Fozzy The Bear posted:

I work in compliance, analyze accounts and write up reports about clients.

My boss quit. We are just a 3 worker + boss team. We all applied for the position and my co-worker got the job. I really psyched myself up that I had a chance to be the boss, but good for my co-worker.

My boss's boss said that I am able to write really well but my public speaking skills needed improvement. I already know this, I'm a awkward, nerdy dude. I thought I was a good enough, not perfect, public speaker, but whatever. My boss's boss wants me to work on this skill by presenting our monthly reports to the board of directors (something my boss used to do). I feel like I was ambushed today when asked to do this.

My boss's boss doesn't know that I'm on a 4-5 year plan to leave and start my own business. I thought if I got the boss spot I might delay that 5 year plan, but now I'm wanting to just do the minimum amount of work and responsibilities until I leave (especially since I'm not getting a manager's pay raise).

How do I be like "if you aren't making me the boss, don't give me more responsibilities"? Or do I just keep my head down and apply for jobs elsewhere?

Lockback posted:

Getting experience delivering reports to an influential BoD is some of the best experience you could ask for if you're looking to start your own business, especially if you think that's not a strength of yours. Not to mention the opportunity to make connections that make or break a new company.

How much work is it do the reports and present them? Honestly if it's just an hour prep + attend the meeting your Grand Boss is giving you a really good opportunity....

CornHolio posted:

So I'm an engineering supervisor with six direct reports at a medium-sized vehicle manufacturer. Think RV, but not RV. I'm 40, been here ten years, make low six-figures.

They're going through a department restructuring, and for career advancement I have two options: go for more of an engineering management role, or go for more of a technical leadership role (which would be less administrative and more engineering. The latter is new for the company. It sounds like something I'd be more interested in (I enjoy the analysis and calculations that I do), but I've also been told I'm a good boss by my reports. They appreciate my leadership style. I think I could enjoy management as well, and it's more likely to get me to get past my own comfort zone.

Does anybody have any experience with having to make this decision? They say, monetarily they're equitable but I imagine the "engineering manager" position would pay more as well as look better on the resume.

hallo spacedog posted:

I need some advice regarding making a total career change. Sorry but this will be kind of long.

So, I worked in client service for financial companies for about 10 years. This isn't anything related to what I did in school, but I graduated during the recession and ended up in that field just to put a roof over my head. In 2021 I had my daughter and I quit my job for a variety of reasons: I hated the financial industry, I hated working directly with retail clients, I hated the treatment I got from my company, and the salary was capped at an insultingly low rate. The position was dead-end, as the better you were at your job the more the company and management would fight to prevent you from being promoted to keep you in the same position. There's more but long story short, with my resume as it is I only get interest from people looking to hire someone to exactly the same position or trying to hire people for financial sales paid by commission (even worse).

Anyway, my kid will probably be going to preschool next year and I've been thinking about trying to go back to school to get retraining so I can start a new career entirely. I was considering moving abroad for this but that probably won't be happening right away so I was looking at online options etc in my state.

In 2019 I was taking some community college courses in environmental science because I have a lot of interest in geology, earth sciences, geography and cartography, etc. I had to stop due to COVID and the baby and also a lack of clear end game. My major concerns are studying anything at this point that isn't going to lead me to getting hired into a new growing field since that's what happened the first time around when I graduated school in 2010.

With this in mind I was looking at this Masters in GIS at the state school. Pros are that it's entirely online, relatively affordable and can be done in 15 months. Additionally, I think I meet all the prerequisites and can get accepted to the course without a lot of frustrating hoops to jump through. Cons are that I am not yet a computer toucher so I honestly don't know if this is one of those degrees that is for suckers and I'm going to end up out a bunch of money and time and still have no career prospects after it's done.

Looking I guess for people to weigh in both on the idea of this program or alternative ideas that will help build a new career quickly? I guess my ideal career would be one not retail client facing, done all or mostly remote would be a bonus, and with career growth opportunities over time. Fairly compensated is also important, doesn't need to be astronomical but at least paying decently getting out of school would be a bonus.

Hopefully this makes sense but if there's anything I can clarify or am not thinking of just let me know. Thank you for the help!!

Alan_Shore posted:

I'm hoping someone can give me career advice:

I'm moving from the UK to the USA (hopefully) in a year-ish (hopefully) to be with my fiance. She's studying in Urbana, Illinois, and I need to upgrade myself.

Background: graduated with bachelor's in media and journalism, worked in the media for a bit (but never climbed up the ladder), went travelling and taught English in Asia. Now, I work remotely, writing social media posts and blogs for a company's clients (and arguing about wrestling on these here forums).

My goal is to be a movie director and for the last year put everything I had into making a movie. Got close, but it didn't work out. I'm not giving up, but I have to be realistic and need to do something when I can legally work over there. Most of my skills and work are creative, but I don't really have a portfolio (look at these tweets I wrote for someone! Read this blog about MSPs!). I'm a decent screenwriter but good luck paying the bills that way. I can also edit video (and recently had a few paying gigs online), but my portfolio is small and I don't think it compares to anyone who has been doing this seriously for a while. So, I basically have a lot of varied experience/skills but it's all shallow.

So, I need to re-train over the next year. I'd love to be outdoors (park ranger haha) but I don't think they have any of those in Urbana (or Chicago, where we'll be moving to when she graduates). I'm great at PCs, always enjoyed fixing things in Windows but have no qualifications. I can't do code or write software, so I'm thinking, outside of landing a brilliant creative job, I should get some IT qualifications, but don't know which ones to get.

Thanks for reading this mess! I will take anything you say seriously!

Alan_Shore posted:

What is Volition? Would me *ahem* experience help me out?

Bioshuffle posted:

I'm in the middle of applying for jobs. When it comes to start ups, what are some red flags I should be aware of? The bump in pay is nice, but I don't know the first thing about start ups and I don't want to leave my job just to end up being unemployed because the funding didn't go through or something. Is there a book or a guide I can read that will give me more information about how stable the start up is going to be?

Covok posted:

Got a pretty depressing dose of reality. I had a talk with a recruiter. Basically, they said my resume is too jumpy and that it's going to look that way even if I worked a year and a half at my current job. That I'm pretty unemployable with my employment history and that its probably not going to happen. She said the only job that I ever stayed at was only 4.5 years and that I had four jobs and that's really unacceptable in a six year career. And that she will do what she can but that I am very noncommittal.

Beefeater1980 posted:

One thing I’ve had way too much time to think about recently is what a godawful pain it is to provide employment history info once you’re in your 40s, especially if you’ve had a number of employers in your 20s and 30s. I’m 42 and my career looks like this:

- lawyer for 10 years
- business stuff for several years
- exec at a tech company for several years
- other stuff for a while

I recently started another tech job and I probably spent a full week just answering screening questions along the lines of “no I can’t give you my supervisor’s phone number for the job I worked 12 years ago” from the dipshits they farmed the screening out to. Eventually it all resolved but that was a massive waste of everybody’s time not least because the screening companies automate the entire process with poorly designed forms that need a ton of back and forth questioning to fix. Highlight was when they asked me to give evidence of the degree or other academic qualifications a previous employer awarded me (wtf?).

It’s not helped by the way that the automated emails read like they are written by the same people who draft comms for debt collectors: QUESTION RAISED; YOU MUST RESPOND TODAY OR YOUR OFFER MAY BE WITHDRAWN. Knowing it’s neither true nor (where I am) enforceable just makes it more annoying IMO.

Covok posted:

My mom said something last week and a recruiter waid something today that has me thinking.

Here it is: I'm at 10 months at this job and I'm considering quitting without another job secured.

Why?

Well, first off, I dreaded going into work so much Thursday and Friday that I had to take mental heath days. I actually physically felt sick but the doctor said I was completely fine. They think maybe I caught something going around but the test came back negative across the board. My mom thinks it was severe stress and my white hairs at 30 are making me think so too.

For what feels like the 10th time, we've barely made payroll. This week, I couldn't deposit until Tuesday. Which means I was paid 5 days late. There has been a consisten "Don't pay yourself unti Monday" thing going on for a while.

Our company is not good. My boss kept telling me its been worse but now he's saying he can't work like this, he hates working like this, and he would have quit if I wasn't around. The longest term employees are stressed and getting into arguments. The owner called my boss an rear end in a top hat in front of the entire office because we didn't have enough money to pay the bills, even though its the owner's fault for constantly taking money for themselves.

We are millions in debt. They owe the unions so much that we got a letter Friday saying that if we don't pay up, they'll report us and have us cut off from all government contracts and payouts until we make even. We have 260k on their father's Amex that has been sitting since December with no payments. I already had to do a financial review to keep their other American expresses. They are banking on getting a line of credit, but there has been 3 bank failures, they do not have a tax return showing a positive income in over 2 years because they lie on their taxes, and years ago they let a line of credit be withdrawn due to a lack of timely payment.

Today, the recruiter said that they have me trapped. I don't get a lunch break because they buy me lunches and they put my desk in the same office as my boss so I can't make phone calls. Another recruiter called our setup archaic and that this is an old trick to make it impossible for employees to look for other work by forcing them ibto early morning and late night interviews, which usually don't go anywhere.

I have 30k+ in cash saved up before any of my retirement savings. I know I don't get unemployment. I am just dreading going into work everyday.

To be clear, the recruiter did not say to quit. Not yet. I sent him an email asking his opinion but he didn't get back to me. My mom, however, did say if I am so dreading going to work that I have money saved up and that I could afford it.

I also, honestly, do not like how the boss is banking on me taking over for him next year. This guy's entire job seems to be stay until 6pm everyday and be berated.

And, honestly, I don't know how they'll make ends meat in a recession.

I am legit wondering if quitting and focusing full time on a job hunt makes sense.

My landlords are my parents, I paid off my car in cash and only have insurance payments, I have 10k in cash checking and 24k in cash savings. And I honestly feel like this is a sinking ship. No one seems to recongize it. Maybe I'm crazy? We are so behind on our payments and routinely have money issues. Maybe this is normal for construction but its driving me mad.

Edit: Also, we can't get credit from any of our vendors. Either we are so in debt that we were moved to cash on delivery or they require a personal guarantee and the owners refuse to sign one. A few months ago, the controller tried to sign the personal guarantee for them, but they don't accept those from non-owners. I really hope that isn't just poo poo they expect.

Edit edit: And all I'm getting is health insurance. The 401k takes 1 year to kick in and won't kick in for two months. And they gently caress people over. They announced a profit sharing agreement but rescinded it because they didn't have the cash to pay it and kind of lied to all the workers about it. And they constantly pay people in cash and don't report it to the IRS or NYS. And they are over 300k in debt for payroll taxes. They still have over a million in trust fund recovery penalities on their personal side from falling behind years ago on payroll. And they don't offer vision or dental. And, while my salary is 90k and that's very nice, this constant uncertainty isn't helping. It isn't even entirely new. The first time I deposited my paycheck I was reprimanded for deposting as soon as I got it, as if that isn't a normal thing.

Covok posted:

I think I reached a decision. I have an interview on 5/24. Regardless of how that turns out, I plan to put in my two weeks notice that Friday and make June 9th my last day.

This is looking to be yet another week where the owner's spent a bunch of money on themselves and I will likely have to hold my paycheck for 3 or so days. Something might change, but I can't keep having this financial uncertainty. If I am going to worry about my finances, I'll at least do so without being breated, stressed out, or ouright insulted.

And one of the partners today, the only responsible one, is discussing that he may sue the other brothers because he's owed 1.3 million that he put in to keep the company running while they over spent.

Honestly, I can't blame him. I even told him that he needs to get a note from them with a clear repayment schedule. The guy has put in 300k+ over the last year to keep it going. His younger brother took 400k for himself last year above his salary. Right now, his two brothers have taken almost 70k more than him in salary and he's been putting money in to keep the lights on.

This is too much.

Covok posted:

I couldn't make the two weeks. I put in my notice today. My boss tried to start a fight. I went to the owner I like. I explained everything. He said "you've done great work, you have every right to leave: everyone has their own priorities." I said I was giving two weeks but if the boss made it difficult, it would be earlier. He took my boss in back and explained it. My boss tried to start another fight. I almost walked out and the owner stepped in and made it clear that this isn't happening and it's over.

So far, so good.

Seraphiel posted:

Looong story short, but at a COMPLETE loss. [LONG].

Before ANYONE cared, I took a BSc (Hons) degree in Cognitive Science (which had a strong focus on Cognitive Neuroscience (later being re-branded as such)) and then a MSc in Cognitive Computing (Artificial Intelligence).

Since I couldn't then afford a PhD, I took any old job at an internet cafe (remember those?) in London - which lead to me running an Angel Investment Network for a number of years, that the boss also ran.

As a result, I ended up working in and leading a number of incubators, accelerators, innovation ecosystems for the next ten or so years, taking various positions and consultancies - and helping people fundraise (equity, VC, etc) or with their marketing, strategy, etc.

I've recently been screwed out of a contractual payment, 2% of equity for a fundraise that they're not honouring - and I definitely don't have the funds to fight it (to make matter worse, they didn't yet complete their raise, but only close to it). I'm looking to take them to court, but it's expensive!

Now I'm looking for my next gig, but can't find ANYTHING - especially ironic given the huge AI hype going on (the MSc was more around the philosophical limits of AI, with very little coding ability) and I've never been so broke.

My question now, I suppose, is it finally time to call it quits? I've been doing this for approx. 15 years, with very little to show for it. Unlike the U.S, the low pay in startupland here in the UK often doesn't come with equity, so I've been so broke for so long, I would love to pursue something different - the supposedly valuable network and connections have left me utterly bereft, particularly with this impending lawsuit!

Before, my strength very much used to be in calling upon my network, but with that dissipating over time, and connections/access being easier than ever, I have absolutely no idea what else to do! Assume I have no coding or tech skills whatsoever (not quite true, but may as well be).

I recently read Kate Beaton's 'Ducks' (she of 'Hark a Vagrant fame; hard recommend) and feel like I'm in the same boat. If I was 20-ish, I'd do something similar!

Except I'm in my mid-thirties, and have a life/commitments that screen towards a remote (or at the very least hybrid) job.

Tears in the rain; time to die?

Ornery and Hornery posted:

A bunch of my friends are getting burned out in their professions. Different friends in their mid thirties who have been in tech for a decade have been telling them that they could totally make the jump to coding. And make $$$ in relatively short time.

Is this plausible anymore? I am skeptical that a mid thirties person who only had a few coursera certificates and maybe a dozen little projects on their GitHub could meaningfully compete with new CS college kids or more experienced programmers who were in the recent layoffs.

Seems like the gold rush of anybody being able to get a tech job for massive money is over?

Pooper Trooper posted:

Blue Labrador posted:

I don't know if this is a proper thread for it, but I'm deciding between two casino & resort jobs that I'm interested in, and I want help deciding. One's a job at a Sportsbook that would help me break into the gaming side of things, but the pay's lower than my other option with the expectation that tips will make up for it.

Is there anyone with sportsbook experience who would be willing to share how much they generally make in tips a week? Or if it's easier, are there any general rules of thumb for how to calculate prospective tips a position might provide?

Organic Lube User posted:

I'm in the process of onboarding for a contract field technician position. It's my first time being a 1099 contractor, what all should I look out for? I'll be using my own vehicle, so will that mean I can claim the vehicle or gas on my taxes? I know I'll have to withhold my own taxes, is there a special way to do that?

Fork of Unknown Origins posted:

Related to asking for a seniority bump, when is the right time to? My third round interview (the biggest one, where I actually go to the plant and do a tour and talk to several people) is next week. I’ve been told there would be a quick 4th round phone interview with someone at corporate that, if the third round goes fine, is basically a formality.

I wouldn’t bring up the seniority bump until after they make an offer, right? Like this isn’t something to bring up during the interview, even with they have someone from HR as part of the panel/group?

Lockback posted:

Once you go to a higher paying job, you aren't going to take a pay cut to follow another job as a passion. So if you want to take the higher paying job go for it, but that will almost certainly cut off ever going back into urban planning. That's what I mean by its better to do the lower paying job first.

Do whatever you want but I think it's important to be honest about the fact that you'll get super used to the lifestyle of having mroe money really quickly.

And that's why there's nothing but happy smiling faces in the tech corporate world

nwin posted:

Easy button if I were to relocate is a GS job or contracting gig in DC area but I don’t want that.

I’d take a GS job around here possibly, but I have no problem trying out another industry. My current place of employment is toxic as gently caress so I’m happy to leave and see if the grass is greener elsewhere.

Xguard86 posted:

Long-term question for the thread on work location:

Looking for the best strategy to change jobs when I'm willing to relocate and don't live in an area with a lot of jobs in my industry.

I work in tech, PM in b2b saas at a principal/director level. When I got this role, the company paid for relocation but it was a special program out of MBA. as I look to the future I'm wondering if that is likely to happen again or if I need to consider alternative plans if I want to change jobs or get laid off.

I would happily move to a lot of cities but I'm worried that the extra $$$ and difficulty to relocate puts at too much of a disadvantage against other candidates. I'm good enough at my job but not some kind of unicorn hire who could expect a special deal.

Lieutenant Dan posted:

Hey thread, I'm wondering if y'all have any suggestions for "backup careers". I'm in my early 30's, and 100% of my job experience since 2009 has been in entertainment (game dev, comics, PA stuff on set, lifestyle brand editor, etc etc). Almost all of my friends in game dev, animation, and comics are scrambling for work right now, and I'm in a real lovely spot, so I was wondering:

1. What jobs outside of the above industries could I try to look for with my skill set? My big problem is I'm a combo game dev/2D artist/writer and I cannot program for poo poo (I'm a decent scripter though). I'm an agented author/illustrator otherwise and my agent has been working her rear end off trying to find me gigs as normal, but it's gonna be a side gig for the rest of my life. I DO have a number of decent impressive accolades (NYT bestseller, well-reviewed shipped titles, worked on big IP etc) but it's LITERALLY all for cartooning/illustration/etc (not graphic design or anything). I also have a decent amount of QA experience in games.

2. I dropped out of undergrad my junior year to work full-time in game dev, and I'm TECHNICALLY still on a Leave of Absence. I dropped out right before "producer year" where students pitch their games to be funded & work on them for the rest of the year. Right now I'm paying my bills as a solo indie dev with an ongoing episodic indie game. Would it be completely insane to go BACK to school and use that to my advantage to secure funding for my games? Caveat: School is EXTREMELY expensive and I'd be out $60k a year in student loans.

3. I have one year of retail experience working at a print shop/bookbinder where I operated the machines and did pre-production and post-production plus dealing with customers, but that's the only non-entertainment experience I have.

I'm also applying to college prof positions since I have an MFA and everything, but I keep making it to the final interview then getting shafted.

Basically I need to find a job that's very likely outside of my industries of experience for the next 3-4 years until they bounce back and any and all suggestions are appreciated! I also have some odd job skills (bookbinding etc). I moved out of LA right before the pandemic, so I'm not ruling out that I might just need to save up as much as I can and move back to actually GET a job again.

Mr Interweb posted:

What kinds of jobs can I get with a bachlor's in history that doesn't involve teaching k-12?

dpkg chopra posted:

When is a contract position worth considering? I've been approached by a couple of recruiters for 6-8 month contract roles that very sound interesting, but at the same time the idea of leaving my role (where I'm well regarded and have a decent amount of job security) for something with a definite end-date feels a bit daunting.

pmchem posted:

does anyone know of a good survey or site detailing which companies are viewed as the most "desirable" places to work at by elite college grads? where do kids graduating from the ivies, stanford, MIT, etc., want to work for their first job? what companies are they fighting to get into?

hopefully looking for quantitative data on this. I know stuff like "big tech good" and so on.