Ask HN: Moving from Senior Manager to Remote IC | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Moving from Senior Manager to Remote IC

11 pointsdeziarnez5 comments

Due to some health issues of my spouse, we have decided to move from the Bay Area back to the Chicago suburbs to be closer to extended family. I work at a FANG company which occasionally allows IC equivalent of manager and above to work remotely if there extenutating circumstances. I am considering talking with my director or VP about transitioning back to an individual contributor role, as it would be great to keep a high salary in a lower cost of living area, and not have to start my domain knowledge and relationships over again at another company. I'm assuming this would more or less kill my upward progression within this company which I'm not overly worried about, I am just not sure if the logistics makes sense, or if this is something typically tried and done successfully. I would be interested to know if anyone else has tried this and whether or not they've been successful

View on HN

With regards to negotiation, I know a friend who did this at a normal (not FANG) company and not transitioning from manager to IC. However, I tell this anecdote since you seem wary of your negotiating power. He was moving cross-country for family reasons. He said that the key to getting full remote approved was approaching his boss like “I’m moving out of state. I’d like to continue working here.” However, the important thing to note is he stated that the move was a done deal and implied that he was willing to walk away from this company and find a new job if he had to. You have to go all-in. Good luck!

Are there no management jobs in the new area? I’m not sure what the IC version of senior manager is, but remote management almost never works out.

"IC equivalent of manager and above"

Managers are not IC's.

"keep a high salary in a lower cost of living area"

Most companies will offer you a lower salary, especially if you tell them that it's a lower cost area.

Sounds like you need to find out the specifics of your company. I can't see how general advice will help you.

It is generally accepted on HN that the easiest tactic to get remote work is to start on-premise and move later though. So your plan makes sense, generally speaking.

op mentioned switching from manager to IC...

Honestly, even if you're a mediocre negotiator one should be quite capable of maintaining at least an IC's Bay Area salary while going remote.

The possibility of quitting if you already have extensive relations with the company is unlikely to be appealing.

Good talent is global nowadays and the arguments about cost of living are pretty much worthless if you've demonstrated sufficient value.

In the very worst of cases, OP should negotiate increased vacation time if you're going to accept a lower salary, given that it may align with OPs personal interests in this case.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com