[ 2021 ] Career Advice

[travelhacker]

I work in software development, but do not work for a software company. We build custom software to support internal organizations and to help optimize certain business processes.

My pay is good (could be better), I have good benefits, but I have an incredibly stable job. I also have the best work / life balance that I could hope for (6 weeks off, every other friday off, sick time, etc).

Everyone I work with is very nice. It is not cutthroat and very collaborative in nature. This also means that people are a bit too comfortable with their current skillset, and I crave a faster paced environment.

I don't agree with the current direction of our department and by all appearances it will diverge much further from how I think things should be. I am not being challenged in my current position and I am afraid that 5 years from now I will be a whole lot less marketable. I am afraid that I will see my career as a waste.

I have a reasonable chance of getting a decent promotion (10% pay raise, and added responsibility that would be good for the resume) within the next 3 months. I will have a bit more influence, but I don't know if I can stop a locomotive.

I have so much time after work that I've been able to build a consulting business to about 30% of my current income. I don't know if this would be possible at a different organization. However, this income is HIGHLY variable (I am trading time for money). I've only managed to convert about 1/3rd of that income into "product" type income (i.e. I could go a long period of time without working on it and I would still get income).

Do I:

A) Start looking elsewhere immediately.
B) See how things shape up with the potential promotion
C) Stick it out and see if I can build the consulting business

Or some combination of the above.

A few other points of information:

1) The job market is really good for software developers in my area. A 30% raise isn't out of the question. With that raise, I would probably need to say goodbye to consulting (but I would get that time back).
2) The longer I am in my current position, I feel the less desirable I will be to other employers (still employable -- but at a lower salary)....so I would feel more "stuck" at a place I'm not in love with. If I got the promotion, I think I could do 2-3 years more and re-evaluate then. The thought of 2-3 more years at the same employer does not sound appealing right now though.
3) I am currently feeling done. The last week has made me want to move on immediately.
4) Job satisfaction is basically at an all time low across the entire US, so I do recognize that A LOT of people are going through similar feelings, and I don't want to make a rash decision.

I've talked it over with a few people, but welcome all input.

 

[Free2Roam]

With the benefit of hindsight...

After spending 25 years as a software developer dedicated to one company... only to have my job (and most of the the IT department) outsourced offshore to save money... if it were me, I'd moved towards what gives me the best opportunity to control my own destiny.

 

[paxlin]

I think you can do all three at the same time.
You can start exploring and see what is out there and assess the current market.
But that does not preclude you from getting your promotion as well as continue to work on your side business.
There is nothing that says you have to accept an offer after going through interviews.

 

[travelhacker]

With the benefit of hindsight...

After spending 25 years as a software developer dedicated to one company... only to have my job (and most of the the IT department) outsourced offshore to save money... if it were me, I'd moved towards what gives me the best opportunity to control my own destiny.

I appreciate the insight. I think the ultimate in controlling my own destiny would be consulting.

I did consulting for 7 years, but was way too dependent on one company such that I had very little control over my work / life balance, so we had to go our separate ways when I found this position.

The key will be either building a product on my own or building enough revenue sources that I'm not too dependent on any one customer. I don't think I can get there while working full time. I think I could get a good chunk of the way there with my current employer but at some point I would have to take a BIG leap of faith.

 

[travelhacker]

I think you can do all three at the same time.
You can start exploring and see what is out there and assess the current market.
But that does not preclude you from getting your promotion as well as continue to work on your side business.
There is nothing that says you have to accept an offer after going through interviews.

I've been thinking much the same way and I think that's a good approach. I kind of dread the whole application / interview process and it does take me away from consulting.

I may just have to bite the bullet and start applying for at least a couple of good opportunities a week.

 

[bizaro86]

I had a stable job for a long time and felt similarly. I also had a side business that I liked but didn't have time to focus on. I got laid off 5 years ago from the job (low oil prices) and went full time into the business. The severance package helped, and it still took a couple of years to reach parity to my previous income. But now I set my own hours and am generally happier with life.

If you want to be self employed, why not try to scale your business for a year. Worst case if it doesn't work out go get a job then. It isn't a permanent, irreversible decision.

 

[glypnirsgirl]

One of the things that I tell my kids is it A decision not THE decision. Look for other opportunities. if you find one that you think is a better fit, take it. If you don't find a better fit, you may gain more appreciation for where you are. Continue working on the side job. If you make a mistake by jumping to the wrong ship, look again. Life is too short to spend your work life where you are unhappy. Elaine

 

[simpsontruckdriver]

One BIG career path right now is cybersecurity. In Orlando alone, there are firms advertising for $60k - $120k. Some business websites are saying a person who is certified essentially determines his or her pay. If one company will pay you $60k per year, you will find another company calling you wanting to pay you $72k and up. Getting certified isn't too bad, CompTIA offers all the classes for less than $70 through a few computer websites like PCWorld. Right now, demand is sky-high with barely enough cybersecurity pros to fill them.

TS

 

[geekette]

Frankly, don't worry about your marketability. You've been at it a long while and have a side hustle so please stomp this doubt from your head.

I'm not sure what you should do, but I generally stayed where I was until there was a compelling reason to leave. It doesn't sound like you're there. Probably if I were you, I would stay in line for the promotion. It could be that you get to have the voice that influences direction, which sounds like what you want.

Keep developing the consulting business. It's a wonderful thing to be on a job and think, I can leave at any time because I have something else going.

My bet is that you will Just Know when it is time to switch from employee to solo. Don't let boredom force your hand, wait for the right time. It's easy to jump from one position to another for more pay, but that doesn't always translate into a better situation overall. Make a change when the overall picture is better with that change vs change for change's sake. hope that makes sense. I saw too many people chasing dollars that ended up miserable. Bigger paychecks, less happiness, and that horrible feeling of 'stuck' due to stigma of leaving a job too fast.

 

[easyrider]

I have always been self employed. Some of the people that started out with my company did go on to being supervisors for other companies or starting their own company. The people that became supervisors or Union / Union equivalent did better financially and had better healthcare than those that went out on their own.

I can remember the days when employees were thankful for employment. The reason I became self employed was because there were no jobs in the late 70's early 80's. The old saying is a bird in hand is worth two in the bush. It sounds like you, the op, have a pretty nice bird in hand.

Bill

 

[klpca]

I can remember the days when employees were thankful for employment.

Knowing that you are appreciated by the employer is a factor here as well. My first employer was a great family oriented employer. Of course only to a point as after my second baby arrived on the scene, they wouldn't let me go to part time since they "would have to offer that to everyone". So I left. It took me two more employers to find the right fit. Wow were the others terrible, mostly with issues in company culture. A good employer (imho) should have a culture where an employee feels like they are making a contribution. A terrible employer is one where you feel like you are in a constant battle with them. It should be a team effort, right?

I'm not sure what to suggest to the OP other than to take a hard look at your life and rank things by importance to determine your ultimate goal, then make the decision. I would definitely stick it out long enough to get the promotion since a jump to another job will start with your current position/salary. Also I don't know what your age is but take a look around and see where the older people in your company are. My husband just retired from software development and once he hit his mid 50's things changed for him. I had asked him years ago at a company function "where are all of the older employees?" He looked around the room and said "we don't have any". Once he hit his 50's, one by one the older workers were getting let go (I'm sure that OP is familiar with the layoff cycle in that industry). He hung in there with only one layoff that occurred when the company shut down the local facility and we turned down the offer to move out of state. The last 5 years of his career were soul crushing, honestly.

 

[easyrider]

Once he hit his 50's, one by one the older workers were getting let go

I have seen this happen many times. Some of my friends that worked white collar type jobs were let go in their 50's. Only a few were able to move laterally in their new jobs if they could even find a decent job. It's really a bummer.

Some of my friends that quit their jobs to start their own business didn't last long and because they became competition for their previous employer they were no longer welcome back to their old job. Some of them are making it but when you start late it's sometimes harder to establish the right connections.

Bill

 

[DrQ]

I don't agree with the current direction of our department and by all appearances it will diverge much further from how I think things should be. I am not being challenged in my current position and I am afraid that 5 years from now I will be a whole lot less marketable. I am afraid that I will see my career as a waste.

What direction do you want to go? If you are more comfortable getting more specific, we could take this offline.

I started out as a Mechanical Engineer interested in CAD/CAM. In order to do that, I had to:

• Learn Unix
• Become a System Administrator
• Learn Networking of computers
• Learn graphical display protocols over networking
• Learn network computer storage

I became a systems architect. I was working for a great company ... you know the story, then the ant pile got kicked and the new CEO decided to sell our division. I could have succeeded with the new company, but it would not have been the same. I was offered a voluntary RIF and I took it.

I had two resumes:

• Mechanical Engineer
• System Admin/Unix Expert/Systems Architect

Went to a job fair and I got snatched up by a consulting company/temp firm as a full time employee (not contract) as a staff consultant and became a hired gun. --Career Change--

From there I worked on the ground floor for the following technology:

• Firewalls
• VPNs
• Web servers
• Java applications
• Java servers
• Three tiered architecture for external facing applications

One BIG career path right now is cybersecurity. In Orlando alone, there are firms advertising for $60k - $120k.

While doing the above, I attained my CISSP and my CCSP certifications. And I went into cyber security.

I had a great career, it wasn't what I went to college for study, but my degree did smash through the paper ceiling in a couple jobs and got me interviews.

The point is:
What do you want to do? One thing I did was subscribe to O'reilly Online. It is not cheap, ~$500/year, but is an incredible resource for learning new technical skills which helps keep you marketable.

The market is very different, than when I took my RIF, but if you are not happy with your job, that can take a toll on you too.

 

[billymach4]

Thread is over 4 years old

 

[DrQ]

Interesting - how did it get "bubbled up" to my list? I wonder if the Mods removed a spam post between when I had refreshed and then selected the thread.

 

[billymach4]

Interesting - how did it get "bubbled up" to my list? I wonder if the Mods removed a spam post between when I had refreshed and then selected the thread.

Well 4 years ago I might have agreed with your advice and got my CISSP.

 

[DrQ]

Well 4 years ago I might have agreed with your advice and got my CISSP.

Actually, CISSP (Computer Security-general), CCSP (Cloud Security), AI and Business Intelligence would be my path if I were starting again.

My CISSP candidate # is under 50,000. The candidate # is essentially where you were in line when they began the certification.

 

[travelhacker]

I appreciate the insight @DrQ. A lot has changed.

I took a leap and bailed on the safe job and it’s been a great decision. I now lead the technology team at a small, but quickly growing company. It’s been a lot of work but I’m working with great people,

I’m glad I made the change!

I did consulting for a while, and I’m still getting some residual income from that but the day job got really busy (in a good way) and I’ve wound that down.