Job vs. Career - Need Advice

'we are certainly blessed financially'

You are also blessed in the sounding like a jerk department. Try for a transfer there

You are happy coasting. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. If they are honest with themselves, a lot of people would like to coast. Your problem is that it sounds as though you are also better than average. Most people who coast tend to be competent at most. If you are better than competent but don't show any ambition, it often seems to make people suspicious of you, as though you have something to hide. It's usually because they are quite insecure themselves, jealous of your abilities. They may think that you are deliberately trying to appear more casual than you are.

I wouldn't worry too much about 'up and out' if I were you. Neither your boss nor the company are pushing you to develop because it's what's good for you. They are pushing you to develop because they recognise that you are talented and they would like you to develop further so that you can benefit the business more. If this isn't in your interest because you are happy as you are, then there is no benefit to you, only misery. The benefit would be all theirs. That said, they won't get rid of you just because you've been there a while and not moved up. If you're good, they will keep you.

Finally, you sound like the kind of guy that would be far better off working for himself. Is this some thing you have thought about?

Doclove wrote:

'we are certainly blessed financially'

You are also blessed in the sounding like a jerk department. Try for a transfer there

My wife drives a used Toyota, I drive an old pick up truck. We live in the country we live below our means.

Do I have everything I want? Nope. Do I have everything I need? Certainly.

We live frugally and have worked (and still do work) very hard. We are not rich but we fall below upper class and above middle class. Why am I a jerk for what I stated?

Switch to a different team at work.

I have considered working for myself. I am not sure I could do what I currently do if I struck out on my own. I've considered many things but because I do not have a definite plan, I have held off on pursuing that avenue. I really do appreciate the solid advice. You gave me some really good tidbits to consider. Cheers!

I also think you would be a great self-employment candidate but you first need to figure out what you would want to do. That is a pretty important aspect!

Since this is not going to be a long term gig, the writing is on the wall you will be out in a few years, how much will you be making at what you go to next?

Compare your alternatives.

Door number 1: Work harder and longer where you are, make more money.

Door number 2: Be somewhere else, presumably making less money.

How old are you now? when you leave you will be older and competing for jobs against younger people who will work for less.

If you are not going to put in the time that job requires (as determined by the higher ups) find a new job you like NOW.

Now it is on your time table and you can take your time, sooner than you think it will be on their time table. It is always easier to find a job when you have one than when you don't.

Job vs. Career - Need Advice wrote:

7) My boss has told me fairly directly that although he is not receiving pressure from the top now, that eventually if I don’t work towards more “development” I might (in a few years) be asked to leave.

10) My boss wants me to work as long as I want but has been open to helping me find other work if I want.

Don't be an idiot. Leave before they fire you.

Workin at the car wash blues wrote:

How old are you now? when you leave you will be older and competing for jobs against younger people who will work for less.

Now it is on your time table and you can take your time, sooner than you think it will be on their time table. It is always easier to find a job when you have one than when you don't.

33 years old

I totally agree with it being easier to find a job while you have one than when you do not have one. Totally agree and have said this to my wife several times. Obviously the reason is that you're more desperate without a job than with, so it is easier to hand pick a great job and ignore a lesser job offer when the times are good. Different story when you're out of work. 100% agree but I have been looking around and I have not found anything better....yet.

People who settle and coast disgust me.

pop_pop!_v2.2.1 wrote:

Job vs. Career - Need Advice wrote:

7) My boss has told me fairly directly that although he is not receiving pressure from the top now, that eventually if I don’t work towards more “development” I might (in a few years) be asked to leave.

10) My boss wants me to work as long as I want but has been open to helping me find other work if I want.

Don't be an idiot. Leave before they fire you.

Not sure if they have grounds to fire me. I'm very likable, reliable, and efficient. Not trying to sound like I have tenure, because I certainly don't, but there are no grounds for termination. Just differences in career philosophy and employer opinion.

I would ultimately like to leave on my terms but I have to find something better first - be it with another company/firm or working for myself. Lots to consider.

There seems to be some confusion somewhere in our organization. I like to work; I don't like to work all the time. I feel that one should be able to have a career and it not solely define them, nor engulf one's life.

Blowcareers are the best! wrote:

You are happy coasting. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. If they are honest with themselves, a lot of people would like to coast. Your problem is that it sounds as though you are also better than average. Most people who coast tend to be competent at most. If you are better than competent but don't show any ambition, it often seems to make people suspicious of you, as though you have something to hide. It's usually because they are quite insecure themselves, jealous of your abilities. They may think that you are deliberately trying to appear more casual than you are.

What do you do for a living? Very perceptive. Your description fits me. I had a former manager tell me, "you make it look too easy." Lesson I took from this is to give lip service to wanting to climb the corporate ladder. i.e. fake some ambition even if you're happy coasting.

pop_pop!_v2.2.1 wrote:

Job vs. Career - Need Advice wrote:

7) My boss has told me fairly directly that although he is not receiving pressure from the top now, that eventually if I don’t work towards more “development” I might (in a few years) be asked to leave.

10) My boss wants me to work as long as I want but has been open to helping me find other work if I want.

Don't be an idiot. Leave before they fire you.

+1 stay proactive

"7. My boss has told me fairly directly that although he is not receiving pressure from the top now, that eventually if I don’t work towards more “development” I might (in a few years) be asked to leave."

I have never in my life heard of this happening- ever. Especially if you are doing as you say and bringing in money, hitting targets, not causing problems.

Good advice. Lip service always helps. I work for a large regional CPA firm, not in audit or tax, but as a consultant. Important to note is that I work for our partner directly - no layers between us. It can be both good and bad.

ElvisCash wrote:

"7. My boss has told me fairly directly that although he is not receiving pressure from the top now, that eventually if I don’t work towards more “development” I might (in a few years) be asked to leave."

I have never in my life heard of this happening- ever. Especially if you are doing as you say and bringing in money, hitting targets, not causing problems.

The boss wants professional development, meaning that the numbers will not tell him the whole story.

He wants the numbers to stay the same or get better while making myself better on my own time (external presentations, articles, business development, banking the market for client relationships - all good stuff but that is a job in and of itself). Basically he wants me to find ways for us to make more money (i.e. - do his job too)

My God, this sounds like what's going on in education and I'm getting so tired of it. As a teacher/coach of nearly 30 years, I don't coast. I have always pursued improvement in the content area that I teach by taking classes, workshops, part time jobs, career training etc... that will directly improve student (career education).

What I'm tired of being subjected to is all of the additional "busy work" required to justify what I'm doing and with fewer resources to do it with, mostly time and money. Always to make administrators look good and to justify their positions. Talk about dog and pony show!!!! Administrators line their contracts with dumping a never ending list of requirements that are getting handed down to them from leaders in education and/or government that have never stepped foot in the classroom. With the continuation of the failure of the family unit and responsibility of education in the home, I've become tired of the system as a whole. I'm too good at what I do to get rid of but I certainly do the bare minimum in terms of professional development to meet the ever-changing requirements that don't already improve student test scores or performance.

I am seriously considering pursuing other personal interests/career opportunities but don't currently have a plan to make the leap. This might be for another thread but if anyone has changed careers completely late in their work lives, I'd like to hear about how they did it.

Job vs. Career - Need Advice wrote:

Not sure if they have grounds to fire me. I'm very likable, reliable, and efficient. Not trying to sound like I have tenure, because I certainly don't, but there are no grounds for termination. Just differences in career philosophy and employer opinion.

Are you kidding me? Does your State have "at will" employment practices?

Because one day, they "will" and you will be out of work.

Can you be any more dense? You know the drill, move up or move out. Been there, done that.

Get out while you have a job and have your boss help you get another one.

pop_pop!_v2.2.1 wrote:

Job vs. Career - Need Advice wrote:

Not sure if they have grounds to fire me. I'm very likable, reliable, and efficient. Not trying to sound like I have tenure, because I certainly don't, but there are no grounds for termination. Just differences in career philosophy and employer opinion.

Are you kidding me? Does your State have "at will" employment practices?

Because one day, they "will" and you will be out of work.

Can you be any more dense? You know the drill, move up or move out. Been there, done that.

Get out while you have a job and have your boss help you get another one.

Appreciate the time you took to post. Believe it or not it is harder than it sounds for me to look at the position objectively. The group I work for is kind of like a family. Again, hard to be objective. My resume has been refreshed and I am on the lookout for jobs.