Stay in current job & get promoted to Manager or pursue dream job.

[OleRoy]

In my current company as a Project Engineer, if I stay with the company, I will be promoted to Project Manager within 2-3 years. Now the bread and butter but not necessarily our focus of the company is Waste Water Treatment plants - not extravagant work mind you. However it's not like I am in the hole getting dirty, I usually will go on-site briefly to check on a measurement or progress or to see a problem area that is reported to me by my superintendent or other subs etc. Even the PM's I see now hardly go on-site.

My wife and I are pretty much stuck in the state/area and will be here until we can not make ends meet financially. My dilemma is whether or not to stay within the company and get to Manager status; not really being passionate about the industry . I am fairly good at what I do and presently make low money according to industry standards but that will soon jump in 2 to 3 years when I get to Manager status. I like the small company and they definitely want to retain me. In fact my company is short on "good people like me", so they say. The stress level is not very high but since I'm basically an Engineer in Training with a few more years to go, I don't really know how stressful it'll get. Granted most jobs are stressful anyways and its about how an individual manages their own stress...

To that effect, it is not like I am even doing hard calculations; its more like coordination work. I've read previous threads that say the closer you get to management the farther you'll be from the nitty gritty work/calculation/etc. I'm not opposed to moving away from the nitty gritty and towards management but like I said before, I don't know that I want to stay within the industry. The work is steady and there will always be jobs that my company gets so its not like I'll be laid off.

At one point I thought about joining the military but then I feel "I went to College to avoid having to enlist in the first place" . Plus I don't want to leave my wife alone for long periods of time. I want to get back into technical work and I enjoyed previous robotics classes (albeit it limited) in College. I'd love to try to reintegrate myself into that industry and I've sent my resume to companies around my area. However, I know that in their eyes I have zero experience which is true, and will be overlooked in the hiring process easily, I'm sure. The thing is I'm the type of person who learns as they go; I was basically thrown into the fire within this company and industry and I'm excelling at it so I feel that if one of those companies would give me a chance, I'd know I could progress and learn. Cliche-sounding, I know.

I'm basically hung up on the feeling of "If I stay in my current industry, I'll be able to pay the bills but I don't necessarily like what I do." My resume is already in the hands of prospective companies, I am in good standing with my current company, I am stuck in the area with my wife (no kids, mid 20's), have "good" debt, don't want to enlist, and plan on having 2 kids by the time we are 30. Any thoughts, suggestions, or feedback is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[lostsailor]

OleRoy,
The time is now if you want to make a major career move, talk it over with your wife. Raising a family is hard enough without being in a job you don't like or, at best, are indifferent to.
Regards,
RLS

 

[OleRoy]

Indifferent is more the way I feel. I've spoken about it to my wife and the main concern is the finances. My wife and I are coming close to living paycheck to paycheck with just a little tucked away in savings; of which we have not been able to add to recently with our mortgage going up etc. That doesn't mean we are bad with our money and spending habits though. We are fairly frugal and don't live beyond our means. And we are the type that doesn't exactly "chase the money". Furthermore, say my dream job did come knocking but with lower pay. It's not financially smart to switch out careers to a lower pay, despite how "happy" I'd be in that dream job if they were to come a knockin. My happiness would come more from being able to provide for my family with my steady job instead of a "dream job". I see all this as more of a waiting game because this is what always happens: I'm here at my job, contemplating my career, every 6 months or so I come back to Eng-tips forums to re-evaluate my career path and end up sending resumes out to prospective companies. Wash, rinse, repeat. Only difference is now I have decided to post about it. Also, it is not like the companies I applied to have even contacted me back for anything.

 

[cksh]

Sounds like you have some pretty big decisions to make. I am somewhat in the same boat except that I already have a son. I want to find a job I am passionate about but still pays the bills. I would have to take a pay cut to get my dream job and basically start from scratch on the experience.

I don't necesarily hate my job but it is unchallenging and can drag at times. But on the other hand I would be making plenty of money down the road and maybe move into PM work. Still not what I want but do I really want to change careers?

I keep going back and forth but will most likely stay in my current field or something similar. That will allow me to focus on my family and hobbies instead of stressing out over my day job.

Like you I have gone back and forth quite a lot about my career path, but now as a dad, as long as I have a career that will pay me until he is out of college I am somewhat content

If you are planning a family it really does change your outlook on life. On the bright side you are mid twenties so you have plenty of time. Just don't be like me and spend 7 years working on a career path only to find that its not all you want it to be. I am only 34 so I still have time but since having a son I always think about him before making any decisions. For example: No contract work, jobs that might force me to work more then 9 hours a day or weekends etc. My last job decided they wanted me to work 80+ hours. My son was 4 months old at the time. That same day I told them that it wasn't going to happen. I changed jobs a month later.

As I said you are mid twenties. Time to decide (IMHO)since you have another 30-40 years of work ahead of you that will either be exciting work or a prison sentence. You could decide later in life but you will ahve family to think about. Maybe I am just too catious and not willing to take chances with my family but who can blame me

sorry for the book.

 

[macmet]

" I am stuck in the area with my wife (no kids, mid 20's)....and plan on having 2 kids by the time we are 30."

and...

"My wife and I are coming close to living paycheck to paycheck with just a little tucked away in savings; of which we have not been able to add to recently with our mortgage going up etc. "

and...

"presently make low money according to industry standards but that will soon jump in 2 to 3 years when I get to Manager status."

Those three comments seem to contradict. I don't have any kids myself but I can imagine how much they cost. Plus, it sounds like you're being underpaid at a job you don't really like. Maybe you have less choice than you think.

Good luck.

 

[OleRoy]

To macmet, yes, I am underpaid and know it. I gave the hint to my employer that I will be asking for a substantial raise soon, however I really have another 2 years before completing through the Engineering "rotation" here at which point, I'll basically be a Project Manger within the company. I kind of feel bad asking for the raise since I'm still training but I didn't know I was underpaid until after the fact. I do have little choices considering I have no other jobs knocking at my door. I have about 2 years experience in this industry, right out of college basically, thats still entry level and don't have much leverage on paper. I feel if I see the rotation out, then it'll be too late to back out, and will pigeon hole my career and not be able to switch out. The only leverage I have is that within a year, we will know if we can't make it financially and will most likely move away. I notified my employer that far in advance saying that it is a possibility but not a reality yet, unless they pay me more (I hope they got that hint). If I were to switch industries to go to that dream job if they did come calling, I would ask for a set amount of starting salary this time around. Lessons learned.

To cksh, thanks for the book, I don't mind reading. It gave me a lot of good advice. Thanks.

 

[possumk]

Although I am not one who should give career advice (I'm always on here searching for "THE ANSWER" too), I do think I have a couple points to offer.

Be careful about the dream job. I'm 28 and let the "dream job" fantasy plague me for years. I've been in a few different positions trying to make engineering work for me, and in each position, it's the same old aggrevation of the last one. I could be a civil, mech, struct, or electrical at my current company, and it would be the same old b.s. I could go next door and do commercial buildings instead of power plants, and it would be the same old b.s. Identify that one thing that makes your job lousy, and be sure that a new job changes that thing. If it's rude co-workers, incompetent bosses, lousy raises, or too much coordination, you're probably out of luck in ANY engineering job.

I would not take a pay cut, either. Where I work, we've hired a few mid-twenties career changers and they come in at a level 2, not a level 1. We figure they have something to offer above a brand new grad. I have always said that I wasn't really that motivated by money, that I just wanted to be happy at work every day. I'd tell my husband I'd work for $15K/year less if that's what it took. That is a huge lie I tell myself. Unless you are a rare breed, most of us measure ourselves by money. When your neighbor brings home the new Lexus SUV for his wife or the biggest, baddest truck, or whatever and you have your 8 year old plain-Jane Civic, are you REALLY going to be able to tell yourself that it's more important that you love your job? I hope you can, but again, I thought that for a while until I got real with myself and realized that watching a 50" flat screen after driving home in a new car from taking the kids out to dinner for the 3rd time in one weekend CAN offset the woes of a job I don't love.

All that said, don't don't abandon something that is truly a dream at this early stage in your career. Just make sure that the dream is real first.

 

[ScottyUK]

Don't take the pay cut. You do nothing for yourself or the profession as a whole by working for low wages, and it doesn't sound like you have much room to manoeuvre downward. Go for the job you want and be up front about the transferable skills you will bring into the role, not the task-specific detail which you lack. Ask for a fair wage for the position, or at least a match for what you are earning now.

At your age you can't have all that much experience in any role and they can't expect you to have 40 years experience in a mid-twenties brain. You do have some useful experience, I just sense that you lack a little confidence in your own worth.

And don't believe promises of what might be down the line in two or three years. Even if they were written the CEO's blood, three years is a real long time and a lot can change.

Good luck.


----------------------------------

Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

 

[cvg]

I am fairly good at what I do and presently make low money according to industry standards

I would first ask for a raise so that you are more in line with the standards. If you are a good worker you should be making above the average amount.

I would also question whether you will actually be promoted to manager in 2-years, given that you are only an EIT now. You should expect a large pay increase when you get your PE. But, unless you are in land development, civil engineering project managers generally require closer to 10 years experience.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Go for the dream job...

You will never know unless you try.....

 

[GSTeng]

"(no kids, mid 20's)...and plan on having 2 kids by the time we are 30."

The only thing you can know about having kid before you have kids is that "you have no idea what it will be like to have kids"!!!

I was very career minded before my son (2 years old). I had plans for my own company or climbing the corporate ladder at the current compnay I work for... Thought about persuring my dream job and even had a plan to tranfer my skills to get me there.

Now I could not care less. I do want to climb the ladder a little to get better pay and I might start a compnay someday, but when I walk out the door after work, work is the farthest thing from my mind. Like cksh I think about my son before any sort of career move and if it is a pay cut there is not chance in hell I would take it.

In my opinion if you stay in the job you are in now and have a child the indifference to your current job will not seem like such an issue nor will the loss of your dream job. But you won't know this until it happens.

My advise would be to first ASK FOR A RAISE. If you are not getting paid what you are worth that is the first course of action. It is not easy to approach a boss about a raise but it is what you need to do and no will do it for you. I would also keep looking for the dream job, but don't take anything less than what you are making and be very upfront with that (p.s. Benifits can be worth alot with kids). I bet that after the first child you forget to do the 6 month "Wash, rinse, repeat" thing and in couple of years after the 2nd you will forget what that dream job was.

Don't let you job or your money define who you are!!!! Maybe I am a rare breed but I did take a 12K cut for a better lifestyle, and I am much happier, this was before my son, it would be a different story now. Now 3 years later I have still not made up the 12K cut (almost), but I would not change it for anything.

Good luck with your desicion.

 

[OleRoy]

What if my employer pays their employees on the low-end of the industry standard from the get-go. I know I could easily go to another company within the same industry and make nearly double what I make now. I'd probably sacrifice the "family atmosphere" and be treated like a number but hey I'll be better off right? Please sense the sarcasm in that last sentence. The rest is true, though.

 

[cvg]

family shouldn't treat each other badly by not paying employees enough to pay the bills. go get a better job and do it now before the little ones start coming. bigger companies that pay better aren't always worse to work for. In fact, the better companies generally pay more and attract the best and brightest staff.

 

[atook]

Follow your passion. Really, it's that simple.

 

[GregLocock]

A graduate engineer with two years /good/ experience is actually a pretty attractive recruit, in my opinion. So I wouldn't hesitate in looking around.



Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[kchayfie]

What is your dream job? You mentioned robotics classes but I'm fairly certain that classes are a whole world away from actually working in the industry. Is the desire to move a case of "grass is greener" syndrome based on dissatisfaction with your current industry or do you actually have a specific "dream job" in mind?

Either way, I doubt you'll be pigeon-holed so early in your career. I work in water / wastewater treatment and we have guys crossing over to and from the nuclear companies down the road all the time. A colleague has just moved into petrochem after 4 years of training in water treatment and they didn't make him start at the bottom of the tree. In fact, at the end of your rotation period you'll probably have a lot of highly marketable skills - you aren't too entrenched in the ways of the waste water treatment world and you've got a few years under your belt so you're not totally wet behind the ears.

If you sound as vague about what you want to do when you send out resumes as the impression I got from the original post, that could be why you aren't getting much response. If you target specific jobs and specific vacancies you can market yourself directly to what they are looking for and improve your chances of finding a job that interests you and pays well.

 

[OleRoy]

To kchayfie,

I have already sent my resume out to the few companies that I actually found in my area that deal with robotics. One is a government defense contractor and one also does government contracts but is more of the R&D oriented but they also do consumer/education type work as they are closely tied to nearby Universities. I would rather work for the latter company since through my research, I've found it to be a small company and very close knit. It sounds like a place that they will help each other out; knowing that they constantly have internships through their University ties. The former, sounds like a typical government defense contractor job (this branch deals with non-manned vehicles etc). Their website is cold, automated, and has many jobs listed. I always feel like I'm getting the cold shoulder when I get their automated response "Your resume has been successfully submitted and we will contact you if your qualifications suit our needs. You do not have to do anything more with your submission. End Message."

Now the other smaller company didn't even have any jobs listed nor any way to submit your resume online, short of directly emailing them. I chose to mail a hardcopy of my resume with a cover letter stating my intentions. I even asked if they had an internship/mentorship program available to non-students. I haven't followed up yet though, but will.

Regardless, its a waiting game and always has been.

To your comment about your co-workers coming from nuclear power plants or some other industrial organization, I am trying to stay clear of "field" work. I mean I can do it if need be, I've stood over a vat of an entire tri-state's waste with nothing more than a wooden plank preventing me from falling into who knows what kinds of biological disease and hazard. I don't want to be doing it all my life.

Thanks for your input.

 

[epoisses]

I have only read the title of the post.

Pursue your dream job for goodness sake.

What are you waiting for? How many next lives do you have?

 

[jpankask]

Two comments regarding your original post.
1) What leads you to believe that if your current company is underpaying you now, they will be paying you what you deserve in 2-3 years, regardless if you are a project manager or not?

2) If you and your wife are almost living paycheck to paycheck without kids, that will not improve when you start having kids.

I have heard many times, The best time to look for a new job is when you already have a job. This is very true. You have the option of seeking out what you want and being patient for it to come along. If you are looking to have children in the next few years, benefits (health insurance, paid leave) are very important. It may well be worth a lower salary to have better benefits. Keep feeling out the market, get serious about looking around and you may get that "dream job" or at least a better job with more pay/better benefits, etc.

 

[cvg]

when evaluating potential jobs you need to factor in everything. Salary is the most obvious one, but benefits are just as important (and can be quite costly if your employer doesn't pay them). Also look into commuting costs if you need to drive a long way and living expenses if you plan to move to another area. All of these should figure into your overall budget so that you compare apples to apples.