SecondCor521
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Hi all,
OK, I'm finally to the point in my life where I'm looking at my current job and whether to stay or not. I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Brief life history
I earned a BS in Computer Science in 1993 and moved back to Idaho where I grew up to be near my and my wife's families. I worked for a major local bank for a year in their computer operations support area, then worked for a large technology company for 11 years. In those 11 years I became a highly ranked (top 20%) engineer, received a US Patent, and stock option grants for about the last five years I was there. I took a nice severance package they offered in the fall of 2005 with the idea of getting an MBA and switching career directions. About that time my wife began the process of divorcing me. I was voluntarily unemployed for about four months into the spring of 2006. Since then I've worked at three different contract engineering jobs, the last of which I've been at for about a year and a half now. The divorce was final in the fall of 2006. I completed my MBA in the fall of 2007, graduating with Beta Kappa Sigma honors and receiving the departmental scholarship.
My current job
I am a firmware/software test lead for a small technology company which develops products for the large technology company that I worked for for 11 years.
Pluses
+ They're very flexible whenever I need to take time off from work due to my kids - if they're sick, or if I decide to attend a school function.
+ They're also very flexible if I ask to take time off from work for vacation.
+ I get paid reasonably well (mid-high five figures).
+ The job is located in the town where I live.
+ Most of my fellow engineers are good to work with.
Minuses
- I am very burned out from this kind of job. I have been doing this same kind of work on the same kind of products for 13 years now. As alluded to above in the "History" section, I have had thoughts and desires to change career paths for a number of years now.
- I am a contract employee, not a permanent employee. This is sort of an emotional point for me in that after being kicked out of my home family via the divorce, I really would like to belong to a work family via being a permanent employee. The company where I work seems to be content to have me be a contract engineer for the indefinite future (which is related to the first point under "Other" below).
- Somewhat as a consequence of the previous point, I feel like I have no power. I am supposed to be improving the quality of the products I work on (this has been the feedback from our client), and yet when I suggest improvements or changes they are often not well received or are simply ignored. I recognize it's hard being a change agent and I don't really relish that type of work.
- They could care less that I have an MBA now. They've basically had me doing this job because of my bachelor's degree and prior work experience. I feel like if I spent the two years to get the degree that I should use it somehow.
- I'm on a team of two; I really dislike the other person on the team (I've been told by a manager that I'm far from alone in not liking this other person) and I don't really respect my manager.
Other
? Basically I'm not happy in this job but I wonder how much of the problem is me and how much is the job. Ever since getting interested in FIRE and having that four months off and being relatively close to FIRE (well, about 7 more years to go, but that would be about age 46), I would say that I have had trouble with my attitude. I have somewhat of an entitlement mentality -- I should get paid a lot for not very much work, and they should be happy about it. I dislike it when work gets in the way of me surfing the net. Now I'm in a sort of negative spiral where I'm not passionate about my job so they're not thrilled with my performance which I respond to by trying even less hard, etc.
? I would love to find a job that is more interesting (something in business rather than technology) *and* pays better than what I'm paid now *and* is located in my town *and* is flexible with me and my kids' schedules. Am I asking for too much?
? Several things hold me back from looking to find another job. I don't believe I can find a job in a different field without taking a large pay cut. If the problem is me and not the job, then changing jobs won't fix my angst. I am not good at career building type stuff (resumes, interviews, networking, career planning) -- in particular, I don't know how to identify or figure out what kind of job in the business field I would like.
I'd be glad to clarify or answer any questions about any of the above.
2Cor521
OK, I'm finally to the point in my life where I'm looking at my current job and whether to stay or not. I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Brief life history
I earned a BS in Computer Science in 1993 and moved back to Idaho where I grew up to be near my and my wife's families. I worked for a major local bank for a year in their computer operations support area, then worked for a large technology company for 11 years. In those 11 years I became a highly ranked (top 20%) engineer, received a US Patent, and stock option grants for about the last five years I was there. I took a nice severance package they offered in the fall of 2005 with the idea of getting an MBA and switching career directions. About that time my wife began the process of divorcing me. I was voluntarily unemployed for about four months into the spring of 2006. Since then I've worked at three different contract engineering jobs, the last of which I've been at for about a year and a half now. The divorce was final in the fall of 2006. I completed my MBA in the fall of 2007, graduating with Beta Kappa Sigma honors and receiving the departmental scholarship.
My current job
I am a firmware/software test lead for a small technology company which develops products for the large technology company that I worked for for 11 years.
Pluses
+ They're very flexible whenever I need to take time off from work due to my kids - if they're sick, or if I decide to attend a school function.
+ They're also very flexible if I ask to take time off from work for vacation.
+ I get paid reasonably well (mid-high five figures).
+ The job is located in the town where I live.
+ Most of my fellow engineers are good to work with.
Minuses
- I am very burned out from this kind of job. I have been doing this same kind of work on the same kind of products for 13 years now. As alluded to above in the "History" section, I have had thoughts and desires to change career paths for a number of years now.
- I am a contract employee, not a permanent employee. This is sort of an emotional point for me in that after being kicked out of my home family via the divorce, I really would like to belong to a work family via being a permanent employee. The company where I work seems to be content to have me be a contract engineer for the indefinite future (which is related to the first point under "Other" below).
- Somewhat as a consequence of the previous point, I feel like I have no power. I am supposed to be improving the quality of the products I work on (this has been the feedback from our client), and yet when I suggest improvements or changes they are often not well received or are simply ignored. I recognize it's hard being a change agent and I don't really relish that type of work.
- They could care less that I have an MBA now. They've basically had me doing this job because of my bachelor's degree and prior work experience. I feel like if I spent the two years to get the degree that I should use it somehow.
- I'm on a team of two; I really dislike the other person on the team (I've been told by a manager that I'm far from alone in not liking this other person) and I don't really respect my manager.
Other
? Basically I'm not happy in this job but I wonder how much of the problem is me and how much is the job. Ever since getting interested in FIRE and having that four months off and being relatively close to FIRE (well, about 7 more years to go, but that would be about age 46), I would say that I have had trouble with my attitude. I have somewhat of an entitlement mentality -- I should get paid a lot for not very much work, and they should be happy about it. I dislike it when work gets in the way of me surfing the net. Now I'm in a sort of negative spiral where I'm not passionate about my job so they're not thrilled with my performance which I respond to by trying even less hard, etc.
? I would love to find a job that is more interesting (something in business rather than technology) *and* pays better than what I'm paid now *and* is located in my town *and* is flexible with me and my kids' schedules. Am I asking for too much?
? Several things hold me back from looking to find another job. I don't believe I can find a job in a different field without taking a large pay cut. If the problem is me and not the job, then changing jobs won't fix my angst. I am not good at career building type stuff (resumes, interviews, networking, career planning) -- in particular, I don't know how to identify or figure out what kind of job in the business field I would like.
I'd be glad to clarify or answer any questions about any of the above.
2Cor521