Just got a new job...

jamesp1983

Hey guys,

I just wanted to tell you about my new job. It pays 17k more than my current one and it doesn't involve driving an hour out of my way or working weekends. This was a much needed change and I hope everything works out well. Its a system admin job with the dept of transportation. I am doing this currently, but I have to work every saturday and have to go to another site constantly that is way out of my way. The new job doesn't require Saturdays (but I'm sure still will have to work crazy hours) and all tasks are performed on site.

I decided to start looking for a new one when my company was sold and people started getting let go at a frightening pace. Plus, after obtaining my MCSE, CCNA, Security+ and half of my CCNP on my own, the company didn't even give me 1cent of a raise. I've performed extremely well and the director tells me constantly that I'm a huge asset to the company. They sent my boss to bootcamps and paid for everything and then gave him a raise upon returning each time.

I'm writing this in hopes that it maybe gives someone hope or renews their faith in our field. Good luck everyone in whatever you do.

learningtofly22

Great to hear a good story! you definitely did the right thing considering the circumstances. someone in another thread put it best when they said that you wouldn't get rewarded (in the frm of a good raise) for certifications until you went to another job. Let us know how the new job goes, it's great to hear about people moving on and moving UP!

dynamik

Congratulations!

Thanks for sharing. There's a number of us looking for new jobs, and it's nice to hear stories like this one.

networker050184

Congrats!

jamesp1983

Thanks guys!! Good luck with your job hunts!~

empc4000xl

Your last comment about sending the boss off to schools is the type of crap that pisses me off. One thing I have learned in the military is to take care of your people and they will take care of you. When you are in a position of leadership you are supposed to pass up on schools at times. Not every time, but the majority of time you are. I passed up N+ to one of my guys and I got it during my CCNA classes

jamesp1983

learningtofly22 wrote:

someone in another thread put it best when they said that you wouldn't get rewarded (in the frm of a good raise) for certifications until you went to another job.

I definitely agree with that.

sharptech

Very nice to hear this - let me say Congrats!!

Good luck with the new job!

TechStriker

Congrats, Good luck with your new job

jbaello

Congrats and great story...

Cingular

Great move, and a great story!

Changing job is definately the way to get a good pay rise.

I too will be looking for a new job soonish I think, not that my job is in danger or anything...I just feel like I could be earning more for what I am certified to do.


Once again, congrats on the new job!

snadam

dynamik wrote:

Congratulations!

Thanks for sharing. There's a number of us looking for new jobs, and it's nice to hear stories like this one.

+1 and I'm happy for your new opportunity!

dps

Congrats, Jimmy!
Best of luck to you!!

jamesp1983

Thanks fellas. I'm pretty anxious about starting. Good luck everybody!

Kaminsky

jimmypizzle83 wrote:

.... They sent my boss to bootcamps and paid for everything and then gave him a raise upon returning each time....

Cingular wrote:

I too will be looking for a new job soonish I think, not that my job is in danger or anything...I just feel like I could be earning more for what I am certified to do.

You need to learn how to negotiate better internally (what do I get if I go on this course and improve my worth to you ... ? and why shouldn't I take these qualies and get petter pay elsewhere ? ) and start learning about the value of yourself as an employee.

The days of you being a newbie and being grateful for every crumb you get given are over.

I know you have a new job and everything and are very happy but would another company have offered you more money/benefits given time ? Would you be of more financial value to someone else ? Just how much are your abilities worth do you think ?

I know this sounds a bit obtuse and I actually am happy for you in your new role but this is something I have discovered in the last couple of years from my fellow peers myself.

Personally I just want a well paying job close to home but everyone is different I guess. All in all, I have to agree with them... Unless you are quite happy to settle where you are until retirement kicks in, keep changing jobs after 18 months to 2 years. Nomatter how comfy your feet get under that table !

Mind bogingly and seriously goes against the way I was brought up, it's kind of expected in this industry. It's was my old senior manager who taught me that after my first month in a new company. " A good well rounded employee is someone who has changed role at least 7 or 8 times in twenty years of service. " ... woah ! I have even had a monster of an interview question before now .. "What's wrong with you that you stayed in the same job for 3 years ? Did you not think of yourself capable of doing something else" ... bastd!

Now you've got a career for life, you need to keep learning how to get to where you really want to be. You're previous manager just knew how to play the game. That is all. What else did he bring to the table for your old company ?

The majority of posts on this site come from new commers to our industry and I am glad to give them any advice I can. (I'm very old, have been doing this a long time and have a wonky knee and well dodgy eyesight to prove it - damn those phosphorous screens ) But once you have made it, so many people in our industry are such lazy basts and will quite happily sit there doing the same old thing year after year spouting that they could do this and they could do that..... We are a really lazy bunch of people in this industry on the whole !

There are key things we need to learn once we have "made it". Especially internal politics and how to progress yourself once you have made it without waiting for your boss to die and hoping that his bosses might put you in the frame. You have to take control of your own career. Initially there may be a bit of shock but that wil be shortly followed by understanding that youthink you are capable of more and they will respect you for it.

Really sorry to take this tak but I felt it a bit unfair what you said about your previous boss. How long do you think before some newbie underling is saying the same about you ? You took it upon your own back to get the certs yourself but seem to blame your boss for knowing how to get himself trained up at the company's expense. Wonder what job he got when the company went... ?

Kam.

jamesp1983

Kaminsky wrote:

jimmypizzle83 wrote:

.... They sent my boss to bootcamps and paid for everything and then gave him a raise upon returning each time....

Cingular wrote:

I too will be looking for a new job soonish I think, not that my job is in danger or anything...I just feel like I could be earning more for what I am certified to do.

You need to learn how to negotiate better internally (what do I get if I go on this course and improve my worth to you ... ? and why shouldn't I take these qualies and get petter pay elsewhere ? ) and start learning about the value of yourself as an employee.

The days of you being a newbie and being grateful for every crumb you get given are over.

I know you have a new job and everything and are very happy but would another company have offered you more money/benefits given time ? Would you be of more financial value to someone else ? Just how much are your abilities worth do you think ?

I know this sounds a bit obtuse and I actually am happy for you in your new role but this is something I have discovered in the last couple of years from my fellow peers myself.

Personally I just want a well paying job close to home but everyone is different I guess. All in all, I have to agree with them... Unless you are quite happy to settle where you are until retirement kicks in, keep changing jobs after 18 months to 2 years. Nomatter how comfy your feet get under that table !

Mind bogingly and seriously goes against the way I was brought up, it's kind of expected in this industry. It's was my old senior manager who taught me that after my first month in a new company. " A good well rounded employee is someone who has changed role at least 7 or 8 times in twenty years of service. " ... woah ! I have even had a monster of an interview question before now .. "What's wrong with you that you stayed in the same job for 3 years ? Did you not think of yourself capable of doing something else" ... bastd!

Now you've got a career for life, you need to keep learning how to get to where you really want to be. You're previous manager just knew how to play the game. That is all. What else did he bring to the table for your old company ?

The majority of posts on this site come from new commers to our industry and I am glad to give them any advice I can. (I'm very old, have been doing this a long time and have a wonky knee and well dodgy eyesight to prove it - damn those phosphorous screens ) But once you have made it, so many people in our industry are such lazy basts and will quite happily sit there doing the same old thing year after year spouting that they could do this and they could do that..... We are a really lazy bunch of people in this industry on the whole !

There are key things we need to learn once we have "made it". Especially internal politics and how to progress yourself once you have made it without waiting for your boss to die and hoping that his bosses might put you in the frame. You have to take control of your own career. Initially there may be a bit of shock but that wil be shortly followed by understanding that youthink you are capable of more and they will respect you for it.

Really sorry to take this tak but I felt it a bit unfair what you said about your previous boss. How long do you think before some newbie underling is saying the same about you ? You took it upon your own back to get the certs yourself but seem to blame your boss for knowing how to get himself trained up at the company's expense. Wonder what job he got when the company went... ?

Kam.

The day I went to sign the paperwork they moved the pay up 3k a year after I tried digging more into the job desc. You were right though. I should have worried more about whether or not I'd be happy with the job. I am not. It is a huge step down in terms of the type of work I get to do and twice the commute I had before. We pretty much are glorified desktop techs. We rarely touch any servers and NEVER touch any network equipment except cat5. The consulting company definitely danced around my questions about the type of work and would only give a broad overview of responsibilities. I got hosed.