Good move, bad move- possible job change.

[ChrisBlair]

I do tech support and a lot of customer service for a company that makes EOD robots. Flatly, I'm good at it and it's pretty much me myself and I until I bring other people in, at my discretion. I have a knack for getting the right people together to solve problems and I'm good with tech issues in general, regarding application of the tech and what could be wrong. That said, it's a frustrating position and I'm not exceptionally happy with it. I am 'on demand' during business hours and management rarely knows what I'm working on due to the nature of the position, and so I am usually over-burdened with constantly changing priorities since they figure I'm doing nothing when actually I'm following up on literally a dozen concerns on any given day, for internal and external customer etc. I'm also somehow the Dangerous Goods shipping expert. Despite that, it has a measure of satisfaction because I help the end-users with life-saving equipment all over the world, and I do feel I make a difference in that regard.

Because of that I do a fair amount of work with foreign customers and I am familiar with ITAR and EAR requirements and how State Department wants licensing to be in place for X Y and Z. I execute a whole lot of due dilligence to protect the company, as a default requirement of what I do, becasue of our international nature.

There's a possibility of changing job positions to another department, the one that deals primarily with licensing and ITAR/EAR concerns for the whole company. Many of our products are technically arms.

This job would be completely new except for my fringe knowledge and would require training, and a new level of responsibility. I don't mind the responsibility and I know this new position looks good on a resume.

I am going to say "yes" to trying out for the position, of course. But on the outside chance it is offered, I'm not sure I'd take it. It's dry. Boring. Office bound. Tracking DSP-5 requests and status, dealing with exporters and importers and keeping tabs on everything even when I can't get the info (I see some of this through my work with the folks that currently do this job).

On the plus side, my understanding of how this company works and how export control is influenced by customer needs and international shipping requirements is a huge plus. Absolutely I can do this job. And presumably, there's a monetary benefit as well: the actual posting has not been made available to me just yet and that will be tomorrow I think. But a few years back a similar thing was offered to me. Not the same position but same company, different position but more responsibility and pay. And I agonized over it, accepted, was congratulated on the decision by the company...and the job fizzled away. That made me quit, and a VP called me to ask me to come back. So I am gun shy of these possibilities.

Lots of variables. I'm not looking for an answer, just tossing it out there for any wisdom in similar circumstances. I hate to waste an opportunity but this may not be an opportunity that's right for me. I would be leaving any tech role- my forte, and I am strictly speaking an Engineering Aide at the moment- for a new field that will possibly create a bad-looking hole in my tech resume, depending on what job I look for in the future: small experience in the new field, no current experience in the old one.

Good to have problem but I do not want to F up. Lots to consider.

[ssrs2lt]

In this not clear complex environments, I usually just try to take one step at a time..try it out, see if you like and then see if they offer it to you..on top of that I get the I'm damn good and they know it part of the job. In my career I'm constantly changes jobs, and that's how I handle it set by step.. Some of my most satisfying jobs were the ones I wasn't sure about..I do pray as well lol..

[ChrisBlair]

That's good advice, though the possibility exists I would not have a position to go back *to*. They'd have to fill my job quickly. On the other hand, my career has thrived on being able to tackle new jobs.

One minute I'm sure this is the right thing to try for, the next I see how it's an unintentional trap.

[Muscle Car Lover]

What, are we job searching at the same time or something?

I don't get all the acronyms you used, so I can just do the best I can.

I guess the question is where do you want to be in 5 years? 10? Does your current job get you where you want to go? This is the most important concern, at least for me. My current (soon to not be job) cannot provide the path forward I need so I am moving on.

If the pay at the "office" job is better and you get exposed to all the legal and licensing aspects of robotics shipment and dangerous goods handling, well now that's a resume stand out. I don't think it would be possible to do the new role without being WAY up to date with new technology as it comes online, so I don't think you lose anything there.

At some point you gotta man up and get into management. It's the only way up the career ladder.

If this happened before and something went sour, I would try and make sure this is a REAL offer, not a suggestion.

I think it's a go in my eyes, but in the end you need to feel good about what you move on.

Best I can do.

Good luck and PM me if you need a sounding board my friend.

[ssrs2lt]

Yeah nothing is guaranteed, but mcl makes some great points about the future. Believe me I know the concern about hanging it out there with no safety rope. I'm right now in the same boat leaving a job to study in Cambridge. For a year.. I'm leaving a great job , everyone says slam dunk on the yr fellowship..I'm still fired up about it. Lol. Good luck

[Muscle Car Lover]

Originally Posted by ssrs2lt

Yeah nothing is guaranteed, but mcl makes some great points about the future. Believe me I know the concern about hanging it out there with no safety rope. I'm right now in the same boat leaving a job to study in Cambridge. For a year.. I'm leaving a great job , everyone says slam dunk on the yr fellowship..I'm still fired up about it. Lol. Good luck

Do you mean Cambridge, MA???

Well I will be working in Cambridge, we can do lunch or something!

[mlee]

This is very similar to what I went though 3.5 years ago and I did take the new job. I was the tech expert in a particular field and felt like I needed to expand my horizons and jump out there. Because of the hole I created by changing jobs I ended up supporting the old job (everyone had my number) and really got zero credit for it. They now have contracted someone to do the position, but I'm still consulted quite a bit. Watch out for that.

I'm always looking back to see if I would have been better off not moving and have even been offered a chance to go back, but elected to stay as my old team had sort of fallen apart and I didn't want to have to clean up the mess. All that said, I find I'm losing some of the expertise I had as new software versions continue to come out. If you don't do it you'll lose it and it's been my bread and butter for so long it concerns me because I can take these skills anywhere. My current job is a one off, with more responsibility and all, but not something I can bank on with different companies etc.

All in all I did make the right choice. Just giving you some perspective of what you might encounter as your situation sounds exactly like mine was. One thing I promised my new boss was I would do is make this job decision and stick with it which I have done. I've never let on any different and he's assured me I made the right move for my career. Guess time will tell.

[HadA68]

Something to consider - some organizations/people don't like to be told no. If you interview for the job (thus expressing interest), are then offered the job and then turn it down, this can be seen as a slap in the face to some. In other words, they gave you an opportunity that they thought you wanted and then you flipped on them. They may think twice the next time. Might be advisable to decide whether or not you want the job before you agree to interview for it.

[mlee]

Originally Posted by HadA68

Something to consider - some organizations/people don't like to be told no. If you interview for the job (thus expressing interest), are then offered the job and then turn it down, this can be seen as a slap in the face to some. In other words, they gave you an opportunity that they thought you wanted and then you flipped on them. They may think twice the next time. Might be advisable to decide whether or not you want the job before you agree to interview for it.

This is true... and goes hand in hand with what I was saying about going all in for the new job.

[Iron Lung Jimmy]

Will all of the licensing and foreign requirement things you are going to have to do open the door to someday being a highly paid consultant helping other companies navigate that stuff?

Knowing the ropes and having contacts seems like it could be a valuable asset.

[Muscle Car Lover]

Originally Posted by Iron Lung Jimmy

Will all of the licensing and foreign requirement things you are going to have to do open the door to someday being a highly paid consultant helping other companies navigate that stuff?

Knowing the ropes and having contacts seems like it could be a valuable asset.

Agree X 1000

Regulations and how to meet them is a high demand job.

[ssrs2lt]

Yes we will do lunch mcl!

[Splitter]

can I have your old job? :P

[ChrisBlair]

Thanks guys.

I agree, there's an 'offer you shouldn't refuse' aspect, and there is serious opportunity for the change to make me more valuable to any company not just this one.

When a VP takes me aside and asks me to close his office door, we need to talk, it's probably important to him. And there's a world outside my company's door.

The thing is I know the person vacating this position and I know the major reasons why and it gives me pause.

I also legitimately feel the people that I deal with benefit from my help in the practical sense. I help them get life saving equipment back up and running and in my gut it feels important. My opinion is that the reason I can do so well at this is because I'm me. I honestly don't see anybody else that's able to step up and do this job correctly. I know management doesn't even really have anyone else doing my job. I've spent years telling EOD guys "your problem is my problem" and meaning it, so I know they will still call me and frankly that's already a job that's too big to handle. regardless, management never has appreciated what actually goes into my role. Some of them feel I 'answer the phones'. The truth is I'm assigned work for internal and external sources at a moment's notice. Example: I saw an error on a drawing. I had myself created the missing element a year ago. Now I'm spearheading an engineering chnage to get it corrected. At the same time I'm coordinating a hazmat sensor repair for a customer in Korea. At the same time I'm handling an unhappy customer in Colorado with kid gloves. At the same time I'm documenting how to ship a type of dangerous good, and develop a checklist system to ship other types. Also at the same time I'm assisting a production tech on how to get an obsolete and bastardized robot running so we can test some spare parts for a customer. To top it off, I'm expected to get my security clearance for our USN customer. That's one day. And then sales calls and tells me "we're selling all these parts can you review?" and I have to pull every drawing an consider how the tech aspect allows (or disallows) them to sell those parts, as they may not work with that specific customer's configuration.

Kinda different from "answering the phones" but to them, that's what I do.