So I've been heavily recruited by a competing company in my industry, and they are offering me a 50% raise over what I'm being paid now. Clearly a life changing offer and I don't know how I can pass it up. But man, it is REALLY nerve racking thinking about making this big of a move, I've been with my current employer for 13 years and it's the only job I've ever had since I started here as a 20 year old. I think I have to take the offer, but these are the things I'm thinking about:
PROS
1) my wife, who works 4 nights a week as a nurse assistant from 11pm-7am, would be able to stop working. We have a 10 year old and a 2 year old, so I really feel bad for her working all overnight, no sleep, and coming home to a 2 year old and not getting any sleep there either. She has been a champ about it for almost 2 years, but it wears on her a lot. It was something that she had to do, switching to nights, because working days would put us into the full time daycare category, and that costs more than she would make.
2) we would be able to save a ton of money over the next 2 years, allowing us to (hopefully) move out of our apartment and into a house sooner than we had planned. It would be great to do this before my little one starts kindergarten.
3) with my wife being home and us being in a house, the idea of having another baby and being able to actually afford to do it is a very realistic possibility
4) when I started working here 13 years ago, my dad had already been here for about 10 years. He left a few months ago to go work for this company that is now recruiting me. So I would be reunited with my dad, which would be great, and getting to finish out his career with me would be really special. I also know that he wouldn't suggest I talk with this guy if he didn't think it was a good environment. To me this is a huge advantage, to have someone on the inside that I can trust, rather than going into this decision blindly.
CONS
1) The thing that has me the most scared is the fact that this would be a 2 hour commute home each day. My current job is 30 minutes from home. So adjusting to driving in that traffic is a real concern. I am sure I would get used to it, but it's still gonna suck. This new employer is open to me working a 7am-4pm day so that I can hopefully be home by 6-6:30pm and not miss out on the normalcy of family life at home. That is important to me. Money is great but I do not want to be the guy who gets home at 8pm and misses out on dinner and playing with my kids.
2) it's a huge change uprooting my job and leaving a place I've been for 13 years, where I'm treated well, to go and start over someplace new. I am fully confident in my abilities to succeed in this new place, but deciding to rip that bandage off and go for it is a big deal.
Just looking to chat a bit with you guys, hear what you think. I think my mind is almost made up on what I'm gonna do, but it' still nice to talk about it with others. Thanks for listening!!