2x salary or a peaceful job? Techie earning Rs 36 lakh confused if 12 hour workdays are worth the career growth in early years

For young tech professionals, a bigger salary can look like an obvious reason to change jobs, but the decision becomes much harder when the new role also means giving up a comfortable work routine. One software developer on Reddit is facing exactly this choice after receiving an offer that could nearly double his compensation, but would also turn his current work-life balance upside down.

The developer, who said he has one year of experience, currently works in big tech and earns around Rs 36 lakh per annum. His present job requires only around five to six hours of work a day, he does not work on weekends and he expects a promotion later this year.

The new offer, however, comes with compensation of roughly twice his current package. The variable component is also uncapped, meaning the overall earnings could potentially go much higher. But there is a major catch: the developer expects to work from office for 12 to 13 hours a day.

The real attraction is the work, not just the salary

The developer explained in his Reddit post that money is not the only reason he is considering the move. The new role would involve building products from the ground up, unlike his current role where, as he put it, "most of the things are abstracted out for you."

The new opportunity is also in the AI space, which has become an important factor in his thinking about his long-term career.

He said that although his core role is as a backend engineer, his current manager has given him opportunities to work on AI-related projects. However, he has not been able to work on AI at the same scale that the new position could offer.

That has created a second question for him: whether giving up several hours of free time every day now could help him build more relevant experience for the future.

Reddit users divided over money and peace of mind

The discussion on Reddit showed that there was no clear agreement. Some users argued that an early-career professional has more flexibility to take risks and should consider the bigger package and potentially stronger experience.

One commenter advised him to "do the grind while you can", suggesting that he could save aggressively for the next one or two years and later move to a job with better work-life balance.

Others strongly disagreed. One user who said they had spent 20 years in the industry wrote, "what good is money if you don't have time to spend it."

Another commenter kept the argument much simpler: "Peace of mind >>> ANYTHING ELSE".

The developer, however, said staying does not necessarily mean giving up on career growth. He believes he has enough free time at his current job to prepare for other opportunities and learn outside work.

Fear of falling behind is also part of the decision

One of his biggest concerns is that his peers appear to be gaining experience faster. He said several friends working at startups are handling major services and taking on responsibilities that he does not currently have as the most junior engineer in a large team.

A Reddit user reminded him that "This isn't a race" and suggested that learning does not necessarily have to come entirely from a job.

There is also some uncertainty around his current company's future. The developer said a Principal Engineer he trusts advised him to leave, saying the organisation is not what it used to be. He also mentioned seeing layoff-related posts and said promotions have become harder.

At the same time, his current role remains a strong option. He said he could potentially reach around Rs 65 lakh next year if he stays and gets promoted, meaning the salary difference is not the only factor pushing him towards the new job.

For him, the decision therefore comes down to a fairly basic but difficult question: whether the possibility of faster learning and AI experience is worth giving up a job where he already has good pay, a supportive manager and plenty of time outside work.