> We need a bigger house, but we cannot afford it. We could have bought our dream home in 2020 but prices have skyrocketed in my area. Have you considered movi

> We need a bigger house, but we cannot afford it. We could have bought our dream home in 2020 but prices have skyrocketed in my area. Have you considered moving to an area with a lower cost of living? You said you're at a major tech company. As far as I know, pretty much all of them are providing an option to work remotely and even locate out of state (assuming you're in the US). > I am leaning towards option A or option E. What do you think? What is your main motivation? You mentioned affording a bigger home. Is money the main issue? Do you enjoy the work you do? Do you want to work on other projects and maybe not what you're working on in your current team? > A. Keep the day job, and aggressively move into management. Safe and I know internal politics. The cons might be too much politics. People skills don't expire though. Based on the information you gave us in the post, this is a serious red flag. Being a manager is not easier than being an IC. As a matter of fact, the blast radius of performing "poorly" or being ineffective is much higher. You're not just going to let yourself down (assuming you even care), but you're potentially going to damage other peoples' careers. As a manager, not only will you work on roadmaps, but you're responsible for hiring and coaching your team. You need to identify their strengths and growth areas. You need to give them real opportunities, and you need to help motivate them. If your focus is your side projects, this is train wreck waiting to happen.