Is it Time?

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I've been thinking that its that time to start looking around again. I know I've only been here for under a year, but a number of factors are contributing:

1. The development style is more 'fly by the seat of your pants' than I would care for. Theres little or no actual designing, its more just a case of - 'we need this in today, get cracking'.

2. The practices of development arent exactly up to date, and are fairly inflexible (ie some suggestions about better ways to do things are turned down because people dont understand them).

3. We are heavily using the components from a third party developer - i feel that im just learning their way of doing things.

4. The atmosphere in the office isnt particularly good. bitching, whining, temper tantrums - and lately, the half whispered complaining about things in such a way that the target can still hear. I dont mind people bitching behind my back, but at least have the decency to bloody well do it behind my back.

5. I came in wanted guidance and mentoring - im still new to the industry, and wanted the chance to be mentored to develop my skills. Thats somewhat lacking here.

After a bout of number 4 this morning, I decided that it was time to dust off the CV, and start putting the feelers out again. Hate doing it, particularly at the start of a project, but enough is enough, and its unlikely to change.

 

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It's always good to look for another job while you still have one. Sounds like you are generally unhappy there which is a good enough reason all by itself. This doesn't mean that you'll find something suitable right away, but you avoid the "desperation" of looking for a job without a current income. I'd say "go for it".

 

Never a bad idea to keep your eyes open... and in your case, it sounds like it's time to actively seek. Best of luck in your search, bro!

 

I know I need to be ruthless about it, but I still feel shitty for considering it. I tend to waver a fair bit with it too. I'll resolve to start looking, then feel back and not do anything.

 

Is there anything you can gain by staying on in your job a bit longer, or work on in the meantime, eg certs? And how long is the project due to run?

I ask as I'm in pretty much the exact same position (with the exception of 4 - that would require people to talk to each other!); I'd resolved to work on some certs till this project ends, however the way things have been going, I'm not sure I'll last that long... I'm trying hard not to hand my notice in just yet!

 

Hi, good luck with the hunt, if you no longer want to work somewhere there is little point staying, few quick points.

 

The manager is the one holding up the changes im afraid. And hes the director, cant go above him.

 

Only youl know if it’s time to go – but from the sounds of it, I’d start looking too. What’s to feel bad about? If the environment is bad, then the company hasn’t taken the proper steps to ensure a healthy place to work. Sometimes companies don’t care, if that’s the case here, why should you? Besides, what’s the worst that can come out of searching and interviewing? If you don’t find anything then you know what to do to market yourself better; if you do find something, you pack up and start again.

You are much more valuable on the open market while you’re still employed. If you’re not satisfied, this is the time to search.

 

Yep. I've actually had my agent contact come back to me with a possible development opportunity. Reworked my CV a little. I considered not doing this. But sod it, if nonentities can benefit from it, I damn well am going to too! I've attached my CV, any opinions?

View attachment 950

 

Good luck with it mate, sounds like time to start looking.

 

Fergal, I say go for it while you still are working. There is no need for you to be miserable at place you have to be everyday. I've done this and it will start to affect the rest of your life outside the work place if you have to do it for very long. I wish you all the best with whatever you decide.

 

CV looks good.
One thing I noticed was you’ve changed jobs about once a year. An employer may see this as a risk. Be prepared to answer why so much movement in such a short amount of time.

 

not really Sunn - the Acc Admin job and SDesk jobs are with the same company - sorry, I should have labelled them both as company 2

 

Don't worry Fergal, everyone seems to agree on the same point and I would urge you to do it also: ie to start applying to other places while you're still currently employed. Not only does it look good on a CV, but it saves alot of frustration of being at home and just counting the days waiting to get a job......especially with no current means of income.

Your CV looks pretty good by going into great detail with all the development projects that you worked on and the experience you gained from them. This speaks alot and would be very beneficial to employers. However, your CV would look a bit more spiced up if you throw in a couple more certs in there. And ofcourse you know that means you have to push in some extra work and a few hours every night studying! It ALWAYS feels good when you accomplished something new and you can proudly add it to your CV!

And about point #4, trust me -- you'll always find people like that almost everywhere you work. Look at it this way, you could be the most PERFECT person on earth and there will still have at least one person out there bitching about you. My advice would be to get used to it, but at the same time don't let it get to you. You can never stop people from talking negative about you, but you can sure piss them off by showing them it has no effect on you and that you're not intimidated! Just continue to be and do the best at what you do and press foward. Hope this helps!

 

Actually I disagree - certs are not relevant in this field. They are not referred to as a rule on job ads, what counts is the amount of experience, and he seems to have a suitable amount judging from his CV.

 

I'd prefer some mentoring. Im left to my own devices as it is and whilst i can do the job, id prefer support from above. besides, there are aspects, such as the design phase of programming, that I have zero experience with. my exposure to the development cycle is lumping in a new feature as its decided we need it.

 

Hmmm... 'Mentoring'. As far as I can see, and as you've already discovered, mentoring appears to be extremely rare if existant at all for developers! I'm not the most experienced programmer at my job, but have become accustomed to the lack of mentoring and have learned to adapt. When you are hired for a programming job you are taken on as an individual who can learn quickly and do the job well.

Don't see where the problem is regarding mentoring, but you could certainly do without the bitching done by others.

 

Very true. Perhaps I was spoiled when I started developing, but I had no less than two people I could call upon for mentoring. One had limited vbscript knowledge (mainly copying scripts and changing the necessary lines) - so he and I learned together, but he was a Domain Admin, so helped with that side of things, and the other was an excellent developer.

I can do the job, and am usually able to source help online if I get stuck, either through websites or forums.

I'll see what happens.

4. is annoying. Like I said, I dont mind bitching behind my back - it happens everywhere - but at least have the decency to actually do it behind my back, rather than at a volume where I can overhear.