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View Full Version : Should I Stay or Should I Go?


AngryEthiopian
Feb 10th, 2005, 09:28 PM
Phase 1. I came to work for this company in August of 2002. I came in as an intern making $12/hr, working 20 hours a week, while I went to school fulltime. I worked with 3 other QA persons; the QA Lead (P), a main QA person (J) and another Intern (H).

Phase 2. (Dec 2002) J went on Maternity leave as she was having her baby. In her absence I was required to pick up her load because the other intern was a lazy fuck, no offense to him as he is still a decent person (and a friend of mine).

Phase 3. (Feb 2003) I get a job offer from Giant Campus to work with them for the summer at fulltime, making 400 a week. I decide I should take it because it was a more fun job and more aligned with my future profession (teaching and the arts). I speak to my supervisor P, and he asks me if I've made up my mind to leave and I tell him no. He says he wants to try and make a counter offer because I was too valuable to loose at that moment. They offer me the ability to work fulltime for the summer, thus I'd be making more money than at Giant Campus. I take the offer.

Phase 4. (Sep 2003) J decides she is not going to stay with the company after she had a stint where she returned from Maternity leave to work part time, ussually from home (telecommuting). I take this as an opportunity to expand, since I was doing a ton of her work anyway. I tell them I have taken on more responsibilities and I felt that it demanded an elevated position. They give me a raise, I am then making $15/hr. I am content. The QA department now consists of 3 people, P, H and myself.

Phase 5. (Dec 2003) The company is Aquisitioned. P and H are laid off an the only remaining QA person is myself. I am still working under a contract (not an employee of the company). During this time I express my discontent with my disposable status and am subsequently told that in a few months I might have opportunities to move up into a new position, and become an official employee. I am content.

Phase 6. (June 2004) The company announces that I will be hired and taken into the company officially. This is announced in a company meeting to everyone. The transition is supposed to happen in August. I am content.

Phase 7. (Aug 2004) They tell me the transition will happen in September.

Phase 8. (Sep 2004) They tell me October.

Phase 9. (Oct 2004) The CFO announces she is resigning and moving onto a new company. She tells me my future is uncertain.

Phase 10. (Dec 2004) I am told that the decision to hire me is up in the air again and will be decided by other upper management.

Phase 11. (Jan 2005) I start looking for a new job.

Phase 12a (Feb 2005) I recieve offers from companies but turn them down for various reasons, mostly due to relocation.

Phase 12b (Feb 2005) I interview with a new company, then get a second interview with the same company and am told that they will contact me to make an offer provided I pass a background check. I am hopeful because I don't believe there is anything in my background that would cause me to fail a background check. I tell my supervisor (L) that I am awaiting an offer and he tells me that he doesn't blame me for all the bullshit the company has put me through. He has been fighting for me the whole time by the way and he is as disgusted with the company as I if not more. He tells me he is going to try and make them give me a counter offer.

So Tuesday L comes to tell me the counter offer is 40k/year + benefits + 10% bonus (4k) with a posibility of another 5% bonus depending on individual employee performance + 401k + 2 weeks paid vacation.

Delimma Part I: I'm waiting for the other company to come through and be like... BAM! Look girl, we wanna pay you 55k! But they haven't contacted me yet. I am confident that they will give me an offer because I met just about everyone in the IT dept and they all were so gung ho about me. I mean really, the whole office was talking about the person with all the amazing skills who was so well rounded with technical knowledge and culture but wasn't inflated! I'm dead serious. However, from practical knowledge, I know... you don't have an offer until you have an offer, signed, with dotted i's and crossed t's.

Delimma Part II: The job is in Burlingame any way. I really don't want to move to the other side of the bay for a job... or have to commute an hour everyday to work, and another hour back. Those would be my options. How the fuck do i decide?

I have not been happy with my company since upper management broke promises with me before and didn't come through until I pushed them up against a wall and pistol whipped them. I really can't respect you after you've behaved that way. And it's absolutely disgusting how they are all trying to kiss my ass. However, much of the staff I work with is awesome and it's a pretty decent work environment and they worked with me all this time so I could go to school and work. And they told me they would make a true effort to edge me into new work and challange me more with other types of technical writing, which would be a good thing.

I am also not that excited about starting over completely with a new company... :-/ Even though they seem like a totally awesome group, especially for a first impression.

And not to mention they haven't called me yet! Fucking pricks, I need a status update. I'm thinking about emailing them today, but I don't want to give the impression that I want to pressure them! Cause it's not my intention... HELP!

vsoy
Feb 10th, 2005, 10:33 PM
I think you ought to contact the other company to find out where they are in their hiring decision. You have an offer from your current company, but you seem very excited by this new job and wanted to touch base with them. Maybe they have to wait by after some report or there is some financial reason they are delaying their decision. You're not pressuring them, you are sincerely very interested in their company.

The commute issue blows, especially the Bay area, what about moving closer to Burlingame (is it nice place to live?)? If you are making more money, it'll offset the inconvenience of having to move. Which job is more closely aligned to your long term goals? Which job will give you more opportunities to grow? I hate companies, especially the one that strung you along. But if you are still in school, would it be a problem to commute to school and your new job? I assume the commute with your current job is not bad.

It is so easy to just stay in your current job because you know what you have to do and sometimes you feel like you are trapped. I've been in a job like that for 4 years and it caused me so much anxiety and depression. Towards the end, I got 2 new coworkers who were wonderful and made it more bearable but I am glad I am out of that job.

poisenedrice
Feb 10th, 2005, 10:52 PM
I am going to sound like a scheming prick, but my advice is to keep interviewing like you have been, and jump ship when you get a better offer at a better company.

My situation is somewhat similar to yours. I work at a small tech company that is full of politics, in-fighting, and bean counters who are straight out of Dilbert.

Companies like these care only about the bottom line, and they don't give a damn about the underlings who do the work. Ultimately, you will have to decide if your happiness and sanity is more important than the comfort of a familiar setting, or vice versa. For me personally, I chose the former and am aggressively applying and interviewing.

Also, since you seem to be still attending school, you might want to see if you can procure a position at a company that would let you work remotely. That would take care of relocation problems.

Either way, good luck and keep ya head up.

angi
Feb 11th, 2005, 12:04 AM
Take your current companies offer, get paid, then when the other company contacts you go with them.

The bottom line is to go with what is best for you. I'm doing 80 miles of driving ATM, so you really are crying to the wrong person about making a commute :P I'd go with the money and the promotion potential. Your current company has dicked you around for long enough and is likely to pull the same shit again.

B the student
Feb 11th, 2005, 05:39 PM
I think you ought to contact the other company to find out where they are in their hiring decision. You have an offer from your current company, but you seem very excited by this new job and wanted to touch base with them. Maybe they have to wait by after some report or there is some financial reason they are delaying their decision. You're not pressuring them, you are sincerely very interested in their company.

i agree. if you're really that interested in the offer it won't be pressuring them to check to see your status every now and then (but not every five minutes). if they're that interested in getting you to join them they'll at least be able to give a reasonable explanation of what's going on with your status.

AngryEthiopian
Feb 11th, 2005, 05:49 PM
Ok, thanks for the advice you all :). I contacted the guy at the other company and he told me he didn't know why their HR hadn't gotten back to me already and he said he'll try and have information for me at the end of the day.

The commute really would suck because it would interfere with getting to school, especially now since i'm currently taking a class in Alameda :-/. I would never get to Alameda from Burlingame in an hour if i'm leaving at 5pm and my class is at 6pm.

My current job has no commute, I could walk to work from home, and then walk to school if i needed to. Plus, all my family lives in Oakland, and all my friends are on this side of the bay. So it is really convienent. But that is no reason to stay in a crappy situation. What made things really crappy was that they wern't keeping their promises. I could hope that that won't occur more in the future but I'd be fooling myself if I said it wouldn't.

I think I am going to keep interviewing. It's something that has been on my mind for a while. I won't look as hard core as before, and I'm going to take my time and not take a new job until it's something I really feel good about.

Thanks for all your responses, I'll keep you updated :)

xian
Feb 11th, 2005, 08:27 PM
Ok, thanks for the advice you all :). I contacted the guy at the other company and he told me he didn't know why their HR hadn't gotten back to me already and he said he'll try and have information for me at the end of the day.

The commute really would suck because it would interfere with getting to school, especially now since i'm currently taking a class in Alameda :-/. I would never get to Alameda from Burlingame in an hour if i'm leaving at 5pm and my class is at 6pm.

My current job has no commute, I could walk to work from home, and then walk to school if i needed to. Plus, all my family lives in Oakland, and all my friends are on this side of the bay. So it is really convienent. But that is no reason to stay in a crappy situation. What made things really crappy was that they wern't keeping their promises. I could hope that that won't occur more in the future but I'd be fooling myself if I said it wouldn't.

I think I am going to keep interviewing. It's something that has been on my mind for a while. I won't look as hard core as before, and I'm going to take my time and not take a new job until it's something I really feel good about.

Thanks for all your responses, I'll keep you updated :)

Congratulations on having a tough decision. It's a good sign--you have the talent so everyone needs you!

In the end, you'll look back and have spent a bunch of years, or you'll have found an amazing environment where you are doing great thanks to the support of others rather than despite them. I agree that you owe them nothing--keep looking and find your ideal spot. You are earning it through the hard work you've put in building your skills.

AngryEthiopian
Feb 11th, 2005, 10:05 PM
This is comical! It turned out they lost my paper work. :x But they told me they wanted me on starting with 45k. I had to decline the offer because it would even me out with my current companies offer in the end so it would be a waste of time in some sense.

But it was great to be along for the ride and to experience all this. Plus, it verified to me that I'm not locked in here and that I can do better. And that's great news.

BTW: I have to say... The guy who was going to be my boss was HOT HOT HOT!!!! He looked South Asian or something, nice dark skin, fucking chisled face. Young too, he didn't look much older than 25 (but you never know with the darker toned people, he could have been 30) OMG what a babe. Hehehe. Sorry... I had to say it. :wink:
Thanks again everyone for your encouragement. I'm keeping my resume on monster :wink: