u/someMSPworker

I’m looking for some outside perspective on a potential career move.

I currently work in technology at a large financial institution in Canada. I’ve been there for several years and earn roughly $135K CAD base, plus a bonus, benefits and a retirement match.

The job is relatively stable, but I’m starting to feel stagnant. There has been more offshoring and restructuring, and I’m not sure staying longer will meaningfully improve my skills or earning potential.

I’m now interviewing for a fully remote identity and security engineering role at a private fintech company. The work sounds more modern and hands-on, and the remote setup is appealing. However, the company operates in a more volatile industry and has had layoffs (less than the financial institution though), 150 last year at prospective employer vs 2500 at current), so I assume the risk is higher than at my current employer.

I don’t have a final offer yet, but I’m trying to decide what compensation would make the move worthwhile. I’m thinking I would need at least $175K CAD base, plus bonus, equity and decent benefits.

The company also offers flexible or unlimited PTO rather than a fixed vacation allowance. I’m curious whether that is genuinely a benefit or whether employees often end up taking less time off.

For anyone who has moved from a large, established company to a private fintech or tech company:

• Did the increased compensation and career growth justify the reduced stability?
• How much of a pay increase would you require?
• Is flexible or unlimited PTO generally a benefit or a red flag?
• How much weight would you give to equity in a private company?
• Would you make this move while planning to apply for a mortgage within the next year?

I’m not desperate to leave, so staying where I am and continuing to interview is also an option.

I’m looking for some outside perspective on a potential career move.

I currently work in technology at a large financial institution in Canada. I’ve been there for several years and earn roughly $135K CAD base, plus a bonus, benefits and a retirement match.

The job is relatively stable, but I’m starting to feel stagnant. There has been more offshoring and restructuring, and I’m not sure staying longer will meaningfully improve my skills or earning potential.

I’m now interviewing for a fully remote identity and security engineering role at a private fintech company. The work sounds more modern and hands-on, and the remote setup is appealing. However, the company operates in a more volatile industry and has had layoffs (less than the financial institution though), 150 last year at prospective employer vs 2500 at current), so I assume the risk is higher than at my current employer.

I don’t have a final offer yet, but I’m trying to decide what compensation would make the move worthwhile. I’m thinking I would need at least $175K CAD base, plus bonus, equity and decent benefits.

The company also offers flexible or unlimited PTO rather than a fixed vacation allowance. I’m curious whether that is genuinely a benefit or whether employees often end up taking less time off.

For anyone who has moved from a large, established company to a private fintech or tech company:

• Did the increased compensation and career growth justify the reduced stability?
• How much of a pay increase would you require?
• Is flexible or unlimited PTO generally a benefit or a red flag?
• How much weight would you give to equity in a private company?
• Would you make this move while planning to apply for a mortgage within the next year?

I’m not desperate to leave, so staying where I am and continuing to interview is also an option.

I’m looking for some outside perspective on a potential career move.

I currently work in technology at a large financial institution in Canada. I’ve been there for several years and earn roughly $135K CAD base, plus a bonus, benefits and a retirement match.

The job is relatively stable, but I’m starting to feel stagnant. There has been more offshoring and restructuring, and I’m not sure staying longer will meaningfully improve my skills or earning potential.

I’m now interviewing for a fully remote identity and security engineering role at a private fintech company. The work sounds more modern and hands-on, and the remote setup is appealing. However, the company operates in a more volatile industry and has had layoffs (less than the financial institution though), 150 last year at prospective employer vs 2500 at current), so I assume the risk is higher than at my current employer.

I don’t have a final offer yet, but I’m trying to decide what compensation would make the move worthwhile. I’m thinking I would need at least $175K CAD base, plus bonus, equity and decent benefits.

The company also offers flexible or unlimited PTO rather than a fixed vacation allowance. I’m curious whether that is genuinely a benefit or whether employees often end up taking less time off.

For anyone who has moved from a large, established company to a private fintech or tech company:

• Did the increased compensation and career growth justify the reduced stability?
• How much of a pay increase would you require?
• Is flexible or unlimited PTO generally a benefit or a red flag?
• How much weight would you give to equity in a private company?
• Would you make this move while planning to apply for a mortgage within the next year?

I’m not desperate to leave, so staying where I am and continuing to interview is also an option.

For the past 48 hours I have been having trouble with my wireless connection dropping every few minutes as well as low speeds. As a test I wired my device up to the router via ethernet and everything works fine. Possible Bell pushed an update to the router firmware/ software that broke wifi connections?

Router is Bell gigahub HH4000 (I think, the white one).

Hi everyone,

I’m a Canadian citizen in my 30s currently living in Canada, and I’m seriously exploring moving to the United States for work and long-term career growth. I am also looking to escape winter and (extremely) high taxes.

My background is in cybersecurity / cloud security engineering. I currently work in cybersecurity engineering at a large global financial institution, with experience around cloud security, IAM, Azure, security engineering delivery, regulated environments, and operational security. I’ve also been involved in startup/CTO-type work in the AI/crypto infrastructure space, including validator infrastructure, wallet/custody security, incident response, GitHub/security hardening, and cloud/security operations.

Personal/family situation: I’m also supposed to get married this summer to another Canadian citizen. We would likely want to move together, so I’m trying to understand how that affects the practical side of immigration. For example, if I moved on TN status, what would that mean for my spouse’s ability to live and work in the U.S.? Would they need to qualify for their own TN/H-1B/etc., or are there spouse/dependent options that make sense? I’m also wondering whether the timing of marriage before or after a move matters in any meaningful way.

I’m trying to understand the most realistic path to work legally in the U.S. given my profile.

My current thinking is:

- TN may be the most practical route as a Canadian, assuming I can find a role that fits an eligible TN profession and the employer is willing to provide the right employment letter/documentation. I have been actively applying for roles but no companies thus far are willing to sponsor me. Furthermore, my own company is not willing to relocate me even though they have many US branches.

- H-1B seems less ideal because of the lottery, timing, and employer sponsorship burden.

- O-1 may be worth exploring longer term because I have some higher-impact startup/technical leadership experience, but I’m not sure whether my evidence would be strong enough.

- E-2 could maybe be an option if I build/buy a business, but my preference is employment first unless that path is unrealistic.

- L-1 would only apply if I can transfer internally through an employer, which may or may not be possible.

I’m particularly interested in roles like:

- Cloud Security Engineer

- Cybersecurity Engineer

- IAM / Azure Security Engineer

- Security Engineering Lead

- Security Architect

- Director / Lead-level cybersecurity roles, depending on fit

Currently I am in a director role but willing to take a lesser title/ pay in order to qualify for US employment.

I have enough savings to cover relocation and a transition period, but I’d prefer not to rely on school as the main route unless there’s a very strong strategic reason (I already have a BA and MA). I’m open on location, but would likely target places with strong cybersecurity/cloud/security engineering markets, ideally Florida (I am very tired of winter).

Questions:

1. For a Canadian with my kind of cybersecurity/cloud security background, is TN usually the most realistic first path into the U.S.?
2. Which TN categories, if any, tend to fit cybersecurity/cloud security engineering roles best? I know the exact job duties and education matter, and I’m not trying to force a bad fit.
3. How do U.S. employers usually react when a Canadian says they can pursue TN status and mainly need the proper offer/employment letter rather than traditional H-1B sponsorship?
4. Are there specific job titles I should target or avoid so that the role lines up better with a legitimate immigration category?
5. Is O-1 worth evaluating for someone with enterprise cybersecurity plus startup/CTO/crypto infrastructure experience, or is that likely unrealistic without major public recognition?
6. Are there any other routes I should be considering?

I’m not asking for legal advice, just trying to sanity-check the realistic options before I start targeting U.S. employers more aggressively.

TIA for your response!