I’m not sure if this fits here, so I apologize in advance if it doesn’t.
I have been presented with an option and I need some strangers’ opinions to decide. I am a chemical engineering graduate currently working as a reliability engineer for a large company’s production plant, essentially overseeing preventative and reactive maintenance and equipment efficiencies for a certain work cell in the plant. In 2 1/2 years I have progressed from a capital engineer to interim facilities maintenance manager to reliability manager, and along with this progression came a ~25% to increase. I’ve done well for myself and I am proud of where I’ve ended up. I make a solid paycheck ($90k/yr), and I love a good amount of the people I work with. However, plant leadership has recently undergone major changes. Although I understand the vision, the way corporate has gone about this has driven out some of the best high level employees we had and I feel like the culture is falling apart around me. The new leadership is all about the bottom line and will hurt whoever they must to improve it. I’m just not happy anymore.
I have been presented an opportunity to change career paths altogether to work with some individuals I already know and love, a small, family-owned company. The pay is 10% less ($80k/yr) and it’s 1 less week of vacation (2 instead of 3). However, it’s a complete change in career and they are taking me in to learn the field from square one, so I’m not too upset about the money or even the vacation time. Essentially, they will teach me the field of controls and in exchange I will be their first engineer to help them build their business to expand into the project design aspect from the more install-only approach they often have now, as well as help to build up their other employees by building training programs.
I know I would be happier with the new job, but I am concerned about the opportunities I might be giving up leaving the larger company. I’ve worked my ass off to progress and have done so quickly. I could see myself ending up in senior leadership eventually, making a shitload of money, but I’m not sure I want that.
I’m torn. I don’t know what I want and it’s stressing me out. What would you do in this scenario?