"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
02/11/2016 at 09:34 • Filed to: None
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"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
02/11/2016 at 09:34 • Filed to: None | 1
| 9 |
The stuff of forum spam might just become a reality for me.
After 15 years in banking, I just heard that an offer is forthcoming to work for one of the largest banks in the US, doing just a fraction of my current job (but at a greater depth). That’s not to say the job is great because of it being a large bank, but rather that I’ll be leaving the mass chaos, lack of resources, and frenetic management of a newer, smaller company for one that’s been vetted and evolved over a century and a half. Much more professional and predictable.
And apparently the group phone interview went so well, they agreed to my initial request to work from home (which 90% of the team already does). I have to go to the home office for a couple weeks to train, but after that I’m going to be the Doug Demuro of bank analysts: Pants optional.
The offer isn’t official and I don’t know if we’re talking about a 5% raise or 25% raise, but either way...working from home! Sure, I’m trading my irreplaceability right now for being another cog in a big wheel at the new place, but that also comes with more advancement opportunity and less fear that your company might not be around a year or two from now. Plus I’ll be able to work at 6am, 10pm, and anywhere in between. Helping around the house, taking the kids to school, etc. Things you can’t easily do if you’re expected to sit in a downtown office 10 hours a day.
I didn’t come here to brag, I’m just in shock. The lesson I’ve learned over the past 5 years here is that patience pays off, and the best jobs will come up through random sources and not necessarily through beating down the front doors of prospective employers. PATIENCE.
CalzoneGolem
> Ash78, voting early and often
02/11/2016 at 09:38 |
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Greetings fellow banker! I tried the work at home deal a few years back and I’m not disciplined enough for it to work out. I spent so much time wandering around my place instead of working.
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Ash78, voting early and often
> CalzoneGolem
02/11/2016 at 09:40 |
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I also have the option of going downtown to one of the satellite locations (which is a pretty big operation — 10-15 floors of a high-rise, but nobody specifically in this function). That’s always an option to help keep the discipline in check.
Or Panera Bread Company. You know the creepy dudes who hang out there for 3 hours at a time. That will be me.
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CalzoneGolem
> Ash78, voting early and often
02/11/2016 at 09:46 |
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Haha Panera Bread would have probably worked for me but my experience predated most free wifi and I didn’t desire to Autocad on a laptop.
Good luck and congrats!
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Ash78, voting early and often
> CalzoneGolem
02/11/2016 at 09:53 |
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Same deal here — If I can’t get a powerful laptop or proper desktop and at least two 24"+ monitors, my productivity falls apart. So much reporting and querying, it makes a big difference.
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CalzoneGolem
> Ash78, voting early and often
02/11/2016 at 10:11 |
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Right, I’m not sure how to function anymore with just one monitor.
ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback
> Ash78, voting early and often
02/11/2016 at 10:12 |
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Congrats. Working from home is an awesome option. I too work for a major bank and the work-from-home option is really what keeps me here.
If you get into a routine and keep it, you will find that it’s a lot easier to stay disciplined. But as Calzone said it can be really difficult to stay productive sometimes. Good luck, I think you’ll do great. (assuming you get the official job offer.)
Also you may want to find out if the work-from-home option has the flexibility to allow you to step out when you want. For my job role in application support, you are expected to be available for set times, and it’s really frowned upon to leave to take your kids to school on a regular basis. The idea is to be flexible, but not to abuse it. Every employer will likely have their own expectations, so just make sure to understand what theirs are.
wiffleballtony
> Ash78, voting early and often
02/11/2016 at 11:01 |
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Congratulations. I bailed on the financial industry years ago after I kept hitting dead ends and glass ceilings in corporate America.
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Ash78, voting early and often
> wiffleballtony
02/11/2016 at 11:05 |
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Thanks — I’ve actually been trying to bail for years (salary was flat for almost 4 years going), but the longer you’re there, the more you’re pigeonholed by other industries. I just got sick of fighting it and am trying to go with the flow more...and everyone I know in the auto industry (logistics, finance, etc) just complains about the long hours and demands. The grass is definitely not greener for most jobs.
Jonathan Harper
> Ash78, voting early and often
02/11/2016 at 13:37 |
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Awesome. I’ve extracted myself from the office world as well, aiming to be fully freelance. Aka couch and robe = work now.