When does a lateral career move make sense?

Post date: 2021-10-28 10:09:23
Views: 61
I may have an opportunity to make what would essentially be the same job I am doing now but at a different company. I'm a bit dissatisfied with my current role, but I am not sure if a lateral move makes sense. How do I make this decision? Long-ish details inside.

I am in middle management at a large company. A former colleague of mine (whom I worked well with and respected as my peer at the time) moved to another, smaller company in the same industry but in a more senior role. They are now hiring to fill the same position I currently hold at my current company.

When I saw the posting, I reached out and had a conversation about the job. They said that the job description had been written based on my role and, more specifically, what they identified as the strengths I brought to that role. But, this would be about a lateral move as you can get: same title, same responsibilities, et cetera.

I have been feeling a certain amount of frustration in my current role. I love, love, love my co-workers and my boss. My work-life balance is good. The organization has treated us all very well through the pandemic. But some things have been extremely frustrating and I don't feel like they are getting better. When I've tried to identify areas I think we can improve, I've been told "That's just the culture" or "Change doesn't happen overnight!" I've been here five years now. I know my co-worker was frustrated with a lot of the same things before they left, and it seems they are in a stronger position to make change happen at the smaller company.

I feel extremely conflicted about this. It is a completely lateral move, so I'd be taking on the additional risk of joining an unfamiliar organization for probably the same pay. If I do decided to change jobs, waiting might lead to an opportunity that is a bigger change or a step up.

But, the flip side of that is that this might be enough change might get me out of my current rut, without being something so completely different that it adds a lot of stress to my life. And, to be honest, maybe it's kind of okay to be coasting these days, with everything going on right now?

I'm planning to talk to my boss about some of the things that are bothering me in my current role, but what else should I be thinking about here? Is this just a flat out terrible idea, a great idea, neither? How should I make this decision?

(No, I don't have an offer in hand yet; I'm probably going to apply just to not close the door, but at the same time, I don't necessarily want to waste my former colleague's time if I can come to a firm conclusion about what I want to do.)
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