Promotion means more travel and I'm torn

Jun 181 min read

Got offered a promotion that comes with a lot of travel. Better pay, better title, looks great on the resume. My wife is supportive but I can tell she's worried about managing everything solo. My oldest is in middle school, there's sports and band and homework help. I don't want to be that dad who's never around but I also don't want to stagnate in my career. Anyone been through this? How do you decide?

10 comments185 views

Comments(10)

KKyle M.RegularJun 19

I get it, that promotion looks good on paper. But honestly, I turned down a similar thing two years ago and I don't regret it. Missed so many of my kids' soccer games when I was traveling constantly. The money wasn't worth it.

KKyle M.RegularJun 19

I'm not going to tell you what to do but think hard about what you're optimizing for here. Is it the money or the title? Because one of those is a lot more negotiable than the other in a new role.

KKyleRegularJun 18

Congratulations on the offer though. That's a big deal and the fact that you're thinking about impact on your family shows where your head's at. Sometimes the best career move is the one that doesn't wreck your home life.

TTravis N.RegularJun 18

Career moves are important but so is being present. Three kids here and the ones I regret most are the days I let work keep me away when I didn't have to.

DDerek L.New DadJun 18

That's a tough call. Better pay definitely helps the family, but if your wife's already got that look in her eye about it, the stress might not be worth the title bump. Maybe see if you can negotiate the travel piece?

WWill R.RegularJun 18

I get the pull of that promotion, but man, think hard about what you're trading. I've done a lot of road trips and yeah the travel can be fun, but missing bedtimes and family dinners adds up quick.

SScottRegularJun 18

The travel piece would kill me. With two households already, adding constant travel to the mix sounds like a recipe for missing important stuff. What does your gut tell you?

BBradRegularJun 18

This is tough. My advice is do the math on what you'd actually be home for. If it means missing your kids' childhoods, no amount of better pay is worth it. Been there, made that mistake.

AAdam R.RegularJun 19

Real talk, I had to turn down a similar offer two years ago. Better pay and title looked good on paper but being gone 40% of the month? Not worth missing my kids growing up. You can always move up later when the timing is better.

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CChris M.RegularJun 19

Talk to your family before deciding. I took a role with tons of travel when my kids were young and honestly it was a regret. The title and paycheck didn't mean much when I was missing everything at home.