I’m currently in a job which I enjoy and which I am fortunate enough to receive potential quaterly bonuses, which is quite nice for a developer! BUT, the code base/framework I have to work with is legacy and can be very frustrating, our processes and techniques are old and I guess I’m concerned that the longer I stay here the more my skills may/will become out of date!!
Myself and collegues have stated time and time again how we need to get up to speed and have justifies how this could help us, but my developer manager just seems reluctant to move on!!
I’ve just had a job offer from company that seem to be very current and at the forefront of development, although they have offered me a pay rise it doesn’t cover what I could earn at my current place of work with bonuses and at the moment with a young family and mortgage helps!
Could anyone advise on what would be the best choice!
Honestly this seems like the best option. With a young family and morgage i seriously doubt you’d want to reduce the amount of money coming in.
And considering you’re still around i’d assume that would mean that you are going a good job there and people like you, so i’d think you’re boss would listen to you if you made some suggestions.
Remember you can always start your home projects as a way to keep up to date and learn more.
Sometimes it’s not a bad idea to take a step down if it can - in the long run - advance your career further than staying put.
I did so about 5 years ago (and I actually went back around 25% of my salary) and haven’t looked back since. Now I’m earning more than my original salary, even though it took a while to get there again. More importantly though, I’ve learnt and experienced so much more than I would have done if I had stuck around in my old job.
However, taking a step back as far as salary is concerned is only something you should consider if you can actually afford it. If earning less will get you into financial strife, don’t do it!
The problem with quarterly bonuses is that they are not typically guaranteed. You say the other job offers a raise in regular pay which IS guaranteed. It is definitely tough when you have a family and mortgage, but personally I would choose the position which offered further advancement in my career as well as higher guaranteed pay.
The company I worked for before starting my own company used to give out quarterly bonuses. Not five months after I left they did away with that practice and now there is no profit sharing, bonuses or raises. It’s totally a gamble when dealing with bonuses in any job, I think, because the company does not have to give them. I think a lot of times companies use the offer of bonuses to be able to pay employees lower salaries since it sounds great on paper.
It’s tough for us to tell you the best option for you though.
