Career Progression

[*SynergyX*]

what did you do when you reached a point where you are near the top and no one is likely to vacate a position anytime soon.

also difficult to find a job outside of company because jobs at the higher end are few and far between

feel like i sped my way to the top and now feel stuck...

 

[3WA]

Learn to do your current role in ~10 hours a week, and find another job for the other 40 hours a week.

Or outsource the current job to India, and work a second job full time.

 

[GhostSixFour]

what did you do when you reached a point where you are near the top and no one is likely to vacate a position anytime soon.

also difficult to find a job outside of company because jobs at the higher end are few and far between

feel like i sped my way to the top and now feel stuck...

Education? Maybe a higher qualification helps? What role are you in? How long have you been there? Maybe a move to consulting, would likely be a lateral move but do consulting for a few years then apply back in industry?

 

["D"]

what did you do when you reached a point where you are near the top and no one is likely to vacate a position anytime soon.

Hmmm... and you happen to be asking for ethical answers only, we presume?

 

[*SynergyX*]

Hmmm... and you happen to be asking for ethical answers only, we presume?

well willing to take out a hit at reasonable rates....

 

[powermzii]

well willing to take out a hit at reasonable rates....

There is a certain cop you should stay away from....

What industry are you in and are there other industry certification etc you could take on?

 

[*SynergyX*]

data & Analytics... but im not so much on the technical side anymore. head up a team. and lately im jaded by people management problems...job hoppers moving from one salary increase to the next

 

[syntax]

At least for me, I dont think I will ever be at that point.
I was quite specialized in a certain technical space and was doing a lot of work on large customers which made me feel like I would never be replaced. But it only takes time before things move on and you have to keep on at it to stay relevant.

I moved to an executive role and feel now more so than ever that my position is precarious. It is so challenging to tangibly gauge my worth. I have realized that almost no one is irreplaceable. If they are, the business is making a mistake.

 

[cguy]

data & Analytics... but im not so much on the technical side anymore. head up a team. and lately im jaded by people management problems...job hoppers moving from one salary increase to the next

Would you consider moving back into a technical role of you could get the same salary?

My last job eventually had me doing a lot more management that I wanted (100% management). I moved to a hands on position at a another firm for a significant bump after that, which had me doing fun technical work again - no people management issues and a better salary. I’ve actually done the above twice (left 100% management to become hands on again).

You may have to consider moving overseas to do this, or a change of industry (first time for me was a move overseas, the second a change in industry).

 

[cguy]

At least for me, I dont think I will ever be at that point.
I was quite specialized in a certain technical space and was doing a lot of work on large customers which made me feel like I would never be replaced. But it only takes time before things move on and you have to keep on at it to stay relevant.

I moved to an executive role and feel now more so than ever that my position is precarious. It is so challenging to tangibly gauge my worth. I have realized that almost no one is irreplaceable. If they are, the business is making a mistake.

It’s a huge risk and common issue with management. The lack of tangibles means that your future depends entirely on your current manager’s ability to ascertain your worth through the fog.

Personally, that’s one reason why I try to stay technical. I also prefer it - I feel as though my mind atrophies in management. Not to say that management isn’t intellectually complex, but it’s definitely a different kind of intellectually complex.

 

[*SynergyX*]

Would you consider moving back into a technical role of you could get the same salary?

My last job eventually had me doing a lot more management that I wanted (100% management). I moved to a hands on position at a another firm for a significant bump after that, which had me doing fun technical work again - no people management issues and a better salary. I’ve actually done the above twice (left 100% management to become hands on again).

You may have to consider moving overseas to do this, or a change of industry (first time for me was a move overseas, the second a change in industry).

been seriously considering moving back into a technical role... just need to find one with the same perks
just not sure if its the right thing to

 

[cguy]

been seriously considering moving back into a technical role... just need to find one with the same perks
just not sure if its the right thing to

I do agree that in SA it is a risky, since the idea of a parallel engineering/IC ladder is pretty foreign.

 

[RiaX]

what did you do when you reached a point where you are near the top and no one is likely to vacate a position anytime soon.

also difficult to find a job outside of company because jobs at the higher end are few and far between

feel like i sped my way to the top and now feel stuck...

assassinate some mofos.

obviously im joking

 

[saturnz]

I was a research consultant to one of the executives in the institution I was working at for seven years, there was no room for progression since that would mean I would have to become an executive, and that wasn't something I was interested in.

After a while I was simply doing the same stuff over and over, same questions asked differently and I would just regurgitate old reports and together with other reasons, I just left and didn't bother looking for other work.

That was seven years ago.

as a fun fact, my boss also left the institution for more or less the same reasons six months after I left, he passed away 3 years ago

 

[Not_original]

data & Analytics... but im not so much on the technical side anymore. head up a team. and lately im jaded by people management problems...job hoppers moving from one salary increase to the next

So if you manage them, and they hop out, why not counteroffer. You said yourself that you sped up the ladder. Why become jaded if they try and do the same?

 

[GhostSixFour]

So if you manage them, and they hop out, why not counteroffer. You said yourself that you sped up the ladder. Why become jaded if they try and do the same?

Because counteroffers are from the devil.

 

[Barbarian Conan]

data & Analytics... but im not so much on the technical side anymore. head up a team. and lately im jaded by people management problems...job hoppers moving from one salary increase to the next

For most people salary isn't enough to make them stay or leave. The company I work for doesn't pay that well compared to most of the big corporates, but our attrition rates is crazy low. In my current team of 8, we have 3 people working here for about 8 years, 2 working here more than 10 (one of them probably 14 or something years) and two around 3 years.

Even when I took the job, it was the lower of 2 offers, and I've since been contacted by recruiters offering 20% more than I earned but didn't even apply for one of them.

There will always be people who want to maximize their salary, but management aren't a bunch of assholes, the work is interesting and you feel valued, people are much likely to leave just for a 20% salary bump.

The cold hard truth is that if your minions are leaving, it's your fault. Otherwise it's your bosses' fault and you should leave too.

Then again, some jobs and locations may just attract more ambitious people than others.

 

[*SynergyX*]

For most people salary isn't enough to make them stay or leave. The company I work for doesn't pay that well compared to most of the big corporates, but our attrition rates is crazy low. In my current team of 8, we have 3 people working here for about 8 years, 2 working here more than 10 (one of them probably 14 or something years) and two around 3 years.

Even when I took the job, it was the lower of 2 offers, and I've since been contacted by recruiters offering 20% more than I earned but didn't even apply for one of them.

There will always be people who want to maximize their salary, but management aren't a bunch of assholes, the work is interesting and you feel valued, people are much likely to leave just for a 20% salary bump.

The cold hard truth is that if your minions are leaving, it's your fault. Otherwise it's your bosses' fault and you should leave too.

Then again, some jobs and locations may just attract more ambitious people than others.

i beg to differ its easy to blame your "boss" - scapegoat most of the time.

the scenario that continues to play out is that people join and resign within 30 days.
from an HR perspective they are taking up our offer only to be made a better offer elsewhere (probably a time delay from when we are making the offer to when another company is making the offer) and honestly i don't blame our company for not matching -- the market at the moment is such that you dont get what you pay for facts are facts. Probably wont look great on their CVs in years to come -- but when they are seeing $$$ do they really care?

have these job hoppers coming in demanding high salaries but their skill levels and work ethic dont warrant the demands.

ive see multiple CVs where guys have priced them selves out of senior positions because of their continuous job hopping. they dont spend long enough in on position to able to learn anything of significance that could help them in future roles.

 

[*SynergyX*]

So if you manage them, and they hop out, why not counteroffer. You said yourself that you sped up the ladder. Why become jaded if they try and do the same?

ive done it with achievement and recognition -- not job hopping.
so it grates me when people dont put in the work

 

[cguy]

i beg to differ its easy to blame your "boss" - scapegoat most of the time.

the scenario that continues to play out is that people join and resign within 30 days.
from an HR perspective they are taking up our offer only to be made a better offer elsewhere (probably a time delay from when we are making the offer to when another company is making the offer) and honestly i don't blame our company for not matching -- the market at the moment is such that you dont get what you pay for facts are facts. Probably wont look great on their CVs in years to come -- but when they are seeing $$$ do they really care?

have these job hoppers coming in demanding high salaries but their skill levels and work ethic dont warrant the demands.

ive see multiple CVs where guys have priced them selves out of senior positions because of their continuous job hopping. they dont spend long enough in on position to able to learn anything of significance that could help them in future roles.

If we get a whiff of hopper patterns, the resume is discarded. We also thankfully also have non-competes that curtail this behavior significantly.