Mate do whatever makes you happy and plan well - and realistically. 200k annually isn't very realistic at your age unless you have a brilliant business idea and become an entrepreneur urself.

I no longer chase after money 'cause that's a helluva life. I want to lay back a bit, and have enough money for retirement. That's all. Not having my own house is ok. Not living a luxurious life is ok. I am happy this way 'cause I don't like working like crazy.

Finally, asking people to vote is a bad idea. You shouldn't be influenced by this kind of stuffs because you don't know 'why' a person votes yes or no. Most likely, nobody has enough information to judge your life for you.

I'm not voting either. I agree with Greedya; I'm no expert on PlugIn Matty's life.

One thing you might consider, if you haven't already done it, is quoteLowe's a reasonable figure for which you would consider accepting this"promotion". You are looking for a new job; they have one available. Treat them just like you would a potential new employer.

Good luck!

I think you should look short term and long term. Jobs are not that easy to come by and if something looks too good to be true then it probably is.

Write a pros and cons list and make sure you put job security and future prospects on there. The company you work for has to be a good company if there is such a low turnover of staff. What are sick pay, holiday entitlement, retirement pension etc etc like. WIll they be able to give a little raise or other fringe benefilts like travel expenses etc.

Moving your job is always risky especially in this climate and if US law is anything like UK law then for the first year you are working they can get rid of you at any time.

Check out the companies you are considering working for. Do they have a quick turnover of staff? Do they require long hours of extra work with no pay? do they provide good benefits? What are the working conditions like? What support will you get? What will you be expected to do?

Be careful you are not going to be jumping out of the frying pan into a very tempting but very hot fire.

Also although it's tempting to look for short term benefit especially when things are tight but you have to look at the long term prospects if you are career minded. Will the new firms provide opportunities for promotion? What is the scale of advacement like? Do people who enter at the lever you are entering, doing the job you are doing get promoted/advanced in the company.

Weigh all this up and make your decision. No one else can make it for you

I voted NO. Wait it out.

Go for the cash. After all- that is really the only thing that matters.

All that rah-rah company loyalty feel-good bullshit doesn't pay your bills, and from your description, it's not going to take you where you want to go.

it's confirmed, 100% of voters think I shouldn't quit my job

just to make it clear, I have a job with my current employer for as long as I want it, and have no intention of resigning until I've signed on the dotted line somewhere else.

@Greedya: $200k per annum sounds pretty unreal, doesn't it? let me break it down for you: commission-based job + $77k starting salary + bonuses + sell a few houses = $200k. yes, real estate is a pressure-filled environment, but I've always enjoyed and excelled under pressure. in terms of 'luxury', that's not really a consideration. I don't dream of boats, mansions or BMWs, I'm more interested in financial security and buying my first house.

@MikeL: unfortunately, I'm not in a position to dictate terms. I work for a large multi-national, and even if my boss wanted to pay overs to stop me leaving, he'd never get approval from HR to do it. with my company's rigid payscale, the only way he could make it work in the short-term is if he created a new senior position and offered it to me. for all I know, he could be planning to do that. I know he rates my work highly, and I also know that he'll be very disappointed to lose me, so he might push to make it happen. I won't be holding my breath, though. at least not in these economic times...

@Nephy: I've weighed up the pros and cons, and I know that all of the jobs I'm considering would be excellent career moves. the working conditions are universally excellent, and all of the jobs have opportunities for short and long-term advancement. basically, they're all outstanding opportunities, and the only difference is remuneration.

so, all things being equal, do I place financial security above loyalty and chase the almighty dollar elsewhere?

decisions, decisions.

@Cia: in short, I want to take the position with my current employer, but I can't make the numbers work. I've already taken steps to trim my expenses, and I can survive in the short-term. however, this career move is about getting ahead, not surviving. if I take the job with my current employer, I could be here in 12 months time, waiting for that magical 'opportunity' to come up and STILL fighting to get ahead financially. worse, I could be bitter and disillusioned, thinking about how much more comfortable I'd be on the sort of salary I'd have earnt on the open market.

the fact is, I work with a lot of good people, and I'm at least second in line for the next promotion that comes up. with the incredibly low management turnover that my company has, being second in line could mean anything up to a 2 year wait.

I guess, if I was desperate, I could break my rental agreement and move in with one of my friends to save money and get ahead, but do I want to go through all the hassle and expense of moving house when I could easily maintain my current lifestyle and earn a higher salary with another employer?

I've done the sums, and if I maintained my current expenses and took the lowest-paying job that I'm applying for, I'd be free of personal debt and ready to buy a house within two years. if I took the highest-paying job, I'd be debt-free and have that home deposit by next Christmas. none of that is going to be possible if I take this new job with my current employer, though. even when a promotion does come up, it's still going to be a lower salary than what I'd earn in either of the external jobs that I'm considering.

also, for what it's worth, any of the jobs I'm currently considering would be an excellent career move. I've worked very hard to get to the position I'm currently in, and I've now got the sort of resume that's going to pay a small fortune on the open job market. it's just a matter of whether I cash in now, or cop a whole load of short-to-mid term financial pain and hope I can cash in with my current employer at a later date. in the words of my boss, I'm "doing absolutely everything right", so I know that I'll keep climbing the corporate ladder if I stay with my current employer, it's just a matter of whether I'm prepared to go broke while playing the waiting game, and whether I'm prepared to turn down other big opportunities in the meantime.

as you've probably figured out by now, I'm leaning towards those other opportunities.

@Menorain: the romantic in me wants to stay and wait it out, but I know that I'll end up disillusioned if I stay and then get passed over for the next senior position. logically, I know that if I take this opportunity and do a good job, bigger and better things will eventually come of it. however, an eventual pay rise isn't going to pay my current bills. also, with my company's payscale, that eventual pay rise is still going to be lower than the money I could earn on the open market.

@James: you're like the devil on my shoulder, telling me to take the money and run haha. actually, your response reminds me of a passage from a classic Run DMC song:

Money is the key to end all your woes,

Your ups and downs, your highs and your lows,

Won't you tell me last time that love bought you clothes?

It's like that, and that's the way it is.

never a truer word spoken.

It's really an hard decision to take. I cannt give you an advice, but I just can tell what I would do in the same position as you are :

Quit ! because :

More money means more freedom,

Changing job means more experiences

Meeting new people (bosses, other employees) means more contacts

BTW, I dont understand your boss : if he really think you are the man for this new challenge, I suppose he will accept to pay an higher salary. If not, as you say, you shouldnt trust hiem and quit.

IMO, a young manas you are (aged 25) should not stay longer than 3 years in any job.

I have more than 50 years of business experiences and changed my job 9 times in this period, and I'm happy I did it !