're not really going to stay with it anyway. Don't throw away his great opportunity for a less-than-great one for you. You never know what is around the bend for you!
posted by widdershins at 1:36 PM on February 7, 2008

My vote, as someone who relocated from Chicago (where all my friends and family and business contacts were) to Los Angeles after only one year at my current gig, and who has gone on to much greater financial and job satisfaction success:

Do it.

I'm not 100% happy here (I just don't dig the industry) and honestly see this job as more of a stepping stone than someplace I want to be 10 years from now. By the same token, the idea of quitting after 5-6 months seems insane. I cringe at the idea of leaving projects on the table that I had solely been working on, or leaving my boss in the lurch and with a bad taste in his mouth.

Assuming your life situation allows, let him move out first and try the new gig on for size, living in a month-to-month apartment for a few months. If all goes well, you join him; if not, he comes back and you still have a job.

Meanwhile, that gives you a month or two to transition your projects to other people, and is a lot more gracious to your current employer than the standard two months.

Good luck!
posted by davejay at 1:39 PM on February 7, 2008

To answer gyusan .... it's kinda of an interesting deal.

I have only been in the region I live now for about 5 years. I have some friends, but when I moved to start my new job, I moved away from them (by about 1.5 hrs). We mainly talk on the phone and via IM now. Neither of us have close family to worry about.

I don't care for the climate where we would be moving to, but I would be able to live with it.
posted by finitejest at 1:51 PM on February 7, 2008

Oh, and we don't own a house or anything, we would just be moving from an apartment to an apartment.
posted by finitejest at 1:53 PM on February 7, 2008

I've been in a similar situation and am very glad I moved for my husband's opportunity - and things have worked out great for me as well in the long run. It's a hard thing to do. I like the idea of trying the living-in-two-cities thing for six months. It lets you finish one year in your current job and helps make sure your husband's new gig is a good fit. It will be a tough period to get through, but it can be done. How far away is the new city?
posted by handful of rain at 2:00 PM on February 7, 2008

I would caution you to fully investigate the cost of living in the new place. I saw that happen a lot with people who were offered great positions at more money than they ever thought they'd make moving to the Bay Area of California from some place like the midwest. Their joy quickly turned to dismay when they saw that half of their brand new paycheck was going to go toward rent. To say they had sticker shock at the true cost of living would be a massive understatement. Make sure the new job really is a boost and not a lateral move that doesn't net you any more financially than what you have now. I wouldn't worry too much about leaving a job after 5 months for a move, though. It's not uncommon and your explanation is totally reasonable, so I don't think it would negatively impact you. Good luck!
posted by 45moore45 at 2:05 PM on February 7, 2008

One possibility, that a few of my friends have done, is to continue to work remotely for as long as possible for your current employer. Many jobs can be done that way, and many employers would be grateful for the employee offering to do so, if it's a hard-to-fill position. You'd have to be prepared for some travelling if they require you onsite a couple of times a month.

Other than that, you just have to do the math as a couple: if the move has a significant net upside, you go for it.
posted by Artful Codger at 3:12 PM on February 7, 2008

Can you stay behind for a few months to finish your projects and round out your time in the new company?
posted by amtho at 3:38 PM on February 7, 2008

Negotiate for some leniency with your employer. Perhaps you can work a few days on-site every other week and work the remainder of your hours from home. Another alternative is the do the two city shuffle for 6 months.

If it's really a good job for him, then you need to discuss what options are available.
posted by 26.2 at 3:59 PM on February 7, 2008

When I look at resumes for my company, while a five-month stint would throw me at first, I wouldn't think about it twice once I realized that you had recently moved or were about to move. If you're going to apply for jobs from your current city, so your out-of-town coontact information is going to be on the resumes, I'd make it very clear in your cover letter that you're moving by X date, are available for phone interviews before then, etc. As long as that much is clear to me, the short stint is no problem at all.

If that's your only major concern, I'd say to go for it, maybe trying to get a little extra time to properly hand off your projects and/or train a successor.
posted by Stacey at 4:04 PM on February 7, 2008

When I took a job in Toronto, my husband stayed in NYC for a while for just the reasons articulated by a couple of posters above - finishing up work projects, in case my new job didn't work out, to take our time to move properly, so he could research the job market there, etc. It wasn't nice living apart for a few months, but in hindsight was a great decision that saved us quite a bit of stress and money. So consider it.
posted by jamesonandwater at 5:44 AM on February 8, 2008