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IMHO if you are not employed and are looking for a job, you risk a 10 - 30% pay cut. Now some people have been able to quit a job before the next one is lined

IMHO if you are not employed and are looking for a job, you risk a 10 - 30% pay cut. Now some people have been able to quit a job before the next one is lined up and do better, but most do not. So the loss is not expected. How is the difference in cost of living? Taxes? Benefits? It all adds to the value of the job. If your last working environment was toxic, then any change is a move up. If your prior job was not toxic, have you looked at going back? When you get your masters, then is a perfect time to move on if your salary has not risen enough. And because of your masters you would expect a significant raise, which companies give to the new person, but rarely reward the old employee.

jakeinspace 6y ago
That point about moving on or expecting a raise upon finishing my degree is a great point. And yes, I realize that I took a salary risk leaving my job without an offer. Cost of living makes the salary difference less significant than it would otherwise be, but tax differences pretty much cancel that out - rough estimate would be that in Texas I was taking home around $66k USD after taxes, vs around $46k USD with the new offer in Canada. Insurance and other benefits are comparable. I lived in Montreal for 5 years (I went to college there), and it's a really fantastic city. Now that I've gotten the experience of living in a place I'm not so keen on, I'm more aware of how much that factor weighs in my decision.