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How did you decide to seek a new job?


Airehead

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I have changed jobs in the same organization but I've only left an organization once in my life.  The reason was to move from Maryland to Rochester.  That might have been a mistake but not the purpose of this thread.  I am now seriously considering leaving my current job and organization--- well serious enough to start reading the job board.

 

How did you decide when it was time to go?  Was that decision made for you- laid off, etc...  Was it due to soemthing outside of work-- move, family, etc... Or was it dissatisfaction with some portion or all of the job that you left?  How did you know it was time to go?

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Just now, Airehead said:

I have changed jobs in the same organization but I've only left an organization once in my life.  The reason was to move from Maryland to Rochester.  That might have been a mistake but not the purpose of this thread.  I am now seriously considering leaving my current job and organization--- well serious enough to start reading the job board.

 

How did you decide when it was time to go?  Was that decision made for you- laid off, etc...  Was it due to soemthing outside of work-- move, family, etc... Or was it dissatisfaction with some portion or all of the job that you left?  How did you know it was time to go?

The two big ones were first leaving a job I really liked, but in a location we weren't ready to settle down in and then the second was when they karate chopped all "non-core" development teams in the midst of the Great Recession.  Both ended up being "positive" in the long run since the new jobs greatly bumped up my pay and also stretched my comfort zones.

Sadly, a third big one may be looming as I might want to get another big bump in pay while the getting is good.  I'm no fan of employment change, but every 10 years or so it really makes a huge salary adjustment, since 3-5% "normal annual raises" never keep up with 20-30% bumps from company changes.

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4 minutes ago, Airehead said:

well serious enough to start reading the job board.

That's how it starts.  Once you have gotten that far you have emotionally already left.

I have had lots of jobs but I always left (except my first job after school) for career advancement.  I've never been laid off.  Once I interviewed at a competitor and was offered a job.  The division GM found out and I was given 5 minutes to leave.  That was interesting but I had a job to go to.  That's how I got from PA to MI.

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I was just thinking this morning that since leaving college, I have worked for 18 different entities.  I only quit one and that is the job I am leaving at the end of the month.  

The rest have gone due to key management change, business mergers, bankruptcies, divorce, etc.  

When the writing went on the wall with this guy, I started a proactive search yet it was still a difficult decision.

i am now going to one of the 5 big banks in Canada.  One of the other guys there has been with the company 24 years.  It has been his only job.

If you are thinking about moving, it is probably time to move. 

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I couldn’t outlast the world’s biggest d-bag as a boss. Since that job offered very little additional opportunity in my position, I left. 

 

In the couple years after I left, they created a full time position in my field, not part time with other duties as I had been working under. They also stripped all other employees from the d-bag manager, realizing that he wasn’t fit to manage others. 

But I am super glad I left. 

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Left the first one to go to graduate school.  Left the second one because I did not get tenure. Left the third one because I wanted to return to full-time research and not stay in administration/research.  Retired, as I could feel myself slowing down mentally.  None of my moves were based on increases in salary. Most of us working in my field were not looking to get rich. Working as an independent researcher within a group provides some protection from a bad boss.  If the researchers are productive, the boss looks good.  If you can hustle grant dollars, one can always have a productive research program.  Lastly, moves can be very invigorating to one's research programs, and they certainly were to mine. Ask away if you have further questions.

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I've had three "real jobs" in my life.

1.  I really wasn't very good at my first one.  I don't know whether I didn't get the necessary training when I started or it was just a bad match for me, but if I hadn't left when I did, they probably would have fired me.  I knew I wasn't good at it, and that created a lot of stress since I wanted to do a good job for them.

2.  I liked the second one, but I realized it had become too all consuming after a number of years.  I was  in the office most weekends and found myself not making plans or doing things in my personal life because I knew work would interfere.  Also, I knew the next levels of promotion would involve more of the parts of the job I disliked and less of the part of the job I liked. I liked the organization and the people, and I liked the work I was doing at that time,  but I realized it wasn't for me long term.

3.  I've been at my current job for the longest, I took a pay cut for this job, and have never regretted it.  I've had different jobs within this organization, but I like the people, generally like the work and feel like they've treated me more than fairly.  There are some periods where it can be a lot of work, but it's not as consistent (and all consuming)  as with job #2.  I've had a chance to learn different skills and my job generally matches what I think is my skill set.   I expect when I leave here it will be because I've decided it's time to retire and that I wouldn't consider leaving for a different job.

I know you're good at what you do Aire, and that it must be fulfilling on many levels to help people who need it and to do something that matters, but I imagine that it must be incredibly stressful as well.  It's sometimes hard to know if this is just a difficult patch that you have to get through, or if it really is time for something different.  Good luck with whatever you decide.

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I've been lucky enough to earn a steady paycheck since 1968. I've only not had a job for the 2 weeks before entering basic training as I quit a job to chill out a while.

When I was in the US Air Force, I could have stayed another 2 years before being forced out. At the time, the economy was doing very well and there was plenty of IT work. So I jumped back into the civilian world.

I haven't actively looked for a job in the last 20 year; however, people have called me in for interviews. If the new pay and benefits were better, I often, but not always, took the new job. In once case the pay was a little less but it saved me 1.5 hours of commuting each work day.

The contract that I'm on now runs out in October and the company that I now work for is not bidding on it. There's a couple of jobs within the company that I could do or I could wait to see what the new contractor offers. Or I could just retire about 8 months sooner than planned.

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I was looking when I last got laid off to keep my never leaving a job by my decision streak alive.  What pushed me to look, complete distrust of upper management.  I felt they had no idea what I did, didn't value what I did and didn't care.  I was found out to be right as they laid my entire department off and then had to scramble because we were a key to daily operations.  Though the head of the department was to big full of himself to admit the mistake and bring any of us back.

 

When it got bad enough that I had to go on anxiety meds just to deal with work, I realized it was time to start looking.

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Except for minor jobs that were never intended to be anything other than temporary I've only seriously quit twice.  Once was when our company was sold to another entity who messed the business up so badly that it eventually went bankrupt.  There I saw the hand writing on the wall and said I'm out of here because you breached my contract.  (court upheld it)  The other was when I became extremely uncomfortable about the manner in which we were issuing calibration certificates to customers.  I quit.  3 weeks later the parent company came in and walked the manager, secretary and one other worker out the door.

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2 minutes ago, Sr. VP of the W. Region said:

I seek a new job whenever the pile of bodies I leave in my wake is tall enough for me to climb to the next level.  #winning

The truth of the matter is he was fired and is just a salesman now...  I bumped into him working the floor at an industry show...

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I have learned over the years to take opportunities as they come and have never been afraid to roll the dice.  Most of the jobs I took voluntarily were either steps up or helped build my resume/skills.

Some worked out, a few didn’t but I seemed to come out ok each time.  Sometimes we are reluctant to leave a steady job we hate because we are comfortable.   If you have skills and a positive attitude you can thrive in different settings.

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I haven’t left my current job because I built the program I run, it produces a valuable service, and I like my coworkers. As I have written before, I am trying to take as much as I can with me and head to a branch office, away from the dotted-line boss who is the source of all of my problems. He just doesn’t value what I do. If I can’t free myself of his control, I’ll have to change companies.

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I was asked not to return 2 times. I quit one boss who was  messing up the dispatch I had laid out the evening before. Tried to get him interested in some evening work to add revenue. Not interested. Quit another company (on good terms) when the business was taking off & I had to jump

There is a saying. People don't quit companies they quit bosses

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The decision is one that weighs income/job security/advancement, happiness, accomplishment & recognition, and health and tries to make the best balance.

Each person's situation counts each of those things with different levels of importance than others do, so it's really up to you and your family.

For me it was a decision between being very well paid as an industrial research chemist, a career that had the shortest lifespan of college graduates around 1980 because the carcinogenic natures of many chemicals were unknown then, or going into teaching, which paid a lot less.

I loved research - it strained my brain and the successes in finding economical ways to make chemicals that made: kids flameproof clothes non-carcinogenic, an important part of the fuel for the Tomahawk Cruise Missile, and several other things gave me a very high high.  But I returned to running one Saturday and I could literally taste the chemicals I had been working with the previous week.  I knew I had to give it up.

I took a big cut in pay to go into teaching, but I liked it a lot and I liked coaching sports, too.  I didn't realize it then, but the excellent pension with health insurance became a major plus and partly made up for the cut in pay.  I also felt very fulfilled in terms of being an asset to society by being the lead TAG (talented and gifted) physical sciences teacher sending a lot of very well prepared people into college who became chemists, physicists, IT, and other STEM majors.

Every day now, I figuratively pat my younger self on the back for making a wise choice - but I still get every appropriate cancer, etc. test.

 

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I just started this job, and have not been looking.  Whew!

For you, Aire, things are different.  You live in a corner of a corner of the state and you just built a house, are there equitable jobs in your area?  In your field?   I don't know the exact details of what you do (well, kinda), but you seem specifically specialized, how could you break out into another field and still feel fulfilled if you aren't at the level you are used to?  How would you feel if you weren't at the income level that you are used to?  No idea what your pay is, but dogs and planes for dogs are expensive.  What if, instead of shit flowing downhill from you, it flows newly on you from above (are you a control freak who must be the one in charge?)?  So many things to think about.  

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2 minutes ago, Randomguy said:

I just started this job, and have not been looking.  Whew!

For you, Aire, things are different.  You live in a corner of a corner of the state and you just built a house, are there equitable jobs in your area?  In your field?   I don't know the exact details of what you do (well, kinda), but you seem specifically specialized, how could you break out into another field and still feel fulfilled if you aren't at the level you are used to?  How would you feel if you weren't at the income level that you are used to?  No idea what your pay is, but dogs and planes for dogs are expensive.  What if, instead of shit flowing downhill from you, it flows newly on you from above (are you a control freak who must be the one in charge?)?  So many things to think about.  

Just guessing, but I would say education and experience wise, she is well fitted for some well paying and rewarding jobs within a reasonable distance from home.

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There are more school superintendents retiring than becoming certified in western NY.  

 I get head hunters inquiring often.  I like my special ed admin niche with kids from over 50districts, but I have more general admin experience too.  

Tonight I got an email offering me 2 plane tickets to come interview for a special ed admin position in Yukon Flats, Alaska. I said no because after all the normal stuff a job requirement said must be willing/able to drive in remote Alaska. That scared me more than tough kids with behavior problems. 

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16 minutes ago, Airehead said:

There are more school superintendents retiring than becoming certified in western NY.  

 I get head hunters inquiring often.  I like my special ed admin niche with kids from over 50districts, but I have more general admin experience too.  

Tonight I got an email offering me 2 plane tickets to come interview for a special ed admin position in Yukon Flats, Alaska. I said no because after all the normal stuff a job requirement said must be willing/able to drive in remote Alaska. That scared me more than tough kids with behavior problems. 

Well, I did not know this.  I thought your school was one in a million (almost literally), and only a mad genius could keep things from flying off the rails on a daily basis.

I would have interviewed in Alaska if I were you.  Driving is easy, you see.

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Worked for 6 different employers for 8 different full-time jobs.  Prior to that I worked 2 part-time jobs for 3 yrs. after university.

lst full-time employer did have 2 different jobs for 2 different govn't ministries. I left for the private sector  but I couldn't see more skills growth/expansion for myself and I was getting abit bored.  (The good thing is that I will have a small pension from this employer since I chose not to cash out.)

Employer 2-  Job had national responsibilities and did stretch my skills in ways previous jobs didn't. Private sector, global firm at national Canadian head office. Made hard choice to leave job and city to relocate with my partner from Ontario to Vancouver.  By then, I was getting slightly tired of big firm corporate sector politics.

Employer 3 - Non-profit employer with dedicated staff. (legal aid for British Columbia).  Met/worked with lawyers who care about people, not about squeezing out billing rate from clients.  I left because the job didn't offer enough tools and other ways to use skills.

Employer 4- Private sector national firm.. I was laid off for unknown reasons. Firm would not disclose and it was infuriating.

Employer 5- Private sector, foreign global engineering firm.  A defined project where job was contract to end by construction completion.

Employer 6 - Present after relocating from B.C. to Alberta.  Now at my 2nd job with a different dept. My lst job was mothballed.  (I will have small pension from this employer. Pension #2).

 

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1 hour ago, Airehead said:

There are more school superintendents retiring than becoming certified in western NY.  

 I get head hunters inquiring often.  I like my special ed admin niche with kids from over 50districts, but I have more general admin experience too.  

Tonight I got an email offering me 2 plane tickets to come interview for a special ed admin position in Yukon Flats, Alaska. I said no because after all the normal stuff a job requirement said must be willing/able to drive in remote Alaska. That scared me more than tough kids with behavior problems. 

Am wondering if a large/medium sized rehabilitation teaching hospital  for pediatric care could use your skills, airehead?  One of my lst part-time jobs for 3 years was a 80-bed rehabilitation hospital for spinal cord injured adults. ( The next block over to our facility was a 40 bed rehabilitation teaching hospital for disabled children.  There was also another rehabilitation hospital for severely disabled children who had to be there long-term. This is in Toronto.

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1 hour ago, Randomguy said:

Well, I did not know this.  I thought your school was one in a million (almost literally), and only a mad genius could keep things from flying off the rails on a daily basis.

I would have interviewed in Alaska if I were you.  Driving is easy, you see.

Just try the interview, airehead.  If you feel real guilty ( because you most likely aren't interested), then have a skype interview.  I've been skype interviewed by 3 different employers.

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8 minutes ago, shootingstar said:

Just try the interview, airehead.  If you feel real guilty ( because you most likely aren't interested), then have a skype interview.  I've been skype interviewed by 3 different employers.

Pro tip: Wear pants when interviewing.  Or a dress.  Something to cover yourself.

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Do what you love, chase your dreams. Don't chase money. Think big. 

I don't make squat. I love my co-workers. I love the people we serve. I work 40, no more, no less. This gives me plenty of free time to ride my bike, read books, or bake bread.

Today I taught some of my co-workers basic bike maintenance.

 

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One job I took just to keep food on the table until I could find another job. Quitting there was an easy decision. The other job I quit it was a much harder decision. I had been driving truck this time around for seven years. I was considered local but their idea of local was a lot longer drives than I considered local. I ran a lot of Boston and Connecticut pulling a flat bed and ran all over West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and New Jersey pulling a 48 ft box. I was home most nights (for a few hours) but didn’t get to spend time with my wife and kids. I was looking for local work that was closer to 40 hrs but couldn’t even get an interview while I held that job. 

We had lost a couple drivers in the last year I worked there in fatal accidents. Ohio helped me make the decision to quit. I was driving Cincinnati to Pittsburgh to home every day. Spring seemed to come early that year and Ohio removed their snow plows and salting equipment from their trucks and they were now doing mowing along the interstates. Then a winter storm came the roads were all ice. Ohio refused to switch their trucks back over figuring it would soon all melt. It didn’t melt but the storm continued for a week. My box trailer was 13 ft. 6 inches tall and I was hauling empty paint cans to a paint company. My whole load only weighed 10,000 pounds. A normal load is 40 to 45 thousand. The wind was playing havoc with my trailer on those slippery roads. Twice that week my trailer blew sideways on the interstate. Both times nobody was in the other lane when it happened. I made it into good weather but needed to find another job before the next winter. 

The economy wasn’t good and jobs were scarce, I needed a job to keep food on the table. A doctor offered me six weeks of work doing landscaping for his new clinic. I was scared to quit and take a job that only lasts six weeks. A group of young people from a Bible school in NY was ministering in our church one Sunday. One young man (I didn’t know any of these people) had a prophesy for me. He spoke directly to my situation and told me not to fear, to step out and trust the Lord to provide. I quit my truck driving job the next day and I had one year of various jobs that stretched me to do things I had never done before. Then I got hired at the Forge and worked the next 28 years there.

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My last 2 jobs were pretty dang high stress, high burn-out rate jobs.  I feel like I stayed too long at each.  I really didn't like who I'd become when I was working too much.   When you dread going in every day and find that it affects your interpersonal relationships outside of work, it's time to look.  

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 I really didn't like who I'd become when I was working too much.   When you dread going in every day and find that it affects your interpersonal relationships outside of work, it's time to look.  

 

THIS^^^^^^^^^

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50 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

@Airehead I saw your post on FB.  Remember that all potential employers will check for your activity on social media.  Your question was a simple one.  Responses from your 'friends' could sway decisions and opinions and your postings certainly will.

 

I am not really going to Alaska for this job--- my Airedales would get eaten by wolves.  

I wont post anywhere about job hunting, interviews, etc...  I hold my cards close as there is too much at stake.  I almost feel like I should pull this thread but I havent decided to do anything yet.

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Just now, Airehead said:

I am not really going to Alaska for this job--- my Airedales would get eaten by wolves.  

I wont post anywhere about job hunting, interviews, etc...  I hold my cards close as there is too much at stake.  I almost feel like I should pull this thread but I havent decided to do anything yet.

Noone can see this thread.  This is SWF remember...

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2 hours ago, Airehead said:

I am not really going to Alaska for this job--- my Airedales would get eaten by wolves.  

I wont post anywhere about job hunting, interviews, etc...  I hold my cards close as there is too much at stake.  I almost feel like I should pull this thread but I havent decided to do anything yet.

 

2 hours ago, Krusty Kzoo said:

Noone can see this thread.  This is SWF remember...

...you should move it to teh P+R.  There's no one in there now that @Dirtyhip crashed and burned. :( 

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