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Need serious career advice

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by warreny

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Hi,

I am currently working in a local regional-MNC. This is the first company that I have worked for since I graduated from the local University. Prior to joining the company, I don't have any working experience in IT field. However, I am considered to be lucky to land this job opportunity before graduation, esp in these time.

The company has many sites. I was deployed into one site the first day I formally started working. I enjoyed that place very much, however what is the most important of all, is the people, the colleagues are very cooperative and helpful and kind enough. The good days don't last. We have to resign the contract and the customers want to cut headcounts of this IT maintenance team( PeopleSoft accounting ). Overall feeling of working there for 40 days: I enjoyed it very much: Working is such an enjoyful experience, because I don't feel it is working. We have very good relationship among all of us.

As you guessed it, since I was the new guy, they first eliminated me from the team. I was deployed to my current team( J2EE developement ) which is located at our Headquater. ( beyond my ability to choose where I wanna go )

OK. about this place: The people here don't bother about one another. Even you don't see two people sitting in the same cubicle talk to each other. It is hard to hear 15min of talking in the whole afternoon. Nobody bothers about me, invites me for lunch or say goodbye at the end of the day. We sit there without seeing others because the cubicle walls are so tall. I often felt very sleepy in the afternoons, and no motivation and energy to work, and very low morale. ( I guess the contrast with my previous place is too much )

My words to describe my current working place: very little team work, energy and vitality. During the first few weeks, I felt so bad and disgusted about this place. I have thought of resigning and even tried to search for other jobs, but at the end I didn't do it because changing to another job isn't easy at these times for IT fresh graduate and, the pay in this company is considered very good and some other personal reasons. However, I felt totally opposite from my previous team. Now after 4 months, the situation gets a little better. I found I have been used to this kind of environment: now I talk less, talk poorly, work is just a routine, not much motivation in it.

OK now, this current phase and the work i am doing is going to an end. My manager( someone who doesn't do what she has said. I experienced it through. )asked me whether I am willing to do something else of high demand, but still in this same place, in this same team, managed by her. She said there will be training opportunity.

My dillema is: should I stay with this team or should I reject her offer and let our HR to decide?

My thoughts:
If I stay:
1. May result in better appraisal for this project.
2. stable and good income
3. a chance to learn something new.
4. no need to meet new team, new people, hence no such challenges.
5. still meet these same people in this same place I described above.
etc..

If I reject:
1. HR will decide where I go. It could end up either in a better place or a place just like this.
2. May result in poor appraisal for this project. ( my first appraisal was very good from my previous RO ).
3. Bad appraisal will affect my future in this company and my career future since I just started working.
4. Meet new people, new team. More challenging. Maybe better colleagues and better environment of working, and that result in better performance.
5. a place that is far from home.( this place is very near to home ).
6. if no place to go by HR and don't wanna stay in the current team, then no choice but resign. then income will be affected.
etc...

Please give some advice. thank you.

( English is not my first language. pardon me for some language mistakes. )

11 replies

by warreny

To add on:
The thing she said I will be doing is around Documentum for our current project. I am not familiar with it, so I am also not sure about her "high demand"( as she put it ).

Thank you.

by tr_member

No point in waiting for the HR to place you wherever they want.
You got to make the best of the situation. Find more about what your manager has to offer. If it interests you, then go ahead.

As you grow in IT industry, different skill sets and experience always help you out in the long run. So even if the offering is slightly away from your career path, you should take it up. You are still quite new to the industry. It would have been a different issue for a person with 20 yrs experience in IT industry.

So take it up with enthu and complete it successfully. You get work satisfaction.

On the other hand, the manager might be trying to entice you into a role/job that nobody is interested in doing. Who knows you could become irreplaceable :-)

by warreny

The actual problem is not with the next work. I don't think I will be given a try first and decide. She asked me to decide in 2 or 3 days time.

I don't really appreciate this project team and the manager. It is dead without energy and loose in team work, and the manager is someone who never does what she said.( or is IT development project team always like this? ) I really need guidance and advice as I come along in working, but right now here nobody bothers each other and the management lets the employees manage by themselves. For me, I can manage myself, but well, I feel blind and never know where I am going and whether it is a correct way.

I hope my problem is explained clearly.

by hal 9000

That the work isn't the problem but the work enviroment is where you are finding it hard to addapt.

First of all WELCOME to the BIG BAD WORKING WORLD as this is often what happens in industry most people will not offer assistance because you might get the credit for their work this applies particuarly in product development.

On the other side of the coin it could be said that you can work without constant supervission and this is a good thig as well as it shows that you are reliable and self sufficent. Personally I would take what is offered and go with it as you have already said it is close to home and you don't have a problem with the work.

There at least isn't constant bickering and "Office Politics" being played so you just might find that this is a good enviroment to work for the time being until you get promoted out of this section.

As this was posted over the Christmas break I suspose that the answer is required fairly soon so just accept and hope for the best. At the very least it will be a learning experience for you and at worst you will waste some time while still getting paid.

If you go out looking for another job there are several things that will count against you but the main one is that you appear to be unable to work within a "Team" enviroment at least that is the way it will appear to futher bosses. If you had been there for several years with no advancment you would have a valid reason for looking for something different but right now if you can do the rubbish jobs then you will prove that you are capable of doing anything so just stick it out.

Best of Luck

Col

by seasoned

I agree with Col Luck. In the meantime, in order to keep your environment interesting, I would suggest doing 2 things.
First, create a "Try This" list to collect interesting ideas from my technical readings. This can involve downloading demo software just to become familiar with it, etc.
Secondly, I set several small goals for myself that are related to my tech career (not the current job). This makes me feel that I am not wasting my time plus keeps my morale up (also, like I am getting away with something!)

Good Luck! Remember, to balance your work life with your personal life!

by noko

Hi WarrenY, your future lies in your own hand. The question is do you need to bring back money to feed your family or what you earn is what you spend. If you are the latter, you should listen to what your heart say. Better opportunity is to be find, fight for it and so it will stay. Why let others decide your fate. Decide for yourself.

by warreny

Actually I am the latter. I hesitate because of the bad economy. My own personal feeling is to leave, because it had been affecting my life out of work. Only quite some time later, I started to adapt to this team environment, but it doesn't mean I like it, but.. a choice out of no choice.

now, i have to decide whether i continue with them or go bold and reject the PM's offer.

by hal 9000

We originally planed to do but if you are serrious about leaving this job find another one first and it doesn't matter what field it is in just find another job before you throw this one in as it is always far easier to find work when you have it rather than when you don't.

Its exactly like getting a loan from a bank if you don't need it they will through money at you but if you neeed it heaven help you no matter how finicially secure you are because their reasoning is that you can't be that well off if you need their money.

by warreny

I am not going to change company. It is the project in this company. I have made my decision and replied the manager willing to be redeployed by the HR to another project.

by campbelltaylor

You have made your decision - cool! Bear in mind that you will ocme acroos this situation again in future. I agree with suggestion of making the work environment more your own. Also consider people networking. That PM may turn out to PM something you want to do in the future so don't burn bridges.

All the best

by pnevai

Your work environment and your interaction with it is controlled to a big degree by you.

You need to change the tempo, if you find little interaction then create some, seek out others, ask for oppinions, engage your co-workers.

Suggest teem meetings, or other improvements to foster team involvement. Talk these concerns over with your boss.

A team that communcates and interacts will function better than one where you have a meeting once a week and then everyone dissapears.

I would jump at any new opprotunity as it opens doors to make a change to your work environment.

If your attempts to open a dialog or interaction meets with no sucess, and everything seems to plug along. Well then you can always keep an eye out for something better either within the company or with someone else. But I would first try to change the dynamic myself and see what happens.

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