My job is not only easy but also not very demanding. I don't work a lot, tasks are mostly straightforwards, my team and my manager are all nice people to work with. But...pay sucks.
There's this shiny startup that offers me a 100% raise and tremendous benefits. The founders are really nice, have industry experience and seem to know what they're doing and have been doing it for a few years. But I can sense that the bar is higher, in terms of quality of delivery notably.
On one hand I'm excited for this opportunity that is life changing because of the money alone. Also I'll learn and grow a lot as a SWE. They use tools and paradigms I've only ever read about on HN so I'll have to spend time learning all that, maybe read books and watch videos on my spare time. On the other hand my life is...peaceful right now?
What I'm most afraid of is to be let go after 2-3 months because I'm can't meet their standard which from the interviews I had with them appear to be higher than my workplace. They also value people who take initiatives and these recent years I've mostly done what I've been told to. I've never been fired for performance reason in the past but I did quit a company at the beginning of my career because I was lagging behind.
I also started my present job in last October and I start to feel comfortable in this new role. And most of all I would dread having to go through another wave of interviews if I lose that new job.
I tried thinking of what I want. I always imagined I'll find a stable, straightforward job at some point in my career. Which I now have. But I'm also underpaid. My compensation used to be higher last year, before being laid off. This setback is causing a significant delay in my savings and retirement plans. That new job pays more than I have ever been paid. I just turned 34 and I feel this might be the last time I have the energy to join a team like that.
I want to jump and try, and if I do it I need to shift my mindset and be prepared to put in a bit more effort.
Any advice?
