It’s the end of the year with self-reviews due, and I just know that when it comes time for the actual review/merit increase itself I’ll be given the usual 3-4% raise.
Under normal market conditions (pre-covid) I’d be okay with staying because I enjoy my workplace, or even be comfortable of going elsewhere because there are enough jobs out there that if my new one didn’t work out, I could hop elsewhere.
But since 2019 a few things have changed in my life: I’ve gotten a mortgage, and I’ve also had to take on the care of a terminally ill parent with declining health.
I am due for a promotion, but it has been delayed for over a year due to this year’s earnings. I’m wondering if the risk of jumping for another job is worth it at this point in my life, because my current job is 100% remote and pretty stress free.
I also love what I do, my boss is amazing (zero micromanagement, fully supportive in PTO and work help), and I like my coworkers too. My previous job was the most toxic place I have ever worked in, so I know the mental/emotional value of a job where the stress doesn’t invade your personal life.
But with the rising costs of everything, I just know that in about 1-2 years time I’ll be struggling to keep up, especially with my mortgage being renewed at a higher rate (I’m in Canada).
**TL;DR:** Has anyone here taken the leap of another job when they are the sole provider for their home? (Kids, mortgage, etc). How do you weigh risks?
At this point I’ve updated my resume and started bookmarking job postings I might be interested in, but I’m still afraid of taking the leap if I get the offer. I’m in tech, and the fear of being laid off as a new employee is there as well– Not that I wouldn’t get fired at my current job if they really had to, but I think I’ve got a better chance of staying, because I’m specialized in certain things other people in my team aren’t.
Anyway, looking to get some thoughts. Thanks for reading if you made it this far!
3 comments
yeurp. the only way i coulda made it work is if i started my own company in the field that i enjoyed.
list the pros and cons and make a choice.
You know the adage about money not buying happiness? It’s somewhat true but it completely misses the fact that money buy an absence of stress, and stress destroys happiness.
Stress is not having the money to care for your ailing parents, or not being able to save for retirement while also paying the mortgage. So switching jobs might save you that stress. But switching jobs could also increase your stress as you pointed out in your description of your current job vs. your old job.
So I guess my advice to you is to think less of the money and more about the stress. Is the reduction in financial stress worth the potential on higher work stress? I can’t answer that for you but it’s a way of reframing the question that’s helped me in the past.
I think you might be dealing with this choice as if it is one or another. You either make more money and don’t like your work or you have a stress-free job, but don’t get paid enough. Take advantage of the fact that you have a job you’re satisfied with right now to look for another job in a stress-free way. Look for a job that Offers some of the same benefits that you have now, but pays better.
You don’t even have a job offer yet and you’re stressing over whether you should take one. I think you’re manifesting problems that you might not have to deal with. You might find a job that is so perfect for you that there’s no question that you’re going to take it. But either way you just make the decision logically. Write out the pros and cons list and consider everything: commute, pay, benefits, work life balance, all that. Once you have actual numbers and figures to work with this decision won’t be as hard as you’re making it out to be in your head right now. You can’t make the decision right now because you don’t have any information to work with. Get the information first then worry about the decision.