So as some of y'all know, we'll be moving out of the RTP area in July. My wife's finishing up residency, and due to various factors(economy, obamacare), there are literally zero anesthesiologist jobs in the triangle. She was able to land a job in Richmond, so that's where we're headed.

Now, my current job as a manager of engineers comes with a requirement of being in the office. My director did inform me that he'd be fine with me working remotely for about 6 months after we have to move until I can find something. So that gives me about a year from now to find another position. Now I absolutely love my current gig. I've got probably the best boss I've ever had in any job, and a great team that I manage.

So once I let the word out that I'm looking, I've had several folks approach me about other jobs. I had an interview yesterday, and was offered the position on the spot. I'd be able to work remotely full-time, be part of building an entirely new group starting out as an individual contributor and evolving into a manager as this group grows. Unlike my current role, and my 10 years of previous experience, this will not be customer facing, or technically focused at all. It'll be more of a thought leadership role, which does intrigue me but is so vastly different than anything I've done.

Compensation would be the same, this is a lateral move, and probably involve a promotion once this does evolve into a management position.

Alternately, I can continue to wait for something else... I have essentially a year before I _have_ to make a move. The risk is do I strike while the iron's hot, or take it slow and wait for something better and risk have to settle for something worse.

Of course once I move, there might be good opportunities at other companies in Richmond...

What would you do, TWW?


tl;dr - have to move. have a great job now that i'll have to leave. got an offer yesterday that i'm only semi-excited about.

[Edited on January 21, 2012 at 8:36 AM. Reason : .]

1/21/2012 8:35:11 AM

Intriguing and different? Do it.

1/21/2012 8:55:50 AM

is the new company established and stable? working remotely has good and bad aspects... it would be great as a father to offer you more flexibility, but then again, working at home would be very isolating (and you don't strike me as the type who thrives in isolation)

[Edited on January 21, 2012 at 9:08 AM. Reason : ]

1/21/2012 9:08:17 AM

re-reading that I wasn't clear, the new position is still with Cisco, just a different organization.

and yeah, I tend to thrive around people and am not used to being isolated. I think that part is somewhat unavoidable if I opt to stay with Cisco, as there's not much of a presence there other than a handful of telecommuters. I can probably get used to it, especially once I start making new friends.

1/21/2012 9:11:42 AM

If you stick with the old job, you're basically done with Cisco unless someone else comes along with a similar offer as the one you have now, right? Is this what you are holding out for? If you have a good expectation that will actually happen, then I can see why you'd be wanting to hold out. But if the expectation isn't good it will happen, seems like a no brainer to take the new offer and if it turns out to not be what you wanted then you'll just begin searching the Richmond area.

1/21/2012 9:45:59 AM

ThePeter and I discussed this and we believe you should take the new job.

1/21/2012 3:55:52 PM

Do it, and here's why.

Working remotely, especially as a team leader, is a huge shift and takes a lot of changes in habit and workstyle for most people.

Changing your role from a management / engineering position to a planning / evangelism role is a huge shift for most people.

Taking the job now gives you a year to adjust slowly, work through the road bumps and get comfortable with the new role. You avoid making a personal and professional transition at the same time. I've watch this happen to people around me, and it can have devastating effects on otherwise amazing folks.

1/21/2012 4:50:15 PM

based on reading other peoples posts, i say take the job. plus i thought it was a different company

[Edited on January 21, 2012 at 5:00 PM. Reason : take it]

1/21/2012 4:57:37 PM

This is the precipice of your life's greatest decline.

1/21/2012 5:07:17 PM

you need to have the right personality/temperament to work remotely... it has its share of challenges and downsides

1/21/2012 5:27:46 PM

You should instead cut all your loses and work full-time as a TWW moderator. It pays figuratively and you can do your work remotely any time you want!


Seriously though, new job sounds (more?) enjoyable and it seems like there's more potential to move to a manager type position, which seems ideal to me at least.

1/21/2012 5:45:28 PM

10+ posts deep and nobody has said anything bad about Richmond yet

1/21/2012 5:55:35 PM

I've heard really bad things about Richmond

1/21/2012 6:20:53 PM

for me personally, i'd love to switch to a more big picture / manager type role than being involved in the technical stuff more often than not, but thats just me, would you rather do that, or be more hands on

if you think you have some good ideas coupled with people and motivation skills to convey your ideas and get people behind them, i'd go for the new job...if you'd rather keep getting your hands dirty and honing your skills, preparing potentially for something even better in the future, then i'd give some serious thought to sticking with the current job

i'd stick with the current gig for at least a few months while investigating other long term opportunities, but i think it comes down to what you think you can do or want to try

you seem to have enough of a good skillset where if the new job didnt work out, you wouldnt have any issues getting another job

1/21/2012 10:47:49 PM

I realize this thread is about a poossible career change....which I do not dispute. Hear me out, maybe I can offer some insight.

I am in outside sales, which is currently salary+commission, but will move into straight commission starting at the beginning of July 2010. I have been in this position since July 2009. I have competition from several direct manufacturing sales reps, large distributors, and local distributors. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of each:

Direct Advantages: Immediate knowledge of new technology, no middle man mark up, one shipping bill (paid by manufacturer or buyer of goods), access to larger range of non-commodity items, control inventory, have access to many distributors that can effectively sell their goods which increases market share, and set prices of commodity they manufacture.

Direct disadvantages: Typically have 1-3 sales reps per region (i.e. southeast, mid-atlantic, northeast, etc.) limiting the number of accounts they can successfully manage/cold-call, lack physical customer service or physical technical service available to or affordable for smaller users or altogether, are sometimes not trustworthy because they will go in behind their distributors that sell their commodity to one account in large quantities (i.e. they missed a big account, and have found out about it through a distributor selling their particular product) which leads to the distributor not selling their product anymore, have too many distributors selling the product ultimately driving the set price down through deviations, possibly rely on distributors to actually sell the product, and competition from other direct sources.

Large distributor advantages: have access to other commodities that go hand in hand with other manufacturers (poor example- grocery stores sell milk as well as cereal), get direct pricing, many locations regionally or nationally easing the shipping burden of buyers with multiple locations, personal service either customer or technical, many sales reps that are able to cover a broader territory, access to multiple manufacturers of the same commodity allowing to keep prices in check, service programs that smaller companies can't offer and direct providers can't match in price or value, and experts of many many commodities as opposed to one or a few.

Large distributor disadvantages: smaller local distributors creating price wars (think Michael Scott Paper Co vs Dunder-Mifflin), direct mfg's going in behind and stealing business, limited access to all of the mfg's (you won't find Harris Teeter name brands in Food Lion and visa versa), can't truly set prices because it's based on both supply and demand, territory management, and tough growth prospects in slower economies (this is true for direct as well really)

Local distributor advantages: Typically a good ol' boy setting where the seller and the buyer know each other for years (this does happen at all levels, but mostly at the local level), local folks are right down the street and can be used in emergencies, if the local guy buys at high enough volumes then there is no shipping charge to the end user, and access to both direct mfg's and large distributors.

Local distributor disadvantages: easily beaten in price, array of commodities, array of technology, lack of trained staff, low cash flow, etc etc etc.

This is what I have noticed in my six months, I am sure there are plenty more that need mentioning. The way I am setting myself apart as a sales person is this: I go after the big accounts right now while I am new. The big accounts, if I land them, will take care of me while I am new and building a customer base. The money made off of those allows me to focus free time on smaller accounts that get me higher margins. I build up big accounts, I would like to have 5-10 of these, then get 20-30 medium accounts. If I lose 1 or 2 big accounts, the 20-30 medium accounts keep me afloat while I go after new big accounts. I don't really waste time on small accounts simply because they basically pay for breakfast or something really small.

I will say this, if you can't get a big account in the first 6-8 months (assuming you have cash flow that you can ride this long) you could be in a world of trouble. If you can get one, it will really make going after the others a lot more enjoyable and less stressful. It's simply just very exhausting wasting any time on anything other than big accounts in the very beginning. You work just as hard on the medium sized accounts and see 1/3 to 1/36 of the money in my situation.

If you have any other questions, you can PM me. I hope this helps in the slightest!

1/21/2012 10:57:04 PM

Quote :

"But if the expectation isn't good it will happen, seems like a no brainer to take the new offer and if it turns out to not be what you wanted then you'll just begin searching the Richmond area."

yup, ultimately, this is the reality. I've realized that my hesitation is solely about the fact that I really really love my current job, but regardless of what I do, it's got an expiration date. The best thing I can do is rip the bandaid off.

Quote :

" Taking the job now gives you a year to adjust slowly, work through the road bumps and get comfortable with the new role. You avoid making a personal and professional transition at the same time. "

great point.

Quote :

"for me personally, i'd love to switch to a more big picture / manager type role than being involved in the technical stuff more often than not, but thats just me, would you rather do that, or be more hands on "

oh, I've been in management now for two years, and loving it.

[Edited on January 22, 2012 at 8:38 AM. Reason : anyway, after thinking on it all weekend, i'm gonna go for it. ]

1/22/2012 8:38:13 AM

^Good for you and good luck with everything.

1/22/2012 9:08:06 AM

I think you should probably take the new job, but I'd stall as long as possible to see if there's anything else out there you'd be interested in. Like Noen said - making both the personal and professional transition is immensely difficult. My gf is going through it now, and without giving too much of her business away, it's been rough to say the very least.

1/22/2012 9:25:55 AM

congrats on the new job either way... it might be a lateral move, but it's a good overall advance for your family. I have a lot of family in Richmond, and yes there are run down parts, but there are also areas that are really fun and family friendly.

1/22/2012 11:00:58 AM

While it would be a huge shift in focus and in type of work, it seems like taking the position is the wisest choice here. Since you can't keep your current job that you love, anything else is going to seem like a potential downgrade. But from your description this seems like a unique opportunity and the chance to be a part of something good from the very start. The telecommuting thing would take some getting used to, but I have a friend who works for Cisco who telecommuted from Colorado for about 2 years and it worked well for him. (Yes, huge company, not sure what group he was in, YMMV.)

1/22/2012 11:05:10 AM

She's gonna make bank. Hold out til you find a good job.

1/22/2012 2:19:31 PM

here is the life I have chosen:

1/27/2012 5:01:02 PM

Pretty easy decision if you ask me….

As you don’t know how your wife’s job will develop out (whether she will like the hospital/clinic or people she will work with), it is much safer for you to stay with you current job for the 3-4 months until you get a feel how her jobs develops. I lived in Washington DC for 3 years and Richmond was always rather depressing to me. I never lived there to confirm, but passed by so many times and never had any desire to settle there. Of course you have to go where job takes you, so make the best out of it.

1/27/2012 5:57:07 PM