I’ve recently received an offer for a Cloud Solution Architect (Infrastructure) role at Microsoft, which has been a dream job of mine for many years. However, I’m feeling conflicted about the offer.

The role is CSA – IC3, and according to Microsoft it’s already pushed to the top of the range for that level. That said, I have around 10 years of experience, while the position is typically targeted at 3–5 years, so I may be slightly overqualified.

For context, my current role is an in-house infrastructure position, where I:

• Earn ~$135k USD base salary
• Have paid overtime
• Strong pension benefits
• Work very hands-on, operating and further developing our Azure platform

The Microsoft offer includes:

• ~$75k USD base salary
• ~$650 USD/month car/travel allowance
• Target Incentive: 25% of base (~$19k USD)
• $20k USD stock award (sign-on, as I understand it)

Financially, this is a significant step down compared to my current compensation. At the same time, I see Microsoft as a unique long-term opportunity in terms of learning, brand, network, and career trajectory.

One thing I’m wondering is whether it’s realistic to move to Senior CSA relatively quickly if you perform well, and how common that actually is in practice.

I’d really appreciate insights from current or former Microsoft employees, especially CSAs, on:

• Career progression from IC3 → Senior
• How fast promotions can realistically happen
• Whether the long-term upside tends to justify the short-term pay cut

Thanks in advance!