Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

[tallcanadian]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

- Cut back your duties to those strictly required of your position
- Seek other employment
- Continue doing what you're doing and "suck it up"
- Start your own business (be sure to talk with a # of other small biz owners; you think you're a jack of all trades now; you ain't see nuthin' yet!)

Sorry for the long post...and good luck![/QUOTE]

Thanks, stroke, your right. Not interested in my own business, although I've thought of it. I have cut back big time, although it's really bothering me. The warehouse here looks like a tornado hit it. It drives me crazy but I'm not touching it. And I am seeking other employment.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

You all are quite right in all of your opinions. I hope I'm not coming across as whining, because I'm not. Just venting. But I agree with all of you and I thank everyone for their honest opinions. It's nice to hear from other people what I've been thinking. This is why this forum is the best out there. You guys rock.

 

[lowkee]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

You can't end it there! Be sure to let us in on whatever choice you make and how it turns out. I myself am always wondering what to do in your situation, as it seems tro come up in near every job. No employer wants to pay someone more if they don't have to, and it seems long-term employees get the shank on pay most often. Some jobs even require you to quit and get rehired in order to get XX pay raise, just so they don't have to put on the books a pay raise, but instead log it as a new hire. Not sure why on that, though, but I know from experience it happens.

 

[BF]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

It seems to me, that newfoundland might be on the verge of an economic boom on it's own (?)... with the offshore oil biz etc, and all the associated support businesses, don't you think it'll be taking off there a bit for the next few years? Maybe not Alberta, but probably better than the past. I'd think there would be some new opportunities...

Good luck to you!

 

[dingbat]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

First off.....is that in US or Canadian $'s? lol

As for Masters & PhD's, it really won't make you any more money unless you go into medicine, law, research etc. It all winds up boiling down to what is the overall employement demand of the field into which you recieved your degree.

Yes it is in USD$$. I?ve lived here (Howard County, Maryland) for the past 42 years.

A lot depends on the job market in your area. Around here (Suburban Washington, DC) a large percentage of the good paying jobs are Technical, Professional or Management positions. With a large percentage of the work force having a bachelor's degree or better, employers looking for ?above average? employment candidates are looking for advanced degrees even if outside the position?s field of expertise. A large percentage of these employers require continued education as a prerequisite for advancement.

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

Alarm installers are generally considered pretty low level employees. With systems going for $99.00 installed or even free there's not much to share with the employee. The security industry revolves around the holy grail of recurring revenue. The almighty security contract. Most security companies offer little or no real service once an agreement is signed. The agreement is the product. The system is the means.

If I were you I'd either open my own shop or learn some higher paid skills. Dont get me wrong, a good alarm tech is a valuable resource but being paid as one is the hard part.

Just my two bits.....

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

You can't end it there! Be sure to let us in on whatever choice you make and how it turns out. I myself am always wondering what to do in your situation, as it seems tro come up in near every job. No employer wants to pay someone more if they don't have to, and it seems long-term employees get the shank on pay most often. Some jobs even require you to quit and get rehired in order to get XX pay raise, just so they don't have to put on the books a pay raise, but instead log it as a new hire. Not sure why on that, though, but I know from experience it happens.

For sure lowkey, I'm not ending the thread. I just appreciate everyone's imput. It's awesome. I either have to poo or get off the pot for sure. Something will be changing soon.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

It seems to me, that newfoundland might be on the verge of an economic boom on it's own (?)... with the offshore oil biz etc, and all the associated support businesses, don't you think it'll be taking off there a bit for the next few years? Maybe not Alberta, but probably better than the past. I'd think there would be some new opportunities...

Good luck to you!

Well, some parts of Newfoundland with prosper for sure. Not us here in central. However, what I fear in that is it will be like living in Alberta. Housing now is starting to go up. I believe some say that an 85,000 dollar home is now selling for 125,000. I believe that it will cause more harm than good, especially for the smaller towns. And we just had our paper mill close here in town as well, and that was one of the main industries here in town. We haven't felt the effects....yet. Once all the severance pays are spent, we will see.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

Alarm installers are generally considered pretty low level employees. With systems going for $99.00 installed or even free there's not much to share with the employee. The security industry revolves around the holy grail of recurring revenue. The almighty security contract. Most security companies offer little or no real service once an agreement is signed. The agreement is the product. The system is the means.

If I were you I'd either open my own shop or learn some higher paid skills. Dont get me wrong, a good alarm tech is a valuable resource but being paid as one is the hard part.

Just my two bits.....

Fortunetaly, I don't work for a national brand company so we can't off 99 dollar alarms. Depending on the size of the home our alarms usually start around 499 dollars. We don't deal with contracts either. Our monitoring service is second to none, and we do it month to month. We don't lock our customers in to contract for any reason. We can give the service at a reasonable price. To date, knock on wood, we have not lost a customer due to our negligence. We can't help if the move away or a company closes. That's beyond our control. The same with our video surveillance equipment. We don't sell cheap stuff. We sell quality gear and great brand names. Our warranties are pretty cool, too. But your right about most security companies. The problem with national brand companies is that they look at their bottom line. They may lose x amount of customers a week, but if they get more new ones than the ones they lose, they are still ahead. So you don't get the care that you would if you dealt with a smaller company. The old saying is 'you get what you pay for'. And that is so true.

 

[Lightnig]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

Well, some parts of Newfoundland with prosper for sure. Not us here in central. However, what I fear in that is it will be like living in Alberta. Housing now is starting to go up. I believe some say that an 85,000 dollar home is now selling for 125,000. I believe that it will cause more harm than good, especially for the smaller towns. And we just had our paper mill close here in town as well, and that was one of the main industries here in town. We haven't felt the effects....yet. Once all the severance pays are spent, we will see.

Geez, only $125k?

Dirt cheap man.



House next door to me is up for sale right now; 50 years old, no real updates in at least 20 (plumbing and electrical never), small yard, but in a desirable part of town - $370k asking. and that's cheap here...

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

Yes, dirt cheap. That was only an example. This ain't Alberta man. lol. At least not yet.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.-Update

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.-Update

I guess word got back to my boss that I was looking to leave. He offered me a sizeable raise, close to what I wanted. I also asked for a company van in which he replied that he would think about it. We'll see. So I guess for now I'll stay put. See what happens.

 

[lowkee]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.-Update

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.-Update

That's AWESOME! Way to go! Asking for more and backing off slightly works wonders. Congrats, mate! You (probably) deserve it

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

Good.....really good to hear the outcome.

I can't speak for all employers, but I find it a pain in the butt to have some one leave, and have to re-train and accept a new employee.....especially if they are doing what i expect of them.
It is still a bit of a balancing act between what the business can afford (wages) and what an employee is worth....and take my word for it, a lot of employees believe they are worth more than they really are worth.

Once again, good news, and I hope all goes well.
Cheers
Phillip

 

[Bart Sr.]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

That is good news TC.

I am getting to the point that I would ALMOST trade my boat for a decent paying job.

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

I guess word got back to my boss that I was looking to leave. He offered me a sizeable raise, close to what I wanted. I also asked for a company van in which he replied that he would think about it. We'll see. So I guess for now I'll stay put. See what happens.

Good going At least you got close to what you wanted in the first place!!
Congrats!!

 

[pecheux]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

Good show, congrat. Happy for you. I'm Canadian, been to Newfoundland and I can see why you could be unhappy to leave it.

 

[204 Escape]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

:d

Good For You !!!!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Can't seem to get ahead at work. Maybe time for a new career.

Congrats TC. I was in the exact same situation as you last year. I had put in 6 years at a BlueCross health plan. Good benefits and excellent stability. However I could only look forward to meager 2% pay raises every year. All our bills were outpacing my salary. I approached my boss and explained my situation and asked for a plan for advancement. Best he could offer me was to do an early review. Whoop-de-friggin'-do I'd get my 2% raise earlier. I told him that really wasn't going to cut it. Like you I was paid less than all my peers and had no chance for advancement. In december I found a new job. I did really well on negotiating my salary and ended up getting 27% more than I made at my old job. Plus I'll be getting another 3% raise in Dec of this year. As an added benefit, I really love my new job. I'm now the sole web developer at a quasi-State agency and can pretty much call the shots as to what kind of projects I do and work with people who actually respect my ideas. When I resigned at my old job, my boss was upset to be losing me. And I think he did try to get me some sort of counter offer. However he was denied. That really led me to believe that if I had stayed there, nothing ever would have happened for me advancement-wise. They now have a hiring freeze so I was not replaced and my ex-workers had to assume all the work I was doing. And there have been some benefit and pay cuts. I definitely made the right move. I am glad staying with your current company has worked out for you.