Need some advise on my current position in my company

Hello everyone,

These forums are such a great resource with a lot of knowledgeable people and I have learned a great deal. I have a big decision to make on my next step and am looking for your input on what direction i should lean.

I have been working for the current company I am with for six years in the level 2 position as a senior tech. I have worked my way up to the top of the level 2 position with the firm and with that progression has given me the opportunity to transition into the networking group. However during the transition process we hit a major road block with a new company policy that requires any it outside of level 2 to relocate to one of two central locations, since the network engineer position is considered work from anywhere the policy applies to this and would force me to relocate from LA to SD. we all have our thoughts on this policy and the way I see it is a block to anyone who wants to advance in IT within the company is stuck unless they would relocate which for many is not feasible. I question policies like this being implemented and whether it is worth even considering relocating. I really want to get into the network engineering area to advance my skills but am not sure it is a smart move to adhere to this policy and leave the current life I gave behind for it, I.e. family girlfriend etc.

So it comes down to option 1 taking the network engineer job and relocating or leaving the company because they provide no avenue for advancement without relocation. My hesitation with leaving is having to start over with a new company building my reputation to the point where I would be able to advance into their network group, which I see as a setback. I appreciate any insight you all can offer and sorry for the length of the post I wanted to clarify the position I am in.

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Comments

GoodBishop

neo468 wrote: »

Hello everyone,

These forums are such a great resource with a lot of knowledgeable people and I have learned a great deal. I have a big decision to make on my next step and am looking for your input on what direction i should lean.

I have been working for the current company I am with for six years in the level 2 position as a senior tech. I have worked my way up to the top of the level 2 position with the firm and with that progression has given me the opportunity to transition into the networking group. However during the transition process we hit a major road block with a new company policy that requires any it outside of level 2 to relocate to one of two central locations, since the network engineer position is considered work from anywhere the policy applies to this and would force me to relocate from LA to SD. we all have our thoughts on this policy and the way I see it is a block to anyone who wants to advance in IT within the company is stuck unless they would relocate which for many is not feasible. I question policies like this being implemented and whether it is worth even considering relocating. I really want to get into the network engineering area to advance my skills but am not sure it is a smart move to adhere to this policy and leave the current life I gave behind for it, I.e. family girlfriend etc.

So it comes down to option 1 taking the network engineer job and relocating or leaving the company because they provide no avenue for advancement without relocation. My hesitation with leaving is having to start over with a new company building my reputation to the point where I would be able to advance into their network group, which I see as a setback. I appreciate any insight you all can offer and sorry for the length of the post I wanted to clarify the position I am in.

How flexible is the management at your company with regards to this policy? Exceptions can be made. If you were to provide value and make it worthwhile for your employer to have you work remote, it would not be unreasonable for this to occur.

However, if that is the line in the sand, I agree, it would be very difficult to give that up for what you have where you are (family, girlfriend, etc). Personally, I would discuss options with your management, and see if working remotely is a option. If not, then I would suggest looking for a different job.

neo468

I have been working with the network manager and the CIO and they have been turned down to any compromise to this policy by the upper hands who created this, so essentially a line in the sand has been drawn. And as much as I would love to get into the network group to get into network engineering I am not sure it is worth the change with the way the company is handling these new policies. And after 6 years of hard work this is how they reward their top IT staff is mind boggling to me.

GoodBishop wrote: »

How flexible is the management at your company with regards to this policy? Exceptions can be made. If you were to provide value and make it worthwhile for your employer to have you work remote, it would not be unreasonable for this to occur.

However, if that is the line in the sand, I agree, it would be very difficult to give that up for what you have where you are (family, girlfriend, etc). Personally, I would discuss options with your management, and see if working remotely is a option. If not, then I would suggest looking for a different job.

lsud00d

If you are ready, willing, and able to transition to networking...why don't you just switch to a new company? I think this decision is easy...you're not going to move so you're not going to advance with your current employer. The decision has already been made it seems like so stop stressing about it and find that next stepping stone

iBrokeIT

neo468 wrote: »

I am not sure it is worth the change with the way the company is handling these new policies. And after 6 years of hard work this is how they reward their top IT staff is mind boggling to me.

I think the writing is on the wall and you are saying so yourself - they care more about policy than their employees. Time to update the resume. Starting over at a new company is never easy but it is what is best for your career and personal life in the long run. Best of luck to you sir!

Zartanasaurus

How much time before you have to make the move? Apply to some equivalent jobs elsewhere. If you get them, great. If not then you know what you need to do to get into the networking role you want. You can either be the guy who is passive and complains and doesn't get what he wants or you can be the guy who accepts the tradeoff and gets what he wants.

neo468

Thanks for all the input, this position has been in the works for me for several months and was in the last step of being official until this policy was pushed on the position this week finalizing it couldn't be excluded from the policy now in place. The reason I really wanted to get into this position was to be trained up into the role as my networking knowledge and experience is only at a tech level not a engineer level. So if I were to move to another company I would have to start at the tech level not step up into a network engineer position unless the right company was willing to take me on with my current experience. So it presents a challenge as I don't want to take a step backwards.

Zartanasaurus wrote: »

How much time before you have to make the move? Apply to some equivalent jobs elsewhere. If you get them, great. If not then you know what you need to do to get into the networking role you want. You can either be the guy who is passive and complains and doesn't get what he wants or you can be the guy who accepts the tradeoff and gets what he wants.

Zartanasaurus

neo468 wrote: »

So if I were to move to another company I would have to start at the tech level not step up into a network engineer position unless the right company was willing to take me on with my current experience. So it presents a challenge as I don't want to take a step backwards.

You don't know this for sure unless you apply. There are companies out there willing to train the right person because they don't have the funds to pay for someone already qualified. You just have to try. Not saying your odds are high or anything, but you don't lose out on much by trying. Your best bet is probably going to be to make the move, but I'm not sure I'd want to move to San Diego unless it was coming with a nice pay raise. Not exactly cheap to live there.

neo468

Well after several more months trying to work with the company for advancement they have closed the door on any opportunities for pretty much anyone aspiring to move up. Dumb move in my opinion but it is what it is. I am getting my resume updated and ready to start seriously looking at opportunities available. I am really ready to transition out as soon as I find a good opportunity. Reason is the expectations are becoming more and more absurd, and being over worked on a daily basis is making it much harder to spend time after hours working on certification. Since I want to move into network engineering/security would it be smarter to first obtain my CCNA before applying or go ahead and apply with my CCNA as a WIP? The reason I ask is I am not sure what the market is currently looking for. Aspiring future prospects or those who already have core experience.

I appreciate all the great input you have given me, this forum is a great resource!