2.5 years on the job, 1/2 through MBA (with debt), mention of a *big* promotion internally and I got an offer from another company. [Employment]

Hello and thank you for reading this. Throw away for anonymity reasons.

I've stuck through my current job with gradual, linear successes (raises, opportunities). Nothing large, just many gradual bumps in commission, account base, small hourly raises, etc. It's fair, but at my job it's difficult to get paid more--our management finds ways to obfuscate/block/stymy any initiatives to innovate and make more $ in commissions.

After I finish my MBA (currently part time), I will be about 55k in debt. I've got a leased car, a great (cheap) apartment, and the means to sustain it (I make about 55k/year plus benefits, medical/dental/vision).

So recently I've been told by the C-Suite/VP officers of my company that I've being considered to replace my boss (Director of Outbound Sales) with no clear timeline. He's been there forever, but has succeeded at being mediocre/unqualified at everything. Upon follow up conversations, I've been told that it, "could wait until I am done with my degree". I've also been asked twice if I, "Feel ready". I am ready, but am not confident, based on management's style, if they're going to support/appreciate/like my more humane approach (I love organizational behavior). I find this frustrating, as I will be more available for newer/betting paying jobs (that I'm not sure they would match) upon completion.

Mostly, this sounds good—stick it out and maybe there will be something awesome for me. The thing is, I feel like I am not growing anymore—I deal with archaic systems (ancient/error prone CRM), understaffed departments (most are running short by 2-3 people), and a bureaucratic system that takes forever to make decisions. For example, there has been private talk of Employee Ownership for almost a year. Nothings happened.

This brings us to the separate job offer. About 2 months ago I met a corporate recruiter who said he was interested in bringing me onboard his small company. 35k in salary + 20% commission of the salaries associated with my placements. I can also make my own schedule, but would have no benefits. This would allow me to dabble/try it, take more classes, and finish my MBA in a more timely fashion.

There are many details; I’m just trying to write concisely. PF, should I take this riskier job to make more money and have more flexibility, or play it safe and stressed?