(first things first…Hi, I’m new, thanks for opening my thread)
Okay, so the job I’ve had for the past 5 years has really started to suck in the past 2. My department, once one of the few places where IT things could actually get done, got swept up in the whole movement toward CMM certification, process standardization, and general beaurocratic baloney that bogs down large companies.
The amount of paperwork and departments I have to have approval from in order to actually implement even a minor software change has escalated to the majority of my work. My project estimates typically consist of maybe 40 hours of actual work followed by 100 hours or more of paperwork, virtual paperwork, and meetings. It probably wouldn’t be so bad if the processes and people I need approvals from didn’t change from month to month. Or if my company wasn’t in the middle of a massive IT “offshoring” initiative , letting me know that my job as I know it won’t be available sometime next year, and that I might be able to find another position doing even more paperwork and less real work than I do now.
So, now you know why I hate my job and I want to leave…the good news is that, after 4 interviews with various people at another company, I should be receivng a job offer tomorrow (assuming I don’t completely blow the meeting with the director of HR, who is supposed to present the offer). Or at least it should be good news. If I take this job, the firt thing I’ll do is kiss about 30 grand worth of “retention incentive” right out the window. I’m not guaranteed to see all of it if I stay, but I’m guaranteed to get none of it if I leave.
However, for the sake of my health and happiness, I’d be willing to forego that money (and beleive me, it’s not small potatoes to me, we could REALLY use that money) if it meant I’d have a more stable work environment where my strengths would really come into play. The problem is that they seem to have a very structured workplace, and I don’t know if that’s going to work out for me. They have told me that they have “core hours” of 8:30 to 5:30, and that most people work closer to 50 hours per week than 40. This puts me in a little bit of a bind, since it means I won’t get home from work at 6:30-7pm at the earliest, due to traffic. For a single guy, no problem, but I’m married and we have a 2 year old. My wife, a freelance writer, needs time to work on her projects as well, and guess when that usually is? After I get home from work! Beyond that, she’s at near the end of her rope with our daughter by the time I’m normally home now (5-5:30), another hour is going to compromise her sanity.
We had a little chat tonight, and I said I’d talk to them about flexibility with the work schedule, and that I’d make no decisions without us talking it over and agreeing on what we should do, byut already I can tell she’s worrying up enough ulcers for both of us, and she’s going to feel bad if I don’t take this position since I have interviewed a lot lately and haven’t had a lot of luck (the IT market is grim).
So, that’s why good news sometimes isn’t so good. If any of y’all reading this tonight or tomorrow morning want to send some good vibes my way tomorrow at about 5pm EST, I’d appreciate it. Thanks for listening.
