A tough job decision to make. Sucks!!

[emperor_black]

On May31st, I got laid off. Sucks! Its the first time in my 12 years job history that I've got laid off. I reached out to all my friends including my ex-employer from two companies ago. He did not have a job opening, but he remembered and loved my work while I was with him. Basically, I rebuilt an entire build system from scratch which almost everyone thought was impossible. Even the CEO of the company stopped by to congratulate me during the company picnic.

I've been working as a contract-to-hire with Etrade; which everyone has heard of, for the past three weeks. The new job is very stressful at times, but I'm learning a whole lot of new things and its things that everyone basically asked me during interviews - have you worked in a fast-paced environment? This job will give me a great deal of experience, but the commute sucks! Minimum 1 hr + each way and my guitar playing days are gonna be over because I'm so freakin tired by the time I get back home. I suffer from chronic back pain.

So, the previous employer I mentioned, calls me last week, asks me to come in for a in-formal interview and it turns out, they're still using the same old build system (a different part of it, not the one I fixed) and he wants me to come back and work for him. He got management to open a requisition for the job. The pay is about $5K less than Etrade but its a permanent job. The problem is, I'll have to go through fixing the old shitty build system which runs on windows into something that runs on a more stable linux like I did before. But its not as big a company as etrade and went through some layoffs few years back. It does not make as much money as etrade and so bonuses are not going to be good as well.

So, what do I do? do I take up the same old job, but 1/2 the commute, slightly less pay...same old friends who want me back and looking up to me to fix their shit or do I go to a huge company where I'm just another face in the crowd, but I gain lot of new experience and better pay but horrible commute? Granted I can work from home down the road, and all that, but still I'll have to travel at least 3 times a week.

sorry about the rant, just needed to talk about this to someone other than my wife who is equally stressed out thinking about this.

[Hellbat]

I think you have to take the overall quality of life into account in this situation. Do you need the extra $5K? Half the commute might save you that much in gas and maintenance annually. Having worked at a 'dotcom' in the past they aren't exactly models of stability.

If you do decide to make the switch, I'd give etrade a decent notice and be open with them for your reasons for going. Anyone would sympathize with somebody taking a stable permanent position closer to home. The trick is to not burn any bridges and bust your ass after giving notice so that they remember you as someone hard working and dedicated. That said with a large corp like that they may show you the door so you don't 'steal' any trade secrets.

I live a 5 minute commute from my work and let me tell you it would be hard to have a longer commute for me ever again. I did 5 years of 1.5-2 hour commutes each way and thats bullshit. All you are doing in that situation is work, eat, sleep repeat. I'm close enough that I can go home for lunch, take a dump in my own toilet that hasn't been laid to waste by 400lb co-workers that loooove smelly food, and unwind playing my guitar cranked up to ear bleeding volumes for half an hour.

[Vass]

I would ask etrade if there is a permanent gig available. If not, you leave. $5k is really nothing. After taxes it's even less. You'll save that in gas and wear and tear.

That said, you sound like you are resume building to an extent, so if it is a matter of needing to do a good job to catch on, suck it up and do etrade for a year or so. Economy won't be shit forever.

[emperor_black]

I totally get what you're talking about man. When I was with that ex-employer, I used to live 15 mins from home. My parents were living with us for a while taking care of the newborn and I could come home to eat fresh food. I was also the most productive then as I recall. For anyone doing long commutes, I found a great way to keep you mind occupied - Audio books. I know, I might sound like an old timer but some of those books like the bourne series are so captivating, you don't even feel the commute. but still, your body aches once you get back home.

Hey, BTW, belated happy birthday man! I wanted to wish you for sure this year but all this job hunting threw me off. Hope you had a good one.

I think you have to take the overall quality of life into account in this situation. Do you need the extra $5K? Half the commute might save you that much in gas and maintenance annually. Having worked at a 'dotcom' in the past they aren't exactly models of stability.

If you do decide to make the switch, I'd give etrade a decent notice and be open with them for your reasons for going. Anyone would sympathize with somebody taking a stable permanent position closer to home. The trick is to not burn any bridges and bust your ass after giving notice so that they remember you as someone hard working and dedicated. That said with a large corp like that they may show you the door so you don't 'steal' any trade secrets.

I live a 5 minute commute from my work and let me tell you it would be hard to have a longer commute for me ever again. I did 5 years of 1.5-2 hour commutes each way and thats bullshit. All you are doing in that situation is work, eat, sleep repeat. I'm close enough that I can go home for lunch, take a dump in my own toilet that hasn't been laid to waste by 400lb co-workers that loooove smelly food, and unwind playing my guitar cranked up to ear bleeding volumes for half an hour.

[Axewielder]

If you are going to work as a developer on a contract basis, it's better to have several clients so all your eggs aren't in one basket IMHO. I'd take the full-time gig over a contract business with only one client any day, especially in this economy.

[emperor_black]

I would ask etrade if there is a permanent gig available. If not, you leave. $5k is really nothing. After taxes it's even less. You'll save that in gas and wear and tear.

Its supposed to be a contract-to-hire after 90 days. I have 2 more months to go. But the hiring has to be approved by VP and SVP it seems.

[Flatpicker]

I'd take the smaller commute and the less money. Sounds like with etrade you are living to work vs working to live.

[tomanyjacksons]

Good luck man.

[Newc]

Definitely give Etrade a fair-warning before bailing. While the commute sucks and the fun suffers, that $5K extra might come in handy. You might even see about moving closer to Etrade to help with the commute (if you're renting, that is).

It's nice that your old boss pulled a string to have the position created (presumably for you), but the fact is that being a big fish in a small pond typically means you're stuck in a small pond. Being a small fish in a big pond, however, means you're food for a bigger fish at some point. By the same token, a small fish in a big pond has room to grow into a bigger fish.

Etrade seems like a stable enough outfit, but what does your old employer do? Same stuff? If so, are they poised to challenge Etrade for market share? Or are they one of the small fish that Etrade could potentially gobble up (or simply destroy, leaving you jobless)?

The time for making the wrong decisions in life is over. You have to focus on the immediate future as well as the long-term. How important is that $5K for you now? Can you get by without it by simply reducing a few frivolities (movie night, 4-star vacation, cruise, etc), or will it negatively affect your household (i.e. you gotta move to a cheaper place if you want to eat)? Is it merely going into your vehicle? If you're not doing 5-days-a-week at Etrade, could you live in a hotel for the days you work and save the commute? How big of a fish are you at Etrade right now? What sort of competition do you face among other contract workers? Are you in the lead in that race?

Is there a good probability that Etrade will offer you a permanent position early if you tell them you're leaving for your old job, or will they treat you like a backstabbing Judas?

Then again, sometimes you have to go backwards in order to move forward. You pull into a parking space at the store, then you gotta back out of it before you can continue on. Same thing with life sometimes.
Unless of course you're one of those dickheads that pulls up sideways and leaves the engine running like you're that important

[javert]

Assuming that's 5k a year, then it's a no-brainer. Go for the permant job and the shorter commute. With the extra time you're spending commuting anyway, the 5k is nothing. As for the pain of having to deal with Windows, well.... I feel your pain Like others have stated, maybe use it as leverage to bargain for a permant gig with your current employer. Make it sound like you would like to give them the opportunity to match the offer (minus the less money) since you like the job so much

[emperor_black]

@Newc
The two employers are unrelated in business. One is a semi conductor company and one is in Financial. So, I don't have to worry that Etrade might gobble up PMC. In etrade, its too much of politics. To get the standard office kit - stapler, scissors, post-its, they asked me to purchase it in the online store which my manager has to approve. Change is very hard to do in etrade. They are running processes without asking why. It seems we are asked to run a process every tue and thur even if it falls on a holiday. There is a release every 2 weeks and its very stressful that week.

PMC is not as big as etrade, i know half the engineers who I worked with because they are all from my previous company. I am well recognized and respected because of my work there. I can convince my would-be manager to buy any equipment and configuration because he trusts me. At etrade, it'll take more than convincing to buy. Like I said, everything revolves around office politics.

I am not renting. I wish I was. And like most of us in california, we can't sell the house either because we lose a lot and there are not many buyers anyway. So, I'll be stuck with the tough commute if I decide etrade. I thought about the idea of going by train but that would still mean at least 3 hrs lost in commute every work day.

@Javert
Its $5K a year. And I tried negotiating the earlier permanent conversion and again, because of politics and policies, they cannot convert earlier than 3 months.

[Newc]

@Newc
To get the standard office kit - stapler, scissors, post-its, they asked me to purchase it in the online store which my manager has to approve.

You gotta be shittin me. Office necessities are bought by the workers from the company? A Fortune 500 company, I might add? Reminds me of the old Depression-Era labor camps that charged you rent on the tools they issued you to do your job, and charged you for food and water they provided, as well as a place to sleep (and air to breathe), which always came out to be more than what you were paid, hence the song "16 tons" ("I Owe My Soul To The Company Store").

Fuck Etrade and the $5K a year
At that rate, I wouldn't even give them the benefit of saying good-bye. I'd just no longer be there

[emperor_black]

Well, I don't have to pay for it, I have to place a purchase order in the etrade store and my manager has to approve the purchase. Sorry if I wasn't clear. But I might as well buy it myself instead of going through all that.

[RacerX]

Interesting thread. Totally LOLed at Hellbat's response!

I, too have the luxury of a 5 minute commute and it is Heaven! The thing I will deal with though, is wanting to purchase a house, and there are none in my price range around here. So, I'm kinda in the same boat: looking at a 45 minute commute or so.

Sam, I know it sounds trite but "at least you're working", and have a roof over your head (and have a loving family). Go back to PMC, my son.

PS What is this car that is causing back pain? I definitely recommend a Lexus, even an older one. I love love love my LS400.

[emperor_black]

LS400? Nice. Well, I've been suffering from chronic back pain for the past 6 months or so. I drive a Mazda CX-9. A big ass SUV. But I also have a 12 yr old Mercedes with leather seats that's better than the Mazda's seats but after a week of driving 2+ hr commutes a day, the back pain has come back with full force.

Yeah, I think I'll go back to PMC...to a place where all my ex-colleagues are there. some are brilliant and would be a pleasure to work with, but there are also some who are a pain to work with.