How is your career going?

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Thu Jun 08, 2017 9:16 am

Got notice that I didn't get a general supervisor job I posted for. In the comments, they indicated I'd be a great fit for an engineer (which I already am) but don't have enough experience for the gs job (which is fair as I've never had supervisory experience). Hard to get supervisory experience when you need the experience to get the job. Sigh.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Jun 08, 2017 9:22 am

Tell them you need an intern!

(This is funny to me because people around me not in the position to author change always suggest I get an intern)

I don't want to supervise people and have been ducking management style positions ever since I discovered what teaching high school was like and given that my job is largely dealing with shit that 20 years in a position does for you, having an intern learning specifics for every thing that comes up would not be of much value to them and would be more time consuming than just doing the job for me.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Wed Jun 28, 2017 6:28 pm

I'm going over the wall! They that begged me to stay another year which is up this Friday! After that they still want "access" to me, which essentially means I show up at meetings and give sage advice but don't do any work. The key is my retirement benefits now kick in so I can help them out a few days a month no sweat.

nasai · Post by **nasai** » Wed Jun 28, 2017 6:34 pm

Just took on new consulting/coaching position with national firm and am developing my peer advisory service offering. Amazing how long it takes, but worth it. Meanwhile, I run 2 successful podcasts, which is somehow amazingly selfish and satisfying, no matter how much I think it sucks.

Smutly · Post by **Smutly** » Wed Jun 28, 2017 7:15 pm

Jaymann wrote:I'm going over the wall! They that begged me to stay another year which is up this Friday! After that they still want "access" to me, which essentially means I show up at meetings and give sage advice but don't do any work. The key is my retirement benefits now kick in so I can help them out a few days a month no sweat.

Congrats on the transition. Hope to be there myself one day.

gbasden · Post by **gbasden** » Thu Jun 29, 2017 12:13 am

nasai wrote:Just took on new consulting/coaching position with national firm and am developing my peer advisory service offering. Amazing how long it takes, but worth it. Meanwhile, I run 2 successful podcasts, which is somehow amazingly selfish and satisfying, no matter how much I think it sucks.

What podcasts are you working on? That's awesome that they are doing well!

nasai · Post by **nasai** » Thu Jun 29, 2017 12:19 am

I do one called Rockstar Superhero which is, mostly, interviews with musicians I love from the prog and metal communities.

The second one is called The Spike and Jones Podcast and is a comedy show built around my co-host and friend Spike O'Neill, who is the creator of Twisted Tunes. I'm totally riding his coattails. Haha.

Thanks for asking. I feel like a shill, but it'd be great to find more subscribers. I'm not great at it, but I enjoy it and I've learned a lot. The first few Rockstar Superhero shows are really tough to listen to. Nerves. Figuring it out. That whole thing.

Still, I'm just grateful things have worked out. Proves people have no taste. Haha.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Thu Jun 29, 2017 9:58 am

Jaymann wrote: retirement benefits

That phrase has been completely excised from our corporate dictionary.

dfs · Post by **dfs** » Thu Jun 29, 2017 3:39 pm

Jaymann wrote:I'm going over the wall! They that begged me to stay another year which is up this Friday! After that they still want "access" to me, which essentially means I show up at meetings and give sage advice but don't do any work. The key is my retirement benefits now kick in so I can help them out a few days a month no sweat.

Congrats to you!

Passed 30 years a few weeks ago. Now it's a matter of working for health care. I'm looking for the right slot. The interview process is frustrating. Folks don't know what to make of me. I don't mind working a couple of days a week, but I'm not building a resume or interested in watching over minions. The folks doing the interviewing can't get their minds around that.

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Thu Jun 29, 2017 3:43 pm

stessier wrote:Got notice that I didn't get a general supervisor job I posted for. In the comments, they indicated I'd be a great fit for an engineer (which I already am) but don't have enough experience for the gs job (which is fair as I've never had supervisory experience). Hard to get supervisory experience when you need the experience to get the job. Sigh.

Was that the Decatur job?

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Fri Jun 30, 2017 6:06 am

Lassr wrote:
stessier wrote:Got notice that I didn't get a general supervisor job I posted for. In the comments, they indicated I'd be a great fit for an engineer (which I already am) but don't have enough experience for the gs job (which is fair as I've never had supervisory experience). Hard to get supervisory experience when you need the experience to get the job. Sigh.
Was that the Decatur job?

Yep.

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Fri Jun 30, 2017 10:17 am

stessier wrote:
Lassr wrote:
stessier wrote:Got notice that I didn't get a general supervisor job I posted for. In the comments, they indicated I'd be a great fit for an engineer (which I already am) but don't have enough experience for the gs job (which is fair as I've never had supervisory experience). Hard to get supervisory experience when you need the experience to get the job. Sigh.
Was that the Decatur job?
Yep.

Danggit! I need OO'ers in Huntsville!

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Fri Jun 30, 2017 12:36 pm

They are combining our offices and the owner of the company is now sitting 5 feet from me. That's just fantastic!

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Fri Jun 30, 2017 1:14 pm

At least he's not in back of you.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Fri Jun 30, 2017 5:04 pm

Under 2 hours to go! Plus over $10 k in unused vacation time! And a surprise party with $600 in gift cards. How sweet it is!

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Fri Jun 30, 2017 5:10 pm

Congrats! I am right behind you... in about 25 years.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Fri Jun 30, 2017 5:16 pm

And I am about 25 years ahead of you.
Being retired is not all it's cracked up to be.
It's much much better.
Unless your wife thinks you need "busy" work.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Tue Sep 05, 2017 9:58 pm

Today was the second major bloodbath since starting with this company more than 7 years ago. According to my boss, we're doing about $10B in revenue but have $17B in expenses after our split into 3 separate companies a year ago. My region had 3 casualties, one a direct report to my boss, another direct report to my north side peer, and one direct report to me. Two of my peers bought it, one in Tennessee (there was a brief suggestion that the state be transferred to me but the manager decided for now to try to handle with her two remaining supervisors). The other was in Los Angeles, and that threw everyone for a loop -- there is another in that region who is generally despised by the other managers, the director, and the senior director. But instead this other, higher regarded supervisor, bit the dust. The manager of that region is someone I owe my job to...next time I have an opportunity, I'll have to take her out for some drinks and get the story on that.

My group's losses were the weakest links, I have to agree. The one reporting directly to my boss was the executive cabana boy. He'd get flustered by their demands and ultimately my boss had to personally babysit every issue with the dozen or so execs this guys was hired to handle. The thing was, this guy was WAY overpaid for his skill level, and that kind of pissed me off. One of my minions applied for that job and was turned down -- he gets more praise than anyone, has proven technical skills, and is being paid $20K less than the guy that just got canned. My team has to pick up his role, though, and that includes the guy who didn't get the job when it was available! The direct report I lost came to this company via acquisition about 3 years ago. I never met him, never had a particular problem with him, but every time we had a meeting with the facility manager -- one who managed two plants, an existing one plus the acquisition one, he always felt compelled to say the incumbent tech from our company was much much better. He never actually told us of any specific problems with the other guy. The third guy in my peer's region was part of that same acquisition, and has had rather poor performance reviews. I met him a few times, he was likeable and helped me in a pinch but I guess he was lax in enforcing our policies and others at that location took advantage of that to skirt the system.

According to my boss, only the executive cabana boy was surprised and shocked. He just closed on a house. The guy who reported to me is going for surgery next week, and I guess he gets paid through his pre-approved leave/short term disability, which I was happy to hear.

I still don't have the full butcher's bill from other departments but a couple that came to my attention today are of sad note. One was a mailroom guy who had been there 20 years, was physically a large guy and very helpful when I need to move half-ton skids of obsolete electronics around. Another was a network engineer who was, like me, married to a Filipina. A few months ago, he tried talking me into buying an available plot of seaside land on the island of Palawan for about $35K that could be developed into a retirement home for another $35K. If I hadn't just bought a house here, that might not have been unpossible.

I knew it was going to be a bad day when (1) my boss was in the office before I was and (2) he was supposed to be on vacation!

MHS · Post by **MHS** » Tue Sep 05, 2017 10:10 pm

Such a dick move, making people come in after a holiday weekend just to fire them.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Tue Sep 05, 2017 10:19 pm

MHS wrote:Such a dick move, making people come in after a holiday weekend just to fire them.

I'm not even sure that was a consideration. Another thing -- today we went live on a Level 2 helpdesk based in India (natch). We were told from the onset that this team was not intended to cost anyone their jobs, and that was the mantra during the past 3 months leading up to today's go-live. I told my boss that management is going to take a major credibility hit on that one, even though I do believe this 2nd level support team has nothing to do with todays firings.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Tue Sep 05, 2017 10:20 pm

Sill retired! Though strangely enough working two days this week. It's nice when you just have to show up and not do any actual work.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Wed Sep 06, 2017 2:41 am

Informed my partners last week that I am changing law firms, and that getting more money won't convince me to stay (not likely they'll beat a 30% raise anyway).

I'm walking into a new client base. Bigger firm, bigger exposure, bigger risk and bigger rewards. I'm hoping it works out because there aren't many tax planning positions at my level if I just chose poorly.

Exodor · Post by **Exodor** » Wed Sep 06, 2017 9:50 am

After about 17 years of working tech support I'm burned out. I'm currently at a small MSP and the work can be interesting at times - I get my hands into a lot of different tech and I've learned a lot about networking and server administration - but I'm terribly overworked and stressed. I'm also tired of being a computer janitor cleaning up messes made by other people.

I think the final straw was a few months back. We work on a "primary tech" model where each of us is assigned clients. We cut two techs in early summer - one was a guy working about 30 miles to the south who was out "sick" half the time (turns out he had a consulting job on the side and kept this job for the benefits) and the other was a hothead who had a major meltdown in the office (he literally told our boss to F off to his face). When they were let go the rest of us were assigned additional clients on a "temporary" basis until replacements could be found.

Temporary is now permanent so our workload has increased with no additional compensation. When I talked to my boss I was told they didn't want to increase salary in the middle of the year but he would "see what he could do" at the end of the year.

Time to pull the plug but after 17 years in the industry I'm only qualified to do similar work and I want out of IT.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Sep 06, 2017 10:36 am

A new job in the industry might help. Brush up the resume and see what you can find that will let you reset, then use that to explore other options. Bonus points if you can find a place that will pay for school.

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Wed Sep 06, 2017 10:47 am

Anyone know the best way to find Project Manager jobs? It would be nice to use my PMP certification.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Sep 06, 2017 10:50 am

Moliere wrote:Anyone know the best way to find Project Manager jobs? It would be nice to use my PMP certification.

PMI's job board?

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Wed Sep 06, 2017 11:51 am

Exodor wrote:Time to pull the plug but after 17 years in the industry I'm only qualified to do similar work and I want out of IT.

When I hear someone say they want out of IT, all I hear is "I hate money." I might be jaded. I've been paid for IT work for 26 years and I can't really imagine doing anything else. Of course I don't generally support other people's creations, at least not as my main job. I'm now being attached to a data science team learning python and figuring out machine learning. Hopefully this old dog can still learn a few new tricks.

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Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Sep 06, 2017 12:02 pm

coopasonic wrote:When I hear someone say they want out of IT, all I hear is "I hate money." I might be jaded.

Remember the old adage - people don't quit jobs, they quit their boss.

EDIT: On topic - there were some pretty significant administrative changes made to my department 2 years ago that are finally manifesting front-line effects. While I've made no secret of my dislike of my new boss (and his attitude); I'm hoping the impact of these changes fall squarely on his shoulders and he's pushed out. I know it won't happen, but I can hope. Regardless, because of these changes, I'm unsure how much longer my working relationship will continue with my current employer but I'll keep coming back (temporary contract work now for almost 9 years!) as long as I can. The search for a new boss of bosses has commenced, with the position to be filled (I think) by May of 2018. I'm guessing many fates will be decided shortly after that.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Wed Sep 06, 2017 12:13 pm

Zarathud wrote:Informed my partners last week that I am changing law firms, and that getting more money won't convince me to stay (not likely they'll beat a 30% raise anyway).

I'm walking into a new client base. Bigger firm, bigger exposure, bigger risk and bigger rewards. I'm hoping it works out because there aren't many tax planning positions at my level if I just chose poorly.

Congrats! Make sure you get your OctoCon schedule worked out with them in advance!

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Wed Sep 06, 2017 1:23 pm

Exodor wrote: Time to pull the plug but after 17 years in the industry I'm only qualified to do similar work and I want out of IT.

This was the wall I hit numerous times. The main problem is I could never afford to drop down to entry level in another field, and without a degree in other fields, the ceiling was likely lower than in IT. Depending on the field, even with the degree the ceiling could be too low!

Moving up to management does change things up a bit. On one hand, you don't need to be dealing with users and their self-inflicted pain all of the time; on the other, you still need to be better than the techs under you since you are who they come to when they don't know what to do.

Exodor · Post by **Exodor** » Wed Sep 06, 2017 1:38 pm

Smoove_B wrote:
coopasonic wrote:When I hear someone say they want out of IT, all I hear is "I hate money." I might be jaded.
Remember the old adage - people don't quit jobs, they quit their boss.

In this case the problem isn't the boss but the owner - it's a small company and he (and his family) are extracting so much out of the company that there's not enough money to pay the techs adequately or keep adequate staff on-hand to handle the workload. I know my boss's hands are tied when it comes to my compensation but ultimately that's not really my problem. If they're not willing to pay what I'm worth I'll find an employer who will.

This was the wall I hit numerous times. The main problem is I could never afford to drop down to entry level in another field, and without a degree in other fields, the ceiling was likely lower than in IT.

Yup. It's the same catch-22 I faced when I started my career - I don't have the necessary experience to get another job but I can't get the experience until I get the job.

dfs · Post by **dfs** » Wed Sep 06, 2017 11:06 pm

Navigated the last 6 months well.

I retired. Crossed the street and went back to work at 80% FTE and a hefty raise from where I was at. Atmosphere at new location is spectacular.

Life is good.

Sectoid · Post by **Sectoid** » Thu Sep 07, 2017 7:35 am

After working for a shitty company (American Standard) for 7 years, they let me go due to excessive absences. I had cancer.
I was out of a job/working part time for a friend for about 2 years before I finally landed another job in my field (Packaging Engineer) in April this year at $10K less than the last job.
So, I've been doing this work for about 15 years and I'm not making what I should (I know, no one is) and I have no savings left because I wasn't working for so long. The problem is it is an extremely narrow field, which you think would translate to higher paying jobs, but no. For some reason people (management) don't realize the time and knowledge it takes to design packaging that will survive a warehouse, retail, and shipping (I'm looking at you, UPS) environment.
Oh, and I have a degree in Finance, not Engineering which probably doesn't help my salary issue. However, to switch to a Finance job now would be insane. I'd have to take an entry level job with little to no compensation or be in sales. I HATE SALES. Before taking this job I was 1 week away from taking a job selling insurance *shudder*.
I'm still hunting for a higher paying job. Although I like the people I work with and the job itself isn't bad, I need more $. I'd love to go into my boss' office and tell them they need to match another offer, but with only 5 months on the job, it isn't likely to happen.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Thu Sep 07, 2017 10:02 am

So yesterday an intruder wandered into the office. He was my boss' peer before the company split into three, and one of the managers that had interviewed me when I was promoted into my current position. At the moment, the company he is with is the most successful of the three post-breakup (but I'm not convinced it will remain so long term) and the employees have generally gotten better deals than, say, getting booted out the door. That company leases the second floor of the building where my office is, and it's not uncommon for this guy to drop by (his office is in suburban Indianapolis).

Ostensibly, he dropped in to see my boss but when he found him to be out on vacation, he stopped by my desk to chat a bit, casually mentioning that they were looking for a manager at my level for Wisconsin and Minnesota. My peer who left that company right at the split about a year ago was based in Baraboo, about a mile down the road from the water park we're visiting next weekend. I did not show any particular interest, but I figured I'd mention it to my wife, who was a little spooked about Monday's massacre. She said moving again is about the last thing she wants to do.

Oh well, from numerous conversations with my former peers working for this guy, he's really difficult anyway (in that he lacks understanding of the technical aspects of the work and then makes unreasonable demands).

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Thu Sep 07, 2017 10:50 am

Wow, seems like a lot of OO'ers out of work recently. Add me to this infamous list!

July 21, was told my "position was being eliminated". Saw the writing on the wall for about a year, and I have to say, I am actually happy about it. I likely would not have had the inertia to find another job which I enjoyed, since I was being paid decently well, healthcare coverage was good (important, since I have three kids and wife not working), nice office 10 min. from home.

However, I hated the typical high-powered sales culture compared to what I had been doing for the last 15 years, pre-acquisition (our tiny company got acquired almost three years ago to the date of my last day). The quotas were ridiculous, so not much in way of commission, the pressure was incredible (quarterly results, publicly traded company), and the dysfunction (constantly changing management, LOTS of churn) had burned me out in 2 short years (they basically left us alone for the first year following the buyout).

Got their max severance payout since they consider my previous years at the acquired company, so I have REALLY been taking my time to see what I want to do next. Maybe a little too much time...this week I am getting after it with vigor.

I could easily immediately go work for the competition, considering my niche market knowledge, but then I would be back in that pressure cooker job I hated.

Got a call a week after my last day, from the owner of the previous business I worked for. Said he was "doing something again" but could not talk about it since he had signed a non-compete contract with the company (which apparently also stated he could not contact previous employees on a professional level for 3 years). That 3 years was up in a week, and he wanted me to come to his house and talk.

Did that, and am now consulting for that company since he's basically a startup (again), and is only paying half wages to full time employees currently (with no commission either). If I see that he can make it again, I will likely go back to work for him, but I ALSO need to REALLY see what else is out there. I'm almost afraid to send out a resume because they may say "Yes" and might not be what I am interested in or looking for. That sounds weird, I know, but welcome to my brain.

dfs · Post by **dfs** » Thu Sep 07, 2017 1:18 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote:I'm almost afraid to send out a resume because they may say "Yes" and might not be what I am interested in or looking for. That sounds weird, I know, but welcome to my brain.

VVhat? No sense makes this. I had several people talking about work I didn't want to do (or at absurdly low salaries or in places I didn't want to live) No harm no foul. It's just not a match that works at this time. That's part of the job search these days. Sometimes they say no. Sometimes you say no. Both sides have to say yes.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Thu Sep 07, 2017 2:00 pm

When you start getting offers, you've tuned your game. Offers build confidence. Confidence gets you more offers. That's part of the reason why an extended job search can often burn you -- you can lose the edge in selling yourself after too many rejections.

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 4:17 pm

This Dilbert comic hits a little too close to home. It's tough to leave when you have a comfortable, albeit uninspiring, situation.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 5:25 pm

Moliere wrote:This Dilbert comic hits a little too close to home. It's tough to leave when you have a comfortable, albeit uninspiring, situation.

You got that right. I can't afford to roll the dice and jump into an unknown situation -- and it'll take us about a decade to rebuild any cash reserves assuming the house doesn't conspire to relieve us of it before then. At that point my wife will be a fully functional RN/BSN and have a family-carrying salary -- just as I hit 65 and assuming I'm still on this ship, I won't be able to jump without breaking both hips in the process.