Re. Hold that resume?

[Geoff Hart <geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>]

     Richard Anderson wrote to express his anger at feeling devalued by a
     manager who offered the developers a raise, but ignored him. There
     have been a few suggestions that he jump ship ASAP, but in similar
     situations, you should always ask yourself two questions before firing
     up the laser printer:

     1. Are rival companies doing any headhunting? Managers occasionally
     have to take defensive measures to avoid the disastrous situation of
     losing a key developer. If no one's hiring tech. writers in your area,
     they're less afraid (_not_ unafraid) of losing you. Also, beware:
     you'll need references to get a new job, and this could undermine your
     position at your current company if they get the impression you're
     planning on leaving.

     2. Are you basically happy at your current position, and making a
     decent (if not exceptional) wage? If you are, seriously rethink how
     important a few extra dollars are. I've twice taken jobs that
     initially paid less than a current job, but that offered great working
     environments, a longer career path or new challenges. ("Complacency is
     the evil twin of experience."-- G. Hart and Jan Michaelsen) Most
     recently, I combined this with being able to move back to Montreal to
     rejoin my family and old friends, while brushing up on my French. It
     took up to two years to recover the $$$ that I lost, but the improved
     environment and/or new challenges made it worthwhile. Few people get
     to have jobs they truly enjoy, and if you're one of them, cherish it.

     A third point to ponder: Don't forget, the STC salary survey doesn't
     index the salaries to account for your cost of living. You might be
     paid less than those techwhirlers who work in New York city, but
     you're probably banking considerably more of your smaller paycheque.

     I'm not saying you shouldn't be hurt by being overlooked for a raise,
     but try to work your way past that response to see if your work
     situation remains desirable.

     --Geoff Hart    @8^{)}
     geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca

     Disclaimer: If I didn't commit it in print in one of
     our reports, it don't represent FERIC's opinion.