New job (hopefully)

thomasross20 · January 2017

Taking the plunge.
Leaving a secure job that is expanding site, I'm promised promotion, pension is good, good money, good pay rise every year, work is interesting, commute is ok... But been here 7+ years, I'm not getting the attention others are, maybe because I am autonomous and get the job done, need to learn new things. I feel isolated and under-appreciated.

So I'm interviewing with a Californian company soon. Probably longer commute, better money but less pension and no guaranteed bonus/annual pay rise, longer hours. Trips to SoCal to learn from some real geniuses from CalTECH, very varied job, though I'm surrounded by analogue engineers where I currently am, and will be one of the only ones at this remote site so good and bad.. more recognition and responsibility and hopefully I can keep up my self-learning while I'm still here in Edinburgh.

This is a total risk but I'm young and there are other opportunities if things don't go well.

Strangefan · January 2017

You live once and for a phenomenally short amount of time, embrace it and do what you want not to what you feel you have to.

BigMonka · January 2017

Sounds exciting, hope it all goes well - YOLO!
What does the new company do?

guitarfishbay · January 2017

Good luck Thomas

thomasross20 · January 2017

Scary thing is this could be a bad decision. I left once before and it was a disaster, so it was good to get taken back on. This time, there's no going back.

Time to man up and live up to my potential (or live down to!

)

Col_Decker · January 2017

thomasross20 said:

blah blah blah ......... but I'm young .... blah blah blah.

Screw you

Sporky · January 2017

thomasross20 said:

This time, there's no going back.

Leave nicely and if you're good at what you do there's every chance you can go back. If you have to. Best of luck.

DrJazzTap · January 2017

Good luck!

thomasross20 · January 2017

Sorry @Col_Decker

Thanks, @sporky! I think my immediate boss would have me back but the guys in the US is another matter.

Might not even get this other one but it's sounding hopeful.

breakstuff · January 2017

Good luck.

thomasross20 · January 2017

Thanks, all - Skype interview Monday night with the California team! Bricking it

Jalapeno · January 2017

thomasross20 said:

Thanks, all - Skype interview Monday night with the California team! Bricking it

Speak slowly, then slow up a bit more !

Good luck !

Nitefly · January 2017

Best of luck, Tigger - I know you've been agonising over this for some time, bite the bullet!

thomasross20 · January 2017

Thanks, guys!

BigMonka said:

Sounds exciting, hope it all goes well - YOLO!
What does the new company do?

Actually the business strategy is, to me, also a tad risky. They make integrated circuits for all applications (not just one or two like most companies... because it's difficult enough as-is) in "real quick time," using two chips in one package (one an ARM microcontroller and the other a custom analogue/digital chip using a different process). So I could be going from having done wireline comms and motors in the past to medical, mobiles, anything.

thermionic · January 2017

I wouldn't see that as a bad thing. Motor control is a very specialised field. I dabbled in A/D conversion and DC-DC converters, both areas which had applications over a wide range of technologies. If you gain the skills to make the chips work, where they end up is not that important.

Good luck with it BTW, Edinburgh's a great place that has lots of opportunities in that area. Trips to Silicon Valley (or SoCal in your case) are fantastic. The downside is that we we had twice-weekly conference calls that went on for two hours or more - and 9am in California is 5pm over here...

p90fool · January 2017

Good luck Thomas, knowing your attention to detail I know you'll make it work.

richh · January 2017

Good luck, and if you can expand your range of skills, that will open up more options for you down the line!

thomasross20 · January 2017

Attention to detail... Or insanity?

Yeah I will defo have late night calls. Possibly 1-2am calls for some far eastern projects. F#*k. Lol.

Motor control is super interesting but the technology is a bit specialised. We're putting micros on chip so it's getting more complicated but they want more projects in shorter time - I'm not sure US project managers understand the complexity and I'm forever doing schedules because they're not "short enough" - it's silly now. So.. I can get the chips together so that should hold me in good stead. Bummer is since it's a mature startup but with no plans to float, that reduced pension, non-guaranteed bonus etc is a worry.

hubobulous · January 2017

Taking control of your career is never the wrong thing to do.

New jobs, even if they turn sour, give fresh motivation, impetus and opportunity to learn. Staying in one place too long can signal to the employer that you're dependable and therefore not a flight risk.....not conducive to getting the cool projects.

Moving roles and the mental wellbeing it provides in terms of being in control makes also for good decision making. If you get this new one and it doesn't work out, you can move on. Moving jobs is actually a skill and it's good that you've grabbed this situation by the scruff of the neck.

In your head, it sounds like you're out of the door anyway, so if this doesn't happen, something else will.

mudslide73 · January 2017

Remember not to mention GnR and you'll be fine. Good luck on the Skype thingy tomoz.

thomasross20 · January 2017

I found out very recently another person in the office is getting significantly more than me. Fair enough, he's older, but ability-wise, I'm doing all the low-level complicated stuff in addition to the higher-level tasks. So I'm not happy about that.

Yes, always good to move and learn more, that's for sure. People do think you just get too cosy, and there almost becomes a lack of respect, I find (I'm not involved in interviews and at technical meetings I tend to get talked over, and I know my stuff).

I really I hope I get this one and that the dosh is decent or I'll have to stick around while I check out other options.

I should have left a couple months ago but I gave them the chance to sort something out and while they did... underlying problems do re-surface. There's the chat of making me principal but I think cash-wise it'd be a token gesture not getting anywhere near what this other guy is getting. I don't think I'm taken seriously.

One of the interviewers plays guitar... are you sure I shouldn't mention GNR? Lol...

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