Need to vent...

[Roadtrip]

Ok. In short it's been some time since I've been happy in my job. Yes, the economy has been rough on everyone. At least I have a job, but I am really tired, fustrated and exhausted.

About a six months after I was hired the CEO was essentially fired and a huge shakeup of uppper managment happened. They fired about 80 employees and they split the department and hired a new VP to run the technical side of our business. Many of the developers and middle mgnt on staff didn't mesh with the new VP and left the company within six months, which dessimanted the department. Myself and one other dev were left of a staff of about eight-- I took on MUCH more work and responsibility-- but salary freeze basically meant I went two years without a raise.

New director of development was hired and started to rebuild and I felt like I was valued and had a chance to learn and grow with new team. VP was fired after a cluster-f%@& of a year where a website that was supposed to make the company $$$$ and ended up a huge failure.

CEO brought in "his" guy as VP who began making changes and slowly cutting director out of decision making and moving in different direction from a technical standpoint-- away from the skill set of the majority of the staff. Director resigned and within six months the team was dessemated again.

VP and new director are located in another state, two time zones away, so there is a huge lack in "team work" and any potential of training or advancement of career seems like a pipe dream. I'm the only developer left in my office. Not exactly feeling appreciated or very fulfilled right now. I keep plugging away and doing my job.

I've been looking for another job opportunity pretty hard for the last six months or so and had several interviews. Most recently I've interviewed three times with a small company and was asked to take this "interesting" personality assessment, finally was asked to take a technical exam today. I was nervous and the tech is not what I'm used to using, but have some exposure to, plus I was totally honest about my skills. Test went horrible and I feel like after all this I blew this chance after all I've done. I just cant help but feel demoralized and a failure.

Sorry this is such a long rant. It's been two years plus in the making and seeing everyone around me finding new and better opportunities just has me feeling pretty depressed.

I'm doing what I can and changing the things in my life that I can change, like climbing on the bike for the first time, making that personal commitment to myself. I just wish the job situation would look up.

Shannon

[jessmarimba]

Yeah...moving to Denver dead-ended my current job. Everyone who was hired within the year after they hired me were all recently promoted at our central office.

But at least you're looking. And you've had interviews. And who knows, maybe you didn't do as bad on that tech exam as you thought? Sometimes there's a weird way of grading those types of things, and sometimes they factor in a lot less than you'd expect! You aren't a failure! You're actively working to make things better, which puts you much farther ahead than a lot of people. It'll come back and reward you in the end!

Hugs! My mini-office is feeling underappreciated so we're meeting for a bagel breakfast today. I'd invite you if you were here!

[Roadtrip]

OK. Small update on things here. Got a call on Monday from the potential new employer. As expected I didn't do well on the test. What they want to do is provide me with study materials and for me to take a few weeks with the book and software and come back in and take the assessment again.

Everything else seems to be in right where they want it... they just want to see higher score on the technical assessment.

Apparently they like me enough to give me a second crack at the test. I'd also get a considerable bump in pay (10-15k more then I make now), but commute is about an extra 15-20 minutes (daily commute would be about 40 minutes each way) each way, plus the work is a little more fast paced then I've been used to the last few years.

My current employer likes to do sprints from a cold start. So I could go weeks punching the clock and getting routine things done, then a huge project (that upper mgnt has been stewing on for months) suddenly "has" to get done-- yesterday-- so we go to DEFCON 1 in an instant.

Not the best of environments to work under and totally preventable-- with proper planning and project management from top down.

I just wished technical books weren't so dang dry. WOW. This one is sure to have you cured of insomnia in a New York minute.

Shannon

[Thorn]

Hang in there....I know where you're coming from all too well. Subtract a little of your politics and add to your saga a mentally ill owner and you've got my situation. Don't know your age, but at 50 I'm having a heck of a time even getting in the door.

So, while you may see the book learning as a little frustrating, inside I'm doing a major happy dance for you. You see, to me it indicates that there is hope. Go for it. Study hard and good luck.

[emily_in_nc]

Wow, that's really encouraging, roadtrip! In this economy, from everything I hear, there are so many qualified applicants for each open job (I'm also in software development), that if you don't meet every requirement to a "t", you don't stand a chance. The fact that this new company is bending over backwards to help you succeed is huge -- they must really like you and want you there. Good luck learning the dry stuff and acing that exam the next time!

[Bike Writer]

Shannon, this company must really want you. Good luck with the books, study hard and grasp your prize. I hope all goes well for you.

[hebe]

shannon, this company must really want you. Good luck with the books, study hard and grasp your prize. I hope all goes well for you.

+1!

[Roadtrip]

Well, took the assessment again, so while I'm confidant I did better I'll have to wait to see if I did good enough.

Should know in a day or so.

Shannon

[smilingcat]

If they were willing to give you a second chance on technical things, they must really like what you have to offer.

The thing you have to ask yourself though..., is this job really for you? You've mentioned about going DEFCON 1 all of sudden. A project that lays around for a while then all of sudden its on the front burner with all the flames is a classic warning sign of bipolar management style.

Only time you want to jump ship is when you clearly see an opportunity. And jumping into a frying pan on a front burner, is this your cup of tea? Some like it that way, others don't.

And do they want to hire you NOW because the project is in hot water and need a warm body to fill? This is the downside I see.

The upside is, your current employer is self-destructing. If they continue to operate as you describe, there is only one place for them, down the toilet. Also not having a COLA of any sort is also an indication of poor management, even in this bad economy. Maybe taking this new job will buy you some precious time while you look for your real job. And to boot, a pay increase. Remember too, that in this economy, it becomes considerably more difficult to land a job once you are out of one. It's best to find a safer place while you still have a job.

I was on a losing side of a management battle and I lost my job in January. Ten month later, I took a job (and came out of early retirement) for about half the pay. It keeps me out of trouble and I get lot more money than unemployment. And that's about the only reason. And it turns out, the employer desperately needed my service. So it was a mutual, I scratch your back and you scratch mine. So far everyone is happy.

[Roadtrip]

I've been going over this.. pros/cons for awhile now...

Current Job:
+ Good Location/Easy Commute
+ Immediate Supportive Co-Workers/Friends (but if shoes were swapped, I'm sure they wouldn't think of me while weighing this option)
+ During the "Good" times I have flexibility in work schedule or can work from home
+ Generous Paid Time Off (which I need to maintain sanity)
- Bi-Polar style Management Team
- Lack of Career Growth (Income Potential)
- Stress Spilling over into Personal Life


New Job:
+ More $$$ Immediately-- 10K+ more.
+ Apparent Desire for Employees to Learn and Grow - Co. pays for test and offers a $500 bonus for passing and obtaining technical certification related to job
(+-) New Role : Being forced learn new tech and more steady pressure and perhaps a few more hours at work each week instead of those all nighters/weekends. A tad of self-doubt here-- Can I DO this? Tho I know if I don't push myself now I'll be stuck here
- Small Company : Higher expectations on everyone in cramped office space
- Corp Structure : Seems ripe for multiple "bosses" with demands from every which way. I like structure and part of the reason I am looking is lack of any apparent structure at current job
- Longer Commute (Tho yesterday I did find a Bike Shop RIGHT down the road from "new" company) I have a LBS just down the road from the office and it's pretty nice!!