Go For A New Job Or Stay In A Safe Cosy Less Paid One?

[Fizz]

Long time no see people.. been busy with life so not had much chance to get on the forums these past few months. :P

Anyhow..

Bit of a different topic this one but i thought i would put this out there to see what people would do in my shoes.

Been in my current job for about a year and a half as a QA (Quality Assurance) Test Analyst and have been doing this type of role for the past 5 years now.

As with a lot of IT people I tend to stay in a role for no longer than 2 years as moving to another job is the only way to get any decent pay rise! I’ve been lucky in that i have come close to doubling my salary in doing this since 05.

This is my 3rd job since 2005 as a software tester but my dilemma is that i think i have landed in a place which seems a bit too cosy and my feet are getting nice and warm under the desk so to speak.

I came into this role as a normal 'tester' but since a chap left about 10 months ago i have been doing a 'team lead' type role and not being paid for it. i get great benefits like flexi time and also get to work from home 2 days a week to help out with looking after my little 2 year old. The job is great as no one is contently looking over your shoulder but at the same time there is pressure for the work to be done. A person left the team who they aint going to replace which means more work for us remaining ones.

There has been a pay freeze in place for this financial year which should be lifted in April and my manager said i am due something but it has to be signed off by people above him. (he too aint had a pay rise and is on a team leader type of salary)

Thought i would put my CV out there on the net to see what the crack was. This was about 24 hours ago and i have already been contacted about a job i applied for online and she wants me to go for an interview next week already. The pay is £4k more than what im currently on but is working for a very reputable law firm but i will be the only QA person there so all the responsibility will lie on me. This job salary would be over double what i started on in 05 as a tester.

Im think im going to go for the interview and see what happens. If i get an offer i will put that to my existing place and see if they can match it or get close to it.

Any thoughts or input welcome.

p.s) for those who have bothered to read through all that babble i appreciate it.

[GIDDLEPIN]

Depends on commitments really ;)

Young free & single........Go for it

Married + Children + Mortgage.................In this day and age a steady income that pays the bills against a high earner that might not last.......Stay where you are

[Fizz]

Depends on commitments really ;)

Young free & single........Go for it

Married + Children + Mortgage.................In this day and age a steady income that pays the bills against a high earner that might not last.......Stay where you are

Nahh, in this case its to replace somone who has gone on merternity leave who has decided she aint coming back to work.

Also its a law firm thats in the FTSE100 so not much chance of it going under soon. As long as the job is there for min 2 years thats fine with me. Luckily QA testing roles are good because there aint too much compitition as its a field that not many people know about. I also have 5 years experience under my belt now which also helps put me in front of other people. :)

Mortgage aint too much of an issue at the mo as the house we have i have got up on rent and the house we live in, there aint no mortgage on. We are looking to get into our own place but that wont be for a year yet so gives me a bit of breathing space to find out if the next job is safe or not. etc.

[dave.m]

Definitely go for the interview, you will at least get to see the type of people and company you would be working for

which will help you make any decisions. Nothing to lose.

[Raistlin]

Nothing ventured :)

[Karma Supra]

I'd go for the interview, see if they offer the job, if they do you can always tell yur boss you have been offered another job, but are happy as part of the current team, if they can match or come close to matching the pay you'd like to stay. It'll be cheaper for your comapy to give you more, than recruit and train.

i'm in the same situation, I took a "temporary" job when I was out of work and my little business failed, I'm still there three years later earning about £10K less a year than I did when I was 21. -But it's 100% safe, Iam waiting for things to firm up a little more before I move on.

[Norfolk n Chance]

Tough call Fizzy...

I got made redundant last September and since then have done about 7 weeks work in total, so my thought would be stay in a safe job!

I suppose only you an decide if it's worth the risk to move or not, but deffo have the interview... that'll help you decide if it's the sort of place you want to work in

[reece]

Go for the interview. If you get offered the job, in writing, go back to your current employer and ask for a pay rise (at least equal to the new jobs salary). If they say no take the new job. There is no sentiment or loyalty in business

[Hou]

I agree with most of the things already said dude, as long as the new job is secure then go for it BUT just remember that if something goes wrong it is a law company so they will know of ways of getting you out quickly and swiftly with no comeback on themselves! :P

[Jamesbelfast]

Changing jobs voluntarily isn't always an easy decision and despite what many people think it isn't all about money.

One major advantage you currently have is the opportunity to spend time with your two year old. Kids grow up and you only get one chance at rearing them and time spent with them especially in their formative years will make a tremendous difference not only in your childs life but also yours. You will never have the opportunity ever again. I appreciate this aspect doesn't help in your decision making now but it may well affect your life in the future.

I agree go for an interview. There are two things in life we never become really good at. One is exams the other is interviews and all we can do is to strive to get better as we go along.:)

Good Luck with what ever you decide and never forget when it comes to work we are all replacable.:)

[Fizz]

Many thanks for all the replies so far.

You have basically confirmed what i thought was best to do which is go for the interview as there is nothing to loose. Take it back to my current employer and take it from there.

My manager has already stated that he has told the line manager that i need a payrise if they want to keep me and also went on to say that it would be a disaster if i left as software i work on is so vast it takes well over a year to get to grips with it.

James raises the biggie for me in the time i get to spend with Shifaah. Im a very 'hands on' approach type of father and have a very good relationship with her. she is now 2 and a half months and the wife a few months ago went back into part time work hence i was helping out for 2 days per week although she is now in full time work and her sisters help out with childcare as they are house wives.

The main thing for me is that she has never been looked after by strangers since she was born so has always had a familiar/family face about her so which is important in my eyes.

We are due to put her into a private nursery part time when she is 3 in september but there maybe a chance to get her in sooner maybe in April so it wont be as bad then.

[KPARRIS-JONES]

I reckon you should go for it, just sounds right to me. Something new, more interest and more productivity. ;)

But I don't know you so I cannot make an accurate judgement. :D

[Devil-ish]

Just be careful cos I got a full time post which was replacing a woman going on said maternity leave and not coming back...then....she claimed later she was planning on coming back all along and the firm had to go to court for me to keep my job! AND they lost in that she was unmarried and claimed loss of earnings and won a years wages....b*tch............beware of peeps who know how to milk the system!!!!!!!!!!

Otherwise (in my opinion) GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Leeky]

Go for the money dude :) Thats my advice and that's how i've always been.

You need to get into IT contracting dude. Helloooooooo 6 figure salary :D lol

[Bizarra]

Hi Fizz.

You certainly have a dilemma there ! A better paid job is good, but working for a Law Firm is risky. You'd need to be sure that yours contract/terms of employment are water tight. A lot of Law firms here have let staff go due to the slump in conveyancing because people simply aren't selling or buying houses, due to their drop in value.

On the other hand, time spent with your child is irreplaceable, though with the extra cash you can give your family a better life. If you are comfortable enough as it is, family closeness comes first. The other thing is that the longer you stay in your present job, the harder it will be to move on. With luck, if you get the interview, you can use that to squeeze more out of your present employers.

I was once in your situation. I worked for a Bank here in Ireland & a couple of us cottoned on to the fact that if we applied for a job advertised in the UK, we would get our flights & accommodation paid. We'd go for the interview & have a party weekend in London, virtually free.

Fine, until I was accepted by the Bank of West Africa for a job in Nigeria at 4 times my current pay. I talked it over with a trusted Uncle, my Father being dead. He produced a friend, just back from Nigeria who told me that I couldn't live on the money, fantastic as it seemed. I would have to employ a house boy. a garden boy, join the club etc, etc. I politely refused the job & have regretted it ever since. My life would have been totally different & with experience there, I could have gone anywhere in the world.

All that doesn't make it any easier, I know. But I'd say, go for it & then make up your mind.

[Fizz]

Anne - Its a top notch place and they have got awards for best place to work etc. Although thanks for the warning. :)

Lee - If i wasnt married with a little one along with the current climate i would love to do some contracting. Maybe when the economy is better. I even spoke to Dave about it a couple of years back.

Bizzara - Its a FTSE 100 company and i would be the ONLY software tester there so unless they go fully bust they will always need a tester. :)

[Norfolk n Chance]

Fizz, first thing you need to do if you get the job is claim they need new financial software and you need an Accountant to help you test it ;)

[Fizz]

bro.. believe it or not i have always kept an eye out for any accounts roles.

[Norfolk n Chance]

Cheers dude

[Calisto]

There is no such thing as a Safe Job....everyone is expendable.

But I agree with most others...go for the interview, take it from there.

Good luck hun.....btw thought you might like to know I have Rash on the case for a new Gen 5 Celi ( well, in a few months but he is keeping an eye out now) B)

[Fizz]

ha.. you will be waiting a while as not many Auto's about. :)

[Calisto]

ha.. you will be waiting a while as not many Auto's about. :)

Lol thats what Rash said but I have faith he will come up with the goods sooner or later...I am not in a big rush.....Need to sell the MR2 first

[balli hi]

Anne - Its a top notch place and they have got awards for best place to work etc. Although thanks for the warning. :)

Lee - If i wasnt married with a little one along with the current climate i would love to do some contracting. Maybe when the economy is better. I even spoke to Dave about it a couple of years back.

Bizzara - Its a FTSE 100 company and i would be the ONLY software tester there so unless they go fully bust they will always need a tester. :)

I think you have answered your own question with the replies above , so.... go for it !!!!!!

[Fizz]

Balli - i think i knew what i was supposed to do but just wanted some confirmation. :) Cheers

I've had a bit of progress with the job search thing in that i have been contacted about another role which requires somone to be the right hand man of the Test Manager in a company.

He wants somone with my experience who hasnt been a team leader for long so he can mould him/her into what he wants. This means there will be good amount of training and will also be leading another tester as well.

So this along with the Law firm and also another possible role for the NHS really does open things up a bit. Its a great feeling knowing that i only put my CV up less than 2 days ago and there are 3 interesting roles that have come up. :)

[Fizz]

Right... Leaving for an interview for the IT job in the Law firm in about an hour and twenty.

Butterflies time... its amazing how i get even though i have been through interviews many times over the past few years and have always done well in them i still get nervous!

And yeah i know being nervous a bit is helpful but it doesn't mean i have to like it!