Stick it out or leave?

Dear Bob …

I am a computer support professional who is overworked, and grossly underpaid.

I really do love my job. I get to do all sorts of support from website maintenance, to PBX programming, and phone and data wiring to database administration, along with everything in between. I like the people I work with, and the commute isn’t bad, either. I love the fact that I am so versatile, and I enjoy all facets of my job.

The problem is that our company is now in new hands (at the corporate level), and the news coming down the pipe isn’t good. Although the site I work at is profitable, the corporation isn’t quite in the black They have put on a wage increase freeze and cut our benefits. They say these things are all “temporary”, but I don’t buy it. I think the new owners are just fishing for more ways to put money in their own pockets.

I have been working here for just about two years, with no raise. My budget was tight already, and it is just getting tighter (especially with the increased cost of gas).

My question to you is: should I stick it out, hoping for the best, or should I jump ship and take whatever comes my way first? I am not quite sure what kind of shape the job market is in, or my company for that matter.

Can you help?

– Fed up with the Big Wigs

Dear Fed up …

As someone or other once said, hope is not a plan. Whether the lockdown is to make the business profitable or to put more money in the owners’ pockets, or for that matter to make the business profitable so the owners can put more money in their pockets (a scenario that’s neither unlikely nor unreasonable), the result is the same: Your situation is on the downslope. The aspects of your job that are undesirable are on the increase while those that are desirable are declining.

Nothing in your message suggests a reason to expect anything to change for the better. It could, of course – the owner could decide to sell his profitable division to generate cash, for example – but unless you have a reason to expect it, don’t fool yourself.

So I’d advise you to start looking for your next adventure. List what you like best about the job you have, make a list of companies whose characteristics suggest they might be able to offer you similar advantages, and start introducing yourself to the people in those companies most likely to consider you a solution to their problems.

The best part of all this is that you’re not in any distress, so you can afford to be choosy about which offers you entertain.

– Bob