Career Frustrations

[Reframmellator]

"I was a young guy, married with a baby, living in a fourth floor walkup with steam heat, working at the GE Aircraft plant in Lynn, MA. I came home with my paycheck and sat down and looked at the bills. My bills were $3/week more than my paycheck, so I looked ahead and the bills were $3/week more than my paycheck for as far as I could see. I decided that couldn't continue. So I went back to school at night."

When he retired, he was the CEO of Honeywell.

 

[wubears71]

Yep. It was as recent at last year with Covid. I considered a complete career change. It was absolutely soul sucking how bad things were. I felt hopeless. I spent lots of time thinking about whether or not this is what I want to do. Then, I realized that I love what I do but hate the environment I do it in.

As cliche' as it sounds, networking saved me. I put feelers out there with the people I knew related to my industry. One of the benefits that came out of Covid is the ability to work anywhere due to remote work capabilities - all that is required is a laptop and a good internet connection.

Four months later, I am in the best place I've ever been career wise. It's been a true blessing. I just needed to figure out what I really wanted to do and then work those connections. My current job was not posed anywhere that I would have found via job boards or company websites. It was all word of mouth!

 

[BuffaloPlunger]

I made a big change when I was 33 and it has paid off both financially and in work enjoyment. I did not move but I did go back to school. I also moved to a field I could stay in locally because I did not want to move. My advice if you are going to invest in education is to make sure you can get

There is a lot of good advice here. Here is some of the best advice I got:

• Very seldom does anyone get to thread the career needle - in your case, getting the opportunity you want in the geography you want without taking on any educational debt. Something has to be sub-optimized. Being blunt here, those are tradeoffs you are able to make but unwilling to make. That suggests a certain level of satisfaction with your current situation. If the pain of change exceeds the pain of staying, you'll stay. Employers count on that.
• You say you missed out on a "Golden Opportunity." How so? Did you interview and not get the job? Were you told you weren't qualified? The selection process creates another golden opportunity. Schedule meetings with your manager and the hiring manager to have a career discussion. Don't ask for help; ask for advice. Help suggests they will need to do something. Advice suggests you want to drink from their fountains of wisdom. Have some very specific goals in mind, such as:
  • What would have made the difference in my candidacy regarding this role? That is, what skills/experience/results would have gotten me the job had I had (or not had) them. I would not accept "Well, you were both qualified, but (s)he was more qualified than you." Get specifics.
  • Those lead you to your next questions: understanding there are no promises or guarantees, how can I work on those areas in my current role, or an expanded role?
  • If you're getting nowhere, say this: "I like it here. I see this as a place where I can make a contribution and grow. What should I focus on to make that happen?" That bolded phrase is extremely powerful.
  • You may learn that the company isn't as sold on you as you are on them. It's good to know that. Good or bad, thank them for their time, feedback and candor (in a brief note or email), and either a) set out to prove them wrong, or b) if you think your bridges have been burned, look elsewhere.
• Many times, the interview that does not get you the job you posted for gets you your next job. Look at my suggested followup as another interview.
• If you haven't read it, I suggest a book by Martin Yate called Knock 'Em Dead! Read that book and you will be ahead of 90%, minimum, of your peer group.
• Finally, unless you end up in a situation I hope you never see, in which you lose everything and have to start over, you will probably never be in a better situation to take risks, make changes, and invest in yourself.

It's good that you're asking questions. Good luck, and keep us posted.

Thank you for that! In February of last year I was interviewing for the “golden opportunity” position and I was killing all of the interviews. Because of Covid, they went into a freeze though. Fast forward to last month, it opened up again and I made it to the final round and felt good about it. Ended up losing to someone I went to school with. I have overall better experience but they had slightly more relevant experience.

As far as the change I’m trying to make, it won’t really require additional education, more so just getting the right opportunity.

 

[DH27]

I often wondered what I am going to do for a career. I retire this August at age 61. In good financial shape. I have lost good jobs twice to bankrupt companies that I have worked for. Work hard. Be responsible. Be a decent person. Opportunities come to those who hustle and do not screw other people. Life has a sense of humor. I will never be the smartest guy in the room but I always know who is and how I can tap into them as a resource.
Bottom line things will work out. As a young man I did not understand that statement. As an old man I smile.

 

[Scooby45]

It sounds like you may just need to keep working hard and things in your field will work themselves out with the great advice here.

I work in engineering with some contacts in aviation. If you want to chat just send me a PM.

 

[jvbart]

Sounds like you may be in a career that can be done remotely. If so I would recommend broadening your search to include remote opportunities. My girlfriend is doing the same right now and most search sites have a tool to open up to all positions nationally that can be done remotely from anywhere in the country. There are a ton of these openings these days.

 

[Chef23]

If I read this right you graduated from college in 2019 which makes your 24 or 25 probably. While you were excited about the opportunity you didn’t get and disappointed there will be other opportunities. Be careful of moving to quickly toward a job particularly if you are in a good paying job that you aren’t miserable in. Make sure that you are moving toward an opportunity and not away from one. There has been some good advice in this thread. Don’t be afraid to take a risk right now you are young without many expenses (I would guess).

Different strokes for different folks but I don’t understand the draw to procurement of course I am in sales and procurement is evil.

 

[Jank]

Different strokes for different folks but I don’t understand the draw to procurement of course I am in sales and procurement is evil.

As someone on the other side of the coin, I feel the same as you ... I came to my current company wanting to get into sales (I have been in supply chain/sourcing my whole career), but the company I'm in does not have a good sales culture at all. They are all miserable.

 

[Reframmellator]

If I read this right you graduated from college in 2019 which makes your 24 or 25 probably. While you were excited about the opportunity you didn’t get and disappointed there will be other opportunities. Be careful of moving to quickly toward a job particularly if you are in a good paying job that you aren’t miserable in. Make sure that you are moving toward an opportunity and not away from one. There has been some good advice in this thread. Don’t be afraid to take a risk right now you are young without many expenses (I would guess).

Different strokes for different folks but I don’t understand the draw to procurement of course I am in sales and procurement is evil.

So you're on The Dark Side, are you?

It's what you make of it. There are good - really good - and bad people on both sides of that negotiating table. I've been in every function in a business except sales and finance, and Procurement has been a nice capstone. Of course, I've been fortunate to be in an organization that views Procurement strategically and based on knowledge and relationships. Plus, we have a highly technical raw materiasl spend, so I'm able to apply my technical background. I've been in Procurement for over a decade, and by far the sales people that invariably get burned either a) are bluffing or b) thought I was bluffing. There are Procurement people who try to bluff in negotiations, too, but those who do it as a rule don't last too long here. The buy-sell relationships where we worked on the basis of candor and objectivity have gone through some tough times and we managed to come out of them for the better.

 

[Templet0n]

I have had some serious ups and downs and had some pretty crazy career changes. In a pretty good spot at the moment so confidence, a little flexibility and persistence in key.

Good luck!

 

[oumagic]

I have been with my company about 26 years. Not something I really love to do, but it has benefits that I do love. There are plenty of times that the glass looks half empty but I usually can flip it to the glass being half full. The idea of looking for a new job outweighs the few things I dislike. No doubt in my mind that I could switch but just don't find that I need to switch. When you are young with no kids or old enough for the kids to be out of the house, that is the time it is easier to make big moves. It gets exponentially more difficult with marriage, mortgage, kids, taking care of parents, etc.

Good luck!

 

[jmix18]

After losing out on a Golden career opportunity to someone I know (and also Covid) I’ve become very frustrated in the search for a new job. I love the people I work with now and the company is great but the role just isn’t for me. There’s only 2-3 companies in my area that hire for what I’m looking to do and on top of it already being a somewhat difficult transition, they don’t have much posted. Starting to feel like I’m spinning my wheels. Anyone else find themselves in a similar situation? How’d you overcome it?

In the same spot now... lost out on a job to my college roommate and teammate! Didn't know that he had applied as well and at the final interviews we ran into each other - hugged it out, (cuz after living together during college I'm not sure much could kill us.) - and I knew then that he'd get the job. He'd worked there for years, left, and now wanted to come back. Was crushed when I found out I didn't get it - and forced myself to be happy for him when he called me excited. (I'm happy for him - I am, just wasn't the plan that my family wanted.)

So I gotta figure that my time and work isn't done here. Figure if I dwell on it, then my work here will suffer as well as the relationships I've built. I don't want to become that bitter person that you sometimes see in jobs. The kicker here: The person doing the hiring is also a good friend of mine. We've spent hours/days having cocktails and talking about how awesome it would be to work together and even laid out those hypothetical plans on what we'd do and how it'd look as well as career ladder stuff... Have yet to hear from him about this which is what burns the most on this. So - haven't fully gotten over it yet as I continue to work through the interview process wondering if I said or did something wrong.. It will pass I know. Just stung pretty deep. So - time will pass and things will heal. Truly believe that we're placed in places to do certain things for certain times and when it's time, other doors will open.

 

[livegolf]

After losing out on a Golden career opportunity to someone I know (and also Covid) I’ve become very frustrated in the search for a new job. I love the people I work with now and the company is great but the role just isn’t for me. There’s only 2-3 companies in my area that hire for what I’m looking to do and on top of it already being a somewhat difficult transition, they don’t have much posted. Starting to feel like I’m spinning my wheels. Anyone else find themselves in a similar situation? How’d you overcome it?

Some good comments so far! Personally, I think someone has to identify how much a job title and role is important to them and just how much he/she wants to work. Some people value a career more than others.

15 years working for me and I put a lot of pressure on myself to get a certain title. I got it after 7 years and then it was a period of a letdown... "I worked so hard for this?" Looking back early on I would have told myself it is only a job .

Work hard and try to surround yourself with people who know your value. That has helped me the most. Good luck!

 

[Chef23]

So you're on The Dark Side, are you?

It's what you make of it. There are good - really good - and bad people on both sides of that negotiating table. I've been in every function in a business except sales and finance, and Procurement has been a nice capstone. Of course, I've been fortunate to be in an organization that views Procurement strategically and based on knowledge and relationships. Plus, we have a highly technical raw materiasl spend, so I'm able to apply my technical background. I've been in Procurement for over a decade, and by far the sales people that invariably get burned either a) are bluffing or b) thought I was bluffing. There are Procurement people who try to bluff in negotiations, too, but those who do it as a rule don't last too long here. The buy-sell relationships where we worked on the basis of candor and objectivity have gone through some tough times and we managed to come out of them for the better.

I agree there are good people and bad people in procurement. It just isn’t what I would want to do.

 

[BuffaloPlunger]

I agree there are good people and bad people in procurement. It just isn’t what I would want to do.

I think I would really enjoy it. The position I was interviewing for would have allowed me to become an expert on specific commodities. My background is in equity research and credit risk for industrials so I enjoy the analytics. The negotiating is an added bonus

 

[Chef23]

I think I would really enjoy it. The position I was interviewing for would have allowed me to become an expert on specific commodities. My background is in equity research and credit risk for industrials so I enjoy the analytics. The negotiating is an added bonus

Go find another similar position then. There can’t be only one in the world. In your mid 20s there are plenty of jobs to find out there.

 

[Desmond]

I’ve considered going back to school considering I only graduated in 2019. I kind of wish I put a little more thought into things in high school and stuck with engineering or pursued aviation

You're young - pursue your dream. You don't want to spend another 40 yrs not being happy.

 

[Mark_UK]

Hell, I spent the first 5 years of my life in the US feeling like that. I gave a good job that I had wanted since school in the UK to move to the US. It’s a specialized aviation role, and unfortunately the city I moved to had one regional airport within 50 miles. The first 3 years were pretty darn depressing actually, until I finally found a job that I thought I’d be ok with as a career change. Thankfully, the little regional airport were looking for a person to do the role I had been doing back in the UK and I got it. It’s not a nice position being in a job that doesn’t really fulfill.

 

[Bowtiepower00]

You are WAY too young to not consider a move. Unless you GF is In a small specialized job in the perfect opportunity making bank she should be willing to move too. No disrespect, but I’m putting job opportunities above love interests until I have kids, etc. Something to keep in mind, you can be friends with coworkers but BUSINESS IS BUSINESS. If you don’t have that mentality someone who else who does will take your job. You can be friendly with coworkers, but nobody in direct competition for you position will ever have your best interests in mind. Maybe that doesn’t bother you, and that’s fine. But if you want to grow, you need to be open to EVERY opportunity.

 

[tequila4kapp]

After losing out on a Golden career opportunity to someone I know (and also Covid) I’ve become very frustrated in the search for a new job. I love the people I work with now and the company is great but the role just isn’t for me. There’s only 2-3 companies in my area that hire for what I’m looking to do and on top of it already being a somewhat difficult transition, they don’t have much posted. Starting to feel like I’m spinning my wheels. Anyone else find themselves in a similar situation? How’d you overcome it?

I’ve read this a couple of times and gone back and forth.

You like the company and it’s people.
You are young, no debt and on the cusp of buying a house.
You missed out on a perceived golden opportunity
To someone you know
Current role is not for you and opportunities for advancement appear limited.

Did you feel this dire about the current job or are you overreacting to losing the opportunity to someone you know? That line can be a bit hidden in your post but it’s also potentially telling. There’s potentially some hurt there, not just disappointment at a lost opportunity. That’s okay, probably natural. But don’t let it lead you to a bad decision.

I’ve been at the same company 25 years. I don’t think I’d recommend that path to another person. But I also think it’s questionable to run from a good company because you didn’t get something. There’s an immediacy to your desire to move. How long have you been working there, a year and a half? More than likely it’s your first job out of college. I see this a lot - young people who expect or want perfect right now. You are young, have some patience and consider playing a longer game. Spend some time talking to others in the company about what you want. People that have some capacity to create opportunities or influence staffing when the company inevitably changes. You may be surprised at what can happen when other people like, trust and respect you and know that you have ambition to do certain things. In other words do the ground work now to enable your next opportunity. Concurrently, use that time to build an actual go forward plan. More planful, less reactionary.

FWIW, I got the expensive advanced degree. The debt was life changing. The degree was not. Just saying.

You’ve got the next 35 - 40 years to work. You will have career changes. No need to rush this one.

 

[Stryker]

The only reason I’m hesitant to go back is the debt factor. Right now I don’t have any debt and am a few months away from being able to buy a house. On the flip side, going back for an engineering degree would really open up some opportunities for me

Honestly buying a home now as a first time home buyer is a rough proposition. There are more real estate agents then homes for sale in this country right now. Everything is selling higher then it should and that means you can afford less home then normal. The other thing is most first time home buyers buy thinking they will upgrade to a bigger or better home 3-5 years down the line. The problem is going to be this market can not continue doing what it is doing now and eventually it has to come back down. I personally think first time home buyers buying in this market need to understand they probably will not be able to afford to move in the time period they normally do because they won’t be able to get enough for any home they buy now in that 3-5 year period. I am not saying don’t buy a home. I am saying think long and hard before you do.

 

[Scorp]

I think I would really enjoy it. The position I was interviewing for would have allowed me to become an expert on specific commodities. My background is in equity research and credit risk for industrials so I enjoy the analytics. The negotiating is an added bonus

The thing that sticks out to me in this response is that you like analytics.

Is that financial analytics? Or jut analysis in general? If it's more the latter than the former, then there's some job out there that might appeal to you. There might be something that interests you in dealing with big data or data mining or something like that. Maybe in the financial sector, maybe an offshoot industry... maybe a loosely related field.

Browse job descriptions with more analytical type of postings than specific procurement and you might find something that appeals to you, that you can do from home, and maybe not have to move.

 

[Bryndom]

About 5 years ago I had grown frustrated with my current job and also had a sense of wondering what was out there. I sent out a handful of resumes and looked at a few companies. It took about 10 months to find something. It’s certainly not quick at times (even in decent economic times).

Hang in there!

 

[BuffaloPlunger]

I’ve read this a couple of times and gone back and forth.

You like the company and it’s people.
You are young, no debt and on the cusp of buying a house.
You missed out on a perceived golden opportunity
To someone you know
Current role is not for you and opportunities for advancement appear limited.

Did you feel this dire about the current job or are you overreacting to losing the opportunity to someone you know? That line can be a bit hidden in your post but it’s also potentially telling. There’s potentially some hurt there, not just disappointment at a lost opportunity. That’s okay, probably natural. But don’t let it lead you to a bad decision.

I’ve been at the same company 25 years. I don’t think I’d recommend that path to another person. But I also think it’s questionable to run from a good company because you didn’t get something. There’s an immediacy to your desire to move. How long have you been working there, a year and a half? More than likely it’s your first job out of college. I see this a lot - young people who expect or want perfect right now. You are young, have some patience and consider playing a longer game. Spend some time talking to others in the company about what you want. People that have some capacity to create opportunities or influence staffing when the company inevitably changes. You may be surprised at what can happen when other people like, trust and respect you and know that you have ambition to do certain things. In other words do the ground work now to enable your next opportunity. Concurrently, use that time to build an actual go forward plan. More planful, less reactionary.

FWIW, I got the expensive advanced degree. The debt was life changing. The degree was not. Just saying.

You’ve got the next 35 - 40 years to work. You will have career changes. No need to rush this one.

I’ve been at my company for 2 years next month in 2 different roles. First role got moved to Dallas but was poorly run so I didn’t want to make the move. Not a big deal since I could stay in my position until I found something new. Started interviewing for the job I lost out on but it got put on hold because of Covid. Switched to a new role internally but it’s just not a good fit for me. I defintely agree my reaction is probably from hurt but at the same time it’s been frustrating with the lack of job postings. Either way I know I’ll get into the right position eventually.

Don’t get me started on advanced degrees. I completed a number of MBA level courses in my undergrad and they were not all that helpful. I won’t deny they bump your opportunity but is it worth the $50k in debt? I’ll happily do one if my employer pays for it. My stance has always been unless you’re pursuing one at a top university, wait for your employer to pay for it

 

[BuffaloPlunger]

Honestly buying a home now as a first time home buyer is a rough proposition. There are more real estate agents then homes for sale in this country right now. Everything is selling higher then it should and that means you can afford less home then normal. The other thing is most first time home buyers buy thinking they will upgrade to a bigger or better home 3-5 years down the line. The problem is going to be this market can not continue doing what it is doing now and eventually it has to come back down. I personally think first time home buyers buying in this market need to understand they probably will not be able to afford to move in the time period they normally do because they won’t be able to get enough for any home they buy now in that 3-5 year period. I am not saying don’t buy a home. I am saying think long and hard before you do.

This is something I still think about. I had a short stint in real estate just when prices started going crazy. I definitely agree that prices will need to come down. Luckily they’re not super crazy in my area depending on the neighborhood but I’ve considered getting a double for this reason. The only thing worse than the property prices are the taxes. Gotta love NYS