Changing careers

[Loony661]

I agree, that tells them you are looking

I was taught to not show my cards until I was ready to make a move.

 

[stihl livin]

I was taught to not show my cards until I was ready to make a move.

Well said

 

[Bill G]

I was taught to not show my cards until I was ready to make a move.

I agree fully and I have a few real life stories about that. I can add them later but right now I am sitting outside enjoying to nice night smoking a bowl. I do not type well on my phone.

Tobacco bowl that is....

 

[FergusonTO35]

All I can say is that we have a dynamic at my current job where we really trust each other. Other jobs I've had, yeah, I always kept it on the down low until it was time to put in notice. When you put in your notice is when you really find out what they think about you. A few jobs I've had, they said how about we keep you in the system in case you change your mind? Even though I never took them up on that it was nice that they offered. The job I had before this one, they were tired of me and I was tired of them. Everybody was happy when I cleaned out my desk, me especially!

I'm acutely feeling nervous about this, even though I haven't been offered the job and I doubt I would be the favorite given how I'm over-educated for it and I'm not coming from the same line of work. Oh well...

 

[damifino]

I'm acutely feeling nervous about this, even though I haven't been offered the job and I doubt I would be the favorite given how I'm over-educated for it and I'm not coming from the same line of work. Oh well...

Feeling nervous is NORMAL!! There is normally high anxiety when making job change. Don't know if you are a pray'n man but ask God for his guidance. I'm a pray'n man, I will pray for you.

 

[Bill G]

Telling an current employer can help or hurt you. Every situation is different.

In the Fall of 1999 tragically the long time Agriculture loan officer at our local bank died of a heart attack while out jogging. A few months later in December we were some sort of a Agriculture dinner and the loan officer who had just done the loan on a farm for us was there . I asked him what they were planning to do about Tom's position. I thought maybe he was just going to be on his own now. He said no, they wanted to find another person. I told him I was interested. He told me to get ahold of him and he would get the ball rolling. Well it was early January when I interviewed. They wanted to hire me but the problem as I was teaching Agriculture/FFA at the time and was under contract until June 30, 2000. Of course they cannot jail you for leaving a job but in Iowa if you walk out of a teaching contract they can revoked your license and charge you an advertising fee that can run hundreds of dollars a week. Knowing the answer would be no I still asked if they could wait until May 31. Of course it was no.

Now as it turns out this is one time when I should have told my current employer. A few years later I was talking with my Principal and I told him about the position that I had turned down. He said "Why the hell did you do that, we would have worked with you to figure out a solution.".

Sometimes you win
Sometimes you lose

 

[FergusonTO35]

Feeling nervous is NORMAL!! There is normally high anxiety when making job change. Don't know if you are a pray'n man but ask God for his guidance. I'm a pray'n man, I will pray for you.

Thanks so much! Yes, I am a prayin' man.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Had my interview for the school maintenance job this morning with no surprises. Typical questions, like how do you deal with difficult people and describe yourself in five adjectives. The people seem nice and it's 15 minutes from the house. As said before, I don't think I'm the favorite to get the job. Also, there is a salary range from way less than what I make now to a few hundred over it per month. So, even if they offered me the job they would have to pay on the high end of the scale to get me to say yes.

 

[Bill G]

I did not realize you were talking about a school maintenance job. I hate to be a "Negative Nancy" but I would be at least very cautious ...maybe run like hell. Huge drawbacks to that. I assume all of the Kentucky public schools are ran by individual school boards correct?

 

[FergusonTO35]

It's weird because some school jobs are under the district and others under the state. This one is in fact a state job just like what I have now. In any event I don't think it's probable that I would get it and they would give me enough pay to take it. Supposedly a really good state job that is within my educational field is going to open up nearby soon, so I'm stoked about that.

 

[Loony661]

It's weird because some school jobs are under the district and others under the state. This one is in fact a state job just like what I have now. In any event I don't think it's probable that I would get it and they would give me enough pay to take it. Supposedly a really good state job that is within my educational field is going to open up nearby soon, so I'm stoked about that.

They don’t carry over your state experience and pay accordingly from job to job?

That’s how it works at Mayo Clinic where my wife works. Even if she takes a job in an entirely different field, her years of work experience within Mayo count towards total experience and the pay offer is adjusted so.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Don't know why I didn't notice your post, but no, you may as well be starting over. Anyhow, I didn't get the job. No big deal, I'm currently trying for a couple of better ones.

 

[Bill G]

Don't know why I didn't notice your post, but no, you may as well be starting over. Anyhow, I didn't get the job. No big deal, I'm currently trying for a couple of better ones.

In teaching our years of experience in the pension system carry over but not in the pay scale. On our pay scales many max out at 15 years experience and if they change districts they start at the bottom even if they have 30 years in.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Interestingly, a state job for auto mechanic opened up and it's closer to the house and pays 8k more than I'm making right now. So I applied for it, don't know how realistic my chances are since I've been out of the business since 2007. I still have all my tools and do it at home, in fact I would say nowadays I'm a better tech than I was back then.

 

[Bill G]

Jim K, a buddy of my Dad's started as a Ford mechanic in the early 1950's at a tiny Ford dealer in West Liberty Iowa. Of course in those days they were still working on customers flatheads during the day and racing the 39/40 coupes Saturday nights. I remember the Saturday night in June 1978 that we stopped by there on the way to the racetrack to pick up Dad's new truck. Sadly that was about the last new truck that dealer sold as he could no longer compete. The owner went into the tire business and Jim was out of a job. He moved to a larger city and got a job as a mechanic for the city. He seemed to enjoy it because it allowed a great variety. He worked on everything from police cars to fire trucks to dozers. He was able to retire from there a happy man.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Well, I got an interview for the mechanic job next week. Don't know if this is a big mistake or a smart decision, but I'll give it my best!

 

[srb08]

Well, I got an interview for the mechanic job next week. Don't know if this is a big mistake or a smart decision, but I'll give it my best!

Good luck with the interview!

 

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks bro!

 

[FergusonTO35]

This isn't my first or even second choice for a new job, but the time has come to make a change. I'm spending too much time on the road for too little money, and my current job is a cul de sac. So we shall see what happens.

 

[FergusonTO35]

So here is a new wrinkle. The job I've wanted for years has just opened up, and it's within my field of education and bike distance from my house. I'm going to try for this job as hard as I can. So, would it be the honorable thing to cancel the interview on Tuesday for the mechanic job?