Pegasus3d.com

[Mord]

I applied for a Senior Network Analyst type position last May at some company. Since then the company has changed its name, lost a few people to new careers, and ended up contacting me just before Christmas. We traded a few emails and talked on the phone last night.

Its a small company that's been around for just about 20 years. In their hayday they were the local service depot for just about every major brand including IBM, EDS, etc. Currently there are exactly 6 employees and they are primarily into small business solutions, a lot of Microsoft SBS. He's looking for a high end person to basically take over the tech side of the business so he can focus on leading the company. They are sort of in the process of reinventing themselves and they want someone that can take them into new markets as well. Anyway, the talk last night went well and we're going to meet next weekend.

I've got all kinds of doubts. I've been working for a large company (5000+ employees) for over 7 years. Not only that, but its an oil company, so money isn't usually an object. Now I'm considering going to work at a 6 man shop, doing small scale stuff, and hardly any of their clients are in oil and gas. The only thing that scares me more than that is going out on my own.

But why even consider this at all? The small company is located in Central Alberta, which would be a much, (MUCH) nicer location to live than where we are now. Closer to family, closer to the Rockies, closer to everything really. Also, I'm bored at my job. I do just enough to get by. Which just kills me. I'm like a shadow of my former self. I just got an impressive raise the other day, so it appears that at this place I can do no wrong. But its not satisfying.

I find myself wondering "does it really matter?" Why not just grind it out here and provide a good home life? I don't look forward to going to work, and I find myself waiting until its time to leave. The upshot is that I never work OT. Ever. The only OT I get is an hour here or there when I'm on call. My wife would prefer to leave this place, so thats a big consideration.

Plus, am I going to end up working 80 hours a week for this tiny company? I already know that because of where I'd be positioned I'm not going to be part of any on-call rotation, I'm going to be stuck with a cell phone 24/7. I guess the point is moot if I end up loving it and really get behind the brand. But even if I'm enjoying my work is it worth spending less time with the kids? I don't want to be "one of those dads".

The easy decision would be to stay where I am. "The Devil You know" I guess. But still, I need some sort of change.
_________________
Give a guy a gun, he thinks he's Superman. Give him two and he thinks he's God. - Superintendant Pang, Lashou shentan (a.k.a. Hard-Boiled)
I note that you don't have any OSY member quotes in your sig. - the twinkster
Nonsense. "Bias" is people whom don't agree with me. - FondueDaredevil

Gabe: I wish you weren't a fucking liar.
Tycho: I'm not a liar.
Gabe: Well, I wish you didn't lie.

[kingpinmc]

Good luck with that. I sometimes question why I'm still at my current job. I guess it's because my bosses boss says that he has BIG plans for me. (Hopefully, one of these days I'll find out what they are. )
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"Then I saw little Tiffany. I'm thinkin', you know, eight year old white girl, middle of the ghetto, bunch of monsters, this time of night with quantum physics books? She's about to start some shit, Zed.” - J - Men in Black

So.....

Maxi Does Dallas?

- Mord

[HitScan]

I'm in the same position at my job. (ever wonder why I post so much here between 8-5? ) It's not challenging, it's not fun.

However, given what you've said about the little company, I'd be terrified too. It sounds like they're already on the edge of going under, unless your first paragraph or two are misworded.

Good luck with your choice. Maybe if you can keep the little guys going then moving will be an excellent boost for morale.
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My mind's slacking process has real-time priority.
A kernel is only as strong as its weakest Interrupt Service Routine.

"I was going to write my congressman, but I can't find my checkbook." - /. poster

"Wiffleball bats are good, because they can be retrofitted with lead pipes." - Harbinger

[the twinkster]

Hm. I like my job and co-workers, but I don't like living in this town. Too dull. But I don't have a spouse or children to be worried about. I'm thinking I'll do one more year here, particularly since I have some interesting things to work on, and then see where things stand. If I'm still with the same girl (who lives in the U.S.), we'll probably start looking at both of us moving somewhere interesting where we can both find jobs (likely but not definitely on the Canadian side of the border; we have discussed this in the hypothetical).

I assume that you don't have any debts (i.e., you own your house) because of how well your company pays, so if your wife is really keen to move elsewhere it might be a good idea to try it. Just make it clear at the outset (i.e., before accepting) that there are limits to how many hours you will work, and what those limits are.
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As time stretches on here at OSY Extreme, everyone will eventually have quotes in their sig from the other members. – Mord

Damn, after this and some of my other relationship salvations, I really have a huuuuge stockpile of date karma. Like stumbling into a professional dominatrix at a bookstore at the science fiction section while reaching for the same book kind of karma. -- Happysin, on Ars

[Mord]

Yeah twink, the actual parameters haven't been discussed yet. I told him my salary expectations (which are about 20% lower than what I make now), and he still wants to meet me, which is a good sign. Benefits aren't a HUGE concern for me, because my wife works with Orkin, which is a massive company and has a good benefits program.

[Mord]

[Jeremy Reimer]

There are advantages and disadvantages to working in a small company. The advantages include being able to be really flexible about the kind of work you do, no managment bureaucratic bullshit, and a greater sense of involvement. The downsides are the lack of stability, worrying about the company's financial health, and overwork.

But if you've never worked for a small company before, you absolutely have to try it at least once. Just for the experience!
_________________
"Those afraid of the universe as it really is, those who pretend to nonexistent knowledge and envision a Cosmos centered on human beings will prefer the fleeting comforts of superstition. They avoid rather than confront the world. But those with the courage to explore the weave and structure of the Cosmos, even where it differs profoundly from their wishes and prejudices, will penetrate its deepest mysteries."
-- Carl Sagan

"Its not a rule. Its just something I noticed. Several of us have more than one sig." - Mord

"No, you are a troll, and I should have never let you back to Ars in after the first 16,000 bannings." - Caesar, to He Who Shall Not Be Named

[Jay]

Well once upon a time I worked at GE Power Systems as a contractor for nearly 3.5 years. As you know Mord, thats a rather large company. As everybody here knows, I hated it. Eventually I got laid off (which isn't surprisingly since I spent half my time surfing the net and figuring out which of the half dozen company proxies would let me surf ARS or OSY that day).

That is when I got the job I have now. The job I have now is with a MUCH smaller company. Our company itself only employs 20 people. We are owned by a larger company that employs a little over a hundred people (estimate) among themselves and two other companies they own.

It is a small place. The more skilled among us have to fill many shoes. I hate doing network admin and providing network support, but at times I have to do this for clients and every elsewhere within the company. Most of my time is spent writing software, but only some of my time is spent with .NET and what not. Some of my programming is also spent in the world of MS Dynamics (damn them all to hell) and most notably their favorite hellspawn, Navision.

However our companies are doing well. We have a profit sharing program and since I brought in the second highest number of billable hours last year, I got some nice bonuses. Of course we make a lot of profit because my boss is cheap. I had to spend weeks convincing him to spend $1000 on a license for the WebUI control suite. Of course once I got the controls, the clients absolutely loved them..... We don't get computer upgrades very often and when we do, its probably one of the bottom line computers that Dell sells. And god forbid we buy UPSes for our computers given the blackouts and power surges we experience from time to time....

Still its a decent job. In the end it pays even better than GE (after a year of working my way up to that point) and I feel like I am accomplishing something rather than getting lost in the void of nothingness that was my position at GE. At the same time I can almost never keep up with my work here as well as I would like and I consistently have four to five projects all fighting for my time.

Make no mistake, working for a smaller company like that will probably be harder. But at the same time it will likely also be more satisfying. Just make sure you get a feel for the people you'll be working with day in and day out first though. One of the best things about my current job is the absolute lack of interoffice drama. We all generally like each other (or at least quietly tolerate one another in some cases) and there are no politics or hostility to speak of. That part is quite refreshing indeed.

[Mord]

So I met with the boss yesterday. Nice enough guy. Has ambition, seems like a techie entrepreneur.

He told me his offer. And left the door wide open for moving close to where I'm standing.

Less pay and less benefits (actually, NO benefits). And yet for other reasons I'm seriously considering this job. The next days will see me crunching some numbers and seeing what I should be getting in a job like that, and what I can continue my current lifestyle on so I can come up with a reasonable counter.

Oh, I would get a blackberry and a new laptop. I also get reimbursed for mileage. But I'd also have to buy my own healthcare and life insurance, unless we can get on my wife's benefits, which is tricky because she'll be going on maternity leave shortly. But such is life, you can never really time things perfectly can you?
_________________
Give a guy a gun, he thinks he's Superman. Give him two and he thinks he's God. - Superintendant Pang, Lashou shentan (a.k.a. Hard-Boiled)
I note that you don't have any OSY member quotes in your sig. - the twinkster
Nonsense. "Bias" is people whom don't agree with me. - FondueDaredevil

Gabe: I wish you weren't a fucking liar.
Tycho: I'm not a liar.
Gabe: Well, I wish you didn't lie.

[Mord]

Since i last posted, I emailed him a counter, and he replied with a letter.

Its a good offer. He's pretty much meeting me in the middle. The starting salary is low, but increases monthly for the first 12 months. A very interesting way to go about it. Not to mention that he offered to bring up a truck and two guys and move me himself! Not bad.

I'm all kinds of excited about this. But I'm pushing that to the back of my mind. I need to think everything through. It says right in the letter that I'll be averaging 50 hour weeks. But I think it'll be worth it.
_________________
Give a guy a gun, he thinks he's Superman. Give him two and he thinks he's God. - Superintendant Pang, Lashou shentan (a.k.a. Hard-Boiled)
I note that you don't have any OSY member quotes in your sig. - the twinkster
Nonsense. "Bias" is people whom don't agree with me. - FondueDaredevil

Gabe: I wish you weren't a fucking liar.
Tycho: I'm not a liar.
Gabe: Well, I wish you didn't lie.

[OscarWilde]

Good luck in what ever choice you made dood!
_________________
'An urban myth. Like the dyslexic devil worshipper who sold his soul to Santa.' - Robert Rankin (Raiders of the Lost Car Park)

'Hate traps us by binding us too tightly to our adversary.' - Milan Kundera (Immortality)

[the twinkster]

Wow, man. Cool! Whatever you decide, it's always good to know that you have options.
_________________
As time stretches on here at OSY Extreme, everyone will eventually have quotes in their sig from the other members. – Mord

Damn, after this and some of my other relationship salvations, I really have a huuuuge stockpile of date karma. Like stumbling into a professional dominatrix at a bookstore at the science fiction section while reaching for the same book kind of karma. -- Happysin, on Ars

[Mord]

I just wish that to go along with the feeling of a better job with more responsibility, I was getting more salary too. Its not my potential employer's fault....working in Northern Alberta for big oil kind of spoils you.
_________________
Give a guy a gun, he thinks he's Superman. Give him two and he thinks he's God. - Superintendant Pang, Lashou shentan (a.k.a. Hard-Boiled)
I note that you don't have any OSY member quotes in your sig. - the twinkster
Nonsense. "Bias" is people whom don't agree with me. - FondueDaredevil

Gabe: I wish you weren't a fucking liar.
Tycho: I'm not a liar.
Gabe: Well, I wish you didn't lie.

[Mord]

I did it. It is done. Now I get to sell my house, buy a new one, and move.
_________________
Give a guy a gun, he thinks he's Superman. Give him two and he thinks he's God. - Superintendant Pang, Lashou shentan (a.k.a. Hard-Boiled)
I note that you don't have any OSY member quotes in your sig. - the twinkster
Nonsense. "Bias" is people whom don't agree with me. - FondueDaredevil

Gabe: I wish you weren't a fucking liar.
Tycho: I'm not a liar.
Gabe: Well, I wish you didn't lie.

[AllYorBaseRBelong2Us]

[Jeremy Reimer]

[the twinkster]

Congratulations, and good luck!
_________________
As time stretches on here at OSY Extreme, everyone will eventually have quotes in their sig from the other members. – Mord

Damn, after this and some of my other relationship salvations, I really have a huuuuge stockpile of date karma. Like stumbling into a professional dominatrix at a bookstore at the science fiction section while reaching for the same book kind of karma. -- Happysin, on Ars

[PaoloM]

So, where exactly are you moving to? Do I have to warn my cats?
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This is not a signature

[Mord]

Red Deer. And no, unless your cats own it, which they might.
_________________
Give a guy a gun, he thinks he's Superman. Give him two and he thinks he's God. - Superintendant Pang, Lashou shentan (a.k.a. Hard-Boiled)
I note that you don't have any OSY member quotes in your sig. - the twinkster
Nonsense. "Bias" is people whom don't agree with me. - FondueDaredevil

Gabe: I wish you weren't a fucking liar.
Tycho: I'm not a liar.
Gabe: Well, I wish you didn't lie.

[Magus]

Combat probably keeps her real estate deeds in a floor safe.

Congrats, Mord!
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<Paolo|Work> anything that has to do with Java is by definition stupid

1 The Network is my domain, I shall not want; 2 though it makes me wait upon collision, it leads me to the Internet; 3 it restores my connection. It leads me in paths of hypertext transfer for google's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of power failures, I fear no data corruption; for backups art with me; thy UPS and thy status light, they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a firewall before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my CD-R with BurnProof, my buffer never underflows. 6 Surely good deals and pr0n shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Datacenter for ever.
-HitScan

Wilde is a 4' chinese man in a bright pink tutu, lime green pimp hat with peacock feathers, and a purple feather boa, wearing tissue stuffed snakeskin combat boots, holding a gun bigger than he is, smoking a cigarette in the parking garage, trying to look menacing while pouting and head banging to Godsmack I stand alone