What do you do?

Well...I work as a IT tech like so many people do, I used to work from home (for 6 years in fact) for a great group of people. The problem was they screwed me out of basically every promotion that came along for some external hire that had half the knowledge. So, I quit and I now work for an IT company that does consulting for the product the company I used to work for actually made. Making about 6 figures at the new company but sorta want to be back at the old one, just wish they weren't such dicks to people that had been there forever and that they gave preference to internal vs external hires.

There's actually a slight possibility of my boss trying to poach me for his new job. He'll have an opening for an associate director, but he's not 100% sure what the qualifications will be just yet or whether I'll match them. I am expecting nothing to come of it, at least right away, but honestly if he offered me a job with his new office I'd be insane not to jump. I've worked with my current boss for 7 years, and he's without a doubt the best supervisor I've ever had. Plus, it would mean a sizable bump in prestige, and a probable bump in salary.

I found out yesterday which projects I'm taking, and it's all Christmas for me aside from the fact that our director is going to want to bring in a more experienced researcher to bolster our credentials a bit. That's understandable, as I'm young and don't remotely have the influence, contacts or publications of my boss who is leaving. I'm just going to have to push hard to exert my independence and make sure that I don't end up going nowhere while an outsider gets moved in above me. I'm fairly confident that won't happen, though.

Overall, this is still a good thing (with a potential job in the wings that I really don't want to think too hard about since it may never happen). It's shaking our entire research center up, but chaos is a ladder and all that (thanks Littlefinger!).

Thread necro!

Late last week my old boss dropped by to inform me that the assistant directorship has opened up and he's looking to hire someone. He started his pitch with "I went to my supevisor and told them I need to hire a Heylel. I didn't really use your name, but my requirements described you to a T." After a little bit of an info dump, he gave me the link to the job posting and told me if I was interested to submit by Monday. They've already received over 180 applicants.

Well, after spending the entire weekend agonizing over a cover letter and rebuilding my resume from scratch (I keep a CV, and this required a resume), I submitted all of my info yesterday. It's theoretically my old boss's decision, but his supervisor (a VERY senior educator for the state) has final hiring authority, so it was very important that my resume shine. I'm fairly confident I can get an interview, which I do very well. I was also able to provide a half-dozen extremely solid references from colleges around the state, including an associate dean, two center directors, an adjunct professor, a system-level administrator and the owner of a private consulting firm. I really don't think I could have submitted anything further.

I really, really want this. The salary is enough to actually establish myself, pay down student loans and start a family without living paycheck to paycheck. My girlfriend's career is taking off as well, and between the two of us we're doing pretty well for a young (31 & 26) couple in our city, but it's tough to get ahead. Plus, it's the kind of job where I'm shaking hands with all the right people to keep some career momentum. Senior personnel at private non-profits, state agency directors, congressmen, etc. It's got me nervous, even though I know I have a little bit of an inside track. This would without a doubt be the largest promotion of my career so far, with a much larger workload and a concomitant increase in both prestige and salary. It's roughly a 30% increase from my current earnings, and a job that many people senior to me are scrambling for as well. He's had applicants across the spectrum from fresh graduates all the way to associate deans, and it will be incredibly competitive. I just have to hope that I can impress the right people.

Good luck!

Is the position for the University or the State?

It's at the system level, working with research groups at every public university in the state as well as big non-profits like Teach for America or the Gates Foundation (not necessarily those specifically, but that size non-profit). I would basically be my old boss's right hand, which is how it's worked for the last several years already. He works on sorting out the funding, and I get the projects off the ground and keep them running while he looks to the next thing. It would be a state-funded salary as opposed to grant funding, which means a fair bit more stability without looking from one project to the next.

The cool thing is honestly how flattering it is that he actually came back specifically to try and hire me to go with him. It's been a couple of months since he left, and I think my absence at his new office was felt. After 7 years, I really think he came to rely on me a lot.

Start a new job Christmas week (posted somewhere else).

Industry: Solutions Engineer at EMC Corp
Education: BS in Computer Engineering
Experience: 1.5 years Software (firmware) Engineer intern
Location: MA, USA
Salary: $76k + MBO bonuses
Benefits: Choice of dozens of insurance providers/plans, 26 days off a year (36 at 5 years), paid holidays, able to work remotely, travel, nothing nuts.

It was sort of similar situation as Heylel. I was on my honeymoon and some jobs were posted. I quickly glanced but wasn't sure what they were so I ignored them. Came back to the manager of GPS (firmware) telling me that they wanted someone for a solutions engineering position under the director of solutions engineering. The director specifically asked for me and pushed for me in the interviewing process. Pretty flattering to have a bunch of people at work pushing for you. This will be my first job out of college, so excited.

I hope you keep your side job at the carnival.

Seriously though, congrats, and good luck!

I received a base pay bump of about 542% (15 hours a week at a grocery store).

I took a 25% pay cut to work from home so we don't have to pay for childcare for my son (but more importantly we aren't shoving him off to strangers) . Pretty awesome setup, that I'd never get if I didn't work for family. I have to work 20 hours a week, but I get paid for 30. Most of the time I work close to 30 anyway /shrug

Congratz bro! That sounds like a damn good deal for a first job out of college.

Julian the Apostate_sl said:

Congratz bro! That sounds like a damn good deal for a first job out of college.

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Thanks if you're talking to me. Put in a lot of unpaid overtime at the company as an intern and busted my ass in school. A little luck thrown in as well. Pretty humble person so it feels good.

In the exciting world of education:

I'm teaching a 6th class this year, so thats a +20% increase from my base salary. I was also asked to be a grade level coordinator, which is an additional ~$400 a month for 10 months. Not bad.

My friend is a teacher in a really bad city and says those guys can make serious money after tenure (or whatever the call it). I think he made 60k to start in his first year.

No sarcasm. It's just not as exciting, or interesting, a profession to most people. Not very glamorous or high paying as most of the stuff people talk about int his thread. However, I love it and I'm doing well.

Oh, and fuck teaching at a public school in the US. Especially inner-city.

I recently started getting paid to teach Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, i'm not rich but i'm making money doing what I love to do and have never been happier.

Grumpus_sl said:

I recently started getting paid to teach Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,i'm not rich but i'm making money doing what I love to do and have never been happier.

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This is key. Happiness > money (to an extent). I work part time 4 hours a night after I leave my shitty 9 - 5 job, but I'm doing something I love so I don't mind not getting home until 10pm.

McCheese_sl said:

This is key. Happiness > money (to an extent). I work part time 4 hours a night after I leave my shitty 9 - 5 job, but I'm doing something I love so I don't mind not getting home until 10pm.

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That's my situation as well, I work 9-5 retail so that I can work evenings at the gym.

Straight out of school I went into the trades as a floor coverings installer, a carpet specialist for Jordan's Flooring. I made from $20-$35 an hour depending on the job but my body was taking a beating and I hated every second of work.

Right now I work at a low stress low impact retail job during the day so that I have the energy to go to the gym in the afternoon.