When do you know it's time to move on?

[MisterCreosote]

I was what qualifies as “fortunate” in journalism to have been given a few months’ notice that they were going to buy out 75 percent of us and convert the rest of us into some nebulous Tara Connell-led Gannett “initiative.”

That gave me plenty of time to not only find something else, but also lay the groundwork to GTFO of the business and never look back.

 

[SixToe]

A good, longtime friend of mine worked about 15 years +/- for a major company. Highly respected among her peers, helped further the brand's image, worked with Sales (i.e. team player) and had a $1M+ travel budget. Immensely helpful at home or on the road. And, as we say, even a better person.

She left the company, which sent some shockwaves within the industry. I was on a trip with her and asked what happened, and also asked the OP question: "When do you know it's time to go?"

She said, "When you're not respected or valued anymore."

We (newspaper/media folks) put up with a lot of ****. Our jobs are fun, frustrating, tiring, stressful, cool, all the things. It's a love-hate relationship sometimes, right? We could figure out or try to improve things like hours, pay, etc. Those are important but can be figured out, discussed, overcome in creative ways if necessary.

However, if your bosses or editors or publisher or news directors stop respecting and valuing you and your ideas, opinions or even criticisms, then IMO it's time to start looking.

And, I think, you simply know it in your gut. If you're asking, that's a sign.

 

[SixToe]

My new boss made the decision easy for me. I was either going to find a new job or be indicted for assault.
Luckily, something opened up nearby and I called in a lot of markers to make it happen.

Worked with two like this.

One, if he had ALS, cancer and itchy scabies and was strapped in a flaming van going over a bridge into an icy river death, I'd cheer.

The second was a VP in a remote office when on a call he sounded like Tony Montana screaming at me. I told my immediate boss after the call that if we'd been in the same room, I would have hurt him badly. Turned in my notice a week later. The VP eventually got fired and never worked in the industry again.

 

[Songbird]

This may be simple but … you know when it’s time. It’s ok to waffle for a bit but don’t get stuck in the syrup.

 

[wicked]

I've been thinking about this lately.

I left journalism because of a situation like rtse's. (I feel your pain!) It doesn't help that the guy, who was brushed out by a new regime, has been rehired at our old joint by a buddy of his. Gotta admit, that was disheartening and pissed me off, especially for the people who celebrated his exit.

I've been out of the biz for six-plus years now and I'm much better off than where I was, especially considering that jackass is returning.

Lately with a change in life circumstances (thank you @Spartan Squad for your guidance through the process) I'm rethinking my old philosophy, which was "go along to get along." It's uncorked a bit of ambition that was long lost and I'm realizing I'm stuck, much like I felt in journalism, which gets me to ...

My POV, when you’re no longer irreplaceable.

Yup. I once thought I wasn't replaceable, for a bunch of reasons. Not the case now.

It's like any relationship. Once you lose value, you're gone (or you're on your way out the door).

 

[BTExpress]

There are two aspects to being "irreplaceable." And you need both for it to mean anything.

Even if the company will never find somebody to do what you do as well as you do it, if the company doesn't care, then being "irreplaceable" (in talent/skills) doesn't matter. The job will get done, by somebody else, albeit likely at a lower quality that most people wouldn't notice anyway.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Let’s say for the purposes of this answer that you have a Monday-Friday job.

What time on Sunday do you start thinking about the job and what’s ahead on Monday? Is it a calm, mundane thought or does it put your stomach in knots? Is it a passing thought or does you keep brooding on it?

If the thought of Monday eats up half your weekend, that can’t stand for long.

This is kind of where I am, and on this past Friday, I walked out at 5, met my wife at 5:15 and said, "I am going to be annoyed and worried about how Monday goes all weekend." And, sure nuff, that is what happened.

It was never my intention to be in this industry for as long as I have. I started with a different agent in 2013 that offered tremendous flexibility in a "I'm not going to micromanage because I'm close to retirement" atmosphere. He was there half of the time and never on Thursdays because that was his golf days. When I was given an offer to go and cover an event the same week he had a vacation booked, he asked what my compensation was going to be -- $2,000 plus hotel and air paid. He shrugged and said, "Ed can handle the place by himself." It was that simple, and that kind of treatment can spoil you.

When he retired, I latched on with a different agency that obviously isn't nearly as laid back, though its not Glengarry Glenross either. Honestly its sporadic, which is more annoying. You'll have a stretch when you're getting blasted for every little thing in Teams messages followed by weeks of crickets. That alone is enough to make you skittish.

 

[wicked]

There are two aspects to being "irreplaceable." And you need both for it to mean anything.

Even if the company will never find somebody to do what you do as well as you do it, if the company doesn't care, then being "irreplaceable" (in talent/skills) doesn't matter. The job will get done, by somebody else, albeit likely at a lower quality that most people wouldn't notice anyway.

There’s a third type — you’re not a pain in the ass and people are happy with your work. Being a pain in the ass makes you very replaceable. I struggle with that line sometimes, to the surprise of no one who knows me.

 

[maumann2]

Some great responses on here. Mine will overlap in some cases.

1. From a retired person, work should never take priority over your relationships and your health. If it does, you need a reset.
2. Technology will make whatever you're doing right now obsolete. Never let yourself become extinct. Adapt or become a dinosaur.
3. Even if your current position is your dream job, dream bigger. Unless you own the company, you're replaceable.
4. My father often said, "You can't hit what you don't swing at." Don't be afraid to take chances when the opportunity presents itself.
5. If other people are getting promoted at your expense, management doesn't think you have potential.
6. If other people are getting laid off at your expense, management will eventually find you, too.
7. New management always means a major shakeup. Be agile enough to fight for your job or flee.
8. If you aren't learning anything new, you're in the wrong job. Find something that challenges you.
9. Unless you're a soap opera actor, your job shouldn't include daily drama. It's bad for your mental health.
10. Remember this all ends for all of us at some point. Make it as pleasant and pain-free for you as possible.

 

[Dog8Cats]

It sounds as if there is some agency on your part as to whether you stay or go.

Not trying to turn this into a, "Well, this is what happened to me ... " post, but ...

After I lost my job last year, a friend of a friend who is a recruiter looked at my resume, saw that I'd been at the previous place for 14 years (a place that, on balance, was a very desirable place to work -- one we've all heard of) and kind of said, "Loyalty is fine. But 10 years at one place would make we wonder ... ."

I can guess your age range, and I would think that there's a lot at stake should your current job or a future job vaporize. Someone has said, "Don't f*** with happy." Based on your age and assumed responsibilities, I'd amend that to "Don't f*** with tolerable and dependable."

One thing I would do is, if there's something out there you might like, go balls out for it. Do all you can to get the offer, and then try to extract as much as you can with a counteroffer. (Based on what that recruiter told me, I wished I'd done that at my previous stop, even though I didn't want to leave that job.)

Even if you don't end up taking that offer you strive for, you've proved to some external people how valuable you are. More people are aware of how good you are. Maybe in xx years, they're looking again and this time it works out for you. And if your current spot learns that you're seriously pursuing other opportunities, there might be some tangible recognition of your value should you stay.

I've said it in another post: Don't hold back on seeing how green the grass might be on the other side of the fence. Actively engage - especially when you don't need a job - with those growing cool lawns, and show them how you can grow a pretty damn green lawn yourself.

 

[Dirk Legume]

This question is affecting me for a different reason. I have what I believe to be a very real fear that, if I leave, the shop will close, get consolidated into a nearby market and people I care about will most likely lose their jobs.

Am I that special, not at all. And I am very replaceable. Some background"

I hosted the morning show on our, small/medium-ish, market station from 1996 until my on-air partner retired last February. After talking it over with my family, I decided that getting up early every day was no longer fun and I put my notice in as well. The company came back to me with an offer to move to 10a-to 3p on air and work a regular 9-5 schedule. I took it and it's been OK. It's not the same, but it's OK.

Over the course of the last year, it's become very apparent that my company, which owns stations in 3 markets is just getting by. People who leave haven't been replaced, equipment that fails is just patched together and we're told to do the best we can. It's essentially the same thing that has happened in newspapers.

My wife is retiring at the end of June to take care of our grandchild and want's me to go too, figuring a zone defense against a toddler is better than man-to-man. She has done the financial heavy lifting for our family for as long as I've been in radio as being a big fish in a small pond is nice for the ego, but it doesn't pay much. I make $19.32 an hour, haven't had a raise in 7 years, and recently was denied a bump to over $20 which I asked for because I felt I deserved at least that for the longevity. They ignored the request, so there's something there about respect for sure. It's probably time to go.

But, if I go, there is a very real chance they will close this office, move it's operations to one of our other markets, and let the people that work here go. These people are my friends and I am having a hard time coming to terms with the thought that I might be the reason they lose their jobs.

I may not be the glue holding the place together, but I might be. And it scares me. So I just keep coming to work.

 

[BTExpress]

My message to my employer was simple: Retirement will pay me $600 more a month than you are paying. I'll stay if you can whittle that difference to $0. At the last minute, with all my retirement benefits set up, they offered to whittle it to $300, and that was only after the former executive editor (who refused to even discuss a raise) was fired. I left.

That I left on my own terms and she didn't gives me far more joy than it probably should.

 

[I Should Coco]

That's an interesting and, frankly, somewhat depressing post, @Dirk Legume. If there's one business that's always been worse in pay, job security and future outlook than newspapers, it's radio. Neither is looking good for the 2030s.

Over the years, I've heard a lot of "boy, if (this person) quits or is fired, they may as well shut the doors." Or "if they leave, I'm going too." Guess how many times either of those has actually happened in my 32 years in the newspaper business? Zero.

Inertia is a powerful force in the media world, where the mission statement remains "what did we do last year" despite all the changes in technology and what readers expect.

If I'm honest with myself, I'm still in the biz because I have always had great coworkers and, at least since June 11, 2019, I'm a type II diabetic who needs health insurance. I'm serious about that last part. COBRA is a financial crusher, as are the costs of meds.

So if an opportunity comes along that works both financially and for your benefits, @UNCGrad, you definitely should look into it and take it if the job looks right.

 

[BTExpress]

COBRA is like a sick joke of an idea someone proposed, and the person never got a chance to say, "I was just kidding!"

 

[Driftwood]

Newspapers:
I jumped ship at age 40 on my terms rather than be my age now and out on the street on someone else's.

 

[Dog8Cats]

COBRA is like a sick joke of an idea someone proposed, and the person never got a chance to say, "I was just kidding!"

So "COBRA" stands for Larry Scott?

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

I have a company-wide conference call at noon on Wednesday. I'm convinced the CEO is going to tell us all that we're being replaced by A.I. and we are all now laid off.

If it takes us down anyway, pop that ****ing bubble! (Before Labor Day please.)

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

That's an interesting and, frankly, somewhat depressing post, @Dirk Legume. If there's one business that's always been worse in pay, job security and future outlook than newspapers, it's radio. Neither is looking good for the 2030s.

Over the years, I've heard a lot of "boy, if (this person) quits or is fired, they may as well shut the doors." Or "if they leave, I'm going too." Guess how many times either of those has actually happened in my 32 years in the newspaper business? Zero.

Inertia is a powerful force in the media world, where the mission statement remains "what did we do last year" despite all the changes in technology and what readers expect.

If I'm honest with myself, I'm still in the biz because I have always had great coworkers and, at least since June 11, 2019, I'm a type II diabetic who needs health insurance. I'm serious about that last part. COBRA is a financial crusher, as are the costs of meds.

So if an opportunity comes along that works both financially and for your benefits, @UNCGrad, you definitely should look into it and take it if the job looks right.

I was unemployed from October 2017 to January 2018. I still maintained my doctor's appointments and my scrips. The couple of times I went in for a checkup without insurance, it was a flat $150 charge and I don't remember a huge markup on meds.

Health insurance is more for big-ticket items like a heart attack or a bus wreck. They don't even consider something piddling like a blood draw or a teeth cleaning.

 

[Cosmo]

Newspapers:
I jumped ship at age 40 on my terms rather than be my age now and out on the street on someone else's.

I was 39 when I left.

I'm in a weird spot. I really love what I do and I fill a very specific niche at my golf association. That said, we just hired someone who will be my direct supervisor. I think it'll work out great, interview process was awesome, etc. We've basically consolidated our marketing and comms departments, and I really had no interest in the greater marketing director position that we filled, nor am I particularly qualified for it. If I was, I simply would have been promoted. But I'm a journalist at heart, and not a marketer. I didn't go to school for it. I don't like the work. As long as we have championships, a website and a print magazine, my job will be there. And there is room to grow in other areas -- tournament work, Rules, video, etc. When you get to age 50 and really like where you are, you can't envision starting over somewhere else. I could do it at 40, but I'm a lot closer to retirement now than I was then, so I'm going to try to hang on and make this work best I can.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

COBRA is like a sick joke of an idea someone proposed, and the person never got a chance to say, "I was just kidding!"

"No! It's clearly brilliant!" -- Cobra Commander

How can you question this lunatic man?