i've been on counter offer side of things a few times.. at first, it was nerve wrecking.. having to resign and admitting to have been "cheating" on your employ

i've been on counter offer side of things a few times.. at first, it was nerve wrecking.. having to resign and admitting to have been "cheating" on your employer by secretly interviewing.. it feels horrible. but indeed, it was always well received (or maybe i was lucky in having rational bosses) in a do-what-is-best-for-your-career manner. and some of the counter offers were crazy good, but it would feel weird to stay based on that.. after all, while resigning i always listed other things that propelled me to do that (like being skipped for a promotion for 2 years because promotions were limited (to 1 per year) and other employees demanded them outright while i stayed quiet). taking another offer is a big risk. you're leaving the cozy confines of your current job, where you know everyone and all the systems you've so carefully crafted over the years. Last time, the company i left for ended up laying off 60% of dev staff (myself included) 5 months after switching. But i am still glad i did it. i learned lots in those 6 months i wouldn't have if i stayed, and interestingly enough, when my old boss found out i was laid off he generously offered my old job back. i have a friend, that outright tells his boss that once a year he'll be interviewing just to see what the market worth for his job is. This seems insane to me, but his boss is totally fine with that. My friend has a great job with amazing perks (sales) that would be very hard to beat elsewhere. This move does let his management know that he isn't going to stick around unless his growth at current place continues.