Talk through this with me.

[dyers78]

I have a job offer and I am very torn about it. I have been at my current job as an in-house designer/creative service manager for 5 years. Great benefits, 4 weeks off/year, decent pay, close to my home, securtiy, etc. I used to hate it but then my boss quit and I got a new boss who I adore and respects my opinion. The job has limited earning potential but offers some freedom in what I do (I also do the web stuff here but am pretty outdated on the CSS so it's frusterting).

My old boss that quit got landed a pretty plush job for a good sized local bank and called to offer me a job there...yes, a bank designer (blah). The pay will be 5% more than I am making now after 5 years and the benefits are almost exact but the new gig offers up to an 11% bonus each year. It's a pretty agressive bank that really understands the benefits of their marketing team. It has nearly unlimited earning potential, autonomous schedule but it's a bank and my old boss, who I like, but had a tough time working with because she was a little scattered and hard to keep up with. I really want to try something new as thie current job I am in is the first job I have had out of school. Call it curiousity. I am having my first child ( a baby girl) in 2 months and am a little nervous about switching jobs but te good ones do not come around all the often. I am doing a couple freelance jobs for the bank now to test the waters and am not liking it. They are under going a brand eval and adopting some standards so that will help in terms of why I don't like the freelance stuff I am currently doing with them. They would want me to start in April so I need to make up my mind soon.

Any kind words of advice form fellow designers on this situation?

[budafist]

It sounds like the money benefits will not make up for the fact that might be miserable in the new job. Don't take it. See if you can get a raise at your current job though. With 5 years at your current job and a baby on the way, a raise would certainly be nice.

[CkretAjint]

The pay will be 5% more than I am making now after 5 years and the benefits are almost exact but the new gig offers up to an 11% bonus each year.

Is working for someone you know you don't like working for worth 5% extra? With the POSSIBILITY (aka - probably not) of an 11% bonus?

Just cause it's possible doesn't mean you'll get it. At my old job you could get up to 10%. No one I knew had ever made over 3% at the end of the year. Sure it sounds great, but how true is it?

[Kool]

My personal opinion is stay where you are. The benefits of the new job just don't strike me as being worth the risk especially with a baby on the way.

[mojoprime]

you'll hear things all across the board here, literally. look at the two places: of course, one's a bank but as we know, those can go away; what's the other? is it more secure, with long-term security?

a kid changes everything. it's not just you anymore, flying by the seat of your pants and not having to worry about the repercussions. i dunno. i'm the wrong person to ask, being a little older. from my perspective, job security is a big big deal. and so are the benefits. but if you're already running up against some things you don't like, that might be a warning bell...

[dyers78]

I work for United Way currently - Job security is there long-term. The bank is a local deal that has grown tremendously and has a unique story. It was started after the other locally owned bank sold out to Wells Fargo in 94. The President and sevaral others decided this area needed a locally owned and controlled bank, got together with several local investors and boom. They now own 5 different bank names with several banks each. I asked about security and they have things in place as not to be bought out by larger banks. They basically want to maintain control. Seems there is security there as well. The 11% is almost a given - I will set goals with my boss for a 12 month cycle. At the end we go over what was accomplished and the percentage is based on that. My old boss just go a $14k bonus in February. The real kicker here is the parent company for the bank, QCR Holdings, wants to see what I can do in a year to get the bank in order brandig wise and possibly be prmoted to the Holdings level which will net me another 10k/year.

I like my job now - the boss is cool but I am so curious as to what another job could offer. Money is not everything but it does help with a kid on the way. I had another job offer like 4 months ago and already pulled the 'I want a raise to stay' thing so i doubt they will go for it again.

[balou]

I'd stick with the safe option right now. With the scare of an economic recession, I wouldn't want to be low man on the totem pole when/if it hits. Don't forget to put a lot of value on a job that you like.

[Vespertine]

stay where you are...but keep looking. financial stuff is boring but pays the bills so try and keep freelancing for them. always look for greener pastures.

[budafist]

I had another job offer like 4 months ago and already pulled the 'I want a raise to stay' thing so i doubt they will go for it again.

If you didn't get the raise before, maybe now is the time to ask for it again.

[dyers78]

Nah, I got it before and then a month later they gave me my regular yearly raise too. I think if I tell them I have another job oppertunity they will give me a box to put my stuff in and throw me out.

Wow! This is over-whelming. I figured I would have some swing. SO you are all telling me money is not a factor for you? I was looking at it like I would be starting out at 5% more than I am making after 5 years. Hell, at 3% a year it will take 2 more years just to the starting point. That and the room to grow. I know Financial can be boring but it doesn't have to be? I mean, isn't this what we do? Take things that are boring and make them more interesting (and hopfully profitable)

I want to be happy in a job more than anything but I will say that working for a non-profit isn't very exciting either. I should apply for Starbucks or Bose. Both cool products.

Well, if anyone has anything else to offer please do, I have a day or two to make up my mind.

[budafist]

Of course money is a factor when looking at a job, but security, happiness and creativity are important.

There's no point being $2000 richer per year if your mental health is shot.

[CkretAjint]

...minus taxes!

[DesignStudio]

I think money is a factor of course for everyone, and maybe we're not understanding the terms of your raise correctly, but it sounds like basically you'll be making 5% more? I think realistically that's a pretty small margin to call the money a huge factor in that decision. 5% doesn't seem like life changing money. I don't want to be crude and guess at your salary, but lets say that the new job offered to take you out to lunch every day on their dime, but you'd be miserable at work. Would you take it? That's about what a 5% pay raise probably equates to, is roughly enough to buy one meal a day. Considering that your original post said you used to hate your old job, and it only improved after your boss left, I'd say that your later comments are downplaying how unpleasant it can be working under a poor manager.

I'd say considering that all else sounds roughly equal, stay where you are. And they just gave you a raise when you asked for it, so it sounds like they're willing to play ball big picture. Even if you're not asking for another raise, let them know you've got yet another job offer so they know you're a desirable employee on the market, and encourage them to keep treating you fairly. It sounds to me like you're just curious for a little change, as opposed to being really excited about the new job. I'd say wait a bit for the baby, and you'll have plenty of change in your life to keep you occupied for a while.

But then again I might not be the one to ask, I work for myself because it makes me happy, not because it's the most lucrative career decision out there.