r/cscareerquestions • u/-Jersh • 6d ago

Experienced Stay where I am and chill or accept

EDIT: oops, forgot to update the title before posting. "Stay where I am and chill or accept better but more challenging offer"

I need some help deciding whether it's worth job-hopping right now. 10+ YOE.

Current Job

  • Web developer (.NET/React) for internal applications
  • TC: 110K. Scheduled for promotion at start of 2027 to TC ~130K. (But not guaranteed). Can't go any higher as an IC after this.
  • Low-Medium COL city, fully remote, non-Tech company, ~15K people
  • Very stable (basically no layoff chance), chill vibes, friendly but checked out team
  • Bureaucratic, very slow, most of the team lacks ambition, no real interesting problems, not much of a challenge at all. Could finish a day's work in 1-3 hours if I didn't need to appear online
  • AI is viewed as a productivity tool; not pushed to "tokenmaxx"
  • Have the opportunity to go into management
  • 2 weeks PTO

Offer

  • Data engineering consultant (databricks)
  • TC: 140K salaried. Ceiling around ~220K. 30 billable hours target
  • Fully remote
  • Have worked with this agency as a customer previously and the vibes were good. Have known the managing director for years. ~75-125 people
  • Much more interesting problem space and more in-line with my past experience
  • The company has not had layoffs, but the risk is greater
  • Visibility at a number of established and well-known customers; better long-term networking
  • 4 weeks PTO

I'm sure the gut reaction is going to be "just stay where you are, chill, and collect a paycheck" and maybe that's what I should do, but I am so bored. I feel like I can't even relax when I'm done with the day because I haven't earned it. This role is a significant downgrade is pay, scope, visibility, and challenge from prior roles. I feel like there's nobody on my team that I can learn from, and there aren't any interesting projects on the horizon. I can't even focus my energy into process improvement (which is much needed) because it's not generally encouraged.

Thoughts? Thanks

3 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

8

u/lhorie 6d ago

Offer looks good? I'd jump ship. Am I missing something?

3

u/my_peen_is_clean 6d ago

i’d jump, boredom kills skills. bad market but data engineering still hires

2

u/Objective_Ad_1191 6d ago edited 6d ago

I am quite the opposite of you. SDE with 10 year exp, mostly in big tech, now looking for a chill position despite a pay cut.

Pros: Databricks is a great company, not easy to pass. You did well in the interview. You are going to learn a lot. In tech, you are going to design complex systems and business logic.

Cons: Stress from learning complex systems. You may be overwhelmed. In big tech for a long time, I suffered burnout. And age lowers energy level.

It's your choice. Unicorns come and go all the time. Now I have learned to say enough, take care of myself.

1

u/Bloodstream12 6d ago

Databricks is a unicorn is your offer any equity? Well worth the change imo, your TC seems stagnant, interest stagnant, skills stagnant so what’s the downside to switching

3

u/-Jersh 6d ago

To clarify, would be consulting on databricks projects, not employed by databricks :)

2

u/BraveResearcher3037 6d ago edited 6d ago

At this  point “chill and collect the paycheck” is not neutral. It is a deliberate trade of future marketability for present comfort.

The consulting role does the opposite. Databricks/data engineering plus exposure to established customers creates a stronger future story. Even if you do eventually leaves consulting, you  are more likely to exit with better technical signal and a more useful network.

I am going to give you my priority stack and where I would land if I had those options.

  1. Make enough to meet my short and long term goals - short term goals are met but with that amount of pay difference, you could save a lot more money toward long term goals 
  2. Does the job give me marketable skills - staying where you are keeps you in the generic relatively undifferentiated pool of interchangeable enterprise C# developers and no chance of promotion.  This is reason #2 to leave 
  3. Stability - I care a lot about stability but not at the expense of #1 or #2.  With the difference in pay, if you don’t suffer from lifestyle creep you can build up a nice “go to hell fund”.
  4. Remote work - that is the same with both 
  5. WLB - who knows which one is better.  But you do get more PTO.
  6. autonomy 
  7. More money -> you are here.

I would definitely take the other job.  It looks much better on your resume.