Help me sort out my feelings about my job. Is it time to find something new?
August 3, 2012 9:41 AM Subscribe
Help me sort out my feelings about my job. Is it time to find something new?
I've been at my current job for just over two years and have been in my field for about six. Over the last several weeks, my job satisfaction has increased dramatically. There are basically two components to my job: a writing/managerial piece and a database administration piece. The writing/managerial piece is what I want to do for a career, what is most important to the company, and what I ultimately get judged on in my performance review. Over the last several months, the database piece has grown exponentially. In the last two days, I have done absolutely no writing or managing. I'm solely working on database. Our CEO's assistant has been at tremendous help with the database stuff. She has taken it on as a personal interest and has become pretty proficient in it.
This week she announced that she is leaving. This will be the fifth such transition that I've worked through since I've been here. During these transitions, I take on all of the work of the person who's since left with no additional pay or help. The count of five doesn't include the first eighteen months that I was in the position without a direct supervisor, where I did a lot of work in that open position, as well. As of right now, part of this current transition includes a lot of things that I did when I first started in the field, like stuffing envelopes and scheduling appointments.
I doubt that we will be able to find someone to fill the CEO assistant position who has the aptitude for our database that the current assistant does. On top of that, I'm now hearing that they're going in a completely different direction and making it so that that the CEO assistant position will not help me out at all in the future.
I really adore my boss and coworkers, but for the last several days, I've been really upset at work. I feel like the database piece just keeps getting to be a bigger and bigger part of my job, keeping me from what I want to do in my career, and now it seems like that's only going to get worse. I've explained this to my boss, who just keeps telling me not to worry and that it will get figured out. Am I overreacting? Is it time for me to move on? Is there any other way to frame this to my superiors to help them understand my frustration?
I've been at my current job for just over two years and have been in my field for about six. Over the last several weeks, my job satisfaction has increased dramatically. There are basically two components to my job: a writing/managerial piece and a database administration piece. The writing/managerial piece is what I want to do for a career, what is most important to the company, and what I ultimately get judged on in my performance review. Over the last several months, the database piece has grown exponentially. In the last two days, I have done absolutely no writing or managing. I'm solely working on database. Our CEO's assistant has been at tremendous help with the database stuff. She has taken it on as a personal interest and has become pretty proficient in it.
This week she announced that she is leaving. This will be the fifth such transition that I've worked through since I've been here. During these transitions, I take on all of the work of the person who's since left with no additional pay or help. The count of five doesn't include the first eighteen months that I was in the position without a direct supervisor, where I did a lot of work in that open position, as well. As of right now, part of this current transition includes a lot of things that I did when I first started in the field, like stuffing envelopes and scheduling appointments.
I doubt that we will be able to find someone to fill the CEO assistant position who has the aptitude for our database that the current assistant does. On top of that, I'm now hearing that they're going in a completely different direction and making it so that that the CEO assistant position will not help me out at all in the future.
I really adore my boss and coworkers, but for the last several days, I've been really upset at work. I feel like the database piece just keeps getting to be a bigger and bigger part of my job, keeping me from what I want to do in my career, and now it seems like that's only going to get worse. I've explained this to my boss, who just keeps telling me not to worry and that it will get figured out. Am I overreacting? Is it time for me to move on? Is there any other way to frame this to my superiors to help them understand my frustration?
I've explained this to my boss, who just keeps telling me not to worry and that it will get figured out.
It sounds like your boss knows, based on your prior performance, that he doesn't have to worry because you will figure it out. If that's the case, then good luck changing that dynamic, sorry.
But yes, your framing can have a huge impact on the direction the discussion goes. If you are expressing frustration, then anything anyone does will be in response to your complaints. But if you are saying "hey, this is a great opportunity and here are some ideas" then you become part of the solution. Maybe the solution is to have a part-time entry-level database person who you train and supervise. Maybe rewrite your job description or update this year's performance goals (esp. if you think you might not meet them).
But you know, even if it isn't time to move on, it's always time to look around.
posted by headnsouth at 10:01 AM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
It sounds like your boss knows, based on your prior performance, that he doesn't have to worry because you will figure it out. If that's the case, then good luck changing that dynamic, sorry.
But yes, your framing can have a huge impact on the direction the discussion goes. If you are expressing frustration, then anything anyone does will be in response to your complaints. But if you are saying "hey, this is a great opportunity and here are some ideas" then you become part of the solution. Maybe the solution is to have a part-time entry-level database person who you train and supervise. Maybe rewrite your job description or update this year's performance goals (esp. if you think you might not meet them).
But you know, even if it isn't time to move on, it's always time to look around.
posted by headnsouth at 10:01 AM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
I've explained this to my boss, who just keeps telling me not to worry and that it will get figured out.
If you do want to try and make the job work, you need to be more proactive about changing it - it's your responsibility to ask for what you need and you need to be 'managing up'. Ask for a meeting with your boss specifically about this, to sit down and strategize on how to make the database stuff and your other responsibilities work for you.
If they're not willing to do this, then they are either happy with things as they are right now, or they don't really care if it does get figured out.
If you can't come to this strategy, ideally with your bosses help, then I would certainly start looking given everything else that is going on.
posted by scrute at 10:17 AM on August 3, 2012
If you do want to try and make the job work, you need to be more proactive about changing it - it's your responsibility to ask for what you need and you need to be 'managing up'. Ask for a meeting with your boss specifically about this, to sit down and strategize on how to make the database stuff and your other responsibilities work for you.
If they're not willing to do this, then they are either happy with things as they are right now, or they don't really care if it does get figured out.
If you can't come to this strategy, ideally with your bosses help, then I would certainly start looking given everything else that is going on.
posted by scrute at 10:17 AM on August 3, 2012
I'd volunteer to draft a couple of bullet points for the job description for the CEO Assistant that lists Database Administration as one of the job duties. Get that entirely off of your plate.
Bounce it back and forth with your boss and get his take. If he's still saying vague things to you, and you're getting the impression that he's trying to pawn it off on you, time to mosey.
Don't let it get bad before you start looking. ALWAYS have an iron in the fire.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:34 AM on August 3, 2012
Bounce it back and forth with your boss and get his take. If he's still saying vague things to you, and you're getting the impression that he's trying to pawn it off on you, time to mosey.
Don't let it get bad before you start looking. ALWAYS have an iron in the fire.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:34 AM on August 3, 2012
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posted by moammargaret at 9:47 AM on August 3, 2012