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Greetings, I have a conundrum that I’m mulling over, trying to decide how to continue.

My education is in audio engineering, I’m good with tech, have been working at an AV company for a year now and starting to bridge my skill set into the IT side of things. Learning programming, networking, cybersecurity, etc - primarily on Codecademy at the moment, but I’m also going through the Harvard CS50 course and will be looking to get my CCNA and Network+ and the like in the future.

At my current AV job we have to travel all the time, and the jobs we do are kinda stupid, not gonna lie. Like I’m usually left scratching my head over “how is it that we got paid to do this when the client could have easily done this themselves?” I get paid pretty well, especially for an AV tech, probably on the higher side of the average pay (~$25 an hour). However, my company is kind of a joke, the boss is an ex-rockstar-wannabe, if you want a good image.

My main complaint is that I constantly have to go on trips far away from home (like LA, NY, Dallas, Chicago), and these trips are never organized in any sort of way. Shit gets added on last day or during the job, I end up having to come home late or the next day. I’m exhausted all the time and cannot get anything done at home.

The pay is nicer than some jobs, but I’m only sustaining a home and my wife at the moment (I’m partially sustaining my mother as well but she also takes care of herself and gets some alimony, so she’s not fully on my shoulders). When we have kids I’m gonna probably need more than $25 an hour.

I’ve only had this job for one year and there’s a potential opportunity to go work as a network and systems administrator (typical IT position). I would be working for a town hall though, in the Bernie state (VT). Better pay, much better hours, no trips, but I’d be working for a bunch of Libs. No vax requirement as of yet, but that would be a deal breaker.

Should I stay at this insane job, be away from my family and make base technician money but be away from the libs, or should I drop it and do what’s better for my mental health and family?

Admittedly, I haven’t got the job at the town hall, but I’m well known at the town hall since they’re a client, they like me, they know and want my specific skill set since I’m the one that set up their AV system.

Thoughts?

Thank you folks, god bless.

Greetings, I have a conundrum that I’m mulling over, trying to decide how to continue. My education is in audio engineering, I’m good with tech, have been working at an AV company for a year now and starting to bridge my skill set into the IT side of things. Learning programming, networking, cybersecurity, etc - primarily on Codecademy at the moment, but I’m also going through the Harvard CS50 course and will be looking to get my CCNA and Network+ and the like in the future. At my current AV job we have to travel all the time, and the jobs we do are kinda stupid, not gonna lie. Like I’m usually left scratching my head over “how is it that we got paid to do this when the client could have easily done this themselves?” I get paid pretty well, especially for an AV tech, probably on the higher side of the average pay (~$25 an hour). However, my company is kind of a joke, the boss is an ex-rockstar-wannabe, if you want a good image. My main complaint is that I constantly have to go on trips far away from home (like LA, NY, Dallas, Chicago), and these trips are never organized in any sort of way. Shit gets added on last day or during the job, I end up having to come home late or the next day. I’m exhausted all the time and cannot get anything done at home. The pay is nicer than some jobs, but I’m only sustaining a home and my wife at the moment (I’m partially sustaining my mother as well but she also takes care of herself and gets some alimony, so she’s not fully on my shoulders). When we have kids I’m gonna probably need more than $25 an hour. I’ve only had this job for one year and there’s a potential opportunity to go work as a network and systems administrator (typical IT position). I would be working for a town hall though, in the Bernie state (VT). Better pay, much better hours, no trips, but I’d be working for a bunch of Libs. No vax requirement as of yet, but that would be a deal breaker. Should I stay at this insane job, be away from my family and make base technician money but be away from the libs, or should I drop it and do what’s better for my mental health and family? Admittedly, I haven’t got the job at the town hall, but I’m well known at the town hall since they’re a client, they like me, they know and want my specific skill set since I’m the one that set up their AV system. Thoughts? Thank you folks, god bless.

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[–] • 2 pts

IT jobs pay very well, but they are standardized in a way that your employers believe that they can replace you in no time. Especially network related or administrative jobs. Software development no so, if you get involved into a project that runs for decades, you can become invaluable. But many jobs are just gigs.

Talk to your boss, ask him where he sees himself in 10-20 years. Maybe he wants to do the same til retirement, then there is no future for you. Maybe he wants to expand or do new things, then ask him if he thinks that you can overtake his current routine work - better pay and less travel.

[–] • 1 pt

Cant agree more, most software jobs are gigs are temp pay solutions where your not growing into anything. My latest job literally said the job is done in 9 months and its done, so software can be lucrative, but most jobs are considered highly unstable at best

[–] • 0 pt

Essentially, if I am to stay at this job, it would basically be up to me to make this company better - because as we stand, we’re quite the mess. I would need to somehow influence my boss, and everyone else to start functioning like adults.

The level of ineptitude that I see on a fucking daily basis was funny for like, six months. At this point it’s starting to get to me.

[–] • 0 pt

Leading from behind just leads to frustration, you cannot change anything without the open backing of your boss.

It all depends on if he want the business to grow and if he is thinking about an exit strategy for himself in the distant future. If both is the case, then he needs to build up a middle management to free himself from the day-to-day micro-management tasks that eat his time. If you boss realizes that he needs to build up a middle management (and only then), then the next question is about into whom he should invest time and money and if it's maybe you.

So there are many ifs, most likely too many. But you have to find some answers first and it all starts with asking your boss where he sees himself in 10 and 20 years.