Advice on leaving employer 1

[RunSomewhere]

Hello all,

I've been with my current employer for a little over 5 years, first job after undergrad. I've started taking classes towards a general engineering masters through what I feel is a decent, accredited online program (NCSU). My employer reimburses me for classes, with the stipulation that the funds are repaid if I voluntarily leave within 3 years. Right now I am over $4k indebited if I leave; an amount I cannot afford to pay back right now. One loophole I see is the voluntary leave aspect. If I accidentally make a mistake and get fired, I don't think they can hold me to it. On the other hand, if such a thing were to happen, the bridges with that company would be burned.

My employer has mediocre (at best) pay with very good benefits. I like most of the people, but a lot has changed in the last five years. I don't enjoy what I'm doing, and it hardly qualifies as real engineering work. I'm torn as to what direction to go in. Should I burn the bridge and move on? Should I be happy I am at least employed and stay where I am? Should I stop pursuing master's degree that isn't specialized in any one area? These are all questions I'm trying to answer. If anyone has advice, I would appreciate it.

 

[ctopher]

You are lucky you are still employed AND they pay your tuition.
Leave now and start at another company, you have more of a chance for layoff...and you will be more in debt.
Have a talk with your boss, stay where you're at and finish your degree.

Chris
SolidWorks 10 SP5.0
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Have you spoken with your boss about your unhappiness towards project assignments? If he doesn't know about it, there's nothing he can do.

A case would be vary rare in which I would suggest attempting to get fired (though a current thread in the Ethics forum is one such instance). That will carry with you for quite some time to come, particularly since you've been there for a while and cannot conveniently ignore it on your resume.

All of that said, if you cannot float a mere $4k to get out of a bad position, I think you should consider yourself lucky you're employed and suck it up for a while longer... but don't ignore my previous suggestion of talking to your boss.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[telecomguy]

"If I accidentally make a mistake and get fired"
It amazes me what gets posted sometimes. Is no one from your company tech savvy? One quick search of your unique id gives me a name, photo, and location that would pretty well get you fired without the accidental mistake.

<tg>

 

[Latexman]

Life is too short to be unhappy. Talk to your boss about assignments . . . and pay, that seems to be an issue too. Don't let it get confrontational. You should be glad you have a job in these bad economic times. And, 5 years seniority is a good thing!

If the conversation goes well, fine. If you don't feel good about it, you can start looking for a job. I think you'll be surprised how difficult the job market is right now. Above all else, don't quit your job until you have another job locked-up and in writing!

Good luck,
Latexman

 

[RunSomewhere]

@telecomguy: There are a lot of tech savvy people at my place but I'm sure they have better things to do than scour the internet. I never said I was trying to hide anything; I had some thoughts and I simply wanted advice. Others have brought up a good point about the ethical nature of my thoughts. That is something I never considered. I've always upheld the highest standard of quality in my work. I appreciate the advice and realize I would could never purposefully impact my work or reputation in a negative way. I feel this may be a case of 'the grass is always greener' syndrome.

 

[cksh]

I would find another job and go. You can stay where you are at, finish your degree, and they will pay for it, but you'll just be that much more in debt to the company, and still have to wait 3 years. I left while owing back tuition money and the company was willing to make payment arrangements. Since I make literally twice as much money now I cant say it was a bad move.

It doesnt sound like you will be happy staying there, no matter what they offer you. Go now, and start building experience in a field you enjoy.

Will having your Masters degree help you at your current employer? I have learned that it doesnt make much of a difference, and you would probably have to leave anyways. It sounds like you arent doing engineering now. Is your undergrad in something other than engineering? I dont think a masters degree will benefit you at all where you are at.

Never be happy just to have a job. It makes it sound like your employer is doing you a favor.

Do something you love and are passionate about, or you will end up well paid but miserable like me.

 

[tygerdawg]

Talk to Boss, if approachable. That's the first step. Everything in life is a negotiation, and everything is negotiable. At some point you might have wished that you established the precendent of attempting a dialog. If Boss isn't approachable (I've had some that were so psychotic, it was tough to be in the same building with them), then you don't have too many options.

$4K is nuthin. It really isn't. If you immediately reduce your lifestyle sufficiently, you might be surprised how fast you can accumulate that.

Then here's an additional option to consider: If your next employer really considers you to be Tarzan-the-Engineer, then you should try to negotiate with them a sign-on bonus to pay for some or all of your required payback.

"make a mistake and get fired" ......sheesh

TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[RunSomewhere]

I know I know. Bad choice of words!

 

[patprimmer]

Bad choice of words. I would say more an idiotic thought that should have been flushed well before it hit a keyboard.

Poor pay but good benefits. Benefits are pay and should be included as pay in your mind, well at least the ones that hold any value to you.

Talk to your boss. For all you know, he might be deliberately giving you a light load to help you with your studies. After all he is assisting you to study, so he has some interest in your skills development and that is a valuable and rare benefit.

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm

for site rules

 

[bigTomHanks]

Here are my thoughts on your situation:
1) I would be careful to burn bridges in your situation if you are actually in the Bioengineering field. I know in certain industries people are cycled around and eventually everyone knows everybody else.

2) You are in a great position to really start enjoying your job and probably get a promotion. The best time that I have ever had at a job are the last few months before I know that I am going to leave. At that point I just didn't give a crap and could essentially be myself. I would however keep up with my work out of respect for those that would have to do it if I left. Work each day without fear of getting fired and you will perform at your best.

3) As others have said if your employer is supporting you getting your masters then I would milk that to the end. If after that you are still not happy then take your free degree and leave. Prospective employers will assume that you left because you got the education to get promoted and your current company didn't support that.

 

[macmet]

...Sounds like you were having a George Costanza moment.

Perhaps you can find a new employer that would be a better fit and would be willing to pay the amount you owe to your current place? Even a 50/50 split would make it more reasonable.