A bit of backstory about my husband. He's worked in IT since 2013 and has worked his way up from the help desk to Application Support Lead and then into Project Management. He landed his first Project Manager role in January 2025 and quickly achieved his APMP qualification.
The downside was the salary, which was only around £37k. Around this time last year, one of his former managers approached him about joining a London-based start-up consultancy. We live in South Wales, so he only has to travel into the office around three times a month. He accepted the role in October, and the salary is much better at around £70k.
The problem is that, because it's a consultancy, the job security doesn't feel as strong. They're due to finish their current project in October, and while there are potentially more projects in the pipeline, nothing seems certain. On top of that, he finds the work quite boring, and it's frustratingly slow trying to get decisions or make progress.
Recently, his previous employer has offered him the opportunity to return. The catch is that the salary would only be around £45k, which is a huge pay cut. He's also been applying for other Project Manager roles in the £55k+ range, but most of them seem to want five or more years of PM experience, so he hasn't had much luck.
To complicate things further, we found out a few weeks ago that we're expecting our third child. We're currently in a small three-bedroom house and had originally planned to move within the next three to five years, but with another baby on the way, that timeline has probably moved forward.
He's really torn. His heart says to go back because he genuinely enjoyed the work there, found the projects interesting, and thinks he'd be much happier day to day. His head, though, is telling him to stay where he is, keep earning the higher salary, and provide as much financial security as possible for our growing family.
Am I crazy for thinking he should even consider taking such a big pay cut for a job he'd enjoy more? Has anyone been in a similar situation?