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Post Info TOPIC: need advice (and update to "wow (long)" post)
kenzie


Chanel

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need advice (and update to "wow (long)" post)
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First, the update. A week later, the graphic designer apologized and said he was embarrassed at his behavior (good, he should be). He also said that I was the most talented writer he's ever worked with and that I'm excellent at coming up with creative concepts. Okay, great. So, things are okay with him, I suppose.

Here's my issue. I'm bored. Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored. Bored to tears. The company is a great company and it's a great improvement from my crappy previous job, but I don't feel like I'm being challenged, that I'm growing or that I'm fully utilizing my skills. Even though the graphic designer apologized, he's still territorial about design work, so I'll never be able to do that, even though I am in grad school for design (both print and multimedia).

Boredom and quickly outgrowing the position were my primary concerns when I took this job. I even brought it up in the interview (obviously, not in those terms), but I wanted to make sure that I would be able to do design work in addition to writing. I've also talked to my supervisor about it and he sends me small design projects once in a while, but they're easily things an intern could do and again, don't fully utilize my skills. Meanwhile, the  graphic designer is really busy and the intern gets better design projects than I do.

I think this is largely because the department manager wants to keep everyone compartmentalized in their positions (things she's said lead me to believe this), although, I'm not sure why because it seems to me that having someone on board who can design and write would be an asset. I know they're planning to hire another designer this year and I think they think I'm so busy with writing and editing that I won't be able to do both. But the truth is, I work pretty quickly and constantly need new projects. And I think the design position they're hiring is entry level, which I'm not, so that's not an option.

The thought of looking for a job makes me ill, but I'm tired of being bored. I've actually tried to slow my work pace down a little so I don't get finished with things quickly, but this makes me feel like I'm wasting time. I've been here almost a year. I'm not miserable or anything; I'm just bored. It's almost like it's the opposite of my former job where I was going crazy with the workload. Somewhere there has to be a balance, right?

Thoughts? Advice? Is it too soon to look for another job (ugh)? TIA.

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blubirde


Chanel

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What about contract positions? Would you be willing to work on projects in your spare time?

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kenzie


Chanel

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blubirde wrote:

What about contract positions? Would you be willing to work on projects in your spare time?


Are you talking about for my current company or otherwise? I already have a freelance business, but with grad school and a full-time job, I don't have that much extra time to devote to it. I do a few projects a month and have a few ongoing contracts as well. But it might be worth looking into at the company. I'm not sure what their policy is on it.

 



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Elle


Hermes

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I dunno, if you've already asked for more design projects and they're unwilling to give them AND you're finishing the work they are giving you with time to spare, why not work on your contract projects on their time?

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Kelly


Hermes

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Elle wrote:

I dunno, if you've already asked for more design projects and they're unwilling to give them AND you're finishing the work they are giving you with time to spare, why not work on your contract projects on their time?



I appreciate the logic in this, but I'm not sure that would go over so well if they caught her doing it. Even if she mentioned her free time and the fact that they haven't given her the projects she wants, she may find herself in trouble or even job-less.



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Fashion is art you live your life in. - Devil Wears Prada | formerly ttara123
NCshopper


Hermes

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Have you talked to your supervisor about this? If so, what did he/she say?

Also, how long were you at your last job? I think that has major bearing on whether or not you should stay or look elsewhere.

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kenzie


Chanel

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NCShopper, I was at my last job for 2 years. That's another concern. I don't want to look like I'm job hopping, but I'm so bored and don't see much room for advancement with the positions they are planning to add in the near future.

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D


Hermes

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I would view this as a good position to hold on to while you're in school.  You're better off, in my opinion, with a low stress full-time job while you're juggling a school load.  While you're in school, you'll also be getting experience that looks good in your resume without much effort - I don't see any reason why you would want to take on more, to be honest.  Is there any way you can complete some school work on the down-low during your work day?

I would stick with it until you finish your degree, then look.

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Elle


Hermes

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ttara123 wrote:

Elle wrote:

I dunno, if you've already asked for more design projects and they're unwilling to give them AND you're finishing the work they are giving you with time to spare, why not work on your contract projects on their time?



I appreciate the logic in this, but I'm not sure that would go over so well if they caught her doing it. Even if she mentioned her free time and the fact that they haven't given her the projects she wants, she may find herself in trouble or even job-less.



As long as she doesn't prance around the office stuffing it under people's noses (seems like it'd be easy to hide - it would just look like you were on your computer working, nobody would know what you were working on), I seriously doubt they'd consider firing someone for this.  If she was taking jobs for a direct competitor, maybe, or doing her contract work instead of her regular assignments.  But people check their personal email, take personal calls, and shop online from work all the time, and they tolerated the immature blowout from that other designer without a blink of the eye.  As long as regular work comes first, there's no difference in her taking care of other matters instead of sitting there literally twiddling her thumbs, IMO.  If they cared so much about her being busybusybusy they'd give her more to do when she asked for it in the first place!

Kenzie - I like D's idea of trying to make the most of your workday while you're there (with school or other work) and sticking around until your finished with school.  I agree the low stress and easy workload is better than the possible alternative while you're also in school.



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member


Hermes

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I think D has the right idea - a low stress job where you're not super busy seems perfect while you're in school.  Trying to juggle a job where you've got a lot on your plate would only add to your stress.  And like Elle said, I'm sure you could work on some school assignments during your downtime - people tend to take care of personal business at work in their downtime.

Also, just another thought...the economy sucks right now, and it's probably not the best time to be looking for a new job. I think I would sit pretty until you get out of school or you're there a little longer.  Working a job for 2 years and then this for 1 year may raise some red flags to a potential employer.  Good luck!!

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NCshopper


Hermes

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D wrote:

I would view this as a good position to hold on to while you're in school.  You're better off, in my opinion, with a low stress full-time job while you're juggling a school load.  While you're in school, you'll also be getting experience that looks good in your resume without much effort - I don't see any reason why you would want to take on more, to be honest.  Is there any way you can complete some school work on the down-low during your work day?

I would stick with it until you finish your degree, then look.


This is pretty much what I had been thinking.  I know you're bored and I know how awful that can feel (believe me, I have been there and it blows), but it might not be a bad idea to stick it out until you're done with grad school.  That way you have a steady source of income to help offset the cost of grad school, and you're in a relevant industry, and like D said, low stress could be a good thing right now.  Plus, job hunting in this economy might kind of suck.  I'm not sure what it's like in your area and your industry, but it might be hard to change jobs right now. 

In the meantime, to make your current job more tolerable you might want to approach your boss about taking on some new projects and utilizing some of the skills you're learning in school.

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