[ale] Career decision

[Willie Leave]

Ok.  For months now I've seen a foreboding front
crawling across the horizon.  Programming jobs *seem*
to be slowing disappearing or moving away, whatever
the reason.

As luck would have it, I've been offered a Director of
Software Development position at a company in
Greensboro, NC.  The group I'd manage initially is
small (5-6 programmers) but could grow.  They're using
some closed-source cruft now but the VP is interested
in going open source, and he's an ex-manager of mine,
hence my offer.

The money is ok, the relocation won't even begin to
cover the cost of moving and paying the !$*#$ realtors
(man...do those guys bleed you), the time for selling
our current house is not good (typically, Nov - Feb ==
worse time to sell a house).  Lots of negatives.

However, on the flip side, this is Director-level
experience.  While it may be a relatively small group,
I can grow it, make a difference, and look quite
different on a resume in two years.

This is probably one of the most difficult decisions
I've ever made.  I have a family to think about.  I'm
worried about being able to sell our house here, and
worse yet, if something ever happened to my job (or
when I want to move back, which I estimate about 2
years out), trying to sell my Greensboro house in a
worsening economy there.

So, I'd love to hear input from the group.  Is a
"Director" label on your resume worth it in the long
term?  Will it add job security?  Is the management
experience worth it?

I personally believe in taking risks, so I'm leaning
towards making the jump and possibly taking a loss in
$$ in the short term.  However, feel free to let your
opinions fly... ;-)

Thanks for the input!

<name undisclosed to protect the innocent>

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