Sunday, March 12, 2017

Promising Career Change

I’m not old, but I’m not as young as I look either. I’m not going to tell you exactly how old I am, but I’ve been working for my current employer for 19 years, 4 months, and 10 days. When I started there, there were over 130 people working on three shifts. That number grew a little for a couple of years, and then that number started falling. Today we have about 31 people left working in the factory, and most of them are much older than I am with between 30 to 47 years of service. Several are considering retiring within 5 to 7 years.

The company is facing a retirement bubble. When those old-timers leave, there probably won’t be a company left. There have been a number of warning signs over the years. Less than two years ago they made everyone take a 5% pay cut because things were so bad. I’m making less money today than I was 5 years ago.

But 19 years is nothing to sneeze at! I’ve got a real history with these people. They are like family to me, but the writing on the wall is pretty clear. The CEO is not going to fix the long term staffing problem, and if I’m willing to stay there till they shut the doors, it’s unlikely that he will have any sympathy for my resulting joblessness.

So I set out to find a new employer…

…and I found one.

I’m going through their vetting process right now, and things are looking very good. It takes a few weeks to get through the process. When I get the job, I’ll be making more money and have plenty of opportunities for advancement. I’m really looking forward to showing them what I can do.

Of course I’m a little scared. Changing jobs can be risky, but no risk, no reward, and at this point I think the greater risk is staying at a company I’m not entirely confident will make it through the next decade.

Wish me luck!

Pax,

f2x