The Opportunity Cost Is Killing Me

January 9, 2007 10:26 PM

I need to ask a sort of cost-benefit analysis question about my job. Basically, I've either need to jump ship or chin up and hang on, but I can't decide how detrimental either choice might be.

I work in banking/finance. I previously worked for a very niche sort of bank, and I liked it okay, but it was my first job out of college, so within three years I was pretty ready to look at some new people. I was offered a job that is technically lower on the rung to what I had been doing at a start-up bank. What was supposed to happen is that I was to come in and do Job X, which wouldn't necessarily be hard for me, and be taught how to do better-paid Job Y while doing Job X (Job X is essentially assistant to Job Y, and lots of people do this). Now, this is a small organization, ~30 people. Six months down the road, I've learned precious little about Higher Paid and More Desirable Job Y and I am rapidly losing patience with Job X. Additionally, some of the people I have to deal with very closely are blindingly incompetent, so I have the utter joy of a job that simultaneously bores me to tears while subjecting me to huge amounts of stress stemming from other people's incompetence.

I recently received a call from my old boss (actually, two bosses ago at the old job) and she wants me to come back in a position that is technically lower than I left the organization before, but is something I know I can do. It will provide me with more daily privacy/autonomy, less oversight due to boredom rather than need, and I already know whom to avoid because they are incompetent or annoying and I know how to do it (and it's possible because Old Job is a huge company). The title is equivalent to what I am doing now -- title wise, I went from X Analyst to X Specialist and this will be yet another X Specialist job. I am assuming I won't have to take a pay cut, as that basically voids the comparison.

So, all this long-windedly said, I'm not sure if I'm getting ants in my pants too quickly, or if I am not allowing enough ramp up time. I'm starting to feel pretty used, though, and on top of being unchallenged and dealing with a massive level of idiocy, I'm not sure if this is worth another six months of my life. Yes, I am aware that there are morons everywhere -- but some of my "co-workers" are really testing my ability to cope. So, after all this, the question is: Am I being taken advantage of, or should I give it some time? How bad is it going to look on my resume to bounce back to the old place? Are there consequences to this that you've experienced that I'm not thinking of?

Since this is anonymous and by necessity vague, I give you my throwaway Gmail account: [e-mail].

posted by anonymous to work & money (8 comments total)

Two points.

A. Plenty of people bounce back to an old company -- often it means that said company has finally worked out their value. No biggy.

2. I've never heard of one of those "start here at a low level and we'll move you up quickly" jobs working out that way, ever. Not ever. It's always some slimey trick to get someone to work for far less than they're worth. Leave.
posted by krisjohn at 11:30 PM on January 9, 2007 [2 favorites]

Just to confirm exactly what krisjohn says above; I've been caught by this trick a few times myself. "We'll just bring you in at level X but we expect to have you up at level Y within six months" is a popular spin on it. It never, EVER happens that way, and is all about paying you less than you are worth. If you hear this in future make sure you are happy staying at the starting position for a good few years, or just turn the job down.

As for your actual question, I would say going back to your old company is probably not going to satisfy you in the longer term. Remember why you left in the first place; and you're thinking of going back at a lower rung than you were before? I'd give it six months before you're looking to move again.
posted by jon4009 at 1:18 AM on January 10, 2007

Yep, can't see any reason to stay with job X. That said, your other options are not only to go back to an old employer. Look around and start applying. When asked about the short term stay at X at interview, the truth is that it isn't what you expected and you're not willing to invest more of yourself in a position that's not going anywhere. Or, take the job with the old boss, look for other employment and leave job X off your resume all together.
posted by b33j at 1:55 AM on January 10, 2007

Stay where you are until you find a situation to jump to that you have less misgivings about. Otherwise, you're going to stop resenting your current situation and start resenting your old/new situation for not appreciating you enough to give you something you really deserve. Tell your old boss that you'd like to come back, but only at a higher level, and to please let you know if such a position opens up.
posted by bingo at 6:13 AM on January 10, 2007

What about other jobs out there? I'd make sure your resume is out on the job boards and you have a search enabled that emails you positions that you might be qualified for. I also had a lot of luck with Linkedin.com for emailing people who work at target companies and asking them for advice about how best to get into their company or role.
posted by hokie409 at 7:39 AM on January 10, 2007

"hello, current boss. i'm getting bored doing this job and want more challenge. i was offered a job elsewhere that i'm debating taking, but to be honest, i'd rather stay here and expand my responsiblilties. can you help me out?"

doesn't sound like you really want to go back to the old company. so if current boss is a tool about letting you train for Y, why not go get a whole new job? familiarity is a gilded cage.
posted by twistofrhyme at 10:54 AM on January 10, 2007

My current job started me at X and moved me up to Y, so it does happen occasionally (to be fair, though, I wasn't promised a move up to Y, only given a comment that I might move up to Y in an unspecified time period should the office expand suitably. Lo and behold, it did, I got promoted, etc.).

I'd agree with others that moving back isn't really going to satisfy you - you won't be challenged there, either. I say stay with the current job and look for something better. In the meantime, tell your current boss you'd like some more challenging work. Don't tell him you've got another offer, though - he might say "go on and take it" and then you're stuck into one course of action - moving back to the old place.
posted by marginaliana at 11:19 AM on January 10, 2007

I have started at Job X that included Job Y and, over time, phased out the Job X portion. At that place, I know of at least one person who went away and came back. It worked out well for him.

I also had the offer to go to another company at a certain salary level with the promise that it would be upped to a higher level over time. I took that to my current boss and they matched what I wanted (given the differential of benefits).

However, I did eventually jump ship to another place at higher salary and less responsibility. Unfortunately, one lesson that is painfully learned is that the "blindingly incompetent" are rampant. Sadly so.
posted by jdfan at 12:24 PM on January 10, 2007