Would you do this move ?

Ok here it is, im finding it hard to make up my mind, mind you i havent gotten the job yet, i am currently a Noc engineer i make about 23 and hour and work 4 days a week 12 * 3 and another 6 hour shift, i travel about 180 miles per week and spend 20 on gas each week.

The job i am in the running for is contract to hire starting at 26 an hour then roll over to about 27 if i get permanent, i would work 5 days a week no weekends off and travel about 440 miles a week, so id say i would spend about 40 a week on gas ??? give or take. I do get to touch more stuff and learn more at the new job

Does this sound like a good move to you, or should i try to get more and if not just keep looking ?

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p@r0tuXus

1) 440 miles / 180 miles = 2.4444 (* $20 /week) = $48.89/week (new rate)
2) $1,040 wk. grs (40 hrs @ $26/hr) - $989 (40 hrs @ $23/hr, 2 hrs @ $34.5/hr) = $51.00
3) $51 - $48.89 = $2.11 more a week. (less if you consider taxes, you might actually be losing money)

So money is not the motivator here, right? How much actual work experience with newer technologies do you think you'll get access to? How likely does it look like you'll be able to move from contractor to full-time? What about health insurance differences/costs? Are you picking up more of those leaving your current company?

I think it sounds like more driving/wear-tear on your vehicle... better account for maintenance more often too. It sounds like you'll be losing money short-term.

dsgm

p@r0tuXus wrote: »

1) 440 miles / 180 miles = 2.4444 (* $20 /week) = $48.89/week (new rate)
2) $1,040 wk. grs (40 hrs @ $26/hr) - $989 (40 hrs @ $23/hr, 2 hrs @ $34.5/hr) = $51.00
3) $51 - $48.89 = $2.11 more a week. (less if you consider taxes, you might actually be losing money)

So money is not the motivator here, right? How much actual work experience with newer technologies do you think you'll get access to? How likely does it look like you'll be able to move from contractor to full-time? What about health insurance differences/costs? Are you picking up more of those leaving your current company?

I think it sounds like more driving/wear-tear on your vehicle... better account for maintenance more often too. It sounds like you'll be losing money short-term.

Forgot to mention i get 2 hrs lunch, so its just 23 per hour, yea i thought about the maintenance factor also. Sounds like i would be losing too, i'm going to do the interview and see if i can push for 28/hr if not i'm going to pass. At first i probably wont get to touch much stuff, then when they have faith in me after training i will be allowed to get to touch more stuff.

Also i currently work 7am to 7pm the new shifts would be 7-3pm,3-11pm and 11-7am, this would be rotating, im pushing for me to be on the first two, i can't do night shift again, especially not with a family.

scaredoftests

Yes, night shift sucks. I'd stay with the first job and keep looking.

Danielm7

I'd pass based on the rotating shifts and night shifts alone. How much of a commute time change are you talking about?

snokerpoker

I'd stay put. The other job seems like more driving and the rotating shifts are brutal. Especially with a family.

dsgm

yea that was my original thought, rotating shifts are brutal especially with a family.

@Danielm7 i would add 15 mins to my commute both ways

skswitch

Does the contract have benefits? Is your current job full time / perm with benefits?

Seems you would be giving up a lot already for just little more money. Comparing the experiencing you are getting now do you think you are capped? Is there room for you to go up to next tier? What kind of experience is the contract job offering?

Keep in mind that contractors don't always go to permanent.

dsgm

its a 6 month to permanent, they are a big juniper spot along with linux, Vmware and Citrix and that would be my main incentive, i want to get into juniper more, at the moment there is no upward movement at my job, i feel like i am just stagnant for too long now. That is my major reason for looking at this moment.

TechGromit

dsgm wrote: »

... i am currently a Noc engineer i make about 23 and hour

The job i am in the running for is contract to hire starting at 26 an hour then roll over to about 27 if i get permanent,

Does this sound like a good move to you, or should i try to get more and if not just keep looking ?

First off let me say that $23 an hour for a NOC engineer with a CCNA sounds awfully low paying to me. What part of the country are you in?

As for the "contract to hire", statically less than 25% of jobs advertised as such turn into full time positions. It’s a bone staffing agencies pitch to you, in reality they have little interest in you getting hired by the client, they prefer to string you along forever while they make the lion’s share of contract rate with the client.

In additional, normally in a “contract to hire” situation, you are working for a staffing agency which in turn is contracting your services to a client. If the client decides to hire you as a full time employee, your negotiating with the client for your starting salary. The contracting agency shouldn’t be involved at all. So how can they set your starting rate by the client, if you being hired by the client? Being told your starting salary is $26 a hour and you get bumped to $27 if permanent, doesn’t sounds like a “contract to hire” situation to me at all, it sounds like you’ll be a contractor with permanent status, and continue to work for the staffing agency.

Maybe I’m reading this wrong, but this is what it sounds like to me. If this is indeed a contract to hire situation, I would make it clear to the client after 4 or 5 months that if you do not get a an offer on 6 months and 1 day, you’ll be gone by 6 months and 2 days. If you allow them drag there feet, chances are they will never hire you full time.

dsgm

I asked that same question, it was put to the employer that when/if i go permanent it would be determined if i do the necessary work, that they would hire me at 27/hr which is after the contract with the agency is over. So i would be employed by the Company at that point, i wouldnt be under the agency anymore.

I am in Florida, South Florida and the pay here is awful been wanting to move to atlanta for about a year now.

I would make it clear to the company

scaredoftests

But the rotating shifts would give me great pause....

dsgm

Definitely, thats the first thing i said to them, first lady i talked to said i would be on one shift for qtr of the year etc, i asked to not ever be on the 11pm to 7am.

I will update this thread to see where this goes, thanks for all the inputs.

labscloud

Honestly man, pass on this one. You will continue to get other offers, especially if you have your resume on all the different job sites. Your body/mind will never get used to rotating shifts, ever! Be patient and wait on something great! I've been offered several jobs since being in my current position for considerably more money, like 15/hr more, and I'm staying put for a minute until something comes along that makes sense in all aspects, not just the money.

TechGromit

dsgm wrote: »

Does this sound like a good move to you, or should i try to get more and if not just keep looking ?

So when you count the extra cost of gas, your looking at a 5% raise right away, and a 3.5% raise after 6 months, Maybe.... Then your trading a set schedule for rotating shifts with no weekends off. I vote no. First you would have to hire me a Full Time employee with benefits right off the bat, than I want to see at least 20% raise on top of the to work shift work. So that puts you at $27.60 a hour and that's minimum I would accept, a 25% raise would make it more attractive, that's 28.75 a hour. It's way too little money to be dramatically altering your life, adding a 4 extra hours commuting time on top of that not to mention you may not have a job in 6 months. Too little reward for too much risk.

If you going to take this kind of risk, why not move to Atlanta if the jobs are more plentiful. Get a roommate sharing situation to minimize costs, when you get a secure job, then you can move your family to the area. This is certainly a lot less risky than what your considering.