Over the past few weeks/months I have been pondering a bright future in the company I work for. I have had thoughts of seniority, responsibility, management even. I have felt like my long-term future, while not sorted, has at least got the difficult bit out of the way.
Then yesterday the bombshell dropped. The company has been a bit naughty. It has allowed some not very nice people to be very naughty. The govornment (the oldest in the friggin world no less) does not look kindly on companies it regulates when they step out of line. It may decide to close us down.
Bang goes my in-house career. I’m sure I can pick up a new job at the click of a finger. Doing what, and earning what I have no idea. The job I do now is very unique and without some serious relocation - very untransferable. I’m hoping either the company survives (it’s not totally guilty of wrongdoing) or I can fall back on a weak degree.
I won’t go into details so don’t ask me.
Software Engineering. And I was damn good at the programming part, but programming was a small part of the degree so, due to lack of motivation’ I only got a ‘pass’.
So? The degree itself is what people look at. That plus experience is great on a resume. It took my gf’s brother almost 6 months to find his first job out of uni, and a matter of weeks to find his second.
The offshore bookmakers serving the U.S. market are on some pretty nice Carribean islands. Making a nice salary in Antigua or Barbados wouldn’t be bad.
Ya, and a software engineering degree is anong the most valuable undergrade degrees out there. Not all career choices work out but most people aren’t in as good of shape as you are.
I know I still have a future, and experience (albeit in a unique environment so not transferable) and qualification, and I feel kinda silly making a big deal out of it. But I’m not happy about the prospect of having to find a new job with a probable drop in pay. It feels like I would be starting again rather than moving sideways onto a new ‘track’.
I hate interviews too.
That’s assuming the company is closed and or we are made redundant. That may not happen yet. I’ll just have to sit and wait.
Lobsang, don’t sit and wait. Get some resumes out and start beating the bushes. If you wait until the other shoe falls you may be out on the street, and believe me, it’s much easier to find a new job while you’re still employed.
If things work out at your current job you can always stay, but it’s always good to have options.
Not sure what happened there…sure didn’t mean to hit submit…
Anyhow: Don’t write off your skills as non-transferable. Talk to people with similar jobs in other industries and see if they can give you advice.
I hired someone earlier this year and was well-acquainted with most of the candidates. It amazed me how few parallels people could draw between their life experience and what they needed for the job I hired for.
The successful candidate drew on additional experience quite skillfully.
See, this is what happens when you insert some code into the credit software that rounds off the digits, depositing pennies at a time into a savings account. Heck, maybe you just may get that management job with as many as . . . four people working underneath you.
Seriously, Lobsang, throw a few resumes out there. I’m sure you’ll do fine. You’ve got Great Falls pulling for you.
Tripler
And when you do get that new job, please, don’t piss off “the Bobs”.
Each day brings new/bad news. Things are falling apart at the seams.
So far I’ve felt quite distant from what’s happening. Almost not caring as if it’s not my problem. But the more things happen to confirm the inevitable, the more I get that gut feeling that I am facing one of those troughs that every lifetime has.
I know that I am in a good position (quals, good head, experience) if I lose the job, but I hate the uncertainty that comes with being jobless. I am not looking forward to it.
Oh well, I might be able to use my camamera and become prefossional Tophographer! or something