Take Offer or Retract?

I’ll make this short as I need as much help as I can get.

I’ve been in a position for a year now, got really good but opportunities in it have dwindled and so I’ve been looking for a new position even though it’s stable and pays relatively well. I found a new opportunity and have just recently accepted the offer. I also just recently put in my two-week notice. After this, the prime on the contract I was working (I was a sub) now wants to bring me on but for a new position and in a new section doing different (but still challenging) things at the same location. I believe the main reason for the sudden interest is due to the people who know what a great employee I am don’t want to see me leave and are pushing hard to have me stay. They say positions just recently opened up and it’s unfortunate I didn’t know of them sooner. I know I can get close to six figs but for me, work is first, pay second. I think I'm too young to follow JUST the money and potentially miss out on opportunities to learn and grow while building my career.

My question is… Should I stay and transition to the prime for higher pay, new work but same environment...OR leave and move into a drastically different place (small company, not Govt related) accepting good pay, fast-paced environment, great commute, nice people, small team/family…etc etc.

Summary of both positions

Current position:
Commute 50 miles a day; no traffic; ~45mins each way.
Same environment (CERT type) which is familiar
High pay (I can get them close to six figs – higher than new position I’ve just accepted).
Big company on a big Govt contract (prime) with many future opportunities I hope.

Position I’ve already accepted the offer to:
5 mile commute
Different environment
Small company with a BIG product which I think will be huge in the industry very soon.
Higher pay than I’m making now.. ~18k higher, good enough for me.
Full benefits, bonuses, 1 month vacation..etc..etc..
Stock options and the future potential to be bought out or go IPO which I hope is a huge plus.
Located in an area I wish to move closer to effectively making the commute trivial.

If anyone has any input or advice on what I should do (retract offer and stay for high pay, or leave and risk it with a small but stable company with average pay) please let me know. I’m itching to change the environment and do ground-breaking things with this new company. They are on the bleeding-edge of security and I want to ride the wave with them. The people who are there now are really in it due to faith in the product and the great people who back it. I really believe that it’s a small company going big places but I don’t want to lose out on taking one of these high-paying positions with the prime contractor.

Regards.

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Comments

sieff

Never accept the counter-offer.

You just put in your notice and accepted the new gig. Decision made. Good luck on your new job. 5 mile commute sounds pretty sweet.

milieu

The way you described it, I think you should go to the new job. You seem much more excited about the new position, and the only draw to the old one is the money. Besides, if the old job really liked you that much, they would have been offering you more opportunities and money BEFORE you put in your notice.

Don't burn any bridges though...if things don't work out at the new job, you could always try to come back and get the old one again.

Danielm7

Sounds like you're mostly answering your own question. You feel like the money isn't the #1 motivator, and the new job that you've already accepted an offer for pays 18K more with great starting benefits and everything else you are looking for, just not even more money with the old company.

Personally, having gone from a 70-90 minute each way commute to a 5 minute commute, it really does make a world of difference. When you calculate the cost difference also think about commuting costs, not just gas, wear and tear and the stock options in a growing company.

NotHackingYou

New job for sure

N2IT

New job. That sounds like a nice opportunity.

itguy7

Great, I'm so happy that my gut feeling agrees with all of you!

Thank you everyone for your opinions. It was exactly what I needed and helped me clear my head. This morning was such craziness that it actually made me second-guess my decision to accept this amazing opportunity.

MrAgent

One thing you mentioned is the fact that the new job is not government related. Im guessing you currently have a clearance, which means you would be losing it?

itguy7

MrAgent wrote: »

One thing you mentioned is the fact that the new job is not government related. Im guessing you currently have a clearance, which means you would be losing it?

No. I asked the company and a nice woman told me they have a "guy" who holds it so that I wouldn't lose it. They also have federal contracts so that's probably why they have said "guy". I'm sure those who are managers who deal with this stuff know what I mean however shady it sounds

WafflesAndRootbeer

itguy7 wrote: »

No. I asked the company and a nice woman told me they have a "guy" who holds it so that I wouldn't lose it. They also have federal contracts so that's probably why they have said "guy". I'm sure those who are managers who deal with this stuff know what I mean however shady it sounds .

If they have clearance-relevant contracts then they simply put you into the cleared worker pool for those things - regardless of whether or not you actually work on those contracts - and then you hold on to your clearance. That's how it works. A lot of guys get moved around from one thing to another with the contractors around here. Sometimes it's all over the place.

SteveLord

My neighbor recently (like last week) came back to his employer saying he was seeking a new job and had an offer to take it. They gave him a counter offer. +10% salary, reimbursement for certs and bonus incentives for staying within IT budgets. T I warned him about the counter offer, but he said he felt good about it in his gut. He knows his boss better than I do and he was also their first IT person and they were apologetic. He says he would have brought these issues up sooner if he had been given his evaluation. (I've been hounding him for the last year in a half to find a new job or demand higher pay.)

So far so good for him.

About7Narwhal

My last job was similar to this. I give notice and suddenly a promotion opportunity opens up. Now, my team lead was a great man and a great boss. He was hard on me when I needed it and gave me enough space to learn and grow, he took a chance on me when I had no IT experience and I worked very hard to repay him. I have no doubts that his hands were tied in regards to pay or promotion. When management hears word of someone good leaving, that person suddenly becomes more valuable because there is a demand.

I have full faith that he tried very hard to get that offer for me and that I would have been happy with the position, but there is one thing that I always get stuck on in these situations. It is a simple question that I have never had anyone answer truthfully for me: Why am I worth more now than I was before I was leaving?

Did you guys not notice I was unhappy with my pay? Do you not want to go through the hassle of re-hire and re-train? Perhaps the timing was coincidental? No one has ever honestly looked me in the eyes and told me the determining factor aside from the generic, "You are a valuable member of our team and we would hate to lose you." It is great to get a counter offer, because at least 1 person there thinks you are worth fighting for to keep around. Unfortunately, it is too little, too late. All a counter offer has ever told me is that the company was holding out and could have provided more.

I am never bitter though. I always thank them for the counter offer and indicate that the growth opportunity is something I cannot afford to pass up. Don't want to go burning any bridges now, do we?

NetworkVeteran

About7Narwhal wrote: »

Did you guys not notice I was unhappy with my pay? Do you not want to go through the hassle of re-hire and re-train? Perhaps the timing was coincidental? Unfortunately, it is too little, too late. All a counter offer has ever told me is that the company was holding out and could have provided more.

Yup. It would be highly unusual for me to accept a counter-offer because either: (a) the company was paying me below market rate and knew it, (b) the company is now paying me above market rate and this "improved position" will be temporary.

boobobobobob

It sounds like the new job will be with a vendor? I personally have shied away from working for vendors in the past because it sometimes pigeonholes you into one thing. IE if you work for brocade, meraki or whatever you learn specifically about their products and how to integrate their stuff really well. But later down the road if you don't end up staying with them how marketable are you? The exception for this is cisco and juniper their products and certifications that go with them are pretty widely accepted.

The above is my very personal experience and i have no idea who the new company is so i might be completely wrong but that's just how i feel.