Should I change job? What made you personally change jobs?
Discussion
Some advice please.
I've been at my current company for 10 years, literally since graduating from university.
The pay isn't bad at all. I never get stressed and I never have to put in extra hours unless I'm away on business, which isn't that frequent. The people are nice and it's a relatively small firm that generally have been doing very well over the time I have been employed here.
I've been doing the same managerial role here for 4 years now and I'm starting to become a bit bored - like I need a new challenge. I have lost all motivation in what I'm doing and just cruise through the days doing what needs to be done. When I first joined I was highly ambitious and driven and wanted to learn to keep progressing. I am also at the stage where I could probably get another decent pay rise, but I can't move up from my position.
I have a very cushy job with no real stress, but part of me thinks that 10 years is a long time and I am at that age where it is important to make leaps in my career. I just turned 31.
I recently had a second interview with a huge company. The division I would be employed under has 10,000+ employees and I'm sure being such a large corporate has it's plus points and negative points. I get the impression that although the pay would be 15 to 20% more (base) than I'm currently earning, that the job and effort required would be twice to three times the effort in comparison to what I'm doing now.
What would you do? Take the corporate gig if it's offered, which will completely take me out of my comfort zone in an industry I have experience in, or stay put and think about quality of life?
Another thing worth considering is I have predominantly been office based and this job is field based. Has anyone moved from office to field and how has the experience been for you? I know it is very different.
I've been at my current company for 10 years, literally since graduating from university.
The pay isn't bad at all. I never get stressed and I never have to put in extra hours unless I'm away on business, which isn't that frequent. The people are nice and it's a relatively small firm that generally have been doing very well over the time I have been employed here.
I've been doing the same managerial role here for 4 years now and I'm starting to become a bit bored - like I need a new challenge. I have lost all motivation in what I'm doing and just cruise through the days doing what needs to be done. When I first joined I was highly ambitious and driven and wanted to learn to keep progressing. I am also at the stage where I could probably get another decent pay rise, but I can't move up from my position.
I have a very cushy job with no real stress, but part of me thinks that 10 years is a long time and I am at that age where it is important to make leaps in my career. I just turned 31.
I recently had a second interview with a huge company. The division I would be employed under has 10,000+ employees and I'm sure being such a large corporate has it's plus points and negative points. I get the impression that although the pay would be 15 to 20% more (base) than I'm currently earning, that the job and effort required would be twice to three times the effort in comparison to what I'm doing now.
What would you do? Take the corporate gig if it's offered, which will completely take me out of my comfort zone in an industry I have experience in, or stay put and think about quality of life?
Another thing worth considering is I have predominantly been office based and this job is field based. Has anyone moved from office to field and how has the experience been for you? I know it is very different.
Purity14 said:
Replace 10 with 7 and that is where I am now.
Office based 4 days a week, on site 1 day per week on average.
Happy with my pay, very cushy, relaxed, no need for shirt/tie - 40days leave + a week at Christmas.
Able to be late on occasion, so long as I don't take the piss, 3.30 finish on a Friday.
Workload 4/10, stress 1/10, spend 2 hours per day playing games with headphones on.
Scared to leave.
I have 25 days holiday, plus the whole period between Christmas eve to New Years day as leave too.Office based 4 days a week, on site 1 day per week on average.
Happy with my pay, very cushy, relaxed, no need for shirt/tie - 40days leave + a week at Christmas.
Able to be late on occasion, so long as I don't take the piss, 3.30 finish on a Friday.
Workload 4/10, stress 1/10, spend 2 hours per day playing games with headphones on.
Scared to leave.
With the new company it is 20 days and then I can pay for a further 5 days. Doubt I would get the leave over Christmas and NY like I do now.
I also can wear what I want whereas the new role will require me to be smarter.
Do you want to leave, or stay?
Ask yourself whether in 10 years time you would look back and have any regrets about not stretching yourself, exploring new avenues, taking a risk or two and making the most of your potential and abilities. If it's no then stay where you are. The chances are though that at some point change will be forced on you, ie company is taken over, there is a re-org etc etc. What position are you in having done the same job for all that time, not progressed or demonstrated any ambition. This is the view that those who may determine your future will have. Don't let complacency set in as it's precisely when life kicks you in the nuts. Having said that there can be argument for being risk averse if you are at period in your life when you need stability and security, ie young family and big mortgage etc.
ChasW said:
Ask yourself whether in 10 years time you would look back and have any regrets about not stretching yourself, exploring new avenues, taking a risk or two and making the most of your potential and abilities. If it's no then stay where you are. The chances are though that at some point change will be forced on you, ie company is taken over, there is a re-org etc etc. What position are you in having done the same job for all that time, not progressed or demonstrated any ambition. This is the view that those who may determine your future will have. Don't let complacency set in as it's precisely when life kicks you in the nuts. Having said that there can be argument for being risk averse if you are at period in your life when you need stability and security, ie young family and big mortgage etc.
Thank you for your contribution. I think in 10 years time I most probably would regret not changing jobs if I haven't moved already. Another part of this equation is that this is all I know in terms of a proper full time job, but I want to expand my world so to speak.Hindsight is a wonderful thing and in big corps I would imagine there are more risks and potentially less stability, but the room to progress and learn could be massive. I know some people who have moved and done well for themselves and I know others that moved and wanted to come back. It's a really difficult decision to make.
The grass isn't always greener springs to mind, but I feel like I'm in a bit of a time warp at the moment.
Cushy, decent, but not great money and your 31yrs old, if that was me I'd be bored stiff, no offence ! I've actually worked for the same, but big company for 20yrs, I've done 12 roles with massive variety, some overseas and have relocated as needed. It's stressful at times, but rewards have grown as well and I've learned loads - I started at 16, so no uni ! Some roles, I've loved, some I've not, but I've learned though all of them. I honestly think if your even asking the question, the seed is in your mind that you're in danger of potentially wasting valuable years.....but only you can answer your question.
WindsorRob said:
Cushy, decent, but not great money and your 31yrs old, if that was me I'd be bored stiff, no offence ! I've actually worked for the same, but big company for 20yrs, I've done 12 roles with massive variety, some overseas and have relocated as needed. It's stressful at times, but rewards have grown as well and I've learned loads - I started at 16, so no uni ! Some roles, I've loved, some I've not, but I've learned though all of them. I honestly think if your even asking the question, the seed is in your mind that you're in danger of potentially wasting valuable years.....but only you can answer your question.
What's great money to you? It's all relative. I think I'm paid very well considering the perks of the job. I get your point though. My 30's should be spent growing as much as possible, not stagnating in a comfortable job.1st Job) Owners son (aged 10), thought it was fun to sneek up behind people and threaten them with a pen knife. Owner couldn't give a toss. Company running into the ground. Time to go before the end.
2nd Job) Too much time away from home (5-6 days a week)
3rd Job) After 2 months and realising my position was simply there so a manager could tick the box in his process diagram. I could literally have written a report saying "The companies IT systems will fail next week because of X" and nobody would have read it. All I could think was "I don't want to play any more", all day. So I jumped to a supplier.
2nd Job) Too much time away from home (5-6 days a week)
3rd Job) After 2 months and realising my position was simply there so a manager could tick the box in his process diagram. I could literally have written a report saying "The companies IT systems will fail next week because of X" and nobody would have read it. All I could think was "I don't want to play any more", all day. So I jumped to a supplier.
The straw that broke the camels back at my last perm role was the day my director gave me my appraisal score.
He scored me a 1 which essentially meant I was incompetent and on my way out, and he asked what I was going to do to improve, I advised him sweet Fa and to call the fat dyke from HR as I couldn't work for such a muppet which equalled gardening leave.
He was on a 6 figure salary plus very decent package and couldn't direct his way out of a wet paper bag, and I was sick of covering up his mistakes and busting a hump so the dept looked good, including delivering numbers 300% over target sdespite my directors best efforts at screwing up every single model I had set up and moving the goalposts on 12 different occasions.
I rang an agency that afternoon and within two weeks had landed a nice contract on more than double the money with zero politics and an awesome director.
He scored me a 1 which essentially meant I was incompetent and on my way out, and he asked what I was going to do to improve, I advised him sweet Fa and to call the fat dyke from HR as I couldn't work for such a muppet which equalled gardening leave.
He was on a 6 figure salary plus very decent package and couldn't direct his way out of a wet paper bag, and I was sick of covering up his mistakes and busting a hump so the dept looked good, including delivering numbers 300% over target sdespite my directors best efforts at screwing up every single model I had set up and moving the goalposts on 12 different occasions.
I rang an agency that afternoon and within two weeks had landed a nice contract on more than double the money with zero politics and an awesome director.
Purity14 said:
Replace 10 with 7 and that is where I am now.
Office based 4 days a week, on site 1 day per week on average.
Happy with my pay, very cushy, relaxed, no need for shirt/tie - 40days leave + a week at Christmas.
Able to be late on occasion, so long as I don't take the piss, 3.30 finish on a Friday.
Workload 4/10, stress 1/10, spend 2 hours per day playing games with headphones on.
Scared to leave.
You work in the public sector don't youOffice based 4 days a week, on site 1 day per week on average.
Happy with my pay, very cushy, relaxed, no need for shirt/tie - 40days leave + a week at Christmas.
Able to be late on occasion, so long as I don't take the piss, 3.30 finish on a Friday.
Workload 4/10, stress 1/10, spend 2 hours per day playing games with headphones on.
Scared to leave.
This resonated with me somewhat.
Earlier in the year I left a very safe, cushy company that I’d been with for the past six years (a number of different roles, but my first proper job). Like yours, it was completely stress-free, perfect work-life balance and there were always annual pay rises and so on; essentially, it was a very comfortable job.
The downside to this was I became rather bored of the lack of challenge, and being mid-twenties thought I should be pushing myself, so I began to look around. Friends at the same level were thinking of doing the same thing, and it almost seemed ‘cool’ to leave. I applied for a job at another company in the same industry, not really expecting to get it but to my amazement I was successful. I was made up – fancy pants title, flash company – a dream come true.
Fast forward several months, I have learnt a LOT in the new position but it has been more challenging than I could ever have imagined. New culture, new people, new systems, new expectations. Do your research very carefully, particularly on culture. I’ve really had to MTFU!
Aspects of my personal life haven’t necessarily helped me feel properly settled in the new role. I’ve had to move 80 miles away for this job, away from friends, a social life that I enjoyed and my first house that I bought last year, all of which has not left me best pleased. But I guess the key message I wanted to get across is that, IMO, there’s nothing wrong being in your comfort zone. If I’d known what I know now, I probably would have stayed put. The grass isn’t always greener!
Earlier in the year I left a very safe, cushy company that I’d been with for the past six years (a number of different roles, but my first proper job). Like yours, it was completely stress-free, perfect work-life balance and there were always annual pay rises and so on; essentially, it was a very comfortable job.
The downside to this was I became rather bored of the lack of challenge, and being mid-twenties thought I should be pushing myself, so I began to look around. Friends at the same level were thinking of doing the same thing, and it almost seemed ‘cool’ to leave. I applied for a job at another company in the same industry, not really expecting to get it but to my amazement I was successful. I was made up – fancy pants title, flash company – a dream come true.
Fast forward several months, I have learnt a LOT in the new position but it has been more challenging than I could ever have imagined. New culture, new people, new systems, new expectations. Do your research very carefully, particularly on culture. I’ve really had to MTFU!
Aspects of my personal life haven’t necessarily helped me feel properly settled in the new role. I’ve had to move 80 miles away for this job, away from friends, a social life that I enjoyed and my first house that I bought last year, all of which has not left me best pleased. But I guess the key message I wanted to get across is that, IMO, there’s nothing wrong being in your comfort zone. If I’d known what I know now, I probably would have stayed put. The grass isn’t always greener!
[quote=ocrx8]This resonated with me somewhat.
Fast forward several months, I have learnt a LOT in the new position but it has been more challenging than I could ever have imagined. New culture, new people, new systems, new expectations. Do your research very carefully, particularly on culture. I’ve really had to MTFU!
Isn't this part of personal development? Getting embedded in one working culture can lead to the equivalent of institutionalisation (if there is such a word!). As a senior hiring manager I look out for this carefully and, faced with closely matched candidates, often make the final selection criteria on how well I think they will fit in. So someone who has proved their adaptability to different working environments and cultures will have edge, all other things being equal.
Fast forward several months, I have learnt a LOT in the new position but it has been more challenging than I could ever have imagined. New culture, new people, new systems, new expectations. Do your research very carefully, particularly on culture. I’ve really had to MTFU!
Isn't this part of personal development? Getting embedded in one working culture can lead to the equivalent of institutionalisation (if there is such a word!). As a senior hiring manager I look out for this carefully and, faced with closely matched candidates, often make the final selection criteria on how well I think they will fit in. So someone who has proved their adaptability to different working environments and cultures will have edge, all other things being equal.
It's a combination of being sufficiently frustrated/bored/fed up (depending on individual circumstances) and encountering another opportunity.
Sometimes you just have to put your CV out there and see what happens. Sometimes it works out for the best, other times, you make a change in a year's time after regretting the move. Life is a risk.
Sometimes you just have to put your CV out there and see what happens. Sometimes it works out for the best, other times, you make a change in a year's time after regretting the move. Life is a risk.
Find something you enjoy doing and stick with it IMO.
I've been with the same employer for a long time, which in IT can be seen as a bit of a black mark, but they're a great employer, there are plenty of new challenges to keep me on my toes, and I have relative freedom to do what I want vs. the "take 3 weeks to get approval to do anything" problem that a lot of my colleagues at truly massive companies seem to face.
If you're consistently waking up and thinking "f
king hell another day at that place" then personally I think that's the time to go.
I've been with the same employer for a long time, which in IT can be seen as a bit of a black mark, but they're a great employer, there are plenty of new challenges to keep me on my toes, and I have relative freedom to do what I want vs. the "take 3 weeks to get approval to do anything" problem that a lot of my colleagues at truly massive companies seem to face.
If you're consistently waking up and thinking "f
king hell another day at that place" then personally I think that's the time to go.ocrx8 said:
This resonated with me somewhat.
Earlier in the year I left a very safe, cushy company that I’d been with for the past six years (a number of different roles, but my first proper job). Like yours, it was completely stress-free, perfect work-life balance and there were always annual pay rises and so on; essentially, it was a very comfortable job.
The downside to this was I became rather bored of the lack of challenge, and being mid-twenties thought I should be pushing myself, so I began to look around. Friends at the same level were thinking of doing the same thing, and it almost seemed ‘cool’ to leave. I applied for a job at another company in the same industry, not really expecting to get it but to my amazement I was successful. I was made up – fancy pants title, flash company – a dream come true.
Fast forward several months, I have learnt a LOT in the new position but it has been more challenging than I could ever have imagined. New culture, new people, new systems, new expectations. Do your research very carefully, particularly on culture. I’ve really had to MTFU!
Aspects of my personal life haven’t necessarily helped me feel properly settled in the new role. I’ve had to move 80 miles away for this job, away from friends, a social life that I enjoyed and my first house that I bought last year, all of which has not left me best pleased. But I guess the key message I wanted to get across is that, IMO, there’s nothing wrong being in your comfort zone. If I’d known what I know now, I probably would have stayed put. The grass isn’t always greener!
Do you think if you were still local to your friends, family and first house that it would have been the right decision to take the new job?Earlier in the year I left a very safe, cushy company that I’d been with for the past six years (a number of different roles, but my first proper job). Like yours, it was completely stress-free, perfect work-life balance and there were always annual pay rises and so on; essentially, it was a very comfortable job.
The downside to this was I became rather bored of the lack of challenge, and being mid-twenties thought I should be pushing myself, so I began to look around. Friends at the same level were thinking of doing the same thing, and it almost seemed ‘cool’ to leave. I applied for a job at another company in the same industry, not really expecting to get it but to my amazement I was successful. I was made up – fancy pants title, flash company – a dream come true.
Fast forward several months, I have learnt a LOT in the new position but it has been more challenging than I could ever have imagined. New culture, new people, new systems, new expectations. Do your research very carefully, particularly on culture. I’ve really had to MTFU!
Aspects of my personal life haven’t necessarily helped me feel properly settled in the new role. I’ve had to move 80 miles away for this job, away from friends, a social life that I enjoyed and my first house that I bought last year, all of which has not left me best pleased. But I guess the key message I wanted to get across is that, IMO, there’s nothing wrong being in your comfort zone. If I’d known what I know now, I probably would have stayed put. The grass isn’t always greener!
I'm sure right now you're finding it hard but whatever door opens from you taking on this new position is going to have an effect on your life forever, and in 10 years time when you look back, it might have been one of the best decisions you make based on where you end up.
It wasn't just a job change for you, it was a complete change in your whole life based on relocating. I would still be in my house with my partner and around family and friends, I would just be travelling a lot more during the day and working a lot harder. I would imagine there would be more pressure on me too in the new position, but it will pay more, mean I'm working for a global name everyone has heard of and it is opening up doors within the industry that I might not necessarily get the chance to go through at a later time in my life.
Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff