u/Worried_Macaron5540

In short, I work in construction. My salary is very fair for what I do, and recently I got an offer from another company.

Right now, my current job is very comfortable in terms of PTO, working hours, working from home, and all that. The work-life balance is honestly hard to beat. I've been here a little over 8 years, basically since I finished college.

The offer is from a very fast-paced tech company that's known for grinding people down hard. From what I've heard, the work-life balance is almost nonexistent, and they want me to be in the office 4 days a week, with a commute of about 40 minutes each way. It's the same role, but the offer is $22k higher than my current salary and the benefits are excellent.

My current company came back to me with a salary adjustment of $12k.

I'm really torn. Should I chase the money and maybe open up better career options for myself? Or should I take the raise where I am and stay in the easy setup I already have?

I let them know early that same day, before the interview was supposed to happen. The recruiter got angry and told me the employer would probably block me from any future roles, and that he wouldn't work with me again. He kept trying to convince me to attend anyway while I was sick, but honestly, I felt like if I forced myself, it would be worse, so I said no.

There isn't much I can do now except process what happened, but I needed to vent. This is easily one of the worst interviewing experiences I've dealt with.