I've received a verbal offer for an internal IT position at a large state university, and I'm trying to decide whether it makes sense to leave my current MSP sysadmin job.
My current role pays $55,000 and is mostly remote, with occasional client visits. The benefits are good, the workload is usually manageable, and I have unlimited PTO with a lot of day-to-day flexibility. However, it's just me and one coworker supporting roughly 400–500 devices across about 35 small-business clients and 300–400 users. I don't always get along with my coworker, and although the job is often low stress, difficult days can become extremely stressful. I'm also frequently bored and feel like the work has become repetitive. I've received regular raises and appreciate not having much office politics.
The new position would pay at least $60,000, potentially more with a degree, and comes with excellent university benefits. It would be hybrid, with flexible office days and very little on-call work. The commute would be about 15 minutes by bike or 30 minutes by bus, and I'd occasionally visit branch offices. I'd support around 1,000 devices as part of a three-person team in a more structured enterprise environment. The two existing team members have been there for roughly eight and thirteen years, so turnover appears to be low. The position is technically a business systems analyst role, though much of the work sounds like systems administration for a specific department.
I'm interested in gaining enterprise experience, improving my mental health and work-life balance, and possibly taking advantage of the university's education benefits. My main concerns are giving up unlimited PTO and some remote-work flexibility, dealing with onboarding and office politics, potentially being bored in a more compartmentalized role, and making a relatively small move for only about a $5,000 increase. Does this sound like a worthwhile career move?
6 Answers
I’d take it, especially since the university team has low turnover and the commute is easy. Unlimited PTO is valuable, but flexible leave at a small company can also be informal and fragile. A larger organization may offer less spontaneous flexibility, but you’ll probably gain more predictable policies, stronger benefits, and better separation between work and personal life. Make sure you compare the complete compensation package, including retirement contributions, health insurance costs, vacation, sick leave, holidays, tuition assistance, and any pension benefits.
The biggest advantage is the experience. Moving from supporting mostly small businesses to working in an enterprise environment can expose you to larger-scale infrastructure, formal change management, complex networking, cloud platforms, security processes, and specialized systems. Even if the university job eventually feels slow or too narrow, two or three years there could make you much more marketable.
Most people would consider this a strong move. Internal IT is often more structured and less chaotic than MSP work, with clearer planning, fewer competing clients, better benefits, and a more sustainable pace. You’d also gain enterprise experience that can open doors to higher-level roles later. The pay increase is modest, but the improved environment, commute, stability, and benefits can be worth far more than the salary difference alone.
The main tradeoff is that internal IT may be slower and more bureaucratic. You’ll likely deal with more meetings, approval processes, separation of duties, and situations where you can’t simply fix something yourself because another team owns it. It may also be boring at times. Still, that sounds preferable to being understaffed, dealing with an aggressive teammate, and carrying the stress of many clients. Ask about vacation accrual, salary progression, retirement benefits, health-plan details, and how much authority the role actually has before accepting.
I made a similar move from an MSP into a larger organization and found that the lower stress and better work-life balance mattered more than I expected. MSP experience can teach you a lot, but it is often best used as a stepping stone rather than a permanent destination. If the university role is stable, the team is healthy, and the benefits are genuinely strong, this looks like a sensible bet on your long-term career.
The one dissenting view is that $60,000 may be low depending on your location and the responsibilities involved. I wouldn’t reject the offer automatically, but I would ask whether the salary is negotiable and whether a degree changes the starting pay or only future eligibility. Also confirm the exact on-call expectations, workload distribution among the three-person team, and how often people are expected to be physically present.
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