So what would you do?

millejj1

Ok, so I need some opinions and since you ladies are certainly objective I?m coming to you for help! I?m having a career conundrum and am not so sure what to do.

I?ve been working at my current facility for a little over three years. Throughout my tenure here, there has been an overabundance of personal politics and unnecessary drama. I?ve managed to keep my head down and advance throughout it all, but it has totally taken its? toll on my life, my sanity and my health.  In August I switched positions to manage our internship program (which I wrote a million dollar grant for) and the uphill battle has continued. Now it?s with the other supervisors deciding that I?m not the same level as them, rather I?m below them. I consistently get pressure from everyone (including my supervisor) to ?go the extra mile? to support them. I?ve started starting projects several months early and worked hard to get ahead of the ball so that I could be available. The latest and greatest is now they are telling me that because I can be flexible maybe we need to add more responsibility to my job description! Ugghh! Long story short, lots of unnecessary stress and drama and I?m not sure that I see much space for personal or professional growth given the current political atmosphere and management style.

That said, it is an excellent facility that is leading the field in what we do. I?m able to have a fair amount of flexibility with personal time (due to the overtime we work, we receive comp hours so I?ve never had to touch my vacation time) and it?s in my field. I love the mission and the actual work itself, it?s just the drama that I?m over. It pays well, and has good benefits. I also love love love the area! I live really close to the beach and have a cute house and rent is a steal.

Yesterday I had a conversation with the women that overseeus us on the state level. They have several positions opening up and she strongly encouraged me to apply, said that I would be a huge asset to their team, and that her and her executive director (the two folks that make the decisions on hiring) as well as the board for the state have been extremely impressed with what I?ve done in the short time we?ve had our program and would love to see me advance?with them. It?s a bit more money, still with the state, fewer hours (and compressed work weeks (9 hour days with every other Friday off) and she said there isn?t the personal drama that we have here. The downside is that I?d have to leave the beach to move to Atlanta ( I was pretty happy to leave the business suit world behind when I moved from DC and going back makes me  a little unsure), wouldn?t be working as a biologist anymore, would need to find new housing, and would be 5 hours away from DH?s family and still 17 hours from mine. So a huge step outside my comfort level.

All that said?what would you ladies do? I feel like this is a huge opportunity in something that I?m interested in and have felt like could use a new start for awhile now. But then again, I?ve very emotionally invested in the facility I?m at, I helped build it, love the mission, and would be very sad to go and leave my research behind.

Sorry so long! TIA!

jennylee753

I think you need to weigh your priorities here.

1. Career - this would be good for it
2. Family - you would be away from them
3. Location - you love where you're at

I think you need to rank these in order. What really makes you happy in life? Is it your career or environment?

SpceCadet

I started my career at a well respected marketing advertising agency right out of college.  I had a bright career there, decent pay, fantastic title, good work.  One problem within the company was that it didn't matter how many years you worked there, people who had been there longer than you ALWAYS saw you as the person/title/occupation that you entered the company with even when newcomers respected you as an equal.  Because I started as an intern, I was always seen as an intern.  While my direct boss saw the increase in responsibilities, pay, title, etc, my coworkers even within my department never saw me as an equal.  Other individuals who experienced the same thing and left the company, then returned a couple years later gained the respect and trust of their colleagues. 

The only time I have regretted leaving that agency was after I was laid off from another company after clients were lost.  Even then, I realized that the personal drama and commute weren't worth even entertaining the idea of applying there again.

Here's what I would think about (and talk to YH about):

-How soon do we want to start a family? (If sooner, the lesser work hours would likely be more conducive to having a child/children.)  Where do you want to raise them?

-How would this possible move affect YH's work?

-How many more hours of work do you think you'd be working with the new responsibilities?  Would those hours be worth it for your personal life?

-Could you see yourself being able to re-apply for a job where you are now and avoid some of the personal stress and drama? 

I would try to take the personal emotions out of the workplace equation.  My dad always tells me "you will always be more loyal to your employer than your employer will ever be to you." I know that it's hard, but I have found his words to be true in my life.

If you apply, you have nothing to loose and a bit more time to decide if it's a right fit. 

EDK2010

I was in your exact shoes last year! Maybe my story will help?

I was under contract as a Recruiter for the University I attended, I had worked with the Student Recruitment Dept. throughout my whole undergrad career and really built up their campus tour program. When I graduated from college they offered me a 1 year FT contract for my dream job (undergrad recruiting in Western Canada and the US) based in Edmonton (on the other side of Canada), because they knew DH had been drafted here and I was planning on making the move. They let me work from home and I traveled all over the West and the entire US. This program meant a lot to me as it was my job to increase enrollment in an area where we got few students from and I was extremely loyal to the Department even though I got little support working off-campus. I also heavily increased their application numbers in these areas during that recruitment season.

When my contract ended I wrote a proposal based on my research, opinions and experience as to why they needed a permanent Recruiter in these territories. The idea is that I would stay on permanently. When the job got approved by the University, my boss pulled it out from under me. He told me in order to stay in the position I had to move back to Halifax (Nova Scotia) a 6 hour plane ride from Edmonton. I was devastated and felt betrayed that after how hard I fought for this position they were taking it away. It would have been easier to move back to Halifax as all of my college friends were there and it is only a 10 hr drive from NH so I would be so much closer to my family. Obviously DH was the deciding factor.

I was so sad to leave my Department of 5 years that I had worked so hard for. But in taking a much better job here in Edmonton with a larger University I don't regret it for a second. I make more money and I didn't realize how disfunctional my old Dept. was until I came here. I love my boss and co-workers and couldn't be happier. It was also a smarter career move as their are more opportunities for advancement here.

Weigh your options, talk it out with DH and follow what you feel is best for you. Here are the positives I have found in my decision:

- More Money, better benefits, a more secure position

- More options for career advancement

- Living away from family has really made DH and I closer in that we have to rely entirely on each other.

- It has been fun making a new city "our own".

- We are both really happy in our careers. Which you don't realize how important that is until you have an employer that makes it enjoyable to do your job!

* For us this is not permanent. We plan on moving back East in 5 years unless DH gets traded somewhere else before then. We would rather wait to have children until we move back and have family support, if we can wait until then that is.

GL and keep us updated!