A job in hand is worth 2 in the bush

Post date: 2018-04-24 12:26:44

How do I figure out if it's time to move on to a new job? I planned on staying at my current position longer (but not that much longer), and an opportunity has materialized sooner than anticipated...

I work in a small field. I definitely don't love my job (though sometimes I like it), but planned on staying at my current job for a while yet. There I things I don't like about my job, and things I don't like about the industry. Everything I've heard about this potential new job is from a former co-worker.

I tend to think that I'm just generally not happy with the career path, and while some things could be improved at another company, some things are just part of the industry I work in. I dream of picking up and buying a small farm in the midwest. In reality, I'll probably work in this field until I retire. It's a good career path, and there are a lot of benefits, but it doesn't do anything special for me.

Reasons to leave sooner than later:
-The new position supposedly has shorter hours, compared to my current job where it's expected I'll work 45 - 50 hours each week.
-Supposedly it's easier to transfer locations within the region, whereas my current job only has one regional location.
-Supposedly a friendlier, less competitive office.
-I'm not happy at work, and some of this is because of the office I work in.
-Supposedly telecommuting part of the time is no problem.

Reasons to stay where I am:
-How different can the new place really be?
-I know what the game is at my current job and am decent at it.
-I'm expecting a promotion soon, although new job would be comparable.
-Glassdoor and word-of-mouth make it look like I wouldn't get much, if any, of a pay bump.
-I am working on varied and generally interesting projects, and I think the new role would be a little more specialized.

Also keep in mind that while I've read lots of career advice here on the Green, this is my first career job (I have a long work history but floated among a lot of non-career jobs).

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