Greetings,
(This advice based on "my own meandering experience".)
Guy, we all need to make a living. We all have personal needs as well. The
best of us try to focus on what's important in life, and the HOPE of course
is that money is not ALL that's important. That said, I can relate your
story a bit to something I went through just a year ago.
I was working for a company, which had both for-profit and non-profit
aspects. The work this company/organization does is simply WONDERFUL.
Absolutely. I would have returned to that work again in an instant. And in
general, the people I worked with on a daily basis were great. That said...
There were all sorts of promises made upon my employment... certainly
related to 'bonuses' and 'profit sharing'. The company offered me training,
which I of course was grateful for, and still am today. But then one day,
the money ran out. A promotional idea was launched, that went WAY WAY over
budget, and I received a PHONE CALL (yes that's right, a phone call) on a
Sunday (you read it right, on a SUNDAY), basically saying "don't come in to
work tomorrow". (Icing on the cake: I was RIGHT in the middle of buying a
house, too!) They spent all their money, and then had the nerve to blame ME
for "office moral" slipping.
I had established my own company some time before, and had all the necessary
paperwork completed, but I certainly didn't have a large client base. This
organization's owner wanted to "shift" me from being an employee, back to
being an outsourced company providing web programming and network/PC
support. Of course, there was still this issue of money -- one simply
cannot survive on good will alone. So in the back of my mind, I was already
"on alert" about letting them run up a bill with me. What if they STILL
have problems managing their money after I am gone? How can I protect
myself from being let down again?
So I went off payroll, and did some work for them as a client of my company.
At one point, I was fed a "project" that required immediate attention, and I
delivered -- on time and under budget. Then, after it became clear that
they were STILL having money problems and couldn't pay the invoice on time
(after I had dropped everything for their project), I had to make a tough
decision -- but one I do not regret. I sent an email, which basically
indicated that I would no longer work on anything but a "debit card" type of
scenario, where I was always paid in advance. They have since turned to
another company for their work.
There comes a time, every so often, when the employee must fire the
employer -- when the owner of a company must fire his client. I had to do
just that -- as much as I loved the work (the work that *I* did as well as
the goals and philosophies of the company), I simply could not afford to
keep this client. The fact that *I* WASN'T given a two-week notice, or even
the courtesy of a face-to-face meeting regarding my employment, hints at the
fact that in this day and age, "anything goes". When people work for one
another, respect is everything. It was clear after a certain period of time
that I was not going to be respected for my constantly improving skills, my
need for a stable paycheck, or even the respect one shows for his employees
by meeting face-to-face on such important matters. And after being fired
over the phone, I had lost a LOT of respect for my employer as well. There
was simply nothing left to go on respect-wise, no matter what the "future
opportunities" might have been, or how much I enjoyed what I was doing.
Prior to all this going down, I had planned on putting in a two-week notice
to this company about two months later than when I was "let go". I can
stand firm, and at least feel confident that I had some moral fiber
regarding the whole thing. Because my employer did not have the guts to
face me in person, or give the courtesy of a two week notice, I lost a great
deal of respect for him. This put a dark cloud over the idea of working for
him as a third-party company, and gave me new perspective on how he really
operates. When the second incident came, regarding payment of my bill,
there was no choice but to cut my losses and distance myself from the whole
company -- opportunities, goodwill and honorable work notwithstanding.
To tie it all together for your situation: I really believe you'll want to
FIRE THIS EMPLOYER as soon as you can. It's scary, but life is like that --
take this risk!
You'll want to provide a two-week notice when you decide to leave, no matter
what. It will just make you "feel good", and is the professional thing to
do. Without seeing the "contract" they are proposing, I don't see how they
could "take anything away" from you if you signed a one-year deal with them,
and then gave a two-week notice 6 months into the contract. You aren't
getting any benefits, you aren't getting any "free" stuff or a "signing
bonus" like a new PC, or training courses, or anything like that... so
what's the point of even having a timeframe specified in the contract? Why
agree to stay with them for a year, if the salary is HALF of what you should
be making? Which of you proposed a "contract" instead of just using a
standard job-description with a salary range, and perhaps an annual salary
review?
If you sign a year contract, ethically you should stay the year. Legally,
(and I am no lawyer, but...) I doubt they would pursue legal action against
you if you chose to leave, unless there's a clause that indicates the
repercussions of breaching such a "contract". A company cannot simply say
that they "own" you for a year, and expect to claim any sort of "damages",
especially if you give a two week notice. But you are treading on thinner
ice if you decide to take this route. It would be much better if you can
work a two-week severance clause into this "contract"... but you're opening
up a little bit more to them than you would probably like, the moment you
request it. In general, EVERY contract should have an "out" for all parties
involved, and should be clear about the repercussions for ALL parties should
anyone breach the contract. I wouldn't sign anything that doesn't have
those characteristics ANYWAY.
In all, and others will indicate this, I would get your resume together,
forget the "contract" (yeah, it doubles your salary, but you're still way
under what you should be making!!), and as soon as you are confident of a
particular offer, put in your two week notice. When your two weeks are up,
pack up your stuff, walk out the door and DON'T LOOK BACK. And no matter
what, do NOT accept a counter-offer after you have made your decision to
leave. Why? Well, at least some of the following points may apply:
-- What type of company do you work for if you have to threaten to resign
before they give you what you are worth?
-- Where is the money for the counteroffer coming from? Is it your next
raise early? All companies have (or should have, if they are worth working
for!!) strict wage and salary guidelines which must be followed.
-- Your company will (most likely) immediately start looking for a new
person at a cheaper price.
-- You have now made your employer aware that you are unhappy. From this day
on, your loyalty will always be in question.
-- When promotion time comes around, your employer will remember who was
loyal, and who wasn't.
-- When times get tough, your employer will begin the cutback with you.
-- The same circumstances that now cause you to consider a change will
repeat themselves in the future; even if you accept a counteroffer.
-- Statistics show that if you accept a counteroffer, the probability of
voluntarily leaving in six months or being let go within one year is
extremely high.
-- Accepting a counteroffer is an insult to your intelligence and a blow to
your personal pride; knowing that you were bought.
-- Once the word gets out, the relationship that you now enjoy with your
coworkers will never be the same. You will lose the personal satisfaction of
peer group acceptance.
As far as "what it takes" to get a job with a CF/Web development firm, the
answers are as varied as the companies out there. Common characteristics
include an ability and willingness to learn new things quickly; a
willingness to "shift gears" at a moment's notice (i.e., you're in the
middle of one project, and you are suddenly put on another more urgent one),
a willingness to work as a "team member" (that is so subjective I hate to
even say it -- what the hell is a "team player" anyway, someone who doesn't
"rock the boat"?! I like to try and be a little more specific, using a good
JOB DESCRIPTION); and, when it comes to development, a keen eye for detail
and an almost anal-retentive approach to coding (at least that's what *I*
look for!!).
Be ready to provide samples of your best work: This may mean using some of
the code you have written for a company that is NOT on the public internet,
so make sure you back up your work, and modify it so that the code you wrote
cannot be traced to the company it was originally written for (UNLESS you
have a specific work-for-hire clause which indicates that some VERY specific
code is owned by the company -- DON'T get into a legal battle over something
like THAT!!).
I hope this helps. Good luck, and LET US KNOW HOW IT GOES!
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Marc Funaro, President
Advantex Technical Consulting Services
5547 State Highway 12
Norwich, NY 13815
Phone: 607-336-6895
Fax: 801-383-4864
Internet: http://www.advantex.net
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
" -----Original Message-----
" From: Guy J. McDowell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
" Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2000 8:50 AM
" To: CF-Community
" Subject: Getting Ridiculous
"
"
" Hello all,
"
" Looking for a little fatherly (or motherly) advice.
"
" Situation:
" 8 months out of college working at a non-profit,
" developing CF for a
" year.
" Webmaster managing and developing 8 (eight) domains, sole
" developer.
" Currently being compensated at about $12,000 CDN / year no
" benefits.
" Educated employer about market value and what their
" options were if I
" died tomorrow.
" (That being a starting salary of about $45k/year for
" someone straight
" out of college or they could hire the only other guy in the 100Km
" radius area that is at my developing level (or above) in CF for
" $100/hr)
" I also looked at public financial statement and deduced that the
" average salary for full-time employment in this
" organization is about
" $40K/yr (mostly biologists and administrators).
"
" I made a reasonable request of $35K/yr plus standard benefits.
" They're coming back with a one year contract offer of
" about $25K/yr no
" benefits, no negotiation.
"
" The group does good work and I'll always be a member, but
" this job is
" beginning to cost me money.
"
" I'm thinking I should request a two-weeks clause so that I
" can leave
" with 2 weeks notice and inform them that I will be looking for
" employment elsewhere. I'd like to know if this would be
" perceived as
" ethical by employers out there. Or any other courses of action that
" would be suitable and practical.
"
" Also, what does it take to get a job with a firm that focuses on
" CF/Web Development? I really want to grow and learn more.
"
" Please accept my apologies if this sounds like whining, I'm just
" running out of ways to deal with this.
"
" Yours In Conservation,
"
" Guy J. McDowell,
" Webmaster
" The Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters
" E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
" Phone: (705) 748-6324 ext. 262
"
" P.S.
" Check out the ALL NEW www.InvadingSpecies.com site as well
" as the rest
" of our lineup...
" www.OFAH.org - The flagship site for the O.F.A.H.
" www.AuctionForWildlife.com - Your chance to make your bid for
" conservation.
" www.EcoEd.org - an online adventure for kids in grades 1 through 8.
" www.HuntingDog.org - Celebrating our Hunting Dog Heritage.
" www.AHTV.com - Your online companion to the Angler and Hunter
" Television show.
" www.OHEP.net - Where to find out and learn about the
" Ontario Hunter
" Education Program.
"
"
"
"
" -----Original Message-----
" From: CF-Community [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
" Sent: Friday, December 08, 2000 11:14 PM
" To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
" Subject: CF-Community-List V1 #15
"
"
" CF-Community-List Fri, 8 Dec 2000
" Volume 1 :
" Number 15
"
" In this issue:
"
" RE: Server for cf?
" RE: Server for cf?
" RE: Server for cf?
"
"
" -----------------------------------------------------------
" -----------
"
" Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2000 08:32:18 -0500
" From: "Guy J. McDowell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
" To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
" Subject: RE: Server for cf?
" Message-ID: <000501c0611b$49fe7cc0$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
"
" Just wanted to send a quick thanks to all involved in this thread.
" I've been wondering the same things as Al Musella as I plan on
" starting up a developing/hosting business in the new year.
"
" I found out more from that thread than 3 days of research.
" Gotta love
" the CF community!
"
" Yours In Conservation,
"
" Guy J. McDowell,
" Webmaster
" The Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters
" E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
" Phone: (705) 748-6324 ext. 262
"
" P.S.
" The ALL NEW www.InvadingSpecies.com site is now available.
" Ontario's
" best site on invading species info and control.
" www.OFAH.org - The flagship site for the O.F.A.H.
" www.AuctionForWildlife.com - Your chance to make your bid for
" conservation.
" www.EcoEd.org - an online adventure for kids in grades 1 through 8.
" www.HuntingDog.org - Celebrating our Hunting Dog Heritage.
" www.AHTV.com - Your online companion to the Angler and Hunter
" Television show.
" www.OHEP.net - Where to find out and learn about the
" Ontario Hunter
" Education Program.
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