Quake3World

Hies fellow Q3Weers, i have a dilemma i'd like to lay on you. I don't quite know what the hell i should do. Here's the deal:

Since halfway 2011 i work at a psychiatric forensic clinic, which is a place where crazy criminals get locked up, pumped full of delicious pills and receive endless therapy in order to facilitate their return to society. It’s very exciting stuff, the crazies are really crazy and i have more mad stories than i can count.

My current job is making sure they get from prison to here, and i spend my day communicating with all kinds of people, from the justice department to clients, cops, doctors, probation officers and of course our own personel in order to arrange stuff. Now this is not quite the function i was hired for. It’s something i found out i’m good at and enjoy doing, so as time went on i claimed that little territory more and more, until it was mostly all mine. It’s also something that comes with a bucketload of responsibility, i can afford very few mistakes and this is about the first job i’ve had in my life where i can actually feel that responsibility on a personal level and try my best to avoid making any. It’s a very sick person i end up disadvantaging if i screw up, not a dude in a suit, maybe that does it for me, i don’t know.

Now here’s the dilemma; i was actually hired for a more administrative function, and unfortunately my pay grade has been the same since i started (i receive a symbolic, laughable raise every year i keep working here, that’s it). There have been massive budget cuts in both the healthcare sector and the judicial system ever since the crisis started, and more will come. For me, this translates into a very tense moment every time my yearly contract is up; the decision to either hire or fire me is not up to my boss, not up to his boss, but up to some accountant in headquarters. My boss is not allowed to offer me a permanent contract until i serve my three years (then he legally has to).

I was okay with this for a long time, considering the fact that i’m happy to have a job i like in the first place, which seems more like a situation of luxury every day. I know a bunch of people who cannot find work anywhere, and they have degrees… i just have high school, so i count myself lucky on the one hand.

On the other hand, it slowly dawned on me that i really do earn a shit salary, it’s ever so slightly above minimum wage. If i switched jobs tomorrow and started working a braindead job in some call centre, i’d probably earn the same. I spoke to my boss about a raise once. Nope, was the answer, can’t do it, want to, but really can't. When we have to offer you a permanent contract, please mention this again. That’s another year and a half from now, so pretty far away. Well shit, right? I’ll just hang in there, i figured.

But now there’s a new development; i’ve been asked discretely by a Justice department lady i work with if i want a job. I said i’d consider it, but i don’t really want to accept… mostly because i know them well and i’m 100% sure that i enjoy my current job a lot more. But it’s a chance of more money and goddamnit, i want to be able to buy a house with my girl and do more fun things without having to constantly worry about money, you know?

So… what to do? Should i go for the money and start a job i won’t like nearly as much or should i stick it out until they have to offer me a permanent contract?

Appreciate any thoughts…

Have you tried solving your dilemma?

Lol poor ppl..?

srsly, yes he is legally bound to give you a permanent contract after 3 years .provided he will actually extend said contract. there's no law preventing him from firing you after those 3 years are up.
mention the pay raise when they offer the permanent contract? fucking lol, that's HR for "not gonna happen". they know that if you have no choice in the matter after those 3 years. they don't have to raise your pay because what you gonna do.. leave? it's your current salary or no salary, son.

fuck that. get out while you can and keep your dignity. especially after recieving an egoboost of someone offering you a job without you asking.

besides, you're using to jobhopping anyway.

xoxo

[edit] this here is key

until they have to offer me a permanent contract?

"have" to? they don't "have" to. the law simply states that they IF they offer you a new contract, it has to be a permanent one. it doesnt say they HAVE to extend your contract.

Get super high or inebriated and make a decision then. You won't regret it.

Be honest with your current boss and tell him you like your job and you enjoy helping people but that you need more money and the security of a contract, otherwise you'll be forced to take the job you've been offered instead.

Chances are he knows you're an asset and that he's getting your skills and labour at a knock down rate, he's not going to pay you more unless you threaten to leave, why would he? It'll either jolt him into giving you what you deserve or if he says no, then you're not appreciated anyway and it might be worth going elsewhere anyway.

problem is it's a government regulated business, so payraises are probably out of the dude's hands.

is the department of justice Job the same kind of Job ?

One thing to take note: if you're pretty sure you won't enjoy the job, you won't. I've taken jobs before because they dangled a fat contract in front of me and I've regretted it every time.

Go where you're happy and stable.

You spend most of your conscious life at your job; so you better enjoy it. Best scenario is staying in your current job, but for more pay/job security.
Be more aggressive inquiring about your prospects in your current job. You've proven yourself to be good at your job. Maybe now's the time to get some recognition for that.
Risky, but you've got options.

Money is important, but job satisfaction will always trump that.
And if your gf is worth her salt, she likes you for who you are right now, not some shitty zombie who clocks in and out to be able to afford real estate with a mortgage that fucks you over.

Poor ppl problems ...

I'd like to see Geoff's CV.
That would be funny

Perhaps the way to make more money from your job would be to write a book about it.

Plan B wrote:I'd like to see Geoff's CV.
That would be funny

Speak English moron... CV?...

dumb people

Plan B wrote:I'd like to see Geoff's CV.
That would be funny

almost as funny as Geoff not knowing what a CV is...

Look at it like this: you were offered another job, so at least you've got that security. Make harder demands at your current job. If it backfires, you can still accept the other job. As for this being gov't regulated, just try and make a deal if you can apply for a different position. What I mean is that you're hired as some administrative suit with a matching pay. Have them come up with a position that actually matches the work you do and let them Tue a nice salary (higher scale, or whatevt its called in Engrish) to it.

phantasmagoria wrote:Be honest with your current boss and tell him you like your job and you enjoy helping people but that you need more money and the security of a contract, otherwise you'll be forced to take the job you've been offered instead.

Chances are he knows you're an asset and that he's getting your skills and labour at a knock down rate, he's not going to pay you more unless you threaten to leave, why would he? It'll either jolt him into giving you what you deserve or if he says no, then you're not appreciated anyway and it might be worth going elsewhere anyway.

I'd be doing this, your place doesn't want an experienced worker leaving only to go through the recruitment process again. If they can't work out a compromise then you'll prolly be pissed enough at being undervalued to leave anyway. A guarantee of a contract would'nt be much to ask for would it, especially if you've been doing the work with no drama at cut a rate ?. I've left jobs I've enjoyed in similiar situations.

But here's the thing, if you think you'll hate it then in 18 months you prolly won't be employed by the Justice league anyway :], I've never stuck to work I hate.

scared? wrote:

Plan B wrote:I'd like to see Geoff's CV.
That would be funny

Speak English moron... CV?...

Oh Geoff, you're so meta stupid

that is actually sound advice Jerry.
my advice, regardless of happiness vs monies, is don't count on the permanent contract. most gov't regulated companies will take advantage of the law and just kick you out and get another chump to work for minimum wage.
a few of my friends work for different gov' departments and they all got treated the same.

I agree with MKJ. Even if they do hire you as a full time a year and a half from now, there's no guarantee they'll hire you at a decent salary. That's a lot of ifs and none of which seem to be going in your favour other than "I like doing my job". As awesome as it is to love what you do, you still need to be compensated fairly for your work.

Do you think this new job might be something that you would also enjoy or will it be thoroughly miserable?

Goof double deleted. H5, MKJ! o/

h5

Dude, stick with what you love. Don't do a job for more money if you know you'll enjoy it less. If you end up getting canned, then maybe you can take a job that pays more, but only until you can find another job you love...

xer0s wrote:Dude, stick with what you love. Don't do a job for more money if you know you'll enjoy it less. If you end up getting canned, then maybe you can take a job that pays more, but only until you can find another job you love...

Just because he won't like it as much doesn't mean that he'll hate it :]

If he can't get the things he wants and his current position is giving him the run around then you have to assume that's how its gonna be. You can't live on hope like.

You should know by now that you should always take xer0s advice and do the exact opposite.