Bad gut feeling about a new boss

[naturelover]

I applied to a new job internally. Hopefully I get it otherwise I'm looking at other options. Problem is now that this pandemic hit I think it might be hard to get any sort of other job.

The new boss is under investigation now. Apparently he is causing a lot of issues among other managers and his direct reports. My company is very reluctant to fire though so they keep speaking about 'working on his culture fit. I don't think it's possible though - they think they just need to convince him of our culture.

[Alphaville]

Sounds like he's on the way out and you did the right thing by keeping it cool and professional. They might not fire him but eventually they'll transfer him to Craggy Island or some other remote post-- just make sure that's not the place where you requested to work.

[naturelover]

Can't say I felt the most calm and professional, but for the most part I think I handled it OK. I had a debriefing with someone on his level who was doing some investigation and was pretty frank about how things were taking off.

This boss would no way be in the area I'm requesting. Its far outside his area and actually a career change for me.

[Alphaville]

Yeah, by cool and professional I meant your behavior not your feelings.

Social situations are all about behavior, which are often at odds with one's emotions. This is why I find them exhausting.

If you ever find yourself with some free time check out Baltasar Gracián:

https://sacred-texts.com/eso/aww/index.htm

I used to hate his writings as a kid, but now after some harsh experiences I know I should have read more of them...

[naturelover]

Quick update. As I suspected, things got worse. This job is causing me quite a bit of anxiety and stress and is affecting my outside life. I've tried to move to different parts of the company but my organization is famous for limiting movement. They like people to stay put. I got an awesome raise, but the high from that has long worn off.

With covid, finding new stuff has been tough. However, I got an opportunity at a new company in a new field (software development) which will provide a ton of new opportunities for me in the future. It's a huge pay decrease, but I suppose it's to be expected with changing fields. This company is known for their lower pay but great work life balance to compensate. An extra bonus: I can stay remote. There's a chance they might make people come back on a limited basis when covid calms down, but they made it clear they highly doubt they would ever return to 5x a week in the office. I'm thinking I could stay there for a year or two, get the experience, and get a better job. It would feel kinda good to feel like I have a future, rather than a dead end niche job that makes contributes to severe anxiety.

Not going to lie, a huge pay decrease feels kinda stupid, but I have about 8x yearly expensive saved after only 4 yrs of work. Maybe more like 10-12 if we move to a lower cost of living area when we are ready to downshift. In fact we never really plan on completely retiring outside of occasional breaks. We will probably always do part time work.

Thoughts?

Note: I've examined my life outside of work to see if maybe that was the cause of some mental health issues, but being honest with myself, I love my life outside of work.

[Alphaville]

Eh, you did your duty and kept it together for the duration of your stay. Now it’s time to GTFO in my opinion.

ERE skills should give you flexibility with the money, which means freedom to choose your own adventure, so... why suffer any longer?

[naturelover]

I find it's easy to second guess myself. "Is it really that bad, should I just stay for x,y,z or reason? (all these variables only equally money basically)". Then I get stuck in a loop when I really should listen to my gut.

[Alphaville]

well, your gut wanted you to run, but your brain knew you didn’t have a place to run to. now you do

best wishes with your new endeavors. having options is an excellent thing!

[Chris]

It's a huge pay decrease, but I suppose it's to be expected with changing fields.
...
Not going to lie, a huge pay decrease feels kinda stupid

Yeah, but consider the huge savings you'll be getting from reduced income tax!

That aside, changing fields could open you up to a lot more options down the line.