New Job

Hello All,

I know I've been a bit infrequent on the forums lately and I really wanted to hold off on writing a post complaining until I had some good news to share. The last six months have been pretty bad for me. Things got pretty crazy at work when all my management, project managers and competent engineers quit all around the same time at the beginning of the year and I was left with one other network engineer who wasn't really picking up his load. I haven't had a day off since the beginning of December and while I was used to long hours and people depending on me, losing all my friends at work and my awesome management structure was a bit disheartening and just chipped away at me for months. I think I still could have dealt with it but a TON of my projects that I was really excited about were put on hold indefinitely until there was management in place (ISE, Data Center rebuild, etc) and it didn't seem like it would be happening any time soon so I decided to start looking for something else because I don't want to be in a place where I'm not learning anymore.

I started looking about two months ago and I thought I was going to have to take a paycut. When I started at my job, I got really lucky with the pay and I know it. I was REALLY stressed about how much of a paycut I was going to be forced to take because I'm supporting a few people right now and the jobs I wanted were only paying around $100K and no bonuses. I got really discouraged after the first month and I started hitting up people I knew through Linkedin that I met through various events and conferences. I ended up having one of the guys that I met at Defcon reach out to me and get me started with the interview process at his company. Over the course of two weeks, I had 5 different interviews and I found out a week ago that I got the job. It's with one of the BIG companies out there and while I don't want to share which one on here, it's definitely one that's going to give me exposure to all the newest and greatest technology and training. To top it off, I'm getting a 35% raise which I definitely wasn't expecting at ALL and I won't have to ever be on call again.

For the first time in months, I'm feeling pretty relieved and positive. When I think back on it, I've had a lot of really amazing things happen in the last few months (CCDP, CCNP, finishing my MS, etc) but I was just too stressed and busy with work to really appreciate those things. It still hasn't completely hit me... but I did give my notice and I did it in a positive way that I'm definitely not burning any bridges as I go. I think as the next two weeks go by, I'll feel better and better.

Just wanted to share what was happening in my life

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Comments

FloOz

Congrats Iris!

SixtyCycle

Congrats and good luck on the new gig.

ptilsen

What's wrong with you? I mean, what the heck were you thinking, doubting yourself for a second? Of course you got a big raise and better responsibilities. And it's good to "count your blessings," but IMO you shouldn't think you were "lucky" for your current salary. Your current salary means that the people at the business thought you were worth that much, and realistically, if they thought you were worth that much, you're almost by definition worth even more.

Either way, great job. You've come a long way in a relatively short time.

wgroom

Congratulations Iris, good news for sure. Take some time for reflection; where you have been, how you got to where you are, and where you are going. If you do this, you will surely see you have paved the road for success, and now you are reaping the benefits. Excellent work indeed, and you have earned every inch of your way. Be very proud of yourself, you are an inspiration to many of us.

Iristheangel

Heh... I guess sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed that I got this lucky. I do not feel like I'm special or better than anyone else but I did prove myself with this job and was extended an awesome offer because I worked so hard as a consultant. That time as a consultant definitely got my pay bumped up because the company was able to "try before they buy." I thought it was going to be a harder sell to jump right into an employee role somewhere else with only 2 years of networking experience so I was trying to have realistic expectations and not have an ego. On top of that, every time I glance through a CCIE thread, I'm reminded of how much I still don't know.

Sound to sound like I'm full of doubt, I'm certainly not. The next role I'm in is actually quite perfect for me and I'm looking forward to it. It's with a HUGE company that's going to open HUGE doors for me down the road when I put it on my resume and they're extremely supportive of certifications and training in a way most companies aren't.

union122

Great work, Congrads on the new job.. Good Luck

fredrikjj

Congratulations.

But you should start studying for the CCIE right now instead of spending a year on Cisco specific Nexus 7k DC tech that may or may not be relevant down the road

Iristheangel

I have a feeling the Nexus 7K will still be relevant for awhile but man... I cannot WAIT to get my hands on a 9K to play with. *giggity*

fredrikjj

Come on, let's deep dive into OSPF and IS-IS together!

Iristheangel

I like OSPF so sure! The closest I want to get into ISIS is Fabricpath :P

kohr-ah

Iristheangel wrote: »

Heh... I guess sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed that I got this lucky. I do not feel like I'm special or better than anyone else but I did prove myself with this job and was extended an awesome offer because I worked so hard as a consultant. That time as a consultant definitely got my pay bumped up because the company was able to "try before they buy." I thought it was going to be a harder sell to jump right into an employee role somewhere else with only 2 years of networking experience so I was trying to have realistic expectations and not have an ego. On top of that, every time I glance through a CCIE thread, I'm reminded of how much I still don't know.

Sound to sound like I'm full of doubt, I'm certainly not. The next role I'm in is actually quite perfect for me and I'm looking forward to it. It's with a HUGE company that's going to open HUGE doors for me down the road when I put it on my resume and they're extremely supportive of certifications and training in a way most companies aren't.

Never doubt yourself. I have that problem and it causes me a lot of issues. I said the same thing when I got my offer today I went "I am a new CCNP with about 3 years experience... And they are literally throwing money at me. Am I really worth this? I mean I must be doing something right". There is always room to grow but it is obvious you are doing something right as am I

Also TOTALLY gigitty over the 9k. I just got my hands on a pair of 7ks and 5500s and am still drooling.

cgrimaldo

That's great news! Good luck to you!

TheProf

Good stuff! and major congrats!

That feeling you have with your current job, I am with you on that, I know exactly how you feel, been there myself. At least at the end of the day, you took control and decided to do something about it.

Best of luck! and hopefully there will be some more threads about your new experience

darkerz

Hey!

Super happy for your move, I'm glad it all worked out so well. You're one of the few folks on here that I try to emulate & follow in terms of "Getting it done" and career, education & cert advancement.

If you ever feel like taking a move to the west coast up in WA, my team is always looking for your type. The downside is "it's seattle, rain" but the upside is "we pay enough to retire by 40" if you catch my drift

Also, 7k's are fun & relevant - I had my luck on some prototype Nexus 9k's.

'Dem API integration, ACI features (still young) and code ev libraries are hot.

fifrasco

Congrats! I'm sure it felt like you had so much relief off your shoulders once you did it.

I've always been curious how companies deal with bonus and incentives. Does that come only when projects are done before deadlines?

Chev Chellios

Congrats, that is great news

kohr-ah

fifrasco wrote: »

Congrats! I'm sure it felt like you had so much relief off your shoulders once you did it.

I've always been curious how companies deal with bonus and incentives. Does that come only when projects are done before deadlines?

When I worked at a MSP the more money I made them the bigger bonus I got at the end of the year.

Now that I am a cost (work at a corporation) my bonus is based on my performance and how much money I can save them per year.

xenodamus

Awesome story...congrats on the move! Anyone who feels stuck in their current position should stop and learn something here. We are all in control of our own life/career/desitiny/etc. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you'll escape your current situation.

Dieg0M

Congrats! Wish you the best

Iristheangel

fifrasco wrote: »

I've always been curious how companies deal with bonus and incentives. Does that come only when projects are done before deadlines?

At my current job that I'm leaving, it's based on overall performance and aptitude. It's decided by the higher ups. I got my full bonus last year but because I had transitioned from a consultant to a FTE in the middle of the year, it was the full bonus based on the total I made for half the year.

JDMurray

So how will this impact your Goon status at DEFCON? You're still gonna be smacking people in the head with their own whiskey bottles aren't you, or has that bridge been burned?

Iristheangel

LoL. Well.... My former boss quit but we're both still friends. He and I are taking this year off of Defcon but I imagine I'll be back next year. Not sure if I am allowed to be goon though given the new company I'm going to. It might create some issues if one of their employees was spotted being a goon.

JDMurray

Well, good luck to you always. Make sure to sock some of the new income away for retirement.

And no fair not putting your employer's name on your LinkedIn page! Now I'm really curious!

Iristheangel

Sent you a PM of where I'm going.

I won't be updating my Linkedin for a little while

sasnimrod

Congratulations and all the best for your new job

jeffgibbs

Hey big Texas Congrats from a Californian lost in Texas....

joemysterio

speaking of which, may I connect with you on linked in ?

Iristheangel

Go ahead. I pretty much add anyone

Lostpacket

Congrats on the great new job.

Hard work pays off and you've earned it.

Nice work!

spiderjericho

Congrats, it sounds like a lot of things are lining up for you.

Hope you don't mind that I sent you a connection invite on linkin.