Is it time to cut my losses?

February 25, 2008 8:08 PM

My job isn't all it's cracked up to be. Do I keep at it and hope it will improve or do I take another leap?

Fall 2007 I moved from the east coast to the mountain west for a job. On paper the job is great. There are many reasons why I like the job, but there are many reasons why it's making me nuts.

I was hired away from an adjacent industry with an offer of doing X for $10k less than I was making out east (technically a raise based on cost of living, etc). The industry is insanely hot, even in these uncertain economic times. I'm currently doing X + a few other things I enjoy + a bunch of stuff I don't. My boss gives me way more than can possibly be accomplished by one person (and usually it is the stuff I enjoy doing). My boss is also the one that sets my goals.

The CEO/Owner of my company shoots me over tasks that I'm "happy" to help with, but often I don't like doing them. But they need doing, so I do them. They are things that someone earning far less than I am should be doing. It boggles the mind that the CEO feels it's a good use of money to have me doing something a trained monkey could do. Before you say "he's trying to get rid of you" He's not. He sings my praises to all who will listen, we have a great relationship and I in no way believe he is trying to push me out the door. I think that he finds me entirely competent and trusts that I will do things right without him needing to double check everything.

Then there's the thing that I finally realized tonight. He's also asking that I do things that will prevent me from reaching my goals. The best way I can illustrate this is to compare what I do with a used car lot. Let's say I'm in charge of buying the cars for resale. My boss (not the CEO) and I know that Honda and Toyota have better resale value and therefore my company is likely to be able to sell those cars at a good resale price. The CEO of my company really has a penchant for Chevy Cavlaiers. He likes that they are US cars and just thinks they are a great value for the money. Yet, I know that we are unlikely to be able to sell these cars because everyone wants a Honda or a Toyota and the carrying costs don't make it worth the time or effort. So my goals are negatively impacted.

In addition to the above I work with mostly young "professionals" who haven't been out in the real world and don't know how to behave in a professional manner. They let emotion rule their work days and are incapable of completing tasks without extreme supervision and follow up.

I am loathe to give up this opportunity, because I really do see it as an opportunity, but I spent the last five years in a similar situation and I don't want to get complacent again.

I work in a very narrow internet industry. I am *very* good at my job and have little doubt I'd be able to find something in my field or an adjacent field to cover my needs. As a matter of fact there is already a great opportunity for me to become part owner in a startup, but it won't be profitable/paying anything for several more months. If I start working on that while still employed at my current position I'd be in serious breach of my non-compete. But it's oh so tempting.

I'm late thirties, female, no significant other, kids, pets, plants or debt. I have $10k+ liquid cash available to me. My monthly expenses other than rent (high for my area at $1200/mo incl. utils) include a $300 car payment (on which I only owe about $3300 total) and food. I spoke to my landlord tonight about possibly breaking my lease if I help find a replacement. She's open to it.

I'm plagued by too many options. Any help you can lend to clarifying my mudded mind would be appreciated.

posted by anonymous to work & money (7 comments total)

You never have anything to lose by looking around and taking an interview if something looks good. Not too many jobs will come and find you on your couch in your apartment. If you're looking then at least you have options.
posted by ODiV at 8:21 PM on February 25, 2008

And after realizing I skipped a couple lines, I guess some jobs do come and find you on your couch. :)

I still think looking around is a good idea. You say that you have little doubt you'd be able to find something, but it's still a good idea to take a look around and get some feeling for what the employers and positions are like.
posted by ODiV at 8:23 PM on February 25, 2008

I once saw something said never become so good at your job that your irreplaceable, because if you can't be replaced you can't be promoted. Often finding someone that is a perfect fit for a mid/low level job is incredibly hard, even it could be done by a monkey. The good ones only do it if they can't find anything else and then bolt the second they get a better opportunity and you can never get rid of the barely satisfactory ones. Unfortunately, it looks like your boss loves you right where you are and doesn't appear to have much incentive to see you grow. I would sit down and have a serious talk with your boss about what your job responsibilities really are supposed to be and what you were promised before simply bolting, if you think there is still potential there. You don't have that much to lose, I highly doubt they'll fire you if you are tactful and professional about it, and if they say no (or say yes and then change nothing, which is probably the most likely outcome) you seriously start looking at your other options.
posted by whoaali at 8:37 PM on February 25, 2008

I also work in your industry and have been on all sides of this issue. It's not easy, but you have to weigh the good with the bad.

It sounds like you are well positioned and well compensated generally, which is a great place to start. But you have some menial work on your plate which seems beneath you. I've so been there. I've had to take on work like this myself and ask others to do it and it's never fun.

My first perspective on that is that most people, if you ask them, feel this way in some measure. We would all work better and more efficiently if we could hand anything that doesn't require judgment off to a trained monkey. But we don't always have that luxury. When I take on a menial task, it's because it needs to get done for the sake of the big picture. If at all possible, I will allow it to simply NOT get done. But if it's too important for that, then the bottom line is it's important work, and therefore not so beneath me as it might seem. In a hot, fast-moving entrepreneurial environment, you do whatever it takes, prioritizing and automating whenever possible, and sucking it up the rest of the time. When I ask someone to take on a menial task, I am up front with them about it. Sometimes it's temporary, sometimes it's not. I tell them I know it's not fun but explain why it's important and will have an impact. That's usually all it takes for a dedicated member of the team to step forward and pull through.

The best way to show that something is a poor use of your time is to show what ELSE will NOT get done if you do it. Start a conversation with your boss along the lines of "I need to prioritize some of the things on my plate, can we talk about it?" Be realistic about what you can get done, and if they are too thick or asinine to see what's important, you have enough reason to leave the company. But if you are doing a lot of work you enjoy, and some you don't, keep the amounts in perspective and ask yourself really if in the end it doesn't balance out. We don't all get to work on the fun stuff we excel at all the time.

It may be that your bosses intend for you to take on crazy amounts of shit that couldn't possibly get done, and force you to work long hours. This can be cause to leave, but again, if you are in a hot industry and well compensated and going places, this can be a price you pay. Young industries aren't always the best at delineating classes of work and making sure senior people don't have to get their hands dirty. If you work up the ladder at a more traditional industry, you can expect more attention paid to that. But in my humble experience, not so much in the Intarweb.

In the end it comes down to whether you are being set up to fail. If you can't get your important work done because of the stupid shit, then the company is going to suffer, and you really should point that out for the good of all. If they are too stupid to get it, or just expect you to work like a slave, then you just have to decide if you have better options you can take, or if it's part of the price you pay for the fun stuff and the high salary.

Also, if the managers are really asking you to do things that undermine the company's results, then you work for a stupid company and should leave anyway. Don't stay somewhere where the leaders have poor judgment. You'll lose your job and have a failed mess on your resume. Is the company going down? If it's doing great, then maybe your superiors aren't so stupid after all. Perhaps Hondas are an easier sell but the margins on Chevys are spectacular.

Offhand your description does not strike me as the worst work situation I have ever heard. It does sound like you could make more of a stand on this if it's critical. Make your concerns known and give the wheels time to turn. Otherwise, it sounds like this shiny startup opportunity has allowed you to see the worst parts of your current job in the light of your previous job. If you have the stomach for the risk involved with a startup, go for it. But there is a strong sense that where you are is a serious opportunity for you, and you'll have to struggle through a thing or two to realize that.
posted by scarabic at 9:56 PM on February 25, 2008

I'm guessing the company is smaller since you mention small-time tasks delegated from CEO, is it growing also?

At a small growing company you may have opportunities to get staff under you that you can delegate these jobs to, which be rewarding (getting tough business done and managing a happy team feels great) and it's good for your resume.

whatever size, if the company isn't growing, and it sounds like the boss will keep using you're skills and time and benefiting greatly; not having to hire the needed office staff whose job you're doing and increasing company profitability with your hard work without rewarding you directly (I assume, from you car analogy.) That would be less appealing.
posted by oblio_one at 11:15 PM on February 25, 2008

Can you get the company to hire you an assistant you can delegate the menial tasks to? Point out the CEO or whoever is involved in the decision that they can pay the assistant $X less per hour to do a lot of the work you're doing, thus freeing up your time to do [more important work that uses your skills].
posted by Jacqueline at 12:37 AM on February 26, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Jacqueline, that was my first thought too.

Sounds like you'd benefit immensely by having an assistant.
posted by GPF at 6:58 AM on February 26, 2008