When to move on? 1

[Lion06]

I want to preface this question by stating that I love my job, and the company I work for. I don't have someone looking over my shoulder asking what I'm doing constantly.

That being said, I've been with the company for 3.5 years and there was a 7.5% pay cut across the board about six months ago. I'm not sure exactly why as I haven't seen my hours drop off at all. I'm consistently putting in 44-48 hours per week at the office (I drive 10 hours a week - an hour one way). It leaves little time for family, and I'm starting to become disillusioned (did I even use that word properly? I think so). I'll be sitting for the PE soon enough, and when I've passed it I'll be making a LOT less money than I expected to be making at that point in my career. Right now I'm making about what I would expect a fresh grad to come in at.

How are most other offices? I would appreciate input from everyone, but especially structural guys. Do you breathe down your employees necks? Does your boss look over your shoulder constantly asking for stuff? How many hours do you typically work in a week? I know a little extra effort is needed sometimes, but to consistently work 45 hours for 40 hours of pay (a low scale for 40 hours on top of that) gets to be a drag.

I know I sound like I'm whining, but I feel much better now!!

 

[Lion06]

Maybe it's a little more dire than I thought. A very senior engineer was recently let go. Maybe I will just be thankful I have a job right now and not complain. How do you get through these times in your career? It's very deflating, and makes you less eager to come into the office.

 

[MadMango]

All you can do is be honest with yourself. Do you work as hard as you should? Do you do a good job that you are proud of? Are you a decent human being? If you can answer Yes to these simple questions without hesitation, then there is nothing to worry about. People are let go for a variety of reasons all the time, not just performance or salary cap. Sometimes things are personal. You shouldn't stress over things that you have no control over.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of these Forums?

 

[rowingengineer]

Be awesome at your job, people come people go (for many different reasons); main thing is to know what you want and where you want to be. I have never heard of a company firing a person who makes then good money or works hard, unless that person insulted the boss by calling his wife a ****.

Don't be afraid to talk to your manger about money or why this guy was let go, truth of the matter is you just became more valuable to them. If you were like the guy next to me you would go into the boss and ask for a raise. Mind you he asks for one every month or so, reminds me of Homer Simpson every now and then, but truth be told every second time someone leaves he gets a raise.

Arguing with an engineer is like wrestling with a pig in mud. After a while you realize that they like it

 

[BigInch]

rowing, Although I like your suggestion very much that the value of his hand has been increased by the recent layoff, its not always true. Unfortunately I have seen many very good people go before me, not by any means because I was the better, just because I still had some trivial job to finish on a still billable project and the other guy had finished his current assignments. The value of the unfinished hand is always relative to the size of the pot and the number of cards still left in the deck. Evaluate carefully, but only play that game with aces up your sleeve, which BTW count at tripple the fairly delt value.


----
Aces. Nothing wrong with knowing your current market potential ... and keeping in touch with your favorite head hunter on a regular basis isn't a sign of disloyalty to everybody, especially to yourself and family. Maybe its just me, but I've always found corporate loyalty to be a one-way street. My feelings, if you want loyalty, get a dog.

So I work projects, not for companies per say. Now, pink slips are a regular occurrence. In fact I often get a pink slip before anyone else. Since I'm paid more than the project manager, he's usually out to pick me off. The upside of getting pink slips on a regular basis is that they FORCE you to place your needs first and to keep evaluating your current market position every time you get one. What I've found is that, if you've stayed at market value and kept your piggy bank topped off, you don't need to worry about taking a few months off between jobs. In fact, it can be the best time for a vacation. Nothing gets you a new job like a fresh white shirt and a new tan.

Anyway, the net result has been that only one time in 34 years have I ever had to take a job with less pay at a crap company (1986 oil $6.00/BBL FOB Ras Tanura) I stayed 1 year then raised the pot.

**********************
"Pumping accounts for 20% of the world’s energy used by electric motors and 25-50% of the total electrical energy usage in certain industrial facilities."-DOE statistic (Note: Make that 99% for pipeline companies)

http://virtualpipeline.spaces.live.com/

 

[Waidesworld]

People who believe their company is loyal to them are disillusioned. I have seem some people leave here while the bosses have offered them more money. However, when they attempted to come back, it's at a fraction of their previous status. That being said, when times are tough it's not always the short timers and cheap labor that's let go. When we released three of our 34 people earlier this year, they had a combined 80+ years of experience at our company, the longest being a 35+ year engineer. Four months later, he was contracted on one or two of the projects he had worked on because no one could find his notes.


drawn to design, designed to draw

 

[kepharda]

Waides,

that is been my experience as well, no need to get too angry about it, just run your professional life like, I dunno a PROFESSIONAL.

I hope the 35+ engineer raked them over the coals (a billing rate +$120) and had his own insurance for that contract job.

I know I would have.


this message has been approved for citizen to elect kepharda 2008

 

[slickdeals]

SEIT,
I am in the same position as you are. I love my job and the people who I work with. But I sometimes feel I am being taken for granted because I don't complain or grudge about putting the extra hours or taking the initiative to complete someone else's work during a deadline.

However, I feel that all this extra work (I average anywhere between 45-50 hours) is not being appreciated either with a raise or a bonus. It will be 2 years since we all got a raise. I know the dire straits of this economy, but......

 

[PeterStock]

Slickdeals, if you are not getting paid extra for the extra time, update the resume and start looking. You are being taken advantage of.

Peter Stockhausen
Senior Design Analyst (Checker)
Infotech Aerospace Services

http://www.infotechpr.net

 

[BigInch]

Document all time spent. Just because you may be classed as exempt does not necessarily mean you cannot collect on overtime worked. If extra hours are the routine and they are needed to complete your assigned work, in many places you have a right to be paid for that overtime, yes, even if you are exempt. If that applies to you, sue for payment when you leave.

**********************
"Pumping accounts for 20% of the world’s energy used by electric motors and 25-50% of the total electrical energy usage in certain industrial facilities."-DOE statistic (Note: Make that 99% for pipeline companies)

http://virtualpipeline.spaces.live.com/

 

[rowingengineer]

Have a chat with your boss slickdeals, don't be scared to ask when the next raise is coming? open up some communication, most directors or associates are dealing in money all day so are very comfortable talking about money, you need to be too.

Arguing with an engineer is like wrestling with a pig in mud. After a while you realize that they like it