Career advice to change my outlook

So after being at this SOC engineer job after college, I hate operations period! Working on call, then on the weekends for SOX changes then late at night doing password changes once a quarter and having a manager who has no idea what he is doing, I need to get out of the job/employer and go somewhere else. However, one reason why I feel "stuck" is because they contribute into my 401k with a match and if I leave before I think it is 3 years, I lose that money. My question is this, should I gut it out for another 2 years as I have almost finished 1 year already or should I jump ship and get a new job. I'm trying to avoid anything with on call or doing late nights. One day on a Saturday isn't a big deal for a few hours but this job is impeding on my personal life/goals. I've been looking for new jobs within my current employer to escape the hell that is my team so I can find happiness in my life again. Also, are there certain certifications I should be pursuing that could get me off of on call or make things easier on myself? I would like to either work in Networking or Security but not from an operations perspective. Thanks for your help!

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Comments

TheFORCE

I was in a similar position a few years back. You have to read your 401k documents or your HR documents a little more carefully. Usually you are not full vested in the 401k until you complete the years. However you would be partially vested, either 40%, 60% etc. I would not sweat it, if I was you. I've moved on after 60% and 40% vested from my other companies.

You can always roll over your 401k to the new company, or roll over to a roth IRA. My advice, when you look for a new job, ask them for the benefits of the 401k and if they match. Once you get a hire salary you can start contributing more.

As for certifications, looks like you want to get out of operations, but most of the IT jobs do have long hours or something that requires on call. Look for CISSP or CISA an IT Auditor type of job fits your requirements of no operations and no on call.