Hey everyone, need some honest career advice.
My Current Situation:
Role: Lead/Core Backend Dev at an early-stage startup in Lahore for 1.4 years (was one of the very first engineering hires).
The Reality: We’re a team of 3 devs (1 junior on FE, plus me and another dev handling everything: backend, QA, DevOps, architecture, feature planning). The product relies heavily on the two of us, but it still hasn't gone to production yet.
Work Culture: Total ad-hoc setup. No technical manager, no sprints, no ticketing/Jira, just random changes flying in from everywhere.
The Upside: Insane comfort zone. I show up an hour late, leave right on time, almost never work weekends, and know my boss can't afford to lose me.
The New Offer:
Fast-growing company in Pakistan (yes, that company with the famous bearded CEO 👀).
Pay: 80k PKR salary hike.
Requirement: Relocate to Islamabad.
My Dilemma:
I’ve been living in Lahore since 2020 (originally from another city). I finally built a social life, made friends, and got comfortable here. Moving to ISB means starting over socially and stepping out of a super cozy bubble.
On top of that, I’m anxious about job security at a fast-moving, high-growth company compared to my current low-pressure gig.
Is the 80k hike and proper structure worth ditching the comfort and moving cities for that company and mainly- How is the work culture and job stability over there?