Do I go back?

334543321

334543321

334543321

Associate
Joined
2 Feb 2023
Posts
2
Location
uk
Hi,

I'm after some impartial advice regarding my current career position. About a year ago a left a job with a big corporate to join an ex colleague who had formed a start up within a long establish business (a bolt on company if you will). At the time I was stagnated in my corporate role and felt that more and more work was being asked of me with no additional pay, it was manageable but I felt that I had lost my spark for the job and was just living paycheque to paycheque. This new position with an ex colleague allowed for an exciting new start, 10k more per year salary and the chance to build something from the ground up.

Needless to say, I quit the corporate and joined the new start up. We killed the first year and exceeded targets and have had a slow start in January but it looks as though projects are starting to filter into our work pipeline. Whilst I have loved being part of the start up, I now have a new worry in the form of cashflow... something I never had to concern myself with in the corporate job. Whilst we had a great first year, what if we don't bring in enough money or stop getting clients and the company dissolves... these thoughts seem to plague me quite a bit despite us doing well. As I say, being in a corporate job you never worry about longevity or whether there will be enough money in the bank, or certainly I didn't!

Anyways, the old corporate company has recently advertised a new role (different to my last position) but one I'm qualified to do and could likely land given my previous reputation at the company. However it would likely be 10k less a year and I don't know whether I'm just thinking of going for it so I can stop the torment of my cashflow worries - I left for a reason why would it be different?

Has anybody else had a similar situation, or returned to a previous job only to find it wasn't or was what they expected?

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
You seem to be "what ifffing" for something that's not happened. The start up is growing and doing well, you just had a slow January - which is HUGELY common across all industries. You've only seen it the first time is all. A big company isn't immune to the same concerns, but you will have little or no control over your destiny. Just look at the recent round of tech layoffs - yet Amazon, Meta, Google etc are still making a ton of money.

The start up is giving you massive amounts of experience and responsibilities which are all CV enhancing things if worst comes to the worst and you have to move on. The job you are seeing is just stepping backwards to a lower paid role. I suspect you'd later regret it. You could also be perceived as returning with your tail between your legs, which puts you in a weak position from then on. I wouldn't go back to the same company unless they've actively headhunted you and you're just walking back in the door with no interview round.
 
Just because the old job was a big corporate company, doesn't really mean you'll be any more or less secure. The fact you worked there for a long time before won't matter either, once you've left and rejoined, you'll be the first to go should anything go south.

It's easy to look back on previous roles with rose tinted glasses and only remember the good parts, when at the time you had your reasons to leave. Often when you go back to a previous role, things have changed, other people have moved on and it might not be the same.

Unless you really hate your current role and want out because it sucks or is dying, (which doesn't sound like the case) I'd stay put for now.
 
334543321 said:
This new position with an ex colleague allowed for an exciting new start, 10k more per year salary and the chance to build something from the ground up.
Click to expand...

334543321 said:
However it would likely be 10k less a year and I don't know whether I'm just thinking of going for it so I can stop the torment of my cashflow worries - I left for a reason why would it be different?
Click to expand...

Why is the 10k more a year at the startup the attractive part - do you not have some equity? People take pay cuts to join startups if they like the idea it's the equity that's important, that's what helps compensate you for the uncertainty - the earlier you join the greater the uncertainty/risk but also the greater the potential rewards if it goes well.

10k clearly isn't sufficient to compensate you re: this uncertainty so unless you've got equity and believe in the idea then WTF are you doing there? Is it really a start-up or is it just a new, small company?

Also, your options aren't just staying there or go back to the previous company for a pay cut, that's ridiculously silly - typically in non-startup jobs you'd be looking for a pay rise when moving to a new role and if you're moving from a startup to an established company then especially so.
 
I don't think you should take a pay cut to go back to your old employer, no. That would put you back where you started but with no annual pay rise and loss of length of service. You'd also be a joining an employer where "more and more work was being asked of me with no additional pay".
Usually the way a return works is, person leaves a long stint at employer A for employer B as their pay has stagnated, then after a while they come back to employer A in a more senior position with a rebaselined salary at a much higher level than they had before. That way the lack of decent pay rises doesn't matter so much because you jumped off the corporate ladder on the 4th floor and then climbed back on again on the 7th floor or whatever.
 
To be honest in this day and age especially outside a few industries there is little security in the way you are talking, though maybe easier to not think about/ignore it in some businesses.

The question really is how easily you can step into another job should the existing one fold.
 
Can you bank the pay difference you're getting now? If you otherwise enjoy your role where you are and security is the only issue, keep looking forwards to better jobs. You're only swapping one set of problems for another otherwise and devaluing yourself. If you do find yourself out of pocket and needing to move on, you've got savings to tide you over. If things feel more secure in the future, you've got savings to enjoy instead.
 
I think you should build a nice savings buffer to ease your business money worries and give your current job your all. I'd also be looking to get targets set for the next year with defined rewards.
 
334543321 said:
being in a corporate job you never worry about longevity or whether there will be enough money in the bank, or certainly I didn't!
Click to expand...
You bloody daft then aren't ya? Big corporates get one year of bad results and first thing they do is chop headcount.

Your job security in any job is only as good as your notice period at the end of the day.
 
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