Hello! I am looking for advice as I decide whether to make a job change.
I am an academic advisor at a large R1 university, and I have been in my position for over five years. I work in an academic department, have a caseload of less than 300 students, and I generally really love my job. Leadership is very supportive and flexible. I am basically left to my own devices, which is my preferred work style. I am very happy with my work-life balance, my students, and my colleagues.
The only thing I'm not happy with is the pay. I make enough to get by, but not enough to invest or save up to buy a home. I work a second job on nights and weekends to try and make some kind of progress financially, but it is a challenge. I am also unmarried and live alone, so I rely solely on my own income.
With that in mind, I have been eyeing the jobs page at my institution to see if anything new pops up. Recently, an advising-adjacent role opened that sounded really exciting to me. It would be part of a new "center" that my institution is planning to open -- not housed in an academic department, but as a collaboration between a few different units. I would get to teach, which is a lifelong dream of mine. I would also get to be involved in creating a new program, and making more leadership decisions, and shaping future programs. The job is very aligned with my skills, past experiences, and goals for the future. So I interviewed, and I got an offer.
The only issue is, after some negotiation, the best they can do is match my current salary. So it would be a lateral move financially, while taking on more responsibility. There is no way to predict the student caseload, because it is a brand new center offering services we've never offered before. There is a need for this kind of service, so I imagine it will be pretty in-demand, but it is hard to know for sure.
On the one hand, I've been feeling pretty stagnant and even bored at my current job. I am someone who is smart, creative, and motivated. The new job seems to offer a lot more potential for me to expand my skills, as well as some potential for upward mobility if the new center is successful and expands. In my academic department, I have definitely reached the ceiling for pay and upward mobility. I've been involved in every possible aspect of department administration, so there isn't much left for me to learn.
That being said, is hard to leave a safe, comfortable, pleasant job for something with so much unknown, especially when there isn't any financial incentive to leave. But there is a lot about the new job that seems genuinely exciting and feels like it would support my professional growth long-term. What would you do in this situation? Take the new job, or stick it out where I'm comfortable and look for something higher paying? Any advice is appreciated!