June 1, 2012 at 7:53 am
ronmoses (6/1/2012)
I took c to be "miserable in my job, and I'd take a greeter's job at Walmart if they'd pay me enough to cover my mortgage." I'm in the unfortunate position where I've been with this company for almost 15 years, and my skill set has grown into one that is useful only to this one company. I'm not sure I could get hired anywhere else without at least a year of dedicated schooling, and even that's no guarantee. I'm beginning to think it's time to get out of the tech sector entirely, maybe open a restaurant.ron
Ron,
I absolutely understand your pain. Personally, I never let any company "pigeonhole" me into a job that is contrary to my career goals. That is where you have to take the reins of responsibility and change that, even if it means taking a chance and flat leaving the company and the security you are currently at. Some of the best jobs I have ever had (including the one I have right now) was only because I had the guts to leave a job like you have right before it. Life is risk dude in anything you do. I say go for it, unless of course you have a wife and kids to consider first. Your happiness and your career (what ever it might be) is definitely worth it. Remember, life is short:-D
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
June 1, 2012 at 7:58 am
I'm happy where I am and I'm not really looking for a switch, particularly because I've only been here a year. That being said, if the exact right job (industry, commute, type of work, pay) came along I would have to consider it.
June 1, 2012 at 8:04 am
I'm b), I'm leaving my current employment in two weeks for a new role. Job stability is really important to me, and like Steve I like to have a backup plan or five. If anything seems 'off' with a role then it plays on my mind. I thoroughly enjoy my DBA job and enjoy the technology too. I would have a problem with any company that tries to force me into doing my job in a certain way, or restricts my training needs, wider community involvement or personal development.
For the right company, I'd happily stay 5-10 years before considering advancement and I have stayed as long with a company before (IBM). But I think satisfaction in the role goes far beyond the salary and benefits package and revolves around how the job is to be performed.
---
Note to developers:Want to get the best help? Click here https://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/forum-etiquette-how-to-post-datacode-on-a-forum-to-get-the-best-help (Jeff Moden)
My blog: http://uksqldba.blogspot.com
Visit http://www.DerekColley.co.uk to find out more about me.
June 1, 2012 at 8:07 am
TravisDBA (6/1/2012)
I absolutely understand your pain. Personally, I never let any company "pigeonhole" me into a job that is contrary to my career goals. That is where you have to take the reins of responsibility and change that, even if it means taking a chance and leaving the company and the security you are currently at. Some of the best jobs I have ever had (including the one I have right now) was only because I had the guts to leave a job like you have right before it. Life is risk dude in anything you do. I say go for it, unless of course you have a wife and kids to consider first. Your happiness and your career (what ever it might be) is definitely worth it.:-D
Cute border collie! 🙂
I'm in a situation where I have very little formal training. I'm highly adaptive, that's what you might call my "mutant X-factor". So when the company needed someone to do Crystal Reports, I dove in during the downtime in my tech support work, was the full-time report writer within a week. When we needed a SQL developer, I voraciously read everything I could, added it to everything I'd learned about db design from Crystal, and slipped into the position. I just had to prove I could do it, and I did. Our head of development left the company, and we found that nobody at that time knew more about the product and the back-end than I did, therefore... new head of development. I'm not at all qualified for any of these positions by any industry metric, but I seem to be handling them fairly well. And there's no one else here who's capable of doing it.
So my entire career to this point has been "promotion by vacuum." I've done some gratifying things in the past decade or so, but I really feel like it's time to leave the tech sector behind and move on to something more meaningful.
ron
-----
a haiku...
NULL is not zero
NULL is not an empty string
NULL is the unknown
June 1, 2012 at 8:15 am
Christopher Reed (5/31/2012)
Steve,I'm just curious. What was "c"? You never listed it in the editorial.
"C" was mention in the video podcast for this editorial. I watched it on the bus ride into work. I don't remember exactly what it was that Steve said, but it was something like, "I'm definitely looking to leave my current position." I think that's the basic idea what "C" was.
Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.
June 1, 2012 at 8:15 am
I'm definitely an 'a.' Love my job, and work with great people. The only drawback is that in this area, qualified people are in very short supply. Good thing for anyone looking for work, bad for me (trying to hire).
June 1, 2012 at 8:21 am
sburcombe (6/1/2012)
I'm definitely an 'a.' Love my job, and work with great people. The only drawback is that in this area, qualified people are in very short supply. Good thing for anyone looking for work, bad for me (trying to hire).
Just the opposite in my area. Where are you that there's a shortage of qualified people?
Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.
June 1, 2012 at 8:24 am
Ugh, my apologies. In the copy/paste, I lost C somehow.
The option was supposed to be c) get me out of here ASAP
June 1, 2012 at 8:26 am
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (6/1/2012)
The option was supposed to be c) get me out of here ASAP
Ooo! Ooo! Ooo! That one.
ron
-----
a haiku...
NULL is not zero
NULL is not an empty string
NULL is the unknown
June 1, 2012 at 8:28 am
I'm in the Great White North: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada ...
June 1, 2012 at 8:37 am
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (6/1/2012)
Ugh, my apologies. In the copy/paste, I lost C somehow.The option was supposed to be c) get me out of here ASAP
In the case of Mark Zuckerberg, I think it was more like "get me out of here IPO". That guy should spend the next year on his honeymoon.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
June 1, 2012 at 8:48 am
I'm ok with my job for now. I'm a little set back though by the obscene gesture portrayed on the post (you couldn't use your index finger?)
Just kiddin - enjoyed the post and glad to be reminded of where my career is/should be headed.
June 1, 2012 at 8:50 am
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (6/1/2012)
Ugh, my apologies. In the copy/paste, I lost C somehow.The option was supposed to be c) get me out of here ASAP
That makes perfectly good sense!!!
Christopher Reed, MCT, MCSD, MCPD, MSpec, MTA, MCTS
"The oxen are slow, but the earth is patient."
June 1, 2012 at 9:21 am
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (6/1/2012)
Ugh, my apologies. In the copy/paste, I lost C somehow.The option was supposed to be c) get me out of here ASAP
That was me at Honeywell and Dish Network. I'm very happy where I am now, though I wouldn't mind finding some part-time work (hint, hint).
June 1, 2012 at 9:44 am
A few email replies
#1 - Has been a good job, but things have changed and it's time to move on.
#2 - f)negotiating with someone else right now for a new position
#3 - happy, but wanting more of a challenge and looking a little.
Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 52 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply