should he take the job?

semilurker · February 2012

Hi, I've posted before under a different sn, but I need some advice where I can be anonymous. You guys usually seem pretty up on the career advancement stuff so I was hoping you'd lend some advice. Sorry, I want to include all the details, so this might be long.

DH works for a large tech company headquartered in the Bay Area. We live in a medium city in Washington state. He has a decent job, but he's advanced as far as he can at this location. He gets offers to apply for stuff at HQ pretty frequently, but we've been hesitant. The Bay Area is expensive enough that housing, etc would probably eat any extra income pretty quickly. We have a pretty close social group and my parents live here. Plus, DH hates the thought of living in a large city.

However, he always has feelers out, hoping that maybe something will open up that he can telecommute to, or they'll expand this campus. Well today he got an email from a coworker that she's been asked to find someone for a 6 month position at HQ. Slight raise, living expenses paid (I assume just for him). The exciting part is it branches him out of the current tech-y stuff he does and might open into areas with more advancement and more like what he wants to do (writing and maybe development). But we don't know if this would only open doors at HQ.

DH doesn't want to be separated for 6 months. My current job is a negligible, part-time receptionist position. In a decent economy I could pick up a new one tomorrow. We have two boys: a three year old and a 13 year old. The 13 year old is entering HS next year and has a very close group of friends. He's always made new friends easily, but in HS that can be hard. I also don't know what we'd do about our house, we love it and we're also about 20k underwater.

Oh, and if we did move to the Bay Area I do have cousins who live there and work in the same industry. They've hinted before about helping find opportunities if we moved there.

What would you do? Dismiss it out of hand because it doesn't seem practical right now? Look into it more (and would that frustrate the hiring manager)? DH wants my advice and I just don't know what to think.

CaliopeSpidrman · February 2012

If he has no desire to live in a big city and HQ is located in a big city, I don't really see the point in pursuing anything in the hopes of opening up doors at HQ.

semilurker · February 2012

Thank you, that's a good point. I guess we're both worried that in this crappy economy maybe he's exhausted where he can go in Medium City.

This is so frustrating. I want to tell him to just go for anything that will get him ahead of where he is, but sounds like so much work, and maybe very small gains.

L_Woods · February 2012

I would hope that you wouldn't uproot your entire family for a 6 month position.

semilurker · February 2012

L_Woods:
I would hope that you wouldn't uproot your entire family for a 6 month position.

I don't think that'd be my choice, but I don't think he'd want to go if it meant only seeing the kids on the occasional weekend.

The job is 6 months, but if he didn't get an offer there, they'd give him his position back here. Most of his coworkers who have done this got a pretty decent offer. One was offered a telecommute back up here, but she had special family circumstances.

modb1rd · February 2012

I will say that San Francisco (IMO) does not feel like a big city. And neither do San Jose or Palo Alto.

If they are paying living expenses ask what kind of travel home it includes. If he can come home every Thursday night and not leave until Monday morning (which is what my husband does) is it that big of a deal for only 6 months? Even if it only opens up doors in HQ it sounds like it would give him exposure to new skills that he could use in a different company in medium city if you choose not to move. To me it sounds like a real win with 6 months of inconvenience since his current position is guaranteed after the 6 month stint.

semilurker · February 2012

Thank you Mod, I was hoping especially for advice from you because of your background. They haven't mentioned travel, except to say they can't cover the rest of the family. I don't know if that means additional travel for him is an option or not. They did say they'd find (and pay for during the 6 months) a suitable apartment for the whole family.

That last bit sounds like a good sign, right?

I'm trying to talk to him about coming up weekends until school lets out, and then we join him for the summer. The little boy is growing so much, I think it'd hurt DH a lot to miss out on much of that.

Thank you again, I'd love to hear more thoughts because I'm not even sure what all to consider. I grew up in Medium City and have never moved away. DH moved here after college, but that's his only major move too.

modb1rd · February 2012

So SF has less than 1mil population and I really think it feels like a conglomeration of urban neighborhoods than a city like Chicago does. That being said, parking is hard to come by. Like I don't know anyone who drives to work.

I think before you decide you really have to understand what is covered in the expenses policy. For Mr. Mod the policy is if he is gone two weeks they either fly him home for the weekend or me to him. But he's a consultant so the work he is doing is client site specific. If this is an internal temporary assignment, the policy is probably less generous. and really understand what the guarantee is of keeping his former role (ie does he quit to take this assignment or does he take a leave of absence) and finally he should spend some time looking at the job opportunities in medium city outside of current company to see if getting ts experience would help him advance his career in WA if he leaves employer.

I LOVE the bay area and the idea of leaving gives me hives. But we are a dual income no kids couple that likes cities. It is an expensive place to live. The state's fiscal situation is not good. With the new Facebook millionaires being born it isn't going to get cheaper.

If you want to talk off board modb1rd@gmail.com

GroomzMcFinehiney · February 2012

I'll need to see a pic of him in a swimsuit before I can give you an opinion. But I promise it will be worth it. For one of us.

should he take the job?

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