
Ask HN: Moving from Senior Manager to Remote IC - deziarnez
Due to some health issues of my spouse, we have decided to move from the Bay Area back to the Chicago suburbs to be closer to extended family. I work at a FANG company which occasionally allows IC equivalent of manager and above to work remotely if there extenutating circumstances. I am considering talking with my director or VP about transitioning back to an individual contributor role, as it would be great to keep a high salary in a lower cost of living area, and not have to start my domain knowledge and relationships over again at another company. I&#x27;m assuming this would more or less kill my upward progression within this company which I&#x27;m not overly worried about, I am just not sure if the logistics makes sense, or if this is something typically tried and done successfully. I would be interested to know if anyone else has tried this and whether or not they&#x27;ve been successful
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wallflower
With regards to negotiation, I know a friend who did this at a normal (not
FANG) company and not transitioning from manager to IC. However, I tell this
anecdote since you seem wary of your negotiating power. He was moving cross-
country for family reasons. He said that the key to getting full remote
approved was approaching his boss like “I’m moving out of state. I’d like to
continue working here.” However, the important thing to note is he stated that
the move was a done deal _and_ implied that he was willing to walk away from
this company and find a new job if he had to. You have to go all-in. Good
luck!

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eksemplar
Are there no management jobs in the new area? I’m not sure what the IC version
of senior manager is, but remote management almost never works out.

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captain_perl
"IC equivalent of manager and above"

Managers are not IC's.

"keep a high salary in a lower cost of living area"

Most companies will offer you a lower salary, especially if you tell them that
it's a lower cost area.

Sounds like you need to find out the specifics of your company. I can't see
how general advice will help you.

It is generally accepted on HN that the easiest tactic to get remote work is
to start on-premise and move later though. So your plan makes sense, generally
speaking.

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Daishiman
Honestly, even if you're a mediocre negotiator one should be quite capable of
maintaining at least an IC's Bay Area salary while going remote.

The possibility of quitting if you already have extensive relations with the
company is unlikely to be appealing.

Good talent is global nowadays and the arguments about cost of living are
pretty much worthless if you've demonstrated sufficient value.

In the very worst of cases, OP should negotiate increased vacation time if
you're going to accept a lower salary, given that it may align with OPs
personal interests in this case.

