InformationWeek

July 21, 1998

I'm a 24-year-old Visual Basic programmer with experience in the AS/400 and RPG ILE. The company I work for has only 10 people in the IS department. I recently received an offer from a larger company (approximately 200 in the IS department). The offer is very attractive in that I would be making $10,000 more a year learning PowerBuilder. My current employer offered me a raise plus a title change. The raise is not comparable to the one I would get if I accept the offer. But would changing jobs so quickly would affect my chances down the road for management position? What are the pros and cons of quick changes?

You're still in the spring of your career. That 10-person shop served as a great stepping stone for you. However, I'm a big advocate of having some experience in a large corporation. The complement of PowerBuilder, the additional money, and the large-scale development will all be ingredients you'll need when you are a manager. There's limited downside in this move. You can't make moving an epidemic, but at this stage you're on course.

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