Opinions please!

[Lindsey]

I am moderately unhappy with my job. Although I've expressed my concerns to my boss about wanting to get more experience, it hasn't really happened. I am also concerned that my company may be going down. I know we are being sued by at least one other huge company and that our management has been told to lay off a lot of the staff at our office. We are losing money and don't have the staff to cover the jobs we have gotten, so it really doesn't make sense to lay off MORE people. I am not concerned that I will be laid off because I am very important to the office... besides Scott, I am the only one who knows how to run the program we use for drafting. And where Scott is concerned... they gave him a job in the drafting department, then told him to go home and use up all his banked time for a couple of months, and finally two days ago told him if he doesn't leave to go work at a mine up north tomorrow, they would fire him on the spot!

There is a job opening at the company my dad works for. It's a government job and it's a drafting job, but for electrical stuff. I'm not sure I'd enjoy the job itself any more than the job I have now, but my salary would be increased tremendously, the benefits are AWESOME, holidays are great, and I'd have every second Friday off. I'd also be part of a union. Sounds great right? The problem is it's just a full-time TEMPORARY job until December 31st.

I have wanted to work at that company for years... it's kind of a family thing! I grew up with it... my dad works there and all of his brothers work there, and now 3 of my cousins also work there. Not many of the jobs even make it out to the public because they try to fill all the jobs internally first. I feel like just maybe I should take the chance and try to get my foot in the door! When I'm in, I could bid on a permanent job if it came up. If they liked me enough (and I would work my butt off!) maybe they would even create a job for me to stay permanently.

Of course, if I end up having to leave on December 31st, it's really tough to find a job around here in my field in the winter. There is no construction, nobody is hiring.

What would you do if you were me? I know nobody can really make the decision for me but I just would like some input!

[DianaB]

Oh, Lindsey, I don't know what to tell you to do. This is a really tough decision especially since you've just recently taken on a mortgage. I'd say go for it but the thought of not having a job after December is kinda' scary. I think that I'd go and talk to them about the job and see what they have to say about what could happen after your job ends in December and get a feel for whether there was a possibility of another job opening up. Good luck!!!

[Lindsey]

Thanks Diana! Without the mortgage, I'd say it was a no-brainer for sure! But of course, that's my biggest concern right now. I've talked to my dad about it, but he's not really on the office side of things so he said that in his area, working in the field, if they like someone they'll keep them. But he's not sure how it works in an office setting. My cousin took a part time temporary job doing admin duties, and her boss is working with her to find a way to keep her on when her temporary job is done. So I believe it could be do-able!

I will need to let my current boss know if I am looking, which may be another obstacle. He tends to get really overly upset about these kinds of things. I have applied before at the company but the application form asks if they can contact my current employer and I have always answered "No" and I haven't gotten a call. I have a feeling they don't even look at people who won't allow their employers to be contacted, because why hire a person if they have no idea of their work ethic? So I would like to answer Yes but let my boss know he may be receiving a phone call for a review.

[Tiramisu]

IF I WERE YOU - I'd take the gamble on the new job. I married and had kids and have looked back on a few missed opportunities because of my responsibilities.

[Lindsey]

Thanks for your opinion Sandy!

I guess another option is that if another opening came up internally, I wouldn't even have to stay in drafting if it meant I could stay at the company... My cousin is basically a secretary and her starting wage was MORE than I make as a civil engineering technologist on my third year at my current job

I guess if it's any permanent job I would possibly be a candidate for, I would probably bid on it.

[Janet]

Wish I could help Lindsey, but I have no idea what to advise. I just hope you make a decision that you are comfortable with and will have no regrets.

[Lindsey]

I just spoke with my cousin and she doesn't think I am able to bid on jobs within the company unless I am a permanent employee who is there at least 6 months. The job isn't even 6 months long, and I'd be temporary.

[judy]

I hate to be a stick in the mud, but I would stay put for now. You have a mortgage to pay, and if you can't make the payments, it will mess up your credit rating for quite a while.

I don't understand what they want Scott to do.

[Gina]

I agree with most you have a secure job at the moment and it pays the mortgage.. Jobs are very hard to come by today.

[Marilyn]

I'd stay put and keep up with what is going on at the other govenment job place. Hopefully a permanent position will open up and then you can make the change.

[Lindsey]

Judy, the long story is that Scott has a lot of banked time left over from when he worked in the lab last year and worked long hours up north at the mines. I desperately needed help in drafting, and since he is the only person around with drafting experience, he got put in the drafting department with me. Before we went to Vegas in June, he was told to go home for 2 weeks on banked time because I wasn't even 100% billable on my own. That time just kept stretching out and now it's 2 months later and they still don't want him back in drafting even though I'm pretty swamped

He was booked to go to another job just over an hour away doing lab work. He was going to work 10 days on, 4 days off, but they were very flexible on the time he needed off for concerts he already has tickets for, his grandparents' anniversary (they are both in their 90's and may not see another), the birth of his sister's child, etc. Well, those plans all changed when he came in on Monday and the managers told him to get packed because he's going up north for 2 weeks at a time until winter comes.

I told him to stand his ground, he was promised a job in the office, and the management just laid off lab people they could have used for this job. He tried standing his ground, and the manager that I can't stand told him "Well you don't have a choice. It's either this or you don't have a job with us anymore. You have an hour to decide." He isn't comfortable losing his job so now he's leaving either today, tomorrow, or the next day (they haven't even told him that yet), and he'll be 13 hours away with no phone service until the middle of August.

[Lindsey]

I don't have much of a choice but to stay for now. I'm just worried that my company won't last to the end of the year so I want to find something! I can find a job at this time of year, but come October when there's snow on the ground, construction stops and nobody hires technologists anymore until spring. If we go bankrupt I won't get anything. Employment Insurance only covers 60% of my wage and that won't cover my mortgage.
We have a really promising young engineer set to take over management of our office when the current managers retire. I think the only thing that will really save us now is them retiring more quickly because they're basically running us to the ground. We don't get paid enough, and the managers are never even HERE to make sure things are running smoothly.
I really hope she can take over soon. I'd be comfortable here if she did. I'm comfortable talking to her. She's a perfectionist and great to work with. I think she could really turn us around. But who knows what will come of the company before she gets a chance.

[Lindsey]

Sorry to bring up an old thread.

I just have to say I am SO SICK of this. Tonight again I will be at work until the wee morning hours. The same will happen for the rest of the week. I am swamped with last-minute work and my drafting partner is up north doing lab work.

I am on my 13th hour of work today and there is no end in sight.

Yesterday I was in a meeting with my boss and when one of the surveyors said he felt that he wasn't getting enough direction from project managers, my boss told him that they don't have time, our office is on its last threads and we're barely hanging on because we're making no money.

The promising engineer I wrote about in my last post just left to go back to school to get another masters degree. Another project manager just went back to school for a masters as well. Everyone is leaving.

I am so stressed out right now I want to cry and I have nobody to talk to, and nobody to ask for help. I needed Scott's help and we talked briefly online and then he was gone... didn't say goodbye or anything. I am upset but I know it could be just his internet connection going out, and there is no other way to contact him at all. We worked on this project together when he was here, and now I'm confused as to what he did in some areas. I am getting so angry I feel like I'm going to snap. And while I'm here ranting, no work is getting done. I just needed to say something before I cried at work.

Starting now, I am going to go full-force looking for another job.

[Tiramisu]

I saw on FB that you were working late (or early). Please get some rest.

[Lindsey]

Well, I tried to leave at midnight, but my boss had come in and wanted me to print everything out so he could see it before I left. Of course, it wasn't done yet, so I came back to work more on it. At 1 am, the project manager said the boss left and he was finding it hard to think so we should just leave for the night, as long as everything got done by 9:30 this morning. I can tell you now, it won't get done. By the time I got home and settled Layla down enough to sleep, and got everything ready for the morning, it was already about 2. I slept for 4 hours and I'm back at work again first thing this morning.

At least I banked enough time last night alone to take a day and a half off another time.