The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: albireo13 on April 02, 2018, 05:52:29 AM
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Last week my manager talked to me about pushing a promotion for me in the coming months.
He asked me when I thought I might retire. He expects me to be around another 5+ years.
I didn't feel it was right for him to ask this and I'm not ready to reveal my plans to retire in 1+ year.
I just played dumb.
While a promotion is a great thing to hear, it also means an increase in responsibility and possible work in areas I'm not excited in (meetings, scheduling, etc) ... maybe more hours.
Pay increase would be marginal, in my estimation. Anyway, this is sort of moving in the wrong direction for me as I am in the glide path, approaching the "airport runway".
I feel like I would be "faking it", taking a promotion and working that last year or so.
I'm not complaining. I just am ambivalent over the whole thing.
Anyone else have this happen?
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"I haven't decided" or "still saving for that; no idea" are perfectly normal deflecting answers to that question.
In terms of taking promotions that you don't want, I've got people in my organization who have done that. I don't think less of them wanting to stay in an individual contributor role (as a software engineer), because honestly I understand it and that was the most fun job I had in my career as well. It doesn't even particularly harm their career as it keeps them steered in the direction they want to go.
In your case, what are they going to do if you turn down the promotion? Fire you? Probably not (unless you are COO who was being groomed for CEO and now you balk at it). They'll pick someone else and put you on the "doesn't want a promotion" list, which is true, you don't want a promotion. You can serve out your time in your existing role and retire when you want/are able/choose to.
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You might want to re-read your post. Are you actually ambivalent? Or are you feeling guilty that you don't want the promotion because that isn't 'normal' or because your boss is trying to do something 'nice' for you?
It'd really be ok to say no to this.
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You're ambivalent about this new opportunity, but you've also started a couple of other threads about hating your current role for various reasons.
What do you really want?
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Um, yes, several times.
A few times in the past it was suggested that I might want to be the engineering manager in my current company. I wasn't born yesterday (and was, in fact, the most experienced person for the job), but I also had a young child (eventually 2), and ... wasn't willing to put in the expected 55-60 hours. So, when my bosses felt me out, I said "not interested!" But also "I wouldn't mind managing a smaller group." and ended up doing that.
My most recent promotion I *really* wasn't interested in, but also realized that I didn't really have a choice. But when it was put to me, with "of course we have no money for raises", I answered with "if there's not more money, I don't see why I'd want to move into a higher profile position with more responsibility and stress, when I like what I do now".
Didn't hear anything about it for two months, ended up getting moved into the job, but with a raise.