How is your career going?

[Default]

Weird not working, but I am kitten sitting and that soaks a bit of time.

[Kurth]

I am realizing that working for a company with deep and abiding ties to Japan may mean that I need to really work on my karaoke game.

I love music. I'm a huge fan of lots of different genres: Classic Rock, Metal, Grunge, Pop, Hip hop, Rap, Jazz, even some classical. But I'm a terrible picker of songs for karaoke. It feels like every song I pick falls into one of the following categories:

(1) Completely and totally deep sixes the vibe and brings the house down.
(2) Has a very long instrumental solo at some point that leaves me on stage having no idea what to do with myself.
(3) Lyrics that I thought I knew but are actually no where near what I thought and are wildly inappropriate for a social work gathering.

Is there a vetted list of work-friendly songs for karaoke? I need help!

[Edit to add: Careless Whisper by George Michael has way, way more sax solos than I remember. Not a good choice tonight!]

[Skinypupy]

Next week will mark the end of my most successful fiscal year in 19 years in this job. I blew my sales goal out of the water (by about 25%), will be in the top 10 in the company (out of 150), and I made really good commissions. So while I remain frustrated about certain aspects of the job and feeling like I want to make a change, at least I'm making really good money while I figure out what I want to do when I grow up. Speaking of which...

On Monday, they announced that there will be a massive overhaul of the entire sales force next year. We'll be moving from a geographically-aligned sales team to an account-based sales team. Meaning there will be X number of salespeople going after large accounts, Y number of salespeople focusing on mid-size accounts, and Z number of people targeting small accounts. In addition to all that, they will be adding a ton more post-sales implementation and support folks. This is all a welcome change as our biggest issue has been that we sell these big deals, then us salespeople end up spending an inordinate amount of time trying to help the client actually do the implementation. The company is trying to free up the salespeople to actually sell by bringing in a more dedicated post-sale implementation team, which is definitely needed.

Interestingly, they're asking all the sales and support staff to request the top three roles they would like to be in moving forward. Not everyone will get what they request, but those requests will be heavily weighted in how they structure the org moving forward. My natural landing spot would be as a large account manager, as that's basically what I'm doing now. However, I've always considered myself a better "customer service" guy than a salesperson and strongly considered requesting a move into a support role (with my tenure and performance, I could pretty much land wherever I want).

Talked to my boss last night and he recommended giving the Large Account Manager job a try, at least for the next year. Partly because he thinks I will make a ton of $$ (they're restructuring our comp plan to be more competitive in the market) and partly because the new support role is likely going to have some major growing pains during this first year. And, I suspect, he selfishly wants me to stick around in the sales role so he doesn't immediately have to find someone else to take over a big territory. He's very supportive of me shooting for the support role next year if that's what I want to do, and agreed that it would probably be a better long-term fit.

All that is a long way to say that it's nice to actually have some vision of what the future might look like. I've been stuck between feeling frustrated with sales for a long time now but not necessarily wanting to change companies. This new path might give me the opportunity to make a chunk of change, then try something else here that could be more up my alley. Win-win, I hope.

[Jeff V]

Weird not working, but I am kitten sitting and that soaks a bit of time.

If they are anything like my two kittens, you are probably soaking in your own blood.

[hentzau]

This past Wednesday I had my 35th anniversary working at my company. Was given a coupon to our employee appreciation store, where I could get an iPad or a Pixel tablet or the like. I work in digital security, specifically, mobile device security. I have about half a dozen iPads and Android tablets within arms reach.

So, maybe not the electronics. Maybe the telescope. Or the gas grill. Or the pressure cooker. Or the crystal statuette of Snoopy.

[LordMortis]

This past Wednesday I had my 35th anniversary working at my company. Was given a coupon to our employee appreciation store, where I could get an iPad or a Pixel tablet or the like. I work in digital security, specifically, mobile device security. I have about half a dozen iPads and Android tablets within arms reach.

So, maybe not the electronics. Maybe the telescope. Or the gas grill. Or the pressure cooker. Or the crystal statuette of Snoopy.

My last gift at 20 years was lawn mower. 15 was a vacuum cleaner. 10 was 27" flat TV. 5 was DVD changer/player. I was 4 months shy of my 25. No idea what that would have been worth but the lawn mower is solid.

[Isgrimnur]

Boss and I had a detailed meeting about information flow and not making changes to existing processes without actually investigating the data to see if changes are warranted.

I was heard. About all I can ask for. If he rolls over and forces changes before that information is reviewed, I have made him aware that I will do it, but I will be unhappy, and forced to re-evaluate if I want to continue to work in said environment.

[Default]

Weird not working, but I am kitten sitting and that soaks a bit of time.

If they are anything like my two kittens, you are probably soaking in your own blood.

No, why would I be? They are both adorable little puffballs.

[Zenn7]

This past Wednesday I had my 35th anniversary working at my company. Was given a coupon to our employee appreciation store, where I could get an iPad or a Pixel tablet or the like. I work in digital security, specifically, mobile device security. I have about half a dozen iPads and Android tablets within arms reach.

So, maybe not the electronics. Maybe the telescope. Or the gas grill. Or the pressure cooker. Or the crystal statuette of Snoopy.

My last gift at 20 years was lawn mower. 15 was a vacuum cleaner. 10 was 27" flat TV. 5 was DVD changer/player. I was 4 months shy of my 25. No idea what that would have been worth but the lawn mower is solid.

First company gave us a catalogue of mostly company emblazoned stuff, nothing I wanted. Wife would get a crystal bowl or something. That was for like 2/5/10year. After selling our division, new company (and the one one that bought us after that), give X points in their catalogue of rewards that can be used for things like Visa gift cards. Coming up on 25th next year, can't remember if it's $350 or $500 (though I have to pay taxes on it).

MUCH more useful!

[Lassr]

After 9 years being the team lead in the Space Systems Dept, I am swapping positions with the team lead in the Engineering Integration office. They wanted her to have experiences down in the labs and me in the upper mgmt of all the labs. I really like being down there with the hands on stuff but I guess it's a good thing, but a year away from what I really enjoy is going to be tough...

[msteelers]

I interviewed to be the Account Management Lead today at my current company.

I've been with the company since October last year and things have been going pretty well so far. Soon after joining the team I was pulled in a few different directions, including sales, project management, and client relations. Back in July they wanted to test a new Account Management role that myself and one other team member took on. It went really well, and now they want to fully build out a new department.

About two weeks ago they let me know they planned to hire an Account Management Lead, and asked for me to apply. The plan for this new role is to directly manage the Account Management team, which right now is just me and two other team members who are splitting their time with other responsibilities. Within two years though they expect it to have up to 5 different full time account managers.

I had my interview today and there were a lot of really great things to come out of it, but it wasn't my strongest performance. The company owner explained how excited they are at the work I've been doing and that they don't want to risk having me leave, emphasizing that I fit in great with the company and have been a big asset. So that was a nice ego boost, but he was definitely testing the waters to see how I would react to either not getting the job OR seeing what would happen if I get the job and flame out after a few months.

He also mentioned that over 500 people applied to the position, and they are interviewing about 15 people. Some with 10+ years of experience managing/building an account management team which I just don't have.

My strength for the role is that I'm already established with the company and would be able to hit the ground running, but I don't have the direct experience like others do and I don't think I did a great job overcoming that on the call.

Either way, this should be good. I was worried that if I didn't get the job that I would ultimately be pushed out, but after what the owner said I don't think that's the case. From what I can see, I can get the promotion and take on the leadership responsibilities that I've been looking for. Or, I get to focus full time on Account Management, learn from someone with more experience, and have less stress while continuing to make solid money in the form of commission and bonuses.

I'll be a bit bummed if I don't get it, but there's enough positives to be excited either way.

[Jeff V]

Weird not working, but I am kitten sitting and that soaks a bit of time.

If they are anything like my two kittens, you are probably soaking in your own blood.

No, why would I be? They are both adorable little puffballs.

Mine are little bags of needles.

[Skinypupy]

I'll be a bit bummed if I don't get it, but there's enough positives to be excited either way.

Sounds like a great opportunity, good luck!

[Kurth]

After 9 years being the team lead in the Space Systems Dept, I am swapping positions with the team lead in the Engineering Integration office. They wanted her to have experiences down in the labs and me in the upper mgmt of all the labs. I really like being down there with the hands on stuff but I guess it's a good thing, but a year away from what I really enjoy is going to be tough...

If you want to move up in your organization (or possibly other organizations later on), you can’t do wrong diversifying your experience. Seems like a big opportunity, even if change is hard.

[msteelers]

I just got the email that they are offering me the Account Management Lead position! I still need to get the formal job offer from them, but I don't expect anything that would be added to the formal job offer that would change me accepting the position.

This will be the first time I've directly managed other team members. Anyone have any good book recommendations or tips on managing others?

[Zaxxon]

I just got the email that they are offering me the Account Management Lead position! I still need to get the formal job offer from them, but I don't expect anything that would be added to the formal job offer that would change me accepting the position.

[Kraken]

I've been a manager several times with varying degrees of success, but IDK if my advice would be helpful. It's always been something that just sort of happened, not anything I sought or trained for.

Congrats though!

[Isgrimnur]

tips on managing others?

Be the boss you would want to have. And don't joke about things that are work related within earshot of your underlings. You are their boss, not their friend. The wrong word heard the wrong way can wreck someone's day.

[Kraken]

[Isgrimnur]

Pretty much.

[Lassr]

After 9 years being the team lead in the Space Systems Dept, I am swapping positions with the team lead in the Engineering Integration office. They wanted her to have experiences down in the labs and me in the upper mgmt of all the labs. I really like being down there with the hands on stuff but I guess it's a good thing, but a year away from what I really enjoy is going to be tough...

If you want to move up in your organization (or possibly other organizations later on), you can’t do wrong diversifying your experience. Seems like a big opportunity, even if change is hard.

I'm not interested in moving up but I think they want me to move up when the current supervisor retires in 4 to 5 years...but at that point I'll be about 5 years from retirement.

[Lassr]

I just got the email that they are offering me the Account Management Lead position! I still need to get the formal job offer from them, but I don't expect anything that would be added to the formal job offer that would change me accepting the position.

This will be the first time I've directly managed other team members. Anyone have any good book recommendations or tips on managing others?

Congrats! My advice is remember that everyone is different, so no one way to manage is effective for everyone. Be flexible. There are some great leadership classes out there if your company will pay for training.

[Paingod]

In my last episode, I talked about my new boss being a tool and ignorantly stripping me of like 80% of my responsibilities while cutting my pay by 10% with no explanation.

I'm still hunting for a job worth moving to. The market is tight. I'm not enjoying the process.

The update isn't me - it's how much by new boss isn't enjoying taking on my responsibilities. In the first 2 months of him taking my job on, he's had three catastrophic events that have cost us money and been largely absent for each one. People are increasingly agitated that he seems to not care about the place they work at. So much so that one of the Union Stewards openly called him out during an "open forum" meeting with 30 other staff members present - stating her disappointment in the leadership of the company and the sentiment being echoed by numerous other people. He looked like someone smacked him with a dead fish on live television during an interview. He asked her to talk with him later.

She reported today that their meeting went well. He seemed unable to cope with criticism and turned red a number of times while she was talking. His stance is that he felt like he was doing a good job. When she pointedly asked him why he took the job, he replied that he wanted to ensure the previous General Manager's good work and direction was maintained. She said that he's derailed it completely.

*Chef's Kiss*

I love Union workers who know they're protected.

[gbasden]

That's always satisfying!

[Jeff V]

tips on managing others?

Be the boss you would want to have. And don't joke about things that are work related within earshot of your underlings. You are their boss, not their friend. The wrong word heard the wrong way can wreck someone's day.

This is good advice. Personally, I always preferred to empower my employees to do as they see fit, intervening only when I know they are barking up the wrong tree. Allow them minor failures as teaching points, but certainly step in if something disastrous might occur.

[Jeff V]

Since my career is toast, I can only speak of my wife's career.

A few months ago, she finally got what she thought she always wanted -- day shift, with nights, weekends, and holidays off. It seemed perfect. But she was put into a management position that (1) she wasn't getting paid for because (2) she wasn't qualified, though she certainly can do the job. So she managed to go back to a schedule that's all weekends (12 hour shifts) and alternating Monday/Tuesday night shifts (also 12 hours). They really want her back on days, though, but since her industry does not have an annual review/raise cycle, she asked for a raise to go back to day shift.

No word yet how this was received by management.

She asks my advice: "so if they offer more money, should I accept?"
Me: "that would be nice, especially since you took on another mortgage in the Philippines"
Her: "Oh, so I should just kill myself to make more money."

There is no right answer, I can't win.

[Zarathud]

"Murdering beneficiaries do not inherit."

[YellowKing]

I've finally settled into some semblance of "security" in my job, after surviving two rounds of layoffs.

The remaining team members were brought together the other day and management attempted to assuage any fears or rumors of more cuts. They've pretty much stripped the department down to the bone, so those of us remaining are considered essential. They're also putting me through training for various applications to be able to serve as backup for some other team members, which is a good sign. With the large list of upcoming projects for the rest of the year and all of next year, I think we'll have more than enough to keep us busy.

Obviously I'm still constantly on guard these days, but I've gone from feeling like I'm walking on eggshells to at least feeling like I'm returning to some sense of normalcy. The one silver lining that has come out of this is that my day-to-day job stress has gone way down. I'm no longer dealing with customer service tickets, so nearly 100% of my focus goes towards project work with much more extended timelines. I also got a new manager that I really like, very non-micro-manager, very laid back, and very much a promoter of work/life balance.

I've still made preparations, and have enough money and time banked that I could go nearly a year without work if I had to. Hopefully it won't come to that point, but it's nice to know I'm ready should they decide to yank the rug out from under us.

[Smoove_B]

I don't know if it's my age (50), my time in the system (28 years) or general paranoia but I'm starting to get a bit concerned that I've been flagged for removal. Specifically I'm feeling a slight shift in workload to perhaps see how I'll respond. I'll probably know for sure over the next few months when I can see what 2025 looks like, but things have definitely changed for me with respect to work in the last 30 days.

Not really sure what I'd do at my current age to recover either. I'm supposed to be in my "maximum earning" years right now, socking away retirement monies but instead I'm a bit concerned I'm going to be an unemployed middle-aged dude that's too young to officially retire. Does not feel good.

[coopasonic]

I don't know if it's my age (50), my time in the system (28 years) or general paranoia but I'm starting to get a bit concerned that I've been flagged for removal. Specifically I'm feeling a slight shift in workload to perhaps see how I'll respond. I'll probably know for sure over the next few months when I can see what 2025 looks like, but things have definitely changed for me with respect to work in the last 30 days.

Not really sure what I'd do at my current age to recover either. I'm supposed to be in my "maximum earning" years right now, socking away retirement monies but instead I'm a bit concerned I'm going to be an unemployed middle-aged dude that's too young to officially retire. Does not feel good.

Hey, at least you aren't a 52 year old guy in tech that has figured out he's no good at leadership. I basically have the option of working my butt off and possibly still getting let go because someone has to go or looking for another job and taking a massive (likely in the 30% range) pay cut. After 30 years I just don't have the same hunger as the newer folks, at least not for work and advancement.

[TheMix]

But you likely have a better work ethic. At least if I go by the sample size of the two employees that work for me. Who seem to believe that they should get promotions for showing up to work (note: not doing the work... just showing up).

[Isgrimnur]

I don't know if it's my age (50), my time in the system (28 years) or general paranoia but I'm starting to get a bit concerned that I've been flagged for removal. Specifically I'm feeling a slight shift in workload to perhaps see how I'll respond. I'll probably know for sure over the next few months when I can see what 2025 looks like, but things have definitely changed for me with respect to work in the last 30 days.

Not really sure what I'd do at my current age to recover either. I'm supposed to be in my "maximum earning" years right now, socking away retirement monies but instead I'm a bit concerned I'm going to be an unemployed middle-aged dude that's too young to officially retire. Does not feel good.

Hey, at least you aren't a 52 year old guy in tech that has figured out he's no good at leadership. I basically have the option of working my butt off and possibly still getting let go because someone has to go or looking for another job and taking a massive (likely in the 30% range) pay cut. After 30 years I just don't have the same hunger as the newer folks, at least not for work and advancement.

Talk the wife into retiring early.

[Isgrimnur]

We had a cull within the last month. The guy in charge of the cull and I have been good work friends for a while, though he's a level above me. He clued me in that one guy was a roadblock on organizational requests, and the other couldn't be trusted with delegated tasks to not create more work for the delegatee.

[coopasonic]

But you likely have a better work ethic. At least if I go by the sample size of the two employees that work for me. Who seem to believe that they should get promotions for showing up to work (note: not doing the work... just showing up).

In my department, at least, people that aren't getting the work done aren't around for very long. Our leadership has pretty high expectations.

I've got 2 weeks left on my coaching plan and I'll continue kicking butt for those two weeks and probably a few weeks after because year end performance management is early October. After that we'll see how best to use all my vacation time and then the cycle starts all over again, likely on a different team where I won't enjoy the work nearly as much.

[Kraken]

I've been taking so much time off with house buying and related chores that IDK if I remember how to work. I'd better check in tomorrow and see if my "boss" (client) still remembers me. I haven't taken a whole week off in five years.

[Skinypupy]

I mentioned earlier that we've been going through a massive reorg of our sales and support teams. Between June (when they announced this) and December, they will have changed all the sales territories and completely realigned the marketing/implementation/support structures. Through this process, we have been repeatedly assured that while people may move around into new roles, they had no intention of cutting anyone loose.

During the field call this morning, the VP leading this reorg dropped the bomb that while they tried their best, there are several redundant support positions in the new structure. Also, they found that they didn't need nearly as many salespeople as they originally thought, so they would be letting lots of people go. They let everyone (around 400 people) know that if you were being canned, you will receive an e-mail between 9:00 and 9:30 this morning with calendar invite to meet with HR. The VP - who is usually very energetic and dynamic - read this prepared statement word for word and the whole thing looked like a hostage video. Everyone in the company held their breath for 30 minutes, and we all jumped every time our e-mail dinged.

I've been here almost 20 years now. We've let people go before...but never like this. Even when we've had RIFs, they were done with lots of care, lots of dignity and respect for the contributions of those who were leaving. The company always provided a ton of transition support, like resume reviews, referrals, job hunting help, etc. Today's announcement just felt like a band of mercenaries coming in and executing people. While I made the cut, at least five people on our team are being unceremoniously shoved out the door this afternoon.

I get that this is business, but it's unlike anything this company has ever done. It's the 100% opposite of what our corporate culture has been ever since I've been here. I was planning on riding things out at least through this year, but may be rethinking that plan after watching this very soulless purge today.

[Zarathud]

Someone in management is managing the microeconomics but losing track of the macroeconomics.

I’m very happy that my firm is in the growth stage and my practice is booming. End of year cash up 25% and up 35% on originations. Assuming the last quarter is normal, this year’s bonus should be a very nice to the holdback.

[Zaxxon]

Condolences, Skinypupy. And:

I was planning on riding things out at least through this year, but may be rethinking that plan after watching this very soulless purge today.

I don't blame you. Best of luck with whichever direction you choose.

[LordMortis]

I hope however you go, it's the way you want it to be. Best of luck to you!

[AWS260]

It's been two months since I quit my job in PR after 25 years. Some observations:

• Taking a month-plus to do essentially nothing was wonderful, and I highly recommend it. I'm not exactly recharged, but having the mental and emotional space for things that aren't work-related is refreshing.

• It's been especially helpful to have time and flexibility while my son is starting his freshman year in high school. I felt disconnected from his school experience through most of middle school, and being more engaged and available for him has felt great.

• I've been in active job-hunting mode for three weeks, and boy is it hard. Not hard work, but hard to motivate myself and hard to figure out what to do. The last time I had to apply for jobs was in the previous millennium. I know that I need to put myself out there, but as an introvert it's like pulling my own teeth.

• Wow, paying for your own health insurance sure is expensive.