Do I leave IT..?

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I have a dilemma.... I'm being outsourced from where I work into a multi-national IT service provider.. I currently manage a team of service engineers providing support to a large organisation.. currently I'm able to maintain a reasonably healthy work/life balance where I am but aren't convinced by the new organisation.. the thing is.. I've been offered anouther job outside of IT.. for less money that more or less guarantee's I can meet my family commitments..

The thing is.. do I stay in IT and make the move at the risk of having to make changes for my family.. or do I leave IT for the next couple of years, work for less money but remain able to meet my family commitments.. then return to IT in a couple of years time..?

I'm under huge pressure and stress in my current post as well and am not sure when this will be relieved!

Choices choices.. anyone left then come back?

 

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If working in IT is really what you want to do, you'll find a way to come back. Your family should be included in this decision, not us. Do what is going to be best for the ones you love. Nothing else matters.

 

Yeah I'm doing that.. it's quite a lot of money I'll lose if I leave IT though.. my family will support whiochever decision I make.. I guess ultimately I'm wondering if there will be a way back if I do leave.. it's 12 years of work I'll be walking away from..

 

Like I said, If it's really what you want to do, you'll find a way back. Just keep your skills sharp and current and watch for opportunities. They may come sooner than you think.

Good Luck

 

Can't you look for another job in IT, whilst working for the current employer? Seems a waste to walk away from 12 years worth of experience.

That said, your family and your health are worth far more than any job.

All the best, whichever route you decide to take.

 

It sounds like you really want to stay in IT, if your family is willing to support you, I say start sending that cv out now. And look for other jobs while you still have that one. good luck AP.

 

Tough decision but it all comes down to what's more important to you. It won't be easy to make the choice, but money isn't everything. Take a good, hard look at yourself in the mirror and decide just what you need to do.

Sorry...that's the best piece of advice I have to give you. Good luck.

 

I can’t tell *you* what to do; but as for *me*, I’d be sticking with the IT job. If I didn’t like it, or needed a change, I’d be looking for another IT opportunity. Unless the position you mentioned “job outside of IT” actually helped me in my career (i.e. a Sr. Management role) I wouldn’t look at it as anything other than a backup path.

I’ve done the crazy hours /week; /day; and /nights for numerous years. Family was never thrilled not seeing me much and losing me to ‘work issues’ all the time, but they supported me throughout. That’s all that I needed to make *my* decision. Now I enjoy a much more relaxed life-style, but I fell into this by good fortune. I wasn’t looking for it and I’d go back to the ‘craziness’ if I had to.

Good luck to you…

 

I personally would create some kind of decision table thingy to help me decide:

Staying in IT

Pros

- I love the job.
- Am paid well.
- Already achieved senior status.

Cons

- Is stressful.
- Doesn't meet family commitments.

Now, the non-IT job is the opposite, right?

Leaving IT

Pros

- Isn't stressful.
- Does meet family commitments.

Cons

- Prefer IT.
- Am not paid as well as for IT role.
- Will not have the same senior status as with IT (?).

This ultimately comes down to you andhow you would handle potentially never working in IT again if you leave - and it is a possibility. Yes, determination can get you back into it as already said, but there are other circumstances that may arise preventing you from making a third career change.

It's a bit of a gamble either way, and as you haven't specified exactly how the non-IT role benefits your family it's hard to point one out over the other. No decision in lfe if easy, but only you can make it in the end... with of without family support.

 

A two year gap is a long time in IT, if you do decide to change careers, be sure to keep a close eye on the latest and greatest techy stuff.

If it were me, you would have to prise me out of IT with a crowbar, regardless of the circumstances.

 

Does that include hitting you over the head with said crowbar?

It's down to you in the end AP, you have to do what feels right for you.

 

I tried to leave IT back in 2005. I was going to set up a photography studio and go full-time as a portrait and fine-art photographer. The only problem is that there is a real dearth of technicians available in the area where I live and word got around quickly that I was a trained systems analyst. I got strong armed back into running a small PC repair business, which it turns out that I rather enjoy doing. (Pays well, too.)

I don't think it's possible to leave something that you truly love (like arsing around with computers) or that you're somehow "meant" to do. Fate always finds a way to push you back into your niche.

Not a helpful answer, but that's my 2 cents.

 

I personally just love computers and IT in general and not so much for the money aspect. However, for what I get paid at the moment not sure if I would have got that in another career field.

However, ultimately the choice is yours and only you can make that call. I would give it time and then decide, but every job is stressful one way or the other. Best wishes and hope you make the right call

 

I would say definitely don't leave an IT position, unless there's a really compelling reason for the change, such as health or family reasons. In my experience IT employers are always leery of people who leave the field and then want to return, because they ask 'is this what you really want to do, and why did you leave etc'. To avoid all that just stay in IT and take the rough with the smooth of it. Every career has its ups and downs and those who stay through the hard times will be in the best position to take up good opportunities when they do arise.

Having said all that its your own decision, but it sounds to me like you are just worried about the new employer, and how they will treat you, might be worth just trying them out and see - its a lot less complex than changing to a new career altogether where you might end up wishing you were still in IT, and then go home at nights and spend the whole evening on the computer learning the latest technologies. If you are really into IT, anything else might just seem like a step down.

Better the devil you know ....

 

I have to admit recently looking at leaving IT and moving into project management, mainly because a few projects I am involved in come to an end soon and I will be back to my day job.

After chatting with a few agencies, and a few companies directly, I sat down and did the pros and cons stuff, and I just don't think that it s the IT side of it that I will miss so much but the sector I work in, education.

I have already made one major change of roles int he last few years and I no longer do so much hands on stuff ... pretty much the main reason why I doubt I will never end up with formal IT certification, I just don't need it to do my job, or to progress to other jobs. The main thing I will need is Prince2 and the like.

I also cannot see me working for particular companies ... with all the change happening within IT in schools there are going to be a lot of people moving around jobs through TUPE or getting out before they are moved, and I don't think I want to be part of some of the crap that will happen.

Job satisfaction is the key thing for me ... the only thing I need to get sorted in my life is some balance with home life ... and then I will be happy for a few more years.

 

It's a real difficult decision for me because although I'll transfer under TUPE a lot of conditions we've worked under (and accepted lower pay etc..).. aren't necessarily going with us.. as always with these things it's bad timing.. I'd not be looking to leave IT if I wasn't being TUPE'd out of my current workplace.. but I know I need to protect my familys needs and ability to be there for them.. still not decided yet but will have to make my mind up soon!

 

This might be my American side showing... but what's a TUPE?

 

It's this Michael.

 

Stay in IT if you can, but when the push comes to the shove looking after your family and being there for them is the most important thing. At the end of the day its more important having a life than a job.

If you are going to hand in your notice, why not speak to them first, explaining exactly whats on your mind, and see what they say. You've got nothing to lose once you've already decided to leave, and you're not doing anything wrong just by talking about the issue. When I handed my notice in as a Software Engineer years ago, I was called into both my immediate Manager's office and the Director Of Human Resources office as they wanted to know why I was leaving and they both tried to persuade me not to leave. They said at least leave it for another couple of months so I'd have more time to think about it. My manager knew I wasn't happy with the project I'd been working on for the past year, and offered me the chance to move into device driver development.

Is it a geographical re-location that is the problem ? And regarding the other job opportunity, is this type of opportunity unlikely to come up again soon ? Are you concerned about a period of unemployment and getting stuck in this - then I understand your point of view.

Weigh the balances and the risks, risking a period of unemployment may not be such a big deal if you are employable, have good references, and live in an area where there are plenty of jobs.

 

Ah - thanks!