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- I'm in my 30s and got my current job in 2011. My salary at the time was 48K, and incremental raises over the years have increased it to almost 57K.
- I have been in the same position since. Given that my department consists of only 8 or 9 people (most 50- and 60-year-olds), there is little room for growth. All the older folks have been in their positions for 20-30 years, but promotions have been hard to come by even for them. A girl who'd only been working here about 9 months got promoted recently, but only because someone left and the department head probably thought it more economical to promote her as opposed to looking for someone else.
- I work for a large, established company, and people do switch departments quite often. Unfortunately, no listings for positions in other departments have truly interested me.
- My boss is at retirement age, but it doesn't seem she's ready to call it quits just yet.
- I'm not learning anything new in my position. I've been stuck in a dead end for years. Very little latitude to be creative. The higher-ups are stuck in their ways, even though my boss has loosened up a bit in recent years. My boss is also technologically challenged. I work in a low-growth niche (direct mail) and am looking to transition back to online, which is what I did before I worked here.
- On the plus side, my position is super flexible. I never have to stay a minute past 5:30. The work is slow-paced, and I am hardly ever stressed. My boss is very good about letting me leave early to appointments. They never frown upon my taking a week off. I can get away with taking longer lunches. I can get away with spending some time every day surfing the web or working on my personal blog on my phone. It's really an ideal job for someone looking for a great work/life balance, which is important to me.
- It was recently announced that the company was being bought out by a competitor. All we know right now is that nothing is changing for a year (same spiel all acquiring companies give at the very beginning).
- I interviewed recently for a position that seems promising. Salary hasn't been discussed yet, but it seems I would learn a lot and be challenged. However, they said that they tend to work late hours, and people who aren't willing to work hard don't make it. The job sounds exciting and scary at the same time. When I was younger, I quit one or two jobs that wound up being poor personality fits. I don't handle too much stress well. I just have no idea how stressed I'd be in this new job.
The bottom line is that I get paid well currently for such a stress-free job, but who knows what will happen once my boss retires and/or the new company begins making moves. It could potentially open up opportunities at my present company, but who's to say those won't be more stressful than my current gig?
It's a tough decision. Seems like whether I stay or leave, I'll be taking a risk. I've been working here for almost 7 years and have accrued a great deal of PTO (which I can cash out once I leave, but still).
Any suggestions/advice? Thanks.
Last edited by Wordsmith12; 06-29-2018 at 07:44 AM..
it's really an ideal job for someone looking for a great work/life balance, which is important to me.
Better the devil you know than the devil you don't.
It sounds like work/life balance is important to you. You likely aren't stressed because your entire day at work isn't JUST work. Sounds like you got a sweet deal: long lunches, no questions-asked vacations, flexible with time off for things like a doctor appointment. It must also be nice that when you leave work at 5:30 you don't have to think about work. No one calling you at 6:30 while you are eating dinner with some crisis that must be resolved right now.
It sounds like to you, all of those things have value - value that isn't necessarily directly monetary compensation but sort of a secondary benefit.
You could stick it out and see if the gravy train ends. Maybe your department will go untouched. Maybe when your manager retires, the new one will just keep the status quo and you can continue to coast like you are now.
Nothing is sure. But you know what you got now. I don't know if you should jump ship. But, if compensation was a problem and you are getting what you feel like are small raises, that's another story entirely. And you'd have to weigh the value of those secondary benefits mentioned earlier against your financial needs. That's only something you can answer though.
But, if compensation was a problem and you are getting what you feel like are small raises, that's another story entirely. And you'd have to weigh the value of those secondary benefits mentioned earlier against your financial needs. That's only something you can answer though.
I'm glad you mentioned this because I was just about to add a note on salary expectations.
I wouldn't take anything less than high 60s/low 70s. It wouldn't make sense considering I already know that a bigger workload and more stress await me at the new job. I've read that you shouldn't leave your position unless you know you'll be making roughly 20% more.
Do I desperately need to make 15-20K more a year? Not really. I am pretty frugal to begin with and have been saving up money for years.
As I alluded to earlier, I'm worried about whether the culture will fit my personality. I'm a little on the introverted side; the company I interviewed with seems heavily involved in the community (charity events, etc.), and my would-be new job might require me to go out to some of them. My current position does not, and I prefer it that way.
My biggest gripe with my current position is that it doesn't allow me to utilize my skills as much as I'd like because, as I noted earlier, my change-averse boss has been here a long time and is something of a control freak. But again, she's great as far as the flexibility goes. I'm a copywriter/content writer, and the ad for the new position says I will get many opportunities to craft original content -- something that has eluded me at my current job. My current boss is also technologically challenged, so I haven't been learning new skills/programs that can help me grow. And it's not as if I really need it for my current job.
I've tried to do things on the side to indulge my passion for words, like reading books, blogging, and so forth, which helps. But sometimes I yearn for a sense of progression in my career.
Grass always seems greener on the other side. Research prospective companies very carefully, best to talk to someone who's wworking there or worked there.
Time to move forward and grow your career. You're stuck in a rut. Try to negotiate a 15% pay increase at the new gig and try to get more PTO to match close to your current PTO accrual.
How do you not need an extra 15-20k? Do you already have millions saved for retirement? What if you need long term nursing home or memory care? You want to depend on Medicaid?
How do you not need an extra 15-20k? Do you already have millions saved for retirement? What if you need long term nursing home or memory care? You want to depend on Medicaid?
What I meant was that it is not necessarily an urgent need, e.g., I don't need more money to support a lavish lifestyle because I am not a materialistic person. I'm actually quite cautious with money.
Yes, having more money always comes in handy, especially since we want to try starting a family this year.
But then there's the tradeoff of time. I might earn more, but I'll have less time to enjoy it -- and less time for my family.
Tough decision. Seems like you're comfortable with coasting. You enjoy the benefits being in your current position provides you, despite not being used to your full potential. With a new addition to the family, comes more unforeseen costs. That bump in pay could help a lot. You'll just have to weigh the pros/cons of adding more stress. How much more stress? You don't actually know. It's all conjecture at this point.
At 30'ish you're still young enough to add skills and move around without the fear of ageism. I'd go for it. Or at least keep on interviewing elsewhere.
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