Life is a funny thing and many times it is cloudy and mysterious. 2020 has been a mix of ups and downs but mostly downs.
The one thing that I have always said…
“Control what you can control, and attempt to use what you are given.”
In 2019 I found myself looking for a new position after my previous employer decided that the 80 hour weeks for 3 months straight was not what they wanted from a salaried employee and we separated ways which was the best thing for my health and for my family to remember who I was.
There were some doubts in my head about how good I was at my job and what was the next step in my 19 years in the IT field, but I decided that working for small to mid-size companies may not be the best thing and I decided to take my talents to a larger worldwide company that a friend worked for.
It was stated that their pay started low which I know that I could prove myself and increases would not be an issue as I would make sure that I would meet and surpass the expectations of my manager. So I accepted a pay cut because I could see this is a job that I could retire at, with plenty of room to grow…
The funny thing about larger companies is that there is less control over when raises can be given even if you meet and surpass the expectations of your manager and of the company.
After about 5 months there was an announcement that the company was being purchased. I knew it was a long shot but I talked to my manager and talked to him about potentially getting an increase before the buy-out because after there would probably be a freeze and increases that are supposed to happen after 6 and a year were not likely to happen.
It was nice to hear my manager say that I was one of a few that he would go to bat for because after not even 6 months I have proven a valuable team member, the 16 months onboarding process I had almost completed in the 5 months, and I was much more valuable than what I was being paid. There might have even been mention that if I would have countered the initial salary that I could have received more, and that he would never underpay a new employee again. Alas, a week later my first manager with the company was now my old manager and the purchase of the company brought on manager number 2.
So learning what a manager wants from someone that reports to him is so different in so many ways. Manager 1 was very interactive and was always trying to improve the process of the company and very closely involved with what was going on whether it be a single case or an overall issue with the company process.
Manager 2 was quite a different sort, he was more of the type of your job is to figure it out on your own and if you are stuck then let me know, but don’t come to me unless you are stuck. This was quite different from manager 1 who was all about clearing your roadblocks so you can focus on completing your job, as opposed to you are completely in control of fixing your own issue. Neither style of management quite different and neither one incorrect.
After coming up to the 1 year anniversary of my official hire date with company 1(6 months with company 2 and proving myself to manager 2 I started talking about a potential increase, which was also brought up with his manager. Again it was said that they would do everything that could be done to get an increase if possible.
At this point I have proven myself valuable to the company, in fact, I have been kept on while there are many people that have been with company for years have been given severance packages. After working with customers from all over the world and some of the top companies in the world any doubt that I had that working for a small and medium-sized company has kept me from growing have far vanished. The confidence that I have gained from working with people has proven to me that not only have I kept up but I also have outpaced many in the field.
Enter manager #3… In just a year I have had 3 managers, the company buyouts are quite tough with people losing their position and/or jobs altogether but as for me, I continue on with my 3rd manager and on top of that Covid. The world has been turned upside down and the announcement has come down that with prepping for a downturn in business that there will be no wage increases for 2020 but there is a good chance there will be bonuses.
This is where I sit currently…
“Control what you can control, and attempt to use what you are given.”
I don’t know where my future will lead, all I know is that I can keep improving myself and making myself better. One of my favorite sayings that my brother said when attempting to capture a top time on the Strava App.
“Luck is a combination of preperation and oppurtunity coming together”
So after collecting by CompTIA Security+ and CySA+, and completing the LinkedIn Learning course for Python, I continue to work on the preparation piece of luck and I know that whether it is still with Company 2 or with a new company I will make sure that my Luck is not only for me but for my employer also.
So the next Cert that I am focuing on is Cisco CCNA… bring on the Luck I am prepared for it.