Reddit Experience · Sep 2025 · Remote

130k remote vs 170k RTO offer

151 upvotes 149 replies

Interview Experience

After 6 months of navigating this shitty job market I got a fully remote job at a midsized biotech for 130k base salary with no bonus or other comp. I’ve been working here for about a month and a half

Full Details

After 6 months of navigating this shitty job market I got a fully remote job at a midsized biotech for 130k base salary with no bonus or other comp. I’ve been working here for about a month and a half and its been pretty great; the work-life-balance is nice and the culture so far is chill. My team is developing a brand new product for the company which is pretty exciting, but that also means there’s risks. The product could flop, maybe the culture shifts once its released and we are supporting client, or maybe the product gets cancelled, i get laid-off, and my resume shows me working on some zero impact project. The work is pure Java with some Vertx. A recruiter reached out to me about a role i was previously rejected on. Presumably the candidate they chose over me left or something and now the team is willing to give me an offer without redoing the interview process. This is a VERY well known entertainment company and they are offering me a better compensation package: 130k base salary, up to 25% annual RSU, 7% annual bonus, and a 25% sign-on bonus in stock. The title is actually lower since im a senior in my current role, but this is a fullstack position. The team works on a more mature product, but probably less exciting. The work is Springboot Java with a sprinkle of React (idk any frontend so its an upskill opportunity) The catch is it’s 4x a week in office and currently a 30-45 minute commute to the most touristy part of the city. The company had a recent round of layoffs as well so im not sure if it’s really the much more stable apart from the product being more mature. Obviously, i’d feel bad leaving a company within a few months especially one that i really like, but is it dumb to pass up such a pay raise? Any advice or additional considerations is welcome.

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