u/teddythepooh99

I am set to begin Georgia Tech's OMSA this fall, after deferring this past spring when I started a new role. This is my background:

- Undergrad: economics at T20 school.
- Experience: 4 years. 3.5 years in hybrid DS/DE role (first job out of undergrad) at a non-profit, then six months into current role doing strictly DE at a healthcare org.
- TC: 144k ($125k base + 15% API) in MCOL city.
- Not open to relocation (I work remote but there's too much red tape to move out-of-state), so onsite/hybrid roles in NYC/LA for crazy TCs are out of reach.

At the time that I applied to OMSA, I was struggling to leave my old role while making $82k/year. That is not the case any more, so I am having second thoughts about OMSA. Anecdotally, I also see a lot of OMSA folks on LinkedIn (and the Slack group) struggling to break into data and/or simply remaining in their current roles. I presently work as a senior DE, but I am open to both DS and analyst roles in the future.

Can I still expect a (significant) ROI out of OMSA? I am targeting $160k - $175k TC in a couple years' time with no particular industry in mind.

I work in data engineering and I have 4 years experience: 3 years/6 months in my previous role (first job out of undergrad), then 6 months in my current role in a different industry.

Long story short,
- My current role is really toxic and I can't see myself working here past 1 year (December 2026), depending on when I can secure a new role. More context here: https://www.reddit.com/r/careerguidance/s/yPf1f9bdwH.
- I am taking a sabbatical beginning December 2027, when I will be traveling overseas while finishing my online master's degree.
- My next role will most likely be a different industry yet again and I will last 1 year only (give or take) before my sabbatical.

By the time I take my sabbatical, assuming I land a new role, I will have 5.5 years experience across three orgs: 3.5 years in one org, then 1 year each (give or take) in two other orgs.

Will 2 one-year tenures be a red flag when I return to the US after my sabbatical?

In my old role (nonprofit), I made $82k/year: I worked with great people who valued work-life balance. Like most non-profits these days, we unfortunately operated on a thin budget and I hadn't gotten a raise in 2 years. I thought I had the skills to earn more somewhere else. Looking back, I took a lot of things for granted that I now miss (like never feeling stressed).

I left for a new role six months ago. I now make $145k/year (inclusive of 15% bonus), but it is high stress:
- 60 hour work weeks, beginning with 8:00 am standups.
- 2 standing meetings every Friday. Most Fridays, my meetings balloon to 4-5.
- Intense work culture: People volunteer to work on weekends and nights, neither of which I have ever done. My manager hasn't said anything, since I finish all my work during the day. Everyone is so on-edge that they ping the group chat when they need to run errands (< 1 hour long), yet none of our work is that urgent.

I like to think that I am exceeding expectations: I've had exactly two 1:1s with my manager in the past six months. Trial by fire: I was left to my own devices from day 1. I consider quitting every two weeks after pay day. I can't see myself working here past a year (through December). I'd losing out on my bonus (~ $19k gross, ~ $14k after-tax) next March.

I am actively interviewing for new roles. I've interviewed for roles the pay in the neighborhood of my total comp: $130k - $150k. I'm now more mindful of the work culture and I don't think I can really handle the stress that comes with this comp (for now).

Is it crazy to take a paycut down to $100k - $110k, presumably a less stressful role?

I'm six months into my new role (I started in January), my second job out or college. I worked in my first job out of college for 3.5 years and I never had to worry about the stigma of long vacations. In my current role, this is the PTO structure:
- 18 days PTO per year, *inclusive* of sick days.
- Only 2 days PTO can be carried over to the following year.
- I can "buy" 5 days PTO during annual enrollment period to be used for the following year, exempt from the 2-day PTO carryover.
- My coworkers have taken one to three consecutive weeks off a time in the time that I've worked here, but I have no idea how much notice they gave. They've also been working at the org for more than a year.
- I've had exactly two 1:1s (each lasting 15 min.) with my manager in the last six months, so I have been unable to gauge how strict she is. Notwithstanding 1:1s, we text each other maybe once every other week: I am left to my own devices the rest of the time.
- I already used 2 days PTO because I got sick twice in the last six months.

I am wanting to take 2 weeks off from December 16th to December 31st. I want to give notice in late-June/early-July, but I'm just wondering if 12 months (well, 11 months if we want to split hairs since my vacation is in the 12th month) is a long enough tenure to take 2 weeks off.