Would you take this job?

[hidingfromboss]

I’m an occasional poster, but am posting under an ae because this is a very sensitive situation at my work. I’ve been offered a promotion that I do not know if I should take.

Current job : I’m slightly overqualified for my current position. I love my coworkers. It could be a pretty easy 9-5 job, though I waste too much time so I often end up staying longer. Commute is already almost an hour long.

New Job: Same type of work, ultimately under the same boss (minus a layer of management), but in a different division of the company. Pay increase of approximately 20%. The proposed new division is a complete mess. The person currently in this position is being forced to leave, morale in the office is low, and some staff are known to be difficult to get along with (though some seem fine). There are a lot of suggestions floating around for how to give me more resources to be more successful than this person leaving, but some question of whether everything will actually happen. But many of the things that need to be done closely match my skill set and strengths. The boss has openly admitted that the job will be a lot of work, may require long hours, and is not fairly classified in terms of pay rate or level of title. He hopes that at some point in the future (2+ years) he’ll be able to change that, but it has been made clear that there is currently no room for further negotiation. I hope to leave the company within 3-4 years , so am not banking on it. Ultimately, if successful, this promotion would look very good on my resume and fill some gaps in my previous experience. I do intend to stay in this field and would eventually like to move up. The job location is different and would add 15 minutes to my commute each way.

Personal Life Status: We’ve been trying to get pregnant for a while (my wife will carry the pregnancy, so the physical parts of pregnancy are not a concern, but the emotional stuff and the family time when baby comes are), are doing infertility treatments, and are optimistic that it will happen soon. If I don’t take this promotion it’s extremely likely that I will stay in my current job until I leave the company in 3-4 years. This type of opportunity is unlikely to come up again. Financially we’re currently stable, but have longer term financial goals that would be much easier to meet with the raise.

What would you do?

[ijack]

ugh. 20% could be a lot of money depending on your salary, but job 2 sounds awful.

[Deleted]

I would take it.

[zombiemuse]

I would take it. It's more in line with your career goals and you're already planning on leaving in 3-4 years. This position sounds like it would put you in a better position when you're searching for a new position in 3-4 years.

And now, I feel like I overused "position" in that sentence.

[drloretta]

I would take it. It would give you a solid 2 years of experience to put on your resume, in the grand scheme it isn't THAT long, and you could always leave at that mark instead of the 3-4 year mark.

[Deleted]

Ugh that is a hard choice. I am not sure I can be miserable for 3-4 yrs for 20% with a growing family and longer commute. I dont think I personally could suck that up.

[Deleted]

Do you like a challenge? I don't think I would take it. Increasing your hours when you're starting a family seems counterintuitive. Plus a longer commute would frustrate me. Can you look for another job entirely?

[Deleted]

That job sounds awful but I would take it if 20% is going to improve your life and allow you to meet your future goals.

[vanillacourage]

I would not take it.

[jennistarr1]

sounds like you need a challenge

[hidingfromboss]

Sept 18, 2012 11:52:08 GMT -5 @notquiteblushing said:

Do you like a challenge? I don't think I would take it. Increasing your hours when you're starting a family seems counterintuitive. Plus a longer commute would frustrate me. Can you look for another job entirely?

Usually, yes, I do like to rise to a challenge. But I'm scared that I won't feel that way when my wife is pregnant or we have a baby. And I have a lot of conflicted feelings about feminism, "having it all," and how to find balance.

The company I work for pays better than industry standard and has awesome benefits that are worth a lot to me and my family. Even a step up at another company would likely not mean much in the way of a raise.

[Deleted]

I'd take it if your wife has a flexible schedule. The hours plus the commute would make it hard for you to be the primary parent in case of emergency.

[steph96]

How big of a mess is it? do you think it could get fairly straightened out in a reasonable amount of time? Are there any chances to work from home after the baby arrives?

[midwest07]

Any chance you could move closer to the new job? That would make the longer hours and longer commute much easier. Not sure how that would work for you and your wife's job, just an idea.

I would also probably lean toward taking the new job. It sounds like you are probably a year or so from having a baby, so you could get settled into the job and figure out the demands of what it takes before adding the additional stress of having a new baby. By that time, you're just a couple of years from when you would ideally leave the company, and in a much better position to job search because of this new role.

[noodleoo]

Does your wife work full time? Will she continue to work when you guys have a baby or stay home or work part time?

I think I'd consider it strongly if your wife can work part time or SAH. I do not think I'd take it due to the commute, long hours and stress if you both work full time. I think it is hard enough to raise a baby with 2 working parents, add in all the stress and 2.5 hrs of commuting a day, and I think it will be miserable.

[hidingfromboss]

Sept 18, 2012 12:09:00 GMT -5 BirdGirl said:

I'd take it if your wife has a flexible schedule. The hours plus the commute would make it hard for you to be the primary parent in case of emergency.

Her commute sucks too and there's not much way around that problem, unfortunately. But, she does have flexibility, and I would likely have some flexibility.

[hidingfromboss]

Sept 18, 2012 12:16:03 GMT -5 steph96 said:

How big of a mess is it? do you think it could get fairly straightened out in a reasonable amount of time? Are there any chances to work from home after the baby arrives?

A really really big mess. It's really hard to predict right now exactly when things would get better. But a few major things that need to get done will take 6 months to a year. Hopefully some other things will happen within the first 6 months that would at least improve the situation. However, this job will always be a lot more work than my current job.

Working from home... if things were working much better by then, maybe 1 day a week, but there's really no guarantee at this point.

[hidingfromboss]

Sept 18, 2012 12:19:53 GMT -5 midwest07 said:

Any chance you could move closer to the new job? That would make the longer hours and longer commute much easier. Not sure how that would work for you and your wife's job, just an idea.

Moving is a complicated question.... there is some potential for moving after we're pregnant (not before, due to the RE's location and things at my wife's job), but we've been looking and haven't been very excited about the homes available in the location that would be closer. So, it's a possibility but not something to bank on.

[Deleted]

Agree to take it if your wife has flexible hours or will stay home with the baby.

[hidingfromboss]

Sept 18, 2012 12:20:57 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Does your wife work full time? Will she continue to work when you guys have a baby or stay home or work part time?

She works full time now. When baby comes she'll take 3 months leave, then I hope to take 3 months leave, and at that point we have some ideas that would leave her working about 3/4 time. Unless we have twins - then our whole lives turn upside down.

[cjeanette]

I would take it.