Quitting job due to many challenges.

dieox

Have you ever considered or left a company because of challenging work and heavy loads/multiple projects left and right for you to work on?

Do you think its better to suck it up, work hard and try to excel in this type of role or just quit and find something you know you're good at and comes easy to you..

Bjcheung77

It depends on how you feel, as one person to another, that may be more rewarding - having challenges and keeping them on their toes, otherwise, something you're good at and comes easy may be too repetitive for some people - such as helpdesk/tech support. You also need to see how "toxic" your workplace is, are the staff good, are you enjoying work with your co-workers? or are you being micro managed to the bone?

cyberguypr

This needs more context to get an intelligent answer. Working hard and being overworked like a slave are two differemt things. Which one aligns more to your situation?

dieox

Bjcheung77 wrote: »

It depends on how you feel, as one person to another, that may be more rewarding - having challenges and keeping them on their toes, otherwise, something you're good at and comes easy may be too repetitive for some people - such as helpdesk/tech support. You also need to see how "toxic" your workplace is, are the staff good, are you enjoying work with your co-workers? or are you being micro managed to the bone?

I also feel the longer I can stay in this company and role the more I will pick up and expand my career. Basically, I told this company before coming on with them that I did not feel I was qualified enough and I missed 4 questions on their "interview test" but they offered me the job anyway as long as I study and keep learning. I've been here almost a year and have been involved with multiple projects which I have completed

The problem is with some of the new work I am getting seems to be way above me and let me be quite clear, this is above me and they chose me for this project.

dieox

cyberguypr wrote: »

This needs more context to get an intelligent answer. Working hard and being overworked like a slave are two differemt things. Which one aligns more to your situation?

Many, many issues here

I am overworked and it is laughable for me to complain about this as every qualified person on our staff is over worked to the bone.. The workload isn't my main concern though. Sometimes you're handed something you just haven't done before and it will take time for you to be brought up to speed

boxerboy1168

quiting never occurred to me. the only reason I would ever quit was due to corporate culture

N7Valiant

It depends on many things.

I put in my 2 weeks notice at my first job because I had made it clear that I wanted to work part-time(and was officially "part-time" status ever since I started years ago) of 32 hours and didn't want to work graveyard on the weekends on top of going to school full-time. My boss ignored me and scheduled me to work 40 hours, graveyard on the weekends. He offered me a "promotion" to be his assistant manager which offered no pay increases and would lock me in to work 40 hours in the mornings as opposed to the afternoons I requested because I would take classes in the mornings. The last straw was during a particularly busy couple of weeks in which I worked 48 hour weeks and boss man was telling me to "move faster" for the 5th time a couple months after an accident fractured my left leg in 2 places and the hardware made it painful to do more than a brisk walk. It got real old right there.

The 2nd job was a bit more simple. The job site was just crappy next to a homeless camp and I had my bike gouged with a knife when a drug addict decided that he needed half a saddlebag 2 weeks into the job. While there were crappy things like a senior coworker who works at customer service yet spends half his shift walking around chatting with other people and yet gets paid to dick around all day and the exceptionally unattractive "cougar"(think too old and too much makeup, especially that red red lipstick) who is also a new hire yet thinks she's in charge. The typical BS aside, what really made it intolerable was the fact that the company (a certain big box hardware retailer) decided it would be a wonderful idea to run all their departments on skeleton crews.

The actual workload where I was(customer service) wasn't particularly onerous or extreme. It was simply that because there's no one in their own departments half the time, I would very frequently be called to locate an item, especially in receiving since customers can't just wander back there on their own. If I get assigned to handle the calls into the store, the majority of my time would be spent bouncing customers to the department they're trying to reach, then the phone system would bounce them back to me because nobody answered, then this game of telephone ping pong would continue until they get sick of it and I make them an empty promise to take down their name, number, and issue and try to get someone to call them back. The promise isn't empty because I didn't take their information down, but rather I know for a fact that no one(except the guys on commission with the fridges and washers) will get back to them. So the main issue isn't the workload, but rather I'm being asked to do a job but I'm not given the resources(manpower) to do it. The customers get frustrated with me, but there's nothing I can do to rectify it other than lie to them everyday.

N7Valiant

But simple answer:

Not right away no. Because if there's a way for you to legitimately quantify your own work(if you can rightly put down on your resume that you worked 10 projects in a month while everybody else does 5), then it has some value. It would be an opportunity to seek out promotions or a pay raise.

But if it's very clear that your supervisor only wants you to serve as useful labor while denying your accomplishments, denying you recognition, denying you compensation, then I'd start filling out other job applications.


Although that depends on your bargaining position. If I just got my foot in the IT door, I wouldn't be in any position to negotiate anything. But if I have some years under my belt with good qualifications(certs, degree), I'd be more willing to consider other options.

EANx

dieox wrote: »

I also feel the longer I can stay in this company and role the more I will pick up and expand my career. Basically, I told this company before coming on with them that I did not feel I was qualified enough and I missed 4 questions on their "interview test" but they offered me the job anyway as long as I study and keep learning. I've been here almost a year and have been involved with multiple projects which I have completed

The problem is with some of the new work I am getting seems to be way above me and let me be quite clear, this is above me and they chose me for this project.

Sounds like they have faith you can do the work. If they give you something over your head, there's nothing wrong with asking your boss for expectations. "Hey boss, you know I've never done this before, what are your expectations so we're on the same page?"

dieox wrote: »

Sometimes you're handed something you just haven't done before and it will take time for you to be brought up to speed

Yep. As someone who manages managers, I want to be aware of the problem. You might be the best person for the task, you also might have gotten the task because it's slow and your boss wants to stretch abilities. You won't know unless you talk to him.

boxerboy1168 wrote: »

quiting never occurred to me. the only reason I would ever quit was due to corporate culture

Yep. Talk to your boss. Don't ever quit because you don't feel your're the right fit or because you're feeling overwhelmed. Adults don't quit, they communicate.

OfWolfAndMan

Sounds like a busy job, but one giving you a lot of opportunity. New things will come upon you that you don't have experience with. It will take time and experience obviously to learn these new things. As long as you let your boss man know your current position and a REALISTIC timeline (If he/she cannot be realistic based on something new, then it may be time to find a new job, but realistic is a relative term, so take that statement with a grain of salt). Also, the resources are out there for the product most likely. Read, tinker, ask the community questions if possible. Rinse and repeat.

TechGromit

dieox wrote: »

Do you think its better to suck it up, work hard and try to excel in this type of role or just quit and find something you know you're good at and comes easy to you..

My answer would greatly depend on where you are in your career. If you just starting out, I'd suck it up, your getting valuable experience, even if you feel your overwhelmed, if can stick it out, that next job will be that much easier to get. The biggest challenge with entry level work, it's hard to get that first job, you need to build up your resume so your not back to square one when applying for your next job.

If your mid level or higher, and feel they are overworking you, perhaps it time to move on.

tedjames

At my last job (9 years, give or take), I ended up picking up all kinds of extra responsibilities as people left and weren't replaced. It took a lot of convincing to get the boss to give me a raise and promotion, but he did. The team had dropped from six down to two, me and the CISO. I was getting pulled in all kinds of directions, but good time and project management skills kept me on track. They hired more people, and somehow I ended up getting even more work. It was crazy, but I managed. I also earned some certifications and picked up some great skills along the way. And I made some incredible contacts and got plenty of invitations to apply for jobs (from the contacts, not the boss!), which led to a much better job with really challenging but rewarding work (and more $$$). I say hang in there and accept the challenges, all the while growing your skills and contacts. Move on when you have learned everything you can at this job, but don't run from a challenge. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it (not suggesting that you need help).