Kelly
How much should I sacrifice for a new job?
I have a job I love at the moment and have been at the job for about 1.5 years. Without disclosing too much, things in the work place have changed and I am ready to find a new place of work. But my job right now is very flex with me and I have gotten the shift I wanted (8am-4:30pm monday-friday) and I get all the time I request off. I know I will have to give up things like working on some holidays and maybe working nights but... im am scared of tring to get a new job for the better but ending up worse.
2 answers
Julien Schleret
Julien’s Answer
Hi Kelly,
It's tough giving you advice without knowing the situation you are exactly in, if you like your job so much and have all the things you like there, can't you try to fix what's going on at your current job? If your safety or your level of confidence is at risk then you should definitely consider living. If that's the case, I would say don't be afraid ending up worse. you still have a job that you can keep for the moment.
You don't have to accept the fist job that comes in, you have the choice to say no if you get an offer you don't like. No matter what you will have to make a choice and choosing a path is renouncing to other possible paths...
I tried to find some useful readings and here are some articles that should be useful:
The Right and Wrong Reasons for Changing Jobs
Stay or Go? 6 Questions to Consider Before Changing Jobs
The Best Advice I Ever Received About Changing Jobs
Hope that helps!
Julien
Thank you, Julien, for you thoughts and the extra links you provided! I really appreciate it.
Kelly
Glad you found it helpful, thanks for following up, it's always nice to read kind words ;)
Julien Schleret
Frank Lemmon
Frank’s Answer
Great question, Kelly! Some thoughts:
1. In general, move forward to go to something better, not just to leave something behind. If it's unclear the new job will be no better than the current one, that's a fair amount of risk to take, especially if you like the current job and the people you're working with. All jobs have ups and downs, so as Julien advised, weigh whether any issues with your current job are "temporary" or "show-stoppers". If temporary, a little persistence is a better strategy than just heading out the door.
2. Always be a professional! If you decide to leave, then leave on good terms: Give notice, finish open assignments, clearly communicate your desire to help with documentation, short-term training, etc. The professional world is actually a fairly small and connected place, so if you find the new opportunity doesn't work out as hoped, then you might end up heading back to the previous job! This actually happened to me once, I was glad to return to my previous employer, and they were happy to have me back! All worked out fine.
Hope this helps :-)
Thank you, Frank. Your thoughts are helpful!
Kelly