clarkster009
New Contributor
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2012
- Messages
- 43
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Hey guys! I kind of stumbled on to this forum, and it seems like a pretty cool place to hang out. I am a very motivated, entrepreneurial type person, and this site is pretty motivational. Unfortunately I have not hit the fast lane yet, but am working on the engine as much as possible to be able to get moving!
My history is pretty depressing so far...kind of stuck in the corporate office shuffle right now but am recommitting to finding a way out after I had almost lost motivation and given up the last year or two. I graduated in 2000 with a degree in Management Info Systems/Comp Sci and couldn't find work, so I was living at my parents for six months sending out applicaions. I finally got an offer, as a Management Trainee (not even related to my major) for $28,500. I took it because they promised that the group of us would be promoted and managing a call center after a year (supposedly making $45K). It was kind of a crappy job, although looking back in retrospect, I had a bit of a bad attitude and an entitlement mentality. I was working nights for a bit in a call center managing a group of agents, 9pm-5am first and then 1am-10am. It was rough because I had no life with the crazy schedule. As the year drew to a close, we found that the company changed their mind about the promotions, and instead wanted to offer all of us lateral moves and a raise to about $36K. A few of my friends in the program took it, and a few of us, including me were like "f that". It was the principle to me.
So I put my resume out there and found a job doing some software development paying $45K (guess I got the $45K in any case). I did this for a couple years but didn't put enough into it because I was still in a mentality of not wanting the corporate lifestyle (but not really looking for a good way out). I got up to $52K before finding that the IT dpartment was going to be having some reductions. So a buddy and I got a job with a major defense contractor in DC and moved. It was a raise to $61K but not really a raise because of the cost of living increase. Since I was waiting for a clearance that could take a long while, I entered an online program at my alma mater to get my Master's in MIS with an MBA concentration. The next few years were pretty shitty (and I regret them now, but guess gotta look forward). I got in a sh**y relationship for about a year, got a basic performance review for some really stupid office politics and the fact my manager said that upper mgt "was requiring they give out a certain number of basic ratings going forward". Of course, they didn't realize at the time that giving me a basic would make me ineligible for my tuition reimbursement the next year. My manager and her manager petitioned HR to see if they could change the rating, and I even talked to an HR VP and our HR Business Partner but of course they said there was nothing they could do. So then, I had to pay $10K out of pocket for the second year of school. Then, toward the end of that second year, more shit happened. I found out that the gvt was canceling my clearance process after I had been waiting about 2 years already, and then a month or so later my gf broke up with me. Another manager at the company was able to use me on another project, so I transferred to a differ project to do some IT software testing. A few months in, I had my next yearly review...this new manager said he was giving me a Basic rating because I "hadn't been on the project long enough", which was kind of BS, and meant that I was going to be going 2 years without a raise. I was so angry and told myself after the new year I should look for another job.
About this time I decided I wanted to get into project management if I was going to be stuck working another 40 years. I studied and got my Certified Associate in Project Management from the PMI institute. However, I found that a project management job is a lot like the checken and the egg...it is hard to get a PM job without experience. Around this time I heard from another worker that they were assisting the software mgr as backup Control Account Manager (which is basically project manager). So I went to the test manager and asked if I could be his backup. He agreed and we spent the next couple months planning the schedule and budget for the upcoming year. Once the new year started, I was attending meetings with the managers and getting access to see all the budget information, sitting in on auditor interviews, etc, which was actually not bad, however my main responsibilities as a software tester were about as boring as watching paint dry.
At this time (which was about 3-4 months ago), I decided if I was ever going to be rich it wasn't going to be working for the man. I launched my ecommerce site Performance Rush - Your Source For Automotive Racing & Performance Parts and am doing it as a side business, however, I just can't see it being profitable enough to make me rich. A month or so ago my friends left their companies and became independent contractors. My friend referred me to his former company and after a couple interviews I got a job doing some Microsoft development, even though I have no actual Microsoft experience. It was win-win for right now because I a) got a raise to $80K b) am getting experience which will make me a lot more valuable. However, IT contracting is the short term goal, not the long term.
I am glad to say I feel I am getting out of my low period...being stuck in a seemingly dead end job with little prospects for growth and underpaid was really sucking the energy out of me. When I took this new job I felt a renewed sense of energy. I am recommiting myself to focusing on entrepreneurship and learning as much as possible regarding finance and investment. I have some sour taste in my mouth from various disappointments along the last 10 years, and by the fact that I am nowhere where I want to be in life. Hopefully I can use this as motivation instead of descending back into bitterness and depression. Sorry for the bit of the long intro...just felt good to share.
My history is pretty depressing so far...kind of stuck in the corporate office shuffle right now but am recommitting to finding a way out after I had almost lost motivation and given up the last year or two. I graduated in 2000 with a degree in Management Info Systems/Comp Sci and couldn't find work, so I was living at my parents for six months sending out applicaions. I finally got an offer, as a Management Trainee (not even related to my major) for $28,500. I took it because they promised that the group of us would be promoted and managing a call center after a year (supposedly making $45K). It was kind of a crappy job, although looking back in retrospect, I had a bit of a bad attitude and an entitlement mentality. I was working nights for a bit in a call center managing a group of agents, 9pm-5am first and then 1am-10am. It was rough because I had no life with the crazy schedule. As the year drew to a close, we found that the company changed their mind about the promotions, and instead wanted to offer all of us lateral moves and a raise to about $36K. A few of my friends in the program took it, and a few of us, including me were like "f that". It was the principle to me.
So I put my resume out there and found a job doing some software development paying $45K (guess I got the $45K in any case). I did this for a couple years but didn't put enough into it because I was still in a mentality of not wanting the corporate lifestyle (but not really looking for a good way out). I got up to $52K before finding that the IT dpartment was going to be having some reductions. So a buddy and I got a job with a major defense contractor in DC and moved. It was a raise to $61K but not really a raise because of the cost of living increase. Since I was waiting for a clearance that could take a long while, I entered an online program at my alma mater to get my Master's in MIS with an MBA concentration. The next few years were pretty shitty (and I regret them now, but guess gotta look forward). I got in a sh**y relationship for about a year, got a basic performance review for some really stupid office politics and the fact my manager said that upper mgt "was requiring they give out a certain number of basic ratings going forward". Of course, they didn't realize at the time that giving me a basic would make me ineligible for my tuition reimbursement the next year. My manager and her manager petitioned HR to see if they could change the rating, and I even talked to an HR VP and our HR Business Partner but of course they said there was nothing they could do. So then, I had to pay $10K out of pocket for the second year of school. Then, toward the end of that second year, more shit happened. I found out that the gvt was canceling my clearance process after I had been waiting about 2 years already, and then a month or so later my gf broke up with me. Another manager at the company was able to use me on another project, so I transferred to a differ project to do some IT software testing. A few months in, I had my next yearly review...this new manager said he was giving me a Basic rating because I "hadn't been on the project long enough", which was kind of BS, and meant that I was going to be going 2 years without a raise. I was so angry and told myself after the new year I should look for another job.
About this time I decided I wanted to get into project management if I was going to be stuck working another 40 years. I studied and got my Certified Associate in Project Management from the PMI institute. However, I found that a project management job is a lot like the checken and the egg...it is hard to get a PM job without experience. Around this time I heard from another worker that they were assisting the software mgr as backup Control Account Manager (which is basically project manager). So I went to the test manager and asked if I could be his backup. He agreed and we spent the next couple months planning the schedule and budget for the upcoming year. Once the new year started, I was attending meetings with the managers and getting access to see all the budget information, sitting in on auditor interviews, etc, which was actually not bad, however my main responsibilities as a software tester were about as boring as watching paint dry.
At this time (which was about 3-4 months ago), I decided if I was ever going to be rich it wasn't going to be working for the man. I launched my ecommerce site Performance Rush - Your Source For Automotive Racing & Performance Parts and am doing it as a side business, however, I just can't see it being profitable enough to make me rich. A month or so ago my friends left their companies and became independent contractors. My friend referred me to his former company and after a couple interviews I got a job doing some Microsoft development, even though I have no actual Microsoft experience. It was win-win for right now because I a) got a raise to $80K b) am getting experience which will make me a lot more valuable. However, IT contracting is the short term goal, not the long term.
I am glad to say I feel I am getting out of my low period...being stuck in a seemingly dead end job with little prospects for growth and underpaid was really sucking the energy out of me. When I took this new job I felt a renewed sense of energy. I am recommiting myself to focusing on entrepreneurship and learning as much as possible regarding finance and investment. I have some sour taste in my mouth from various disappointments along the last 10 years, and by the fact that I am nowhere where I want to be in life. Hopefully I can use this as motivation instead of descending back into bitterness and depression. Sorry for the bit of the long intro...just felt good to share.
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