InformationWeek

August 11, 1998

I started at my current job seven years ago, straight out of college. Over the years, I have moved into a position supervising desktop support and software engineering personnel, a total of six people. I receive high marks on my evaluations each year and am now compensated fairly well. I have heard that staying at the same job too long can be damaging to one's career, and I do feel that there are not as many challenges here as there used to be. My decision is complicated by the fact that I am receiving hefty stock options on a regular basis now. I'm interested in working at a small company with a fast-paced environment and the chance for big stock gains as well as promotions. Is it worth it to take a short-term decrease in overall compensation to pursue this goal? Are there any timing issues I should take into account? Also, what is the best way to evaluate a small company?

You have a good problem! You have no blemishes on your track record, are compensated well, and have some great long-term incentives in the form of stock options. You really need to evaluate how much you have on the table in options today and weigh that against your yearning to do something else. I believe that people rarely look at the compensation packages as they should--which is to evaluate it not on what you make but on what you keep. I think as far as a move is concerned, you're OK until the 10-year mark--then you need to start explaining away risk aversion. You may want to do some projections on where your option values would be at that time and make your decisions based on that.

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