Should I take an internal job transfer for more pay?
Deciding on an internal career move means weighing higher pay and growth against losing a hybrid schedule and taking on intense union negotiations. This uncertainty makes it hard to commit to a pivot without second-guessing whether the trade-offs are worth it.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 17.1× more often in r/sysadmin than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Staying in the current hybrid recruitment role to maintain flexibility.Did this help you?
- 2Evaluating the pros and cons of career growth versus daily work environment changes.Did this help you?
- 3Staying in the current role and continuing to interview elsewhereDid this help you?
- 4Weighing specific compensation numbers, benefits, and commute details against team culture and management styleDid this help you?
- 5Telling the person to just do the internshipDid this help you?
- 6Staying in internal IT while trying to stay productive and study for certifications during downtimeDid this help you?
- 7Using a stint at an MSP as short-term experience to leverage into a more senior internal IT role laterDid this help you?
- 8Rejecting MSP job offers to avoid burnout and unfavorable on-call/compensation termsDid this help you?
- 9taking the promotion for the title and general ledger experience while actively looking for a new job elsewhereDid this help you?
- 10rejecting the internal offer and immediately applying for positions with better market-rate salariesDid this help you?
- 11Staying in a comfortable lower-paying roleDid this help you?
- 12Accepting the job for higher pay and building exit strategy skills before burning outDid this help you?
- 13continuing to apply to Fortune 500 companiesDid this help you?
- 14waiting and keeping applications openDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Would you take it personally?”source ↗
“I was recently told I’m being promoted into an Accountant Generalist role... The issue is the pay range came out, and it’s only around $23–$25/hr.”source ↗
“I’m struggling because the role feels like a bigger jump in responsibility, and the pay feels like it’s barely moving from where I already am.”source ↗
“now I’m wondering if I’m undervaluing myself by staying.”source ↗
“Hey all, I’m having so much trouble with deciding on the Deloitte audit internship.”source ↗
“I was seriously thinking about dropping out of accounting, but I can’t seem to because of the fact that I actually got an offer from a big 4 and everyone is saying it’s worth it.”source ↗
“Right now I currently have an office job but it’s not in accounting, and they are already thinking of promoting me and I really like where I work but at the same time, I’m imaging the fact that I could be making more at Deloitte (potentially).”source ↗
“Would you take a job that is fully Remote, but same pay as current job?”source ↗
“Don't know if I should continue to wait and keep applying as I've only been looking for a month or no?”source ↗
“What total compensation would make sense for me?”source ↗
“I don’t know how I feel about being a AR/AP for 1-2 years prior. That’s seem a long time if training or whatnot.”source ↗
“Any input on this ? Is this normal ? What do you think about the offer itself? Growth seems slow because of the 1-2 year transition. I won’t be able to gain experience right away.”source ↗
“Please share your thoughts. I don’t want to make the wrong decision.”source ↗
“Would taking the jump to MSP style work be better for my career and would I progress into better roles in the future?”source ↗
“My worry is jumping into an MSP and just constantly firefighting projects and issues non stop but then internal IT I seem bored on quite days and struggle to stay productive during downtime even when studying for certifications and so on”source ↗
“5K pay increase to be on call 😂😂😂”source ↗
“Is this worth doing at my skill and experience level or would I drown in hard to learn knowledge meant for a more senior level person?”source ↗
“5k increase in salary. Could actually be a decrease depending on other benefits of medical insurance, dental insurance, retirement, PTO etc.”source ↗
“I've worn many different hats in my career, I will never ever set foot back into the MSP space. 5x as much work, no incentives, no growth.”source ↗
“I’m not sure what to do.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Should I take a higher-paying job if money is going to be tight?
- 2Should I still do internships after getting a full-time job offer?
- 8Is a massive pay cut for startup equity worth it?
- 2Should I take a lateral job offer?
- 4Got another job offer after accepting one
- 7Should I take a buyout offer after 20 years?