I'm at a Career Cross Roads/Dilemma

Simian

Simian

Simian

Soldato
Joined
19 Oct 2002
Posts
8,075
Location
Swindoniantown
I started my current Job about 18 months ago, I was brought on board primarily as a CAD Designer, plus Change Control for Documents and Drawings.

I Love the Job, Enjoy working with the people (most of them) and I like drawing intricate Electronic components from scratch. :cool:

But a Couple of things have started to come to the fore now!

I'm on Sub £20k p/a which is a £6k drop from my last job!

It's a 75 mile commute (each way) at 5:30 in the morning, with no easy public transport links either way! which is costing me on average £300+ per month in fuel, plus wear and tear!

I've recently just been .pdf'ing our entire library of drawings (about 10,000 drawings) and not actually 'Drawing' anything.

And all my investigations into updating/improving our 'Doc Control' procedures are 'pooh poohed' before I can put the case across (this another thing I was asked to do on the start of employment!).

It feels like I'm going round and round in circles.

I've had a look at various Job-Sites out there, for: CAD Draughtsman, AutoCAD Technician etc... within 40 miles of Swindon and quite a few seem to be coming up that I'm qualified for and are £25k+ p/a, Some even £30k+...

I'm nearing my 40th Birthday at a rate of knots and feel a move now is a little rash and scares the be-jesus out of me!, but other voices are telling me it'll be for the best... Think of the extra money!! etc.. etc..

The Wife and I want to start a family very soon, and the extra money would be excellent, especially as she'd have to take a pay cut!.

Plus I'd not have to get up at 5am and get home at 5pm every day!

I'm at a bit of a dilemma! :(

Do I start applying for various jobs willy nilly, or hang in there (at least till August when I've been at my current company for 2 years)...

Thanks for reading guys
Sim :(
 
Sorry what were the positives on this place you work at - I'd look for a better paid role on the QT. when you get something either up sticks and go for it or use it to improve your working arrangements
 
I was earning £11K working as a CAD Draughtsman 18 years ago, there's no excuse for paying less than 20K for someone who can clearly do the job. The biggest problem you may have is lack of experience/limited exposure to other areas of CAD, although most are the same anyway it's more perception.

In your shoes I'd definitely be looking at other jobs but keeping it quiet. If offered one I'd probably give my currently employer the chance to beat their offer, but only if I was very happy there and had good prospects long term.

That's a hell of a commute, a sweetener would perhaps be to let you work from home a couple of days a week.
 
Take a look in north Bristol. it's not a lovely commute from Swindon, but you can sit on the motorway for the entire trip. Airbus, Rolls-Royce, BAE etc are up there and would all be over 25k.

It would be difficult to start a family below 20k, I wish you luck if you stay put.
 
I say go looking, they're clearly underpaying a highly talented man and you deserve more.

Have you thought about asking for a rise and letting your boss know just how much you could be making elsewhere?
 
Find a new job then once your in it you will wish you done it years ago!

Leaving for 5 30am is hard enough but when your little one has had you up twice in the night makes it even harder!
 
Yeah the pay seems low, we pay the lad who does some of our cad work 20K and he didn't have any qualifications when he started, had jut played around with cad programs at college (we're paying to put him through a college course as well), think he started on about 16.

I'd say get looking
 
100% go and look for something else.

3 months ago i was in a job where i was happy enough with the people and the work, i wasn't getting paid as much as i would like and commuting a similar distance.

I went looking and have landed a job that i am much happier with. I couldn't imagine going back now, the time was right for a move.
 
I'm in a similar situation, very comfortable where I work, decent salary/people /company but I don't feel I'm pushing myself enough, so went for another job, which I got :cool: - Start this Monday!

He who dares, wins - I would strongly recommend looking else where.
 
Chances are that to get a decent payrise you have to move companies - I've only ever had a decent payrise in a role and that was when my boss found out I was at an interview. He rang me after the interview and offered me 6k on the spot not to persue it any further. At the time i had an issue with salary and the only way to improve it was to move.

did the commute from North Bristol to Swindon for a few years - 40 minutes door to door for that role - quicker than getting into the centre of Bristol most days
 
Roll the dice. One favourite saying; "You miss 100% of the chances you don't take"

I used to interview for fun. When I was 23 I had a record of 12 interviews and 12 offers, I didn't take any of them, apart from one and then moved. I didn't want to jump out of the frying pan and in to the fire, but likewise how do you know what is out here unless you go and find out?
 
Similar situation.

Work for a local authority and an 18 month temp position has come up in another team within our department. The 18 month temp jobs always seem to have a habit of becoming permanent and it is a 4k pay rise. I've asked the dept manager and he's said "don't let the temporary tag put me off and even if it did get binned after 18 months I'd be moved into another team". I've emailed him to ask if he can confirm that so I've got in writing but don't know how solid an email will be. As you can imagine I don't want to be facing an uncertain future in 18 months. Also the ever present threats of further govt cuts could mean redundancies and if I'm working on a temp contract would I be binned 1st.
 
Look for somewhere else; seems like you are not being paid right to me...

I'm currently a CADmonkey for an electrical subcontractor (apart from having 10+ years using CAD I've no discipline specific qualifications other than C&G cad skills) and I get paid 21k for a 44 hour week.

Freelance work I've charged £30-35 p/h before.

I'm 36 by the way. (....tick tock tick tock tick tock.... :o )
 
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