Maybe I made a bad job decision

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edh
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Maybe I made a bad job decision

Post by edh » Fri Sep 06, 2013 10:49 am

So this week I started a new job. All seemed great before I started. I went to their office for an interview and it was lovely, the people were really nice and the company seemed to have a really nice set of products.

Then I actually got there to work. Things weren't so good. Although I knew they were quiet laid back before, they're just a little too laid back perhaps, to the point where I think there is a level of complacency on problems that they have. On top of that I have found that the work is somewhat lower level than expected and from an intellectual perspective this is an issue for me.

It puts me in a difficult place as I turned down the offer of a final interview with another company who were very interested in me just so that I could take up this job. Now I think I might get back to that company and see if they're still looking for someone. They know that I was doing it as I had an offer and perhaps they might understand.

There's a number of scenarios that I don't want to happen:
- I get really unhappy in this new job
- I get let go from this job, most likely as a result of being unhappy in it and hence not performing
- I take the first other job that comes up and don't like that either
- I talk to my new boss about the problems and they decide it's better to let me go rather than continuing to invest time in training me (I have already said to my boss that I was a little surprised at some of the laid back attitude and was told I needed to chillout a bit)

Am I just getting cold feet and will I just get over it?
Should I talk to my boss about how I honestly feel?
Should I pull the plug myself and just walk away?
Should I be honest with propspective employers in interviews to say why I want to move on?

Any ideas? I know it's not the usual query here but I do just need to get this out somewhere. Any serious advice appreciated.

CA_Steve
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Re: Maybe I made a bad job decision

Post by CA_Steve » Fri Sep 06, 2013 11:59 am

Try to interview with the other company - there is no downside. If they opt to restart, it'll be several weeks before you get a job offer. In the meantime, you've got a few weeks to see if it's cold feet or just not a good fit.

Cistron
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Re: Maybe I made a bad job decision

Post by Cistron » Fri Sep 06, 2013 2:42 pm

I agree with Steve. Don't quit your job. Last time I rejected a sure thing that I couldn't console with my happiness, I had to find out the hard way that 1 year of unemployment is a looong and even unhappier time. Also, jobcentres are full of useless people.

theycallmebruce
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Re: Maybe I made a bad job decision

Post by theycallmebruce » Sat Sep 07, 2013 9:57 am

Of course I don't know all the details, but here's my reading of your concerns.

- I get really unhappy in this new job
It's possible, but I think you have to give it some time before you can decide this for sure. Feeling a bit unsettled in a new job is normal.

- I get let go from this job, most likely as a result of being unhappy in it and hence not performing
Seems unlikely. From what you've said, you seem pretty conscientious, so even if it's not challenging enough for you I'm sure you'll pull your weight.

- I talk to my new boss about the problems and they decide it's better to let me go rather than continuing to invest time in training me (I have already said to my boss that I was a little surprised at some of the laid back attitude and was told I needed to chillout a bit)

Importantly, you've said that everyone is nice, even if they are a bit complacent, and they have good products. Assuming this complacency isn't causing safety issues, and it's not making you completely miserable, try to stick with it a bit longer and see if your perception changes.

You can always quit later if you're completely sure, but if you quit now you can't turn that decision back. It sounds like maybe their work style is different than you're used to, but give it a bit more of a chance. This is from someone who has resigned too soon in a new job and regretted it later :)

Best of luck!

aristide1
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Re: Maybe I made a bad job decision

Post by aristide1 » Tue Nov 12, 2013 5:36 pm

I agree with the interview part. If you don't have a history of job hopping for a few more bucks you can even quit after a brief stay. Your scenario is not so common anymore, many IT shops I've seen want too much work, too many hours, and heaps of responsibility for what they pay. In a laid back atmosphere you can excel and still study for a better job later on. Learn whatever you can learn there. If you haven't already been a project leader this may be a better place to test the waters at some point.

I did have a job like this a while back, and often it took everything I had not to fall asleep from the lack of work right at my desk. I took brief discrete walks, IV'd caffeine, and pretty much tested the living hell out of what little code I generated, and I had ample time to actually find errors in their specs and address them, which showed I was on the ball, despite being sleepy.
Should I talk to my boss about how I honestly feel?
No!

andyb
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Re: Maybe I made a bad job decision

Post by andyb » Wed Nov 13, 2013 3:50 pm

Ditto that....

Having been job skipping/hunting for much longer than I wanted to be (years FFS (@&^!"£$)@:), not months or weeks).

I suggest that you stick with the damned job that you have and swap jobs in a few year when the "boom years" return, and even further into the future consider the recession and the boom times as like summer and winter, they will likely come and go as the seasons have passed (ignore politicians because they are idiots http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQVF9s01NYI ).


Andy

aristide1
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Re: Maybe I made a bad job decision

Post by aristide1 » Wed Nov 13, 2013 5:27 pm

andyb wrote:Ditto that....

Having been job skipping/hunting for much longer than I wanted to be (years FFS (@&^!"£$)@:), not months or weeks).

Andy
It would normally take me a moment to figure out a new acronym, but in context I knew immediately what FFS meant. Overall you are too kind. I also looked for a job for years.

I can't say about where you are, but here many in the 60-65 bracket have delayed retirement as far back as 2007. As they approach 70 they will collect Social Security, and are more likely to retire, since money will be coming in and they will will tire more easily. Then if there is some kind of boom you may see a substantial exodus, or at least movement as employees fed up with their current sh1t job take their chances somewhere else. But seriously I have ZERO expectations of getting ahead over my remaining years of employment. Rather, I hope I merely can afford my bills without dipping into what savings I have, until I retire officially. I'm hoping to delay government payments until I am 70, as I am officially suppose to retire at 66 and 9 months, based on my age. We can collect as early as 62, but they reduce the amount by like 6% per year, and that also means besides smaller payments your 1% increases will also be smaller.

Politicians call Social Security the "third rail" of politics, and nobody will addresses it to the full extent required until the last possible moment, because they fear cutting it will reduce their political careers as well. The unofficial word is that once SS goes into the red (depletes the reserves) one can expect to get 78% of what they have been promised.

Nowhere near enough is being spent on Alzheimers and dementia research, as those patients require the most intense and costly care. The government needs to make more of an investments here, less the baby boomers suck the system dry.

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