should i stay or should i go?

[=DBA=Ronin]

I have a bit of a medium term goal dilema and would like to know what some of you think.

In may I will be graduating with a degree in a Networking Specialist program. Currently I am working as a highly praised student employee of the IS department for the school I am attending (im not trying to gloat, but it has relevance). I recieved the biggest raise they have ever given to a student before, and earned it sooner after starting their then anyone ever before me. I really really really like not only the responsibilities of my job, but also all the people I work with and the environment for which I get to work in. I have been told that come time for me to graduate, if there is a position open for me at the school, they would really like to hire me as a normal full time employee. Sounds pretty nice right??

Well here is the problem I have. You see, I live in central Wisconsin. Far removed from any forms of people with a clue. I live in a town of about 30,000 ppl and it is the biggest city within an hours drive. What I am saying is, that I really really REALLY hate living here!!!! I want nothing more than to get the hell out of this dump and move back to a more realistic society where Nascar isnt the leading story on the daily paper followed by the farm report!!!

But I really like the job I am in and if they make me an offer, I am really not sure what to do. I might rough the environment for a while and get the experience, but I have lived here for 3 years now and just cant stand it!!! The only benefit I have going for me is our family lake house is 15 minutes from here and a place I like to spend a lot of my time in the summers.

So what do you guys think? Should I rough it out or get the hell out of here when the time comes?!?! I suppose it will come down to wether or not they offer me a position, but i would like to have my mind made up before then. Any input appreciated. TY!

[GuTTer_RaT]

steve-
well if i were in your shoes i would stay. gain as much knowledge and money as you can and then move on. if they are willing to train you or send you to seminars to increase your skills i would stay and soak up knowledge like a sponge. ive been at jobs where i didnt like the environment but they had something to offer me in terms of experience. use your current job as a springboard to something greater down the road. i mean you have obviously proven your worth and if they are willing to commit then you can commit to them. i personally have whats called a 2 year rule. i tell the company that i am gonna stay with them for at least 2 years to give both of us a fair shot at werking things out should differences arise. thus far my current company has shown a great deal of interest in my advancement and i have fulfilled my 2 year obligation. anything i decide to do after this point i consider fair game since i have fulfilled my obligation to them (at least in my mind). the bottom line is that if the position arises, i say you stay there for a few years. gain knowledge and as much money as you can and use it as a stepping stone for better things. there is a great deal that can be said for liking your werk environment and the people you werk with. i know that we bitch and complain a lot in #werk but if you asked person by person if they would rather be anywhere else i bet 90% of us would say no, including me! you have a great opportunity to 1) have a job when jobs are hard to come by and 2) gain a bunch of experience and work with people you like. its not my call but i would stay if i were in your shoes. hope this helps you out. if you wanna talk more about it, you know where to find me.

josh

[Pallidrone]

I totally agree.

1) The job market in that field is bad right now. If they are willing to hire you full-time as you are just graduating with that degree, stick with it.

2) Finding a work enviroment that you like is hard to come by. You have to remember that you will be there 40+ hours a week. That is a lot of time to spend at a place. If you dont like your job then it will become a chore to go there and those 40+ hours will seem like 100+ hours a week.

3) Gaining experience is the biggest key here. The thing that I have noticed, from both ends is that you need experience. One company that I worked at would throw away ANY resume that came from people that just graduated from college with a degree. I didnt understand why they did, but my boss proved that point to me when he had someone come in for a interview with a CS degree and the fool didnt know how to put memory into a computer. Experience in the computer field weighs a lot more then just a degree.

4) The living situation sucks, but exactly with what Ratty said, give it a couple years, get what you need from them and move on to bigger and better things. I personally would much rather live in the middle of no man's land and love my job, then in the middle of the hustle and bustle and hate my job for all it is worth.

those be my 2 cents

[BuddhaMan]

I can't add too much more beyond what Josh and Palli said except this... If they pay you good enuf you could take vacations away from the cows and visit the city sidewalks when you need a break. If you want some good shopping or some pizza hop on a plane to Chicago for the weekend. If your single like me, this is alot easier to do.

My $.02

[kidney^thief]

hmmm i'm kinda a newb and you all dont know me... but i just wanted to add....sorry if you think i'm like barging in....

I live and work in chicago, went to school in a small michigan town.... and I think I would go towards the job. not the town. jobs are hard to come by right now and like Budha said, you can travel...

One thing you gotta keep in mind, big cities like Chicago are FLOODED right now with laid off IT, and Tech ppl. So they are ALL looking.

If you got a solid offer, you enjoy the work and you would make good money... there ya go..... I would stick it out until market gets better.

hehe sorry again, you're probly thinking who the hell is this guy...

[=DBA=Ronin]

WOW...thanks everyone for the great input...you have all given me something to really think about.

One thing to add though...is having a good job in a place you hate to live in better than having a crummy job in a place you enjoy living in? Kind of a horse a piece i guess. I am really looking forward to moving elsewhere at this point but turning down that sort of opportunity will make it hard for me to do, ecspecially considering the current lack of jobs in the field. I guess its something I will have to ultimatley decide on when the time comes, should the opportunity present itself.

Thanks again for everyones opinion!!

[KegRun]

Stay for now. Then put some resumes out there. It might not be where u want to live, but shit man...it's better than living in a rat hole (no offense Josh) with a shitty job that might not pay u as much and doesn't appreciate you cause they don't even know who u are. Fkkkk...that. Sure..u might not like Wisco...but it's better than the ghetto.

[Beo]

This is a toughy Ronin. I can vouch for hating where you live. Of course before any move, see what's out there and don't make a jump before carefully calculating your next move (I'm sure you're aware of this).

The job market is indeed competetive at the moment, and it'd be a great resume booster for you to stay with this company long enough for you to be able to sing praises and accomplishments on your resume and gain valid experience. I for one dislike the majority of people I work with, but I've sucked it up in favor of all the experience I have gained, and am currently gaining - no school has taught me what I've learned here.

However, your job isn't everything. Sure you need the income to survive, blah, blah, but what good is living in a place you wake up to each morning that you hate? For me one of the best things I ever did was to pick up and leave my hometown and relocate. It's exciting, it's scary, and it can be a depressing move at the same time, but looking back, it's by far the gutsiest move I've ever done, and in hindsight the best decision I ever made. I just remember pinching myself going 'holy shit, I'm in fucking San Diego'.

Send out your resume to potential employers in the towns/citites that you're targeting. If an offer comes up better than the one you currently have, then obviously jump on it. But don't make a move until something comes by that's equally as good, if not better, unless you're willing to make a small sacrifice. In a nutshell I'd test the waters, you have nothing to lose by sending out your resume and seeing if any offers come back.

/me takes everyone's 2 cents and pockets it.

[=DBA=Ronin]

Well I had an update on helping me decide this yesterday. My boss and I were sitting in my work area near the end of the day and she was talking to me about my graduation. She said she is dreading the day I have to leave and that in all the years they have had student employees, i was "by far" the best she had ever seen, essentially she let me know that I was the "complete package" in that aside from my technical skill, I also have the sort of people skills and level of organization of someone who had worked in the position for years. It was really great to recieve such accolades!!! However, she did let me know that with the way their staffing and budgets are laid out, they would almost positivley not be able to offer me a job in May. She did insist however that I keep in touch and keep an eye out for any future job postings in the department. So I guess that settles that for now!!! In a way i was a bit disheartned to hear that, as I was starting to lean more and more to staying there, but now it helps me to motivate myself to find something else somehwere else. Im sort of nervous about whats going to happen come May and hope I can find something relativly quick. I guess I will have to wait and see!!

[GuTTer_RaT]

be a knowledge sponge. ask all the questions you can and learn as much as you can from your environment. have this lady write you a letter of recomendation and get your ass moving on job hunting. if you can get into something and get a job before you graduate even and have a chance to leave sooner than later, you should go for it.

[Beo]

She said you had a "complete package" ??


LIES!!

[=DBA=Ronin]

the package intimidates you....SAY IT!!!!!

[GuTTer_RaT]

i dunno about her, but i sure am scurred :\

[Mini]

the french bastard have only one thing to say
great things happen to great person :)
so i'm sure that something really nice will happen to you
good luck my friend :)

Mini.

[Stuffit]

Maybe I bring Ronin out to So Cal and put him to werk..? hummm?

[CDSaint]

Oh Stuffy are you in need of a new pet project?Run Ronin run!:wideeyes: Actually that is a kind offer Stuffy...Cali is a great place to live Ronin and alas you may just finally get laid if you move there...other than that boy Stuffy better pay well cause the cost of living can kill ya!:(

[gangstar]

I can relate. I had to get out of central Cali and now live in the Bay Area, where it's much more livable.

Although the economy is for shit right now up here, I've been w/ the same company for 3 years and like it pretty well (doing IT work for an IT media company).

My only advice to you Ronin is to leave if you're not happy with the physical environment of where you live... that's everything! It shapes who you are as a person and who you meet. The type of minds that you share your life with, etc.

To quote Frank Herbert's DUNE: "Without change, something in us sleeps... the sleeper must awaken..."