In his book, "Drive", author Dan Pink argues mostly successfully that it's not the salary or the stock options or other perks that keeps effective individuals motivated. He summarizes that it is the pursuit of that illusive trio -- "Mastery, Autonomy, and Purpose" that keeps people motivated in their work and in their life.
In my experience, if remaining in a job or switching jobs cannot be traced to one of these three, then the decision one takes (remain in a job or switching jobs) is not likely to turn out to be a good decision.
My feeling is that I could get the satisfaction I describe above at many workplaces, but all things equal, I'd like the option that pays more.
Based on how everything happened, here is my personal take-away:
- In the current economic landscape, most big companies looks at all employees as being replaceable (my company did not even ask if they could offer anything to make me stay, even though I was hired specifically for a new role they created).
- I do not believe a company deserves your loyalty as much as one would think because they would just as quickly let you go regardless of years put in. In the end, both parties are involved in a business relationship and nothing more.
- Money is not the only driving force in life, but as a person that is just starting to build their career, you have to think about how much you will be losing out 10 years from now. We are want financial security later in life, so you have to take the steps to insure that.
Points regarding the article specifically:
- I was recruited while still at my current job and I believe that was an advantage for me just as the author states.
- I am in my 3rd month and for the most part I am still learning the systems and routines of this company - so low workload/stress-free for the most part.
If you're young and want a wide range of experiences, I do not think it hurts to at least see what the job market is like outside of your current company.
Again, this is my personal experience and everyone's situations will vary especially in bigcorp vs startup.
But that's not everything in life, I really enjoy where I work and the company's mission resonates with me.
If the money is important, do both of what you suggest but consider that money ain't everything
But if you're on the fence at all, there's a really good chance you can find another job that has better pay and even better product, coworkers etc.
Interviewing when you're not desperate to leave is much easier. If you have something good to fall back on, all sorts of red flags become more obvious during an interview because you have very little to lose if it doesn't go well. It's also much easier to negotiate salary, if you think you're worth 20k more than you are now, open negotiations at Salary + 30k. Since your primary concern is pay potential employers have very little leverage in terms of pressuring you to take a salary less then you think you are worth, and you already have a clear picture of what you're worth.