Ex-Boss wants to rehire

Ok guys so I have this situation where I wanted to ask you guys for advice. I did an internship (2 months free) at a small data center company while in college at 20. I ended up getting offered a job for 14/hr working under them but basically staffed at a client site. The data center is mainly focused on virtualization and doing a lot of virtual desktops. They have colo service, ISP service etc. So while i was staffed at their client site I was regular helpdesk and was very limited at doing stuff since i wasn't direct employee. Also the IT Staff and HQ is in argentina. Well the data center would involve me in Virtual desktop deployments for customer here and there and i would support them sometimes via onsite or phone calls but i was 95% of the time at the staffed companies site. Main reason to be staffed there was to try to get their business and put them into the cloud as to what my boss's purpose was. Well after about 8-9 months I was still being staffed over there and was fed up because of rights issue's i wasn't learning much and didn't have the access to. I felt like a secretary i spoke to my boss and told him and he gave me various speeches on holding on and ride it out and it will pay off and most of the times he would give me inspirational talks. I started looking for a new job and found one within weeks, interviewed and everything. I was being offered 35k first 3 months and 40k after 3 months / anually as a Jr. Network admin.

I spoke to my boss and told him, he was proud he said and he said it wasn't how he wanted it to play out and that he really wanted me and asked me to let him think about it etc after telling him how much money i was going to be making etc. A day after he calls me giving me a speech again and saying how important experience was and it was key to get the hands on experience and that the data center had all the new technology and wasnt a corp job where everyday was the same thing. however he never spoke about giving me a raise or machine anything. Mind you i forgot to say at the data center being staffed at the customer site i have no benefits... no paid sick days... no paid vacation... no paid holidays etc.... The boss was cool and very nice to me always. The staffing site i was at wanted to hire me directly but couldn't because there was a contract that stated **** etc... i ended up leaving and my boss told me the doors would stay open. after a week at the other place, the company I was working for (staffed site) gave me a call from Manager of IT in HQ that they spoke to my previous boss to release me and let them hire me directly. He went through with it and i went back to the staffed site company hired directly as Jr. Network admin making 40k/yr (where i am still currently at) I have a little bit more privilage now but still i have no real day to day activity or exciting things to do. Sure there are things to do like redo the entire network... trying to get them to virtualize their server... maybe get a SAN in here etc. However everything must first go through the approval of argentina and most of the times they are already set on their goals and don't care about suggestions. I have no control over AD server or exchange server. Just print server and file server. No control over firewall just switches. At the same time i responsible for all accounts like cell phone/ long distance/ printer leasing/ helpdesk etc.. sometimes i feel like a all-around secretary. I never heard back from my previous boss until about a week ago.

He shoots me and email to talk and I answer him ok so he gives me a call. we talked for a bit and he said we didn't end it the right way and that he wasted a lot of time with me in the sense that he had a vision for me and what i should be. etc etc telling me that if i stayed and held on he would of taught me how to get where i wanted and make the $$... so he told me he was getting a some new contracts and funding and was opening a position directly at the NOC and wanted to know if i was interested and wanted me to be the guy. I sent him an email stating that i wouldn't go anywhere else with lower benefits/salary than what i was making now so he sends me back one today stating the terms and has pretty much matched all of them.

Salary wise/ benefits wise and doing job roles that really interest me. Like taking care of the NOC's IP environment, doing radius servers, learning BGP, Virtual desktop build outs.

I know i am young and i think it's really important to get the most experience now while still attending school. The only thing i am weary about is leaving this company that also pursued me and leave 3 months later for a guy that was my original boss and didn't want to give me a raise for "financial reasons" at the time.

What would you guys do in my position?

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Comments

lsud00d

Just to confirm, he matched your salary?

::lookofdismay::

IndyLoveless

If he can't give you an actual raise, IMO, I wouldn't go back. If he really wants you back, he'll give you a bump in salary (even if it is small). To me it seems like the boss is cheap, which doesn't bode well for future raises.

cyberguypr

IndyLoveless wrote: »

If he can't give you an actual raise, IMO, I wouldn't go back. If he really wants you back, he'll give you a bump in salary (even if it is small). To me it seems like the boss is cheap, which doesn't bode well for future raises.

Good points. Kind of the impression I got. See, for me the "holding on and ride it out and it will pay off" motivational BS has to come with a time frame attached. Some companies have policies allowing promotions only after X number of months. I respect that. However, holding off to see what happens without specifying a plan is just a shady sales tactic. He says he has a vision but if he can't/won't articulate it in terms of 6/9/12/18 months down the road, keep moving and don't even look back.

Lastly, I think you made a mistake by paving the road for him to match your salary and benefits. If he really wants you he should've offered the best he could.

Devilry

Sounds like the guy may be a decent boss but isn't going to volunteer anything and is cheap as can be, I am in that current situation.

Tell him you wont leave for less than maybe 15% raise, full benefits, paid training, etc. Start high, see where it goes. Nothing to lose, right?

lsud00d

Devilry wrote: »

Sounds like the guy may be a decent boss but isn't going to volunteer anything and is cheap as can be, I am in that current situation.

Tell him you wont leave for less than maybe 15% raise, full benefits, paid training, etc. Start high, see where it goes. Nothing to lose, right?

Go for the jugular, Jerry Maguire style

powerfool

I'm sorry, but unless you truly respect his opinion, I wouldn't give his speeches a second thought. I have had people trying to hire me to try and convince me of the "total package" on more than one occasion. I am not a kid that needs his parents to guide him... it is condescending and I cannot stand it.

Darian929

Yes he used to pay me $14 while getting paid $20 for me from the company i am out now.... since he is iout of the picture now i am getting paid almost 20/hr since i am 40k/annually. His offer now is the same and has added the health benefits/paid vacations/ paid school etc.. The only thing i dont like about my current job though is that i really don't get to much daily activity as far as experience... it is quite and mayority of it is helpdesk role... some server work etc... and a lot of all around. With him "he states i'd be doing the NOC engineer" so more networking stuff and actual infraestructure. Which is what i am after. I am just afraid that after 2-3 months he starts giving me lame as projects or roles. Also he said this would be a guaranteed 1 yr signed contract

vCole

Darian929 wrote: »

Yes he used to pay me $14 while getting paid $20 for me from the company i am out now.... since he is iout of the picture now i am getting paid almost 20/hr since i am 40k/annually. His offer now is the same and has added the health benefits/paid vacations/ paid school etc.. The only thing i dont like about my current job though is that i really don't get to much daily activity as far as experience... it is quite and mayority of it is helpdesk role... some server work etc... and a lot of all around. With him "he states i'd be doing the NOC engineer" so more networking stuff and actual infraestructure. Which is what i am after. I am just afraid that after 2-3 months he starts giving me lame as projects or roles. Also he said this would be a guaranteed 1 yr signed contract

I think you should stay where you're at while looking for something you really want.

powerfool

vCole wrote: »

I think you should stay where you're are while looking for something you really want.

I concur.

Everyone

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Darian929

Yes i mean i feel good here where i am at as far as being comfortable with everyone etc... but i really want to star getting away from the helpdesk role and really hit the networking side of things and virtualization. I've been with them indirectly for 9 months and directly hired with them for 3 months. My only concern here is that I am the only one in this small office of 30 and really limited to doing things since HQ of IT is in south america and they really think everything they do is the right way. Then again i feel bad looking for something else after I accepted this job straight through them only 2 and a half months ago. This really sucks, because if my ex-boss was serious about it i would really like to be able to be there as i know i'd be learning a lot more new stuff. The guy thats currently there as a NOC engineer was also a a studnet out of MDC and he's been there for 2 years now and basically knows a lot about networking and virtualization and linux. He told me he's learned all there he used to be a train operator...

powerfool

Darian929 wrote: »

Yes i mean i feel good here where i am at as far as being comfortable with everyone etc... but i really want to star getting away from the helpdesk role and really hit the networking side of things and virtualization. I've been with them indirectly for 9 months and directly hired with them for 3 months. My only concern here is that I am the only one in this small office of 30 and really limited to doing things since HQ of IT is in south america and they really think everything they do is the right way. Then again i feel bad looking for something else after I accepted this job straight through them only 2 and a half months ago. This really sucks, because if my ex-boss was serious about it i would really like to be able to be there as i know i'd be learning a lot more new stuff. The guy thats currently there as a NOC engineer was also a a studnet out of MDC and he's been there for 2 years now and basically knows a lot about networking and virtualization and linux. He told me he's learned all there he used to be a train operator...

Look, as people, we all use each other in one way or another... that isn't the problem... it is whether we treat people with dignity and as an end in and of themselves... That guy seems like he really only sees you as a means to his end. My uncle was like that... he gave me my first IT job and he was always looking for ways to improve his position (which I don't fault), but he would try and convince me to pass up things important to me to help him get what he wants. This guy seems the same way.

Darian929

Yes i totally agree with you Powerfool..... the way I think of it is, why didn't he give me or match the raise in the first place from when I told him? Now he comes 3 months later after basically releasing me to work where I am at to take me back? It seems also sort of a cheap shot from his end to take me back from the same company he signed a letter saying "yes you can hire X directly". I just really want to get experience jejeje i guess everyon wants to.

Version4

I agree with the majority who say to stay with your current position and keep your eyes open for better opportunity.

The boss at your old position sounds like the boss at my position that I just left. At my last position I had the title of "Helpdesk", but did a lot more than that. Arguments and details aside, when it came quitting time after 7 years with no advancement, there was a sudden flood of "Oh you are so valuable", "Oh I will get you the position you want in Network Engineering right now", "Oh can I change your mind", "Oh please". "The quitting table" or the "Please come back table" as is the case here, is not the time to talk about where you "could" have been. That should have already happened ages ago.

These types of managers, as has been stated, have nothing better than themselves in mind. It seems that your old boss really liked your work and you were an all-star, however he didn't show it. True enough, lots of people use each other for one means or another, but not everyone is like that. Strive to find a position in which management actually cares about you and your growth.

Darian929

Recently last week I got an email from him stating that their demands for staffing continue to grow and that he would really like me to be part of his team. I replied with a few pointers as to where I am today and leaving would burn bridges etc... and put for me to leave my currenty job i would need 50k+ salary and it's been about 5 days and havent heard back.

What do you guys think?

N2IT

cyberguypr wrote: »

However, holding off to see what happens without specifying a plan is just a shady sales tactic. He says he has a vision but if he can't/won't articulate it in terms of 6/9/12/18 months down the road, keep moving and don't even look back.

Bravo

This sums it up perfectly imo

N2IT

Darian929 wrote: »

Recently last week I got an email from him stating that their demands for staffing continue to grow and that he would really like me to be part of his team. I replied with a few pointers as to where I am today and leaving would burn bridges etc... and put for me to leave my currenty job i would need 50k+ salary and it's been about 5 days and havent heard back.

What do you guys think?

Sounds like you did the right thing.

Darian929

Yea, i would've thought he would of replied with something. But i guess when he saw I was asking 10k more than 3 months ago when i gave him a chance to equal it, he either said this guy is crazy or is still thinking about it.

drkat

I think he's trying to figure out how to talk you down.

Devilsbane

Devilry wrote: »

Sounds like the guy may be a decent boss but isn't going to volunteer anything and is cheap as can be, I am in that current situation.

Tell him you wont leave for less than maybe 15% raise, full benefits, paid training, etc. Start high, see where it goes. Nothing to lose, right?

Changing jobs can be stressful. No point in putting in the effort for little if any benefit.

Darian929

the only benefit I would see to go back is to learn more stuff and new technologies and be able to get hands on experience. The job is at a small data center focusing on Cloud computing and networking and all that. Currently I am the only I.T in my office (30 people) and really our HQ is in South America and it's really hard to get motivated sometimes when projects are done and initialized down there.