Got promoted but it means more travel - not sure if it's worth it
Been with this company 6 years and finally got the offer for a senior role I wanted. Problem is it's got about 30% travel, probably 2 weeks a month out of town. My kids are 4 and 6 and I know those are important years. The pay bump would be good for the family financially but I'm wondering if I'm choosing the wrong thing here. My wife is supportive either way but I can see the hesitation on her face. Would appreciate honest thoughts on whether career advancement is worth missing time with young kids.
I turned down a similar situation two years ago and honestly no regrets. My wife basically said 'more money doesn't help if you're not here' and she was right. The thing is, there'll be other promotions. Your kids' ages where they actually want to spend time with you? That window's limited. Six years with one company means they value you, so they might work with you on travel frequency.
What's the difference in salary? I'm not trying to be harsh but sometimes the math doesn't work out the way they make it sound. Plus if you're traveling that much, are they factoring in the cost of extra childcare or is that your problem to solve? Worth digging into before you decide.