Author Topic: Hold out for management job or upgrade now?  (Read 2877 times)

Bearded Man

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Hold out for management job or upgrade now?
« on: February 07, 2015, 08:34:59 PM »
I am currently a contractor. I'm liked by the clients leadership and have been there for a couple years. My organization is somewhat volatile and will be going through a re-org soon, but I am good at least through September, if not 3 years. Besides, I am senior on the staff, and there are people below me to let go first.

My job is pretty laid back (which makes me enjoy not dread coming into work ), and I get a lot of time off, and have a lot of time to get certs, learn new technical skills, etc.

The offer I have is for a similar job with a local government agency (read that, more stable, pension, lot's of paid time off, etc.), but it is more stress. There is some promotional opportunity, while there is none where I am now.

I really want to move into management next, and have been focusing my certs and training on that while also keeping up technical skills.

My options are to take the job and keep looking if it ends up sucking, take and stay at the job, or stay where I am and hold out for the management gig I want.

Here are some questions I asked myself that, in my perception, make the obvious choice to stay where I am at:

After additional thought on the subject, I'm inclined to agree with this. Here are the questions I decided to ask myself. Would you agree it is best for me to stay where I am at?

Do I intend to stay at this job more than a year? No.

What is it that I want to do instead? Management.

Can I get interviews and offers for management regularly? Yes, I have recently even.

Why do I want to go into management? FTE instead of contract, and higher pay.

Will I have opportunities to go into management at this job? Yes.

Will those be the highest paying opportunities? No.

Where are the highest paying management opportunities? Private sector.

Does it make more sense then (since you want more $) to work in the private sector? Yes

What about the pension? 401K provides you the same but better, because you can take it with you everywhere easily, and it is in YOUR control.

What about vacation time? Can be negotiated during the offer phase.

What about job security? Job security is an illusion. Studies show gov workers are just slightly less likely (5% or so) to be terminated, and the only job security are your skills and a savings account to tide you over.

What about maintaining your technical skills by taking on new projects? Even though work is slow, I still have a lab to maintain my skills, get certifications, etc. Besides, after moving into management, technical skills won't be as important as soft/people/management skills.



After asking myself these questions, I think the obvious best choice is to stay, and take my time to find the right management gig or even one to get my foot in the door and move around to move up from there. Thoughts?

mxt0133

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Re: Hold out for management job or upgrade now?
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2015, 10:29:23 PM »
Always try and move up not laterally, unless it's for a lot more money.  Get your certs and apply for positions above your current one.

gluskap

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Re: Hold out for management job or upgrade now?
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2015, 08:25:00 AM »
Are there any opportunities for management at the government job? If not, then I would stay where you are since it seems management is the route you want to go. Is the only reason you want a management position is for the increased pay or do you think you will actually enjoy the management responsibilities? I only ask because I thought that's what I wanted to as that seems the next logical step once you have gotten far in the technical aspect. But now that I am a manager, I find myself not really liking the responsibility and wishing I could go back to doing more of the technical work and less of the politics. Yes the higher pay is nice but there is something to be said about less stress and enjoying what you do. If what you just want is FTE and higher pay could you get those with just a higher technical position somewhere else?

Bearded Man

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Re: Hold out for management job or upgrade now?
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2015, 10:23:21 AM »
So you guys don't think I'm wasting an opportunity to get into government work? I know these jobs are hard to get and most would kill to get one. Yes, they did ask me what a team would look like if I had a team, and that they might add to the team. No guarantees though. Online reviews indicate it's not a secure place to work due to poor management. These are just the reviews from the IT people online...

I've been in management before, and yes, in the wrong organization, it can suck. I wouldn't want to do it in an organization selling professional services, etc. Managing in house systems and such is the way to go. Lower stress, and less conflict/politics over other types of management. Plus, with the right boss who supports/backs you, it's fine.
« Last Edit: February 08, 2015, 11:50:00 AM by Bearded Man »