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Old 06-26-2019, 08:57 AM
 
Location: USA
1,372 posts, read 1,743,706 times
Reputation: 1509

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In 2011, I was working for a start-up company and felt I had hit a dead end, largely because the owners were grossly stingy.

I left to come work at my current company, managing to get a $16,000 pay increase.

After almost 8 years, here I am, still in the same position, doing the same things I was doing when I first got hired.

I work in a department of 8 or 9 people. My boss has been here for 28 years, and her boss even longer.

Here's the bad and the good:

The Bad

- There's no room for growth in this department.
- Most of the people in the department are in their 50s and 60s, so they're not going anywhere.
- My boss has hit retirement age, but she doesn't seem ready to call it quits just yet.
- My boss and her boss are stuck in their ways, inhibiting creativity.
- The guy who sits next to me got promoted a year after starting in this company/dept, but hasn't gotten another promotion in over 20 years. Two other older ladies who have also been here over 20 years got promoted about two years ago, but it had been a long time since they'd gotten one. (And one of them got it because she all but threatened to quit.)
- Since these older folks have been working together a long time, they have very cozy relationships that sometimes border on unprofessional.
- About a year or so ago, the company changed its bonus structure and I was informed I'd no longer be getting one. My boss's explanation was a little vague, but she said it had something to do with the fact that my position doesn't deal with money/budgets. Needless to say, I am peeved about it because I suspect I may be the only one in the dept who no longer receives a bonus. What they did was add the money I would have gotten as a bonus that year to my actual salary. So instead of my salary being, say, $60,000, it would be $61,200 going forward.
- The fact the bonus was taken from me makes me think they perceive my job as being, well, not that important. I'm a copywriter/editor/proofreader, and sometimes I feel they think it's a job anyone can do.
- I often feel bored and unchallenged. Since the crux of my job involves copy editing existing materials, I feel my writing skills aren't being put to good use. And, again, my boss is stuck in her ways.
- Every now and then, the bosses say things that give the impression they take me for granted and assume I'll work here forever ("Once you're here, you never leave.")
- I haven't found any opportunities elsewhere in the company that tickle my fancy -- at least not yet.

The Good

- For the little work I do, I'm probably overpaid. Sure, things get busy every now and then, but I'm pretty certain a part-timer or freelancer could do this job. I don't have enough to do, which gives me ample time to read articles and blog on my phone. (I sense this is how it feels for people who work in certain government jobs.) My boss has said that I'm at a managerial level, even though my title doesn't have "manager" in it.
- I get raises of 3% each year, and had gotten yearly bonuses until the bonus policy changed.
- For the most part, it's very slow-paced. Hardly any deadlines to worry about.
- Leaving at 5:00 on the dot isn't frowned upon.
- Having a low-profile, seemingly unimportant job has its perks: I can take long lunches without anyone noticing. I can leave early for doctor's appts with no problem. I can take vacations (even for a week) whenever I want with no questions asked, as long as I have earned the time.
- The benefits are good.
- My wife and I are trying to start a family, and having a low-stress job is probably a good thing at this stage.

The bottom line

I'm thankful for my job. It has brought stability to my life and given me the financial means to achieve several milestones (buy car, get married, open new credit cards, buy house, save up money, etc.)

The problem is that I'm 34 now. I'm in the prime of my career, and after almost 8 years in this job I feel as if I'm falling behind. I'm not learning any new skills, as my boss is technologically challenged. Even though the bosses occasionally give me kudos for a job well done, I don't feel appreciated. And working with people who are so much older than me probably doesn't help my cause.

My biggest fear is that one day I'll wake up a 50-year-old man and still be in this same job. (The guy next to me started here when he was in his early 30s. He's in his late 50s now and still in the same role, except his title has "Senior" in front of it because he got that one promotion after his first year.)

Aside from the perks I listed above, another thing holding me back from leaving is that I'm risk averse and prone to anxiety. I don't always handle stress and change very well. I quit two jobs a few years after graduating from college because I felt overwhelmed and didn't know what I'd gotten myself into.

I'm also afraid of losing the flexibility I have (lunches, vacations, appointments, etc.). When you go to another company, you don't quite know what you're getting yourself into.

Over the past few years, I have interviewed for a few jobs. But I made the mistake of not asking for a salary range before meeting with them. In short, it was all pretty much a waste of my time -- and theirs.

My company was bought out last summer, and luckily no one in my dept lost their job. I hope it means there will be more opportunities for people like me down the road, but you never know. I can't just wait forever for my boss to retire because who knows if her plan is to remain here until she dies?

My gut tells me that I should stay put and keep looking until I find something that seems too good to pass up, even if that opportunity takes a while to surface.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks.

Last edited by Wordsmith12; 06-26-2019 at 09:24 AM..
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Old 06-26-2019, 09:02 AM
 
29,414 posts, read 22,296,279 times
Reputation: 48056
Brush up the rez, start looking.
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Old 06-26-2019, 09:29 AM
 
Location: USA
1,372 posts, read 1,743,706 times
Reputation: 1509
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suburban_Guy View Post
Brush up the rez, start looking.
Thanks.

Yep, that's an ongoing thing. I search the boards daily.

I just don't want to leave unless it's something I know I can't refuse. For starters, it wouldn't make sense to bolt unless I can get a 20% bump in salary or thereabouts.

I've been looking for about four years -- I would say I did so casually the first two years, but am now taking things a bit more seriously.

It won't be easy, though. I'm extremely cautious by nature.

Will my future boss/employer be as accommodating when it comes to doctor's appointments and vacations? Maybe, but you never know.

Right now my wife and I are planning our annual weeklong summer vacation, and it feels nice to know I will have no pushback from my boss.

Last edited by Wordsmith12; 06-26-2019 at 09:47 AM..
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Old 06-26-2019, 11:06 AM
 
Location: Frisco, TX
986 posts, read 1,657,862 times
Reputation: 1739
Start looking.

I was recently in the same situation. Good paycheck, awesome manager, very low stress, awesome yearly bonus, and I had a nice title, but I wasn't learning anything or gaining any new skills (I'm in IT, which is a field you have to stay up on the latest and greatest or quickly become obsolete).

I took a pay cut and jumped ship to pursue another avenue (a more technical route in IT and not as customer service focused). It has been a rough transition, but once I have a year with this skillset on my resume, I will be set to write my own ticket.

Not to mention I'm not getting any younger (I'm 42).
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Old 06-26-2019, 03:36 PM
 
7,759 posts, read 3,825,653 times
Reputation: 8846
OP this is a common situation to be in.

You are an older Millennial like myself. The difference is I'm in an F500 and there's not much room for me to go up here or anywhere else. A lot of Xers (and boomers who are supposed to be retired) hogging the top.

The only answer seems to be passive income and investing. I don't have the magic formula as I was not birthed with a trust fund and a head start.
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Old 06-26-2019, 04:19 PM
 
Location: USA
1,372 posts, read 1,743,706 times
Reputation: 1509
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tencent View Post
OP this is a common situation to be in.

You are an older Millennial like myself. The difference is I'm in an F500 and there's not much room for me to go up here or anywhere else. A lot of Xers (and boomers who are supposed to be retired) hogging the top.

The only answer seems to be passive income and investing. I don't have the magic formula as I was not birthed with a trust fund and a head start.
Thanks for your reply.

I agree that in many of these large companies, you have to wait for people to retire or die, and even then you might still find yourself stuck.

About 6 months into this job, it began having a "dead end" feel to it. I stayed because of the good pay and benefits, not to mention that I knew those milestones I mentioned earlier (e.g., marriage, buying a place) loomed on the horizon.

I also enjoy working with my coworkers and the flexibility the job affords. It's just too bad the company doesn't invest more in employees' growth and development.

I guess there are tradeoffs/opportunity costs in every decision we make, or choose not to make.
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Old 06-26-2019, 08:59 PM
 
5,317 posts, read 3,180,273 times
Reputation: 8239
Quote:
For the little work I do, I'm probably overpaid.
So you'll take a pay cut....for what reason?

Quote:
I'm not learning any new skills, as my boss is technologically challenged.
What exactly are you looking to do, if you leave this company?

Think about it. What job would make you jump ship?

Frankly, I think you're in a great situation. Milk it for the maximum time you can.
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Old 06-26-2019, 10:48 PM
 
748 posts, read 815,569 times
Reputation: 696
Opportunities don't come pre-packaged as "jobs", no matter how much they try to make you believe that.

Opportunities are all around us, to see, explore, enjoy, contribute to, and be in awe of the world.

What so many people get wrong in their life: It isn't what you can get from this world, it's what you can give to it. A salary is what you get.. It isn't the important part. Your contribution is the important part. A person making a million bucks a year to show up to push paper, is useless no matter how successful that person appears.

Focus not on being an "entrepreneur" or "top employee" but rather on being a leader of a domain in which if you do not lead in, the work may never get done. What kind of work will never be completed in this world if you do not undertake in it??

That's up to you to decide. It's probably not what you want to hear. And it's likely endeavoring in this direction of the unfinished work of the world could result in great financial instability. But it's up to you how you spend your life. Do you want to work until 60 to enjoy maybe 20 good years of retirement? Every day people wake up and realize, this is totally BS.
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Old 06-27-2019, 12:05 AM
 
Location: Kirkland, WA (Metro Seattle)
6,031 posts, read 6,078,427 times
Reputation: 12508
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wordsmith12 View Post
The Good

- For the little work I do, I'm probably overpaid. Sure, things get busy every now and then, but I'm pretty certain a part-timer or freelancer could do this job. I don't have enough to do, which gives me ample time to read articles and blog on my phone. (I sense this is how it feels for people who work in certain government jobs.) My boss has said that I'm at a managerial level, even though my title doesn't have "manager" in it.
- I get raises of 3% each year, and had gotten yearly bonuses until the bonus policy changed.
- For the most part, it's very slow-paced. Hardly any deadlines to worry about.
- Leaving at 5:00 on the dot isn't frowned upon.
- Having a low-profile, seemingly unimportant job has its perks: I can take long lunches without anyone noticing. I can leave early for doctor's appts with no problem. I can take vacations (even for a week) whenever I want with no questions asked, as long as I have earned the time.
- The benefits are good.
- My wife and I are trying to start a family, and having a low-stress job is probably a good thing at this stage.

The bottom line

I'm thankful for my job.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks.
Sure. I edited it down for you with some cuts (only, never truly editing someone else's words, a violation of TOS I'm sure). Brevity is good.

If...Next...Else, pseudo-code (my pardon to true coders out there):

Q: do you have any ambition? If yes, go to Next.
Next: do you have decent risk tolerance? If yes, go to Next.
Next: figure out what you're worth in the free market, take some time to find it, and re-discover what a challenging role can be like. Some are good, others like jumping into a grease fire wearing shorts and a t-shirt. That's the risk. The rewards can be equally substantial, of course.

Else: do nothing, and retire of out there in (n) years as a zero, albeit a well-comped zero. What do you care? They'll hardly know you're gone.

Finding my own level of incompetence lately (Peter Principle), I'm searching now for "peak earnings". When that's found, I'll seek that and nothing else for the remainder of my career, wherever I choose to work. Will likely be gigs, I'm thinking now, which has borne spectacular fruit after all lately.
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Old 06-27-2019, 07:40 AM
 
12,060 posts, read 23,089,443 times
Reputation: 27159
If you are not where you want to be in your career, you will have to go somewhere else. Do you want to be further along in your career, or do you think that society has an expectation for you to be further on? It sounds like you've got it pretty good in terms of a working environment, so I wouldn't leave just to leave. If the right door opens, take a peek inside.
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