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Would You Take A Paycut for More Interesting Work?
HellsAngel asks: "I work in a business consulting firm. While the pay and the benefits are great, the work itself is mundane and boring, consisting of Excel, Access, and VBA macros. Recently, I got a job offer to move to a startup doing OS development and Systems and Network programming, however it would involve a paycut. Would you leave an otherwise perfect job to work on something more interesting?"
"Today, I work as an IT Analyst for a multinational firm doing business consulting. From the looks of it, I've got the perfect job: high pay, extravagant benefits and bonuses, flexi-time, can telecommute whenever possible, and best of all the coworkers are great and have truly become my friends, even the boss.
However, the work I actually do seems to be a waste of my CS education. My current project right now involves hooking up Excel and Access with a little VBA and some macros. The other day I was asked to export a Lotus Notes database into an Excel file and format it. The most programming-intensive project that I've done here was an ASP.NET webapp, for the company intranet.
Am I selling out by continuing to work in my current firm? Should I take the pay-cut to work at a startup where I can make more use of my talents? I'm a recent grad with no loans or credit cards to pay, so I have a low cost of living aside from a girlfriend. Which would you prefer: fun at work, or fun outside of work?"
However, the work I actually do seems to be a waste of my CS education. My current project right now involves hooking up Excel and Access with a little VBA and some macros. The other day I was asked to export a Lotus Notes database into an Excel file and format it. The most programming-intensive project that I've done here was an ASP.NET webapp, for the company intranet.
Am I selling out by continuing to work in my current firm? Should I take the pay-cut to work at a startup where I can make more use of my talents? I'm a recent grad with no loans or credit cards to pay, so I have a low cost of living aside from a girlfriend. Which would you prefer: fun at work, or fun outside of work?"
Where did you get your degree and how good exactly are you at programming? Maybe you should stick with doing nothing.
Not that you can't do sophisticated stuff with excel, access, etc. (maybe you are), but if you're not, the kind of safety-scissors, connect-the-dots programming that usually gets done with these tools is a prime candidate for offshoring. Unless you're desperate for the cash (babies to feed, mortgage, etc.), do something that'll challenge you, and don't rest on your laurels.
I took about a 30% pay cut to move from programming to science. I'm happy with that choice.
Apparently there is a term for this: "downshifters".
Quattuor res in hoc mundo sanctae sunt: libri, liberi, libertas et liberalitas.
Job's like this usually require an employment contract. That means you are not free to create anything outside the workplace without first giving the legal department right of refusal. Only an idiot company woulld ever give any of these rights up.
Just because you do it on your time, doesn't mean it is your property when it comes to IP, intellectual property.
I took a $20,000 pay cut to work for a young media company. The people are fresh and exciting, the office is cool, and I am the one man IT shop (meaning my way is the way it is). But temper this with no set procedures for anything, management with permanent crisis on their hands, and the knowledge that we might not make the payroll next month.
There are ups and downs to every job, but really think hard about who you are, how you like to work and remember that 1 in hand is worth 6 in the brush.
Yes.
:)
:)
Well, that's a simple and straightforward answer
However, I've been in almost the exact same situation as the poster, and I did leave my job (even left the city and moved!) and there's been good and bad effects.
First off, I miss all the friends I left behind. Perhaps it was because I moved to a whole new city and didn't have any social network there at all, but it was difficult and I've definitely had some lonely moments. The folks at my former job were my friends before I joined the firm, and they are even now that I've left, and I still miss 'em. I go back to Boston every chance I get
The pay cut wasn't too bad, though. I did just manage to buy myself a condo in one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country, but I would have owned myself a home three years ago if I'd stayed in Massachusetts because my former employer was willing to give me a large raise to keep me on.
And I will say this-- I was doing the same kind of Word/Excel/VBA and sysadmin stuff, and I left my job (and moved) for an opportunity to do genuine cutting edge R&D and software development, and the change was totally worth it. Three years later and I'm still excited to come to work every day. Every day I wake up, I think "my job totally kicks ass!" How many people can say that?
So consider whether you're willing to part ways with your friends, how much of a pay cut you'll be taking, what your prospects for advancement are in the current position versus the new one, where you are in your life and how they're all interrelated. Some food for thought, anyway...
I took a pay cut to work for trolltech.
I will agree with what you say. I think it is very important to understand the role of a manager.
That all being said, the real question was "Would you take less for more interesting work?"
And that being said, the real question is - "How do you feel about your job?"
Because, regardless if your job is "a waste of your talent/education" or you have a bad manager, etc, if you are happy at your job, then you should not leave. IMHO, happiness at your job is the most important thing. If you are happy, then you can deal with the work that is below your level of education.
Now, if you are unhappy, then maybe this change of environments would be good for you, even with less pay. It is a choice you have to make.
I would also say, from what the writer said, this person sounds kind of younger. Why not take a risk and see where it leads? You are young and can take these chances.
Good luck.
It is human nature to take shortcuts in thinking.
Totally. I second this statement. I had a job makine $7k more, and it sucked. It sounded good on paper, but it was boring and shitty. And it was going nowhere. And I had to commute 45 minutes. So I took this other job. It is interesting, pretty fun and its a 10 minute bike ride from my house. I sold my car (wrx...sniff sniff) and now I have *more* disposable income, more free time and a better quality of life. Your mileage may vary (WRX got about 24-26)
Sig removed because it was obnoxious
"On the other hand, the best guys, the geeks, enjoy their line of work and would probably feel less satisfaction at the mgmt level. So they're stuck at a lower pay level, and like the parent suggests, probably would love to have something of a mentor working above them... it would give them some hope of advancement, careerwise."
:) And working to live is so much easier if you can take it easy writing vba-scripts and make a lot of money :)
I work at a small company and consider myself to be one of the 'geeks', enjoying the fact that I can just program and needn't worry about customer relations and all that crap. My current project manager, though in a higher position than I am, is at a lower pay level. We started on the same day, but I am more important to the company (training a new person up to my level takes quite a while since I'm worked in in the tons of code we have, whilst training a new person up to the level of my project manager is not really that hard).
Though my manager is in no way better than I am with code (he's an economist and has never even seen code if you ask me), I have no problems with him. He understands a bit about developing so he knows that coders making deadlines is something that only happens in stupid movies. And he lets me do my job without bothering me too much.
I know there's little chance I'll advance 'careerwise' in this company, but is that really necessary? I've got a job I like, I've got superb hours, can work at home every now and then, we have an unlimited (and free) supply of coke here, and the pay is more than decent (and rises with experience, not with promotions).
But in reply to the first guy: I'd stick with what you're having. Good friends where you work is a real benefit, certainly if your manager is included with those friends. The fact that you don't use your full degree is not very relevant unless you're really bored with your job (and think using more of your CS knowledge will help improve that). Work to live, don't live to work