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Moving: Options?

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Here is the situation, I am moving bc of a significant other to an area with far fewer career options, IT or otherwise. The area is great for her, healthcare, bad for me, IT or anything not service/retail oriented. I believe the options to be so few that I am actually planning on going back to school for a master’s to cover my @$$.

Here is where it gets a little murky and I need some advice. Currently I am employed, and while not the greatest job/pay, it is still money coming in and a whole lot better than minimum wage at Geek Squad. Obviously something has to change, so the two week notice is definitely an option. However, I am also capable of doing my job almost entirely remotely.

Is something I should even bother proposing to my boss? It means working almost exclusively from home 40 hrs a week and not necessarily getting out/networking professionaly. However, I can do the job with my eyes closed and it would be money coming in. This would obviously be great while also doing school. Also, if she were to go for it, do I owe anything to the company as a result i.e. minimum amount time continuing working for them even in light of a newer position? Are there any other options I haven’t considered? Any help is appreciated!! Thanks!

Topic

A few things and options here.

In reply to Moving: Options?

First, if you don’t offer to work remotely you’ll never know if they would permit it. I recommend that you sit down with your boss and explain your situation re your SO and the move. Then explain that you think you can do the work remotely and offer to do so. You can also offer to make yourself available for monthly or two monthly meetings if they wish and they are prepared to pay the travel costs. In other words make it as attractive as you can. You could also offer to provide local support for any clients within a reasonable distance (if this is a possibility in that work). If they say no you are no worse off, but you’ve done the right thing by giving them a chance. They may say yes, or yes until they can organise a replacement. Any yes is more income for you.

Second, if there is no real IT work in the area or you can’t get any – you should consider setting up your own consultancy and offer expertise to the local community at a reasonable price. If you decide to go back and do your masters as you suggested, you can also still do some part time consultancy work. Another option to increase income where it may not be a high level.

Third, you can prepare your resume and give it to the various head hunters that look to hire in your specific skills area, and other possible clients – note in the paperwork that you are restricted in your physical location but can offer high quality remote work at reasonable rates. even if all your get is a few part time jobs, they could total a reasonable income.

Remember with all the remote access work you can

1. justify a slightly lower than normal pay rate on the basis of lowered work related expenses in that you don’t have daily work transit costs etc.

2. offer longer hours of emergency support at short notice due to the speed in which you can reach your normal work station.

Remember anything is better than nothing.

Thanks, re: Moving Options

In reply to A few things and options here.

DE-

Thanks for your reply. Still trying to consider my options, really tough decision to make i.e. just pack up, quite and move or possibly continue doing the job albeit remotely.

The one aspect I am unsure of is: Would I owe anything to my current employer if they went with this idea. In other words, what happens if I propose the 99.9% remote option, they go for it, I accept it, and after some short amount of time (2 days, 2 months, etc) someone comes and offers a local job? Am I obligated in any way to my current employer?

Obviously if they require me to sign a newer contract with minimum amount time clauses I would be, but in the absence of that, is there any sort of unspoken agreement? I prefer to leave any employer on a positive note as it usually leads to better relations on down the road for contacts, recommendations, networking, etc.

Yet as you said, anything is better than nothing. If it were approved I would still have a paycheck and benefits!!! Thanks again for your input DE, I greatly appreciate it!!

Take care,

DH

The question you now pose here is a personal

In reply to Thanks, re: Moving Options

ethics question – I would feel a mroal obligation to talk to my boss before taking up a new local job. I would also feel an obligation to do the work until they found a replacement, especially after they went to the trouble to help me. But I have a high loyalty index. This is really a personal ethics question.

But in such a situation you could investigate, with the new employer, how much time and when they need you, it may be possible to do both for a short period. This is especially true if you are moving from one coast to the other, or a similar large distance where time zones are crossed.

About 3 years ago I made a major move from Canberra (Aust national capital) to a remote rural area because of family and personal considerations. IT job prospects went to less than 1% of the Canberra options, I’ve been mostly unemployed since I shifted, but I don’t regret the change because of the improvements in family lifestyle. Money is not everything, I KNOW this for a fact. BTW I’m in my 50s

Much Thanks

In reply to The question you now pose here is a personal

Ernest-

Many thanks for your replies. It sounds like we are very similar in our personalities. I find this to be a damning annoyance in american business where the philosophy of the day is profit at any cost. Not much room for a conscience there. I also find more examples of everything I was taught not to do to get/keep a job advancing people into newer positions. It is very strange, and something I will never understand about current business practices. I suppose this is nothing new, I am just green, lacking in experience.

I informed my boss about relocating and offered the remote option. They opted to go the replacement route on the premise that it (the remote option) won’t work out in the long run. I call BS on this one. I think it to be more of a control issue. If I am in the office on a regular basis, they feel they have no control over me. Which is ironic because I am pretty much left to my own design.

Their loss, my gain. Past my final day, I will not be readily available to further assist them and when I am, it will at a considerably higher rate.

I hope all is well in Australia. I visited there many years ago on the eastern coast, from Sydney to Cairns. I would love to return for a longer time in the future!! Any chances Australia is open to ex-pats?? Thanks again, Ernest.

Cheers,
DH

You’re welcome, glad to have been able to help

In reply to Much Thanks

you sort out situation. It does sound like they do’t want you to get outside their control zone.

Australia welcome bona fide migrants and refugees, we have lots of space and insufficient people. All up Australia is not quite the same number of square kilometres as continental USA, but close, and we have only 20 million people against the 300 million plus the USA has in the same space.

That all said ‘Come on down’. Our employment situation is a bit better than the USA but we still do have more people than we have jobs.

an Echo in here

In reply to A few things and options here.

If the area is so good for healthcare, one should remember that they need IT help too.

Granted, the average healthcare organization (hospitals are the worst) does not know how to treat IT help decently … or any other help outside of doctors and nurses for that matter … and couldn’t write a “Help Wanted: IT” ad with a professional marketing flak and a bevy of writers handling the keyboard.

That said, the oppotunities are out there, good luck!

Worth a shot. (Where are you moving to, Central Ohio?)

In reply to Moving: Options?

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Roanoke, VA

In reply to Worth a shot. (Where are you moving to, Central Ohio?)

Moving to the Roanoke, VA area. I had a couple of interviews thus far, nothing panned out. I’ve heard from some other sources that the area is a little phobic of new comers. I have another interview this week, hopefully something will come of it. If you have any contacts or suggestions for the area, it would be much appreciated. Sory for the slowness of my reply!!

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