Rejected an Assignment, 1st Time in My Career
I did something I have never done before earlier this week. I have always been the kind of engineer who management could turn to in order to pull their asses out of the fire. I could take on all kinds of challenges, even tried some impossible ones. All I ever really got was an "atta-boy" for those jobs. Well, I've been doing that for too long. Over the past couple weeks I was offered a task where I'd be working WAY over my pay level, directing multiple offices, tying to get data from a source that won't give it, etc. and was told that if I took this "high profile" assignment it would "make or break" my career. It was typical of so many of these assignments - I'd have all the responsibility but none of the authority. So, for the first time in my career I shrugged. I said, "No thanks." It felt great. I figure I'll get some fallout for this, but in the long run it will be worth it. I care so much about the work I do that if I'm tasked with building a tower of tinker toys to the moon I'll get a heart attack trying to do it. That's the engineer in me. Management picks up on that. They also, always, have demonstrated that I'm the guy who can figure stuff out. I just want to get paid more to do it, now. So...this week marks a turning point for me.
In my other line of work I'm my own boss, thankfully.
In my other line of work I'm my own boss, thankfully.
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I don't disagree with your decision; I do disagree with some of the other comments on this thread.
Jan
else at a higher rate of pay?--Are you getting en-
ough to eat, pay the rent, and pay utilities now?--
Which displeased you the more, the not getting the
pay you think it warrants, or having responsibility
but not enough authority?
I had a job once, the only one I really loved.
I worked on it a year, 7 months, a week, and 3
days. I was a carhop at 75 cents an hour, plus
tips and daily food allowance. (No time and a
half for overtime, of course). (This was 1970--
1972). But I quit that job because the boss
clamped down on me and kept telling me to
slow down. It got so where if I went fast enough
that the cashiers didn't have to take orders out
the side door, he'd tell me I was going too fast.
It absolutely ruined the job for me. I gave notice
and served it out. (I have sometimes regretted
that I gave him notice, instead of just walking
off the job).
I had been managing to save money in the
bank. But about 4 days after leaving, I got a
job in the furniture factory (at $1.98 an hour,
38 cents above the current minimum wage). I
made considerably more than I had been mak-
ing; the main complaint I had against the factory
job was that, compared to my former job, it was
very boring. But the carhop job had been a mis-
ery to me, since the boss had ruined my pro-
fessional pride in it. I never regretted leaving it,
only having to leave.
I have had many jobs since then, some good,
some not so good. I think I was treated the best
(though not paid the best) on the street vendor
job, which I held 27 years. But I have never
had a job I loved as I did that carhop job, be-
fore it was ruined for me. It had once been so
exciting.
Of course, if you are doing all right self-em-
ployed, you can afford to turn down assignments
that are not suitable for you.
Jan
I am 'them' - a corporate executive. We often move a poorly functioning employee around to see if there is a place where there is a better 'fit'; we also often move a premier employee around to see if they have even more capacity than they have already shown. We are a small company, and our paychecks come out of what we earn: This means that you have to move the good employee to the higher responsibility position before you raise their pay - because their pay increase comes out of a percentage of 'the more money the company is now making because of increased performance'. (Conversely, moving the poorly performing employee to a new job may be a prelude to firing him if the fit is still not good.)
What you describe, Abaco is something different: lack of fealty. I also do medieval reenactment (as do Wm and several others in the company), and I am of the opinion that there is a fealty relationship between employer and employee - a reciprocity of loyalty and - in medieval times - a profit sharing agreement. What you are saying, Abaco, is that your employer has broken fealty with you. You have pulled their chestnuts out of the fire several times previously and they have not rewarded you for it. This does not speak well of their quality.
I disagree with those people who say that a career is not important. This varies from person to person. I agree with giellopudding (! - never thought to type that sentence in my life!) in that you have to determine what is important to you. If a career IS important to you, then that is a valid life decision - acknowledge it and pursue it. You are an individual and you shape the character of your own life.
Jan
Indirect responsibility is more and more en vogue. It is not always a disaster, but it does require very strong communication, interpersonal skills and a keen sense of where the "line" is to succeed. It can definitely work though. I witnessed a "powerless" congressional staffer tear apart a two star admiral on a simple subject the admiral was 1) wrong on, and 2) just taking the party line. After questions being thwarted by evasive non answers, the staffer said, "Don't worry, after this meeting I will provide you a question to which the answer can be "yes" or "no", and you will answer that question admiral". That admiral was fired by the deputy secretary of defense for acquisition about 4 months later.
My dad was the assistant night manager at a celebrity type restaurant. You know, the place where the entertainers and politicians hung out. The boss asked him to take over being the day manager. A much bigger responsibility, no increase in pay. Ol' daddy handed in his apron and bought a little deli and started his own business. No more celebrity autographs and free passes, and much harder work, but...like you say.....
Will you let the Gulch know if anything further develops with this situation ? Do they come back to you with a better enticement ? Do they find someone else or just drop the project? Do you quit and become an independent contractor who charges 10xs as much since then you'd be responsible for all your benefits package ? Etc.
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