Monday, December 2, 2013

When Is It Time To Just Move On From Your Current IT Job?

I have come across several people lately who contemplate this question for themselves.  'Is it time to move on from my current job?"  Sometimes it takes some clarification from others to just make sure you are thinking clearly.  I have compiled a list of things I have seen myself or heard others say, that I think are reasons to 'move on' from your current position.  Maybe some of you will agree or disagree.  These are just my own personal opinions on this.
1.  When your boss tells you that he wont give you a raise.  If you feel you legitimately deserve a raise and you can back it up with proof that you bring more value than when you were hired, and your boss is unwilling to even listen to you about it, its time to move on.  In the work world, money means respect.  If they will give you more money, they think you are worth keeping.  If they don't give you more money, they could care less if you stay or leave.  In their mind, you are replaceable.
On the same topic, when it comes to evaluation time, if the company is doing ok, then you should get a raise.  Its called a cost of living raise, at the very least.  If they don't give you your annual raise, its time to move on.
2.  If they disrespect you, its time to move on.  You don't deserve that.  No one does.  Everyone deserves respect.  Its a human thing, not an employee thing.  You are human BEFORE you are an employee.
3.  If you have to pay for your own tools for work related purposes, its time to move on.  The company should pay for work related tools, not you.  They are paying for you, not anything else you can bring to them.  This includes something to carry the company laptop with, like a backpack.
4.  If a company treats a consultant better than you (an employee), its time to move on.  Everyone deserves respect, a consultant and employee.  But, and employee is part of the company.  A consultant is not.
5.  If you are singled out and treated differently than everyone else, its time to move on.  If there are certain perks that everyone else gets, and you are the only one that doesn't, how fair is that?  Move on.
6.  If your job changes from what you hired in to do, and you don't want the new changes, move on.  If you got hired to do data, and now they expect you to do programming (and you don't want to), then you need to find something else.  If you tell them and they don't care?  They still want you to learn programming?  Move on.  You don't want to be stuck doing something you don't want to do.
7.  This one stinks, but if they don't tell you about the holidays you are off, move on.  This one really gripes me.  I've seen one company notorious for this.  I think they hope you will work and bring in money for them, only for you to find you were off anyway.  They robbed you of your off day.  Move on.
8.  If the company doesn't really care about your input (not about direction, but about IT related technologies, etc), move on.  You are a technical resource and you were hired to provided expertise.  Move on if they don't care about your opinion.  That equals disrespect to me, and no one wants that.
9.  If your company works you to death, and doesn't listen to your pleas for relief, move on.  For some reason, the business world thinks that the more hours you put in for them, the better.  I disagree.  You need rest.  You need balance in life.  If they want all of you all the time, move on.  They are not worth it.  Life is too short.
10.  If your employer asks you to do anything unethical, move on.  They should know better than to ever ask anyone to do something that wasn't right.
11.  If they try to trample on your religious (or non-religious) beliefs, move on.  No one deserves that.  They hired you to render services from you for pay to you.  Unless you are militant.  No one deserves to work around you in that case.

So these are just a few that I came up with.  I'm sure there are a ton more.
I just had a thought that I probably need to come up with a list of reasons why a company SHOULD fire you.  That article coming at some point this month.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Your comment will be reviewed for approval. Thank you for submitting your comments.