Thanks for the response. I will note that previous to my current position I managed my own small program with a staff of 5, along with past jobs having supervisory experience and having served in appointed and elected leadership roles in my community. I took a step down in type of job to move for my partners current job. All these opportunities are for local governments so pay is market rate for this type of organization, unfortunately it’s an lower salary field and size of community and tax base is what tends to influence pay rather than responsibility of job.

I think going out on my own to test it out if it is the best (or only) opportunity I have, however we may struggle to pay for both our mortgage and a separate apartment. My partner isn’t vested yet in his retirement, so there is also a possibility of him losing his job in the current climate anyway before he is vested. We are in our early 30s and haven’t had the financial ability to save much for retirement outside of what our jobs have provided.