am I going to regret this? (kinda long)

[awhitmer83]

Some here know my tumultuous job history through my posts, but I'll recap quickly:

Job 1 (hospital case mgmt) - Six months after graduation, supervisor lied about job duties during interview, I worked 12-14 hour days... I was the 5th of 9 in the department to leave. The supervisor has since been fired.

Job 2 (dialysis social worker) - Loved the work environment, loved my coworkers and supervisor, hated my actual job duties. Surfed the internet for 6 hours a day. No professional growth opportunities.

I left Job 2 when I was offered a job in community mental health as a crisis therapist. This was what I went to school for; I had been trying to get a job at this agency for almost 2 years. Otherwise I probably would have stayed at my other job for at least a year or two.

My current job started out okay but has quickly turned nasty. My supervisor is a micromanager from hell - she hasn't done direct work with clients in so long, she doesn't remember what it's like. She has unrealistic expectations and doesn't take suggestions for improvement. I requested a meeting with her and the HR manager to discuss some of the issues I saw, and she literally screamed at me in front of HR and told me I was unqualified for the job because I refuse to do things her way. I can't transfer internally until I've been there a year, and while I planned on sticking it out, I don't think I can continue to work for someone who is so unprofessional.

I filled out a job application for a different community mental health agency in the region next to the one I work in now. I interviewed yesterday and it was the best interview I've ever had. Everything I hate about my job (and my supervisor) would be magically fixed in this job. The only negative is that it's an hour commute and right now I work 3 miles from home. At the end of the interview, I was asked for salary requirements and the interviewer said she will call to make an offer once the background/reference checks are done. I asked for $7K more a year than I make now and she said that wouldn't be a problem. As I said, perfect job opportunity compared to what I'm doing now.

So why am I debating whether to take this job? Well, at this point, I'm terrified of making another mistake. I can't keep hopping around like this. Whether I take this job or stay in the one I have, the decision has to stick for at LEAST a year. I don't want my resume to look like a novel! Apparently my job history isn't a problem yet, but I know it will be if I don't find something and stay with it. That said, I don't feel like I left any of my jobs for petty reasons. The first time, I had walked into a nightmare, and I only left the second time to pursue what I thought was a better opportunity. This time, I'm leaving because I have no autonomy and no rapport with my boss, and I'm not able to do my best because of the way she manages my department.

How do you know when to stay and when to go? Even though this job sounds perfect, I know it won't be, and I'm not sure how to decide whether the benefits outweigh the risks.

I think I just needed to vent, but opinions, comments, or rude remarks are welcome. :p

[and1grad]

That 7k a year...would it cover the extra travel expenses? Personally, I would like for ways to transfer w/i the company b4 looking for another job. Is that an option for you?

[awhitmer83]

The extra money would pay for the travel.... I had calculated that ahead of time so I would know what to ask for, just in case.

There are transfer opportunities, but not until I've been there for a year, which isn't until October. There is no way I can put up with this for 7 more months. I already have to take Xanax to go to sleep on work nights, just knowing I have to step into a hornet's nest the next day. Some of my coworkers suggested that I go to the executive director, but something tells me it wouldn't end well if I did, nor would it help my situation once my boss found out I went over her head.

At this point, I really don't know that I want to work for this company at all. The fact that the HR director just sat there while my boss screamed at me spoke volumes about the way they value employees. Also, after the meeting when my boss left, the HR director told me that there have been many problems with her professionalism and that lots of employees have left or transferred because they couldn't work with her. What kind of company keeps a supervisor who treats her employees like crap?

[and1grad]

Thats an excellent question. Well, I guess you gotta do a cost/benefit analysis and see overall what decision you'd be willing to live with...and if you can commit to it for a year.

[winneythepooh7]

Unfortunately, it's pretty common in our field to find bad working environments of which you describe. If you think the new place is going to be better, I would go for it. Mental health is a really hard population to work in, so make sure that you are not just jumping around from one bad situation to another.

[awhitmer83]

That's my biggest fear - leaving one bad situation for something that isn't any better. My job is stressful enough on its own without drama among my coworkers, so I have to find something that works for me.

After talking to friends that work for the new company and meeting the staff, it seems like a great opportunity. The excellent benefits I have now are the same at this place, so I don't lose anything there. One huge plus is electronic documentation, where we use dictaphones (hello 1980s!) at my job now. I also get to set my own schedule as far as when clients will come back for another appointment; right now, I have to call my supervisor to schedule all follow-ups and it's a pain in the ass. I have to bill at least 4 hours a day; right now I'm required to bill 7. It's hard to do that when clients don't show up or on days when I have to fit in supervision!

The biggest thing I noticed is the change in environment. This agency is much more casual; some of the employees had on jeans and sweatshirts! Right now I would get written up for a polo shirt, khakis, and sneakers because that's not "professional" enough. When you work with people who don't have much, I personally think it alienates them if their therapist is dressed to the nines. I interviewed at the end of the day on Friday, and when I was leaving, a lot of the employees were standing around talking and they seem to have respect for each other and get along. They have weekly treatment team, which my agency only has once a month, and there appears to be a lot of bouncing ideas off colleagues. It's a complete 180 from what I'm used to.

A big plus for me is the ability to work toward my alcohol/drug counseling certification. I need to learn more about substance abuse and it makes me much more marketable to have it. My current supervisor, who has that certification herself, told me she didn't think I would need to work toward it because it wasn't necessary to do my job. In my interview, when I asked about it, the woman was thrilled that I was interested in obtaining more education and trying to learn more, whether or not it is 100% directly related to what I do.

My gut tells me I would be happier if I took this chance, but I'm just terrified because my job history has been so crappy thus far. It seems like every time I finish orientation and my benefits kick in, something happens and I'm starting over somewhere new. It gets old after awhile!

[winneythepooh7]

Honestly, I think a lot of social workers jump around a lot early on in their careers, until they find a "good fit".

It's stressful enough dealing with our client's issues on a day to day basis, throw in bad environment/boss from hell or just general unsupportive place to work and it's a recipe for disaster.

I'd probably go for it if they offer it to you. It's really important to have exposure to substance abuse issues, because they are everywhere, no matter what population you choose to work with.

[dave134]

How long were you at your first 2 jobs?

[awhitmer83]

I left my first job after 3 months. I was at the second job just shy of a year.

[sondra_finchley]

I say go with the gut and screw the resume "appearance". Your job has GOT to be stressful enough without the added hassle of backwards management thinking. I know I probably couldnt handle what you do every day. It sounds like this new place doesnt mind either that you have jumped around and that jumping around in your field has a lot less consequences than jumping around in other fields.

I think you knew subconsciously it was time to go when you put in an application for the next region over. If you dont think you could stay another 7 months at your current job, just to make your resume look presentable to future employers who likely wont care, then you almost have nothing to lose (and potentially lots to gain) by trying out this new place. Did you have any indications before you started your current job that it would be a good place for you like the ones you have at the potential job?

[awhitmer83]

If I'm honest with myself, there were red flags all over the place and I was too stupid to pay attention to them. I interned at this place during grad school, and I didn't like J (my current supervisor) even then. When she hired me, though, I thought maybe she wasn't so bad. Ha! I just wanted to work in mental health so badly, and my agency is the only show in town. Hence me now being willing to drive to a whole other region just to work.

One positive about this experience is that I learned a lot about the type of environment I function best in and what things hinder me from doing a good job. I feel like I articulated myself well in the interview regarding things like what I'm looking for and what experiences have been the most challenging. Since both agencies are community mental health centers, just in different regions, I'm basically familiar with the way things work at the new place. I was upfront about what I did NOT want in a position, and the interviewer gave concrete examples of how things would be different if I came to work for them.

One hilarious thing - I think I mentioned that my current position was new. There were two of us hired at the same time, and we split the region. I talked to the other therapist tonight and she also had an interview on Friday! We are supposed to hear back for sure by the end of the week, so it looks like J will have some explaining to do as to why both of her program's therapists gave notice at the same time. I have laughed my ass off all evening thinking about this - I can leave in the most classy, professional way possible, and J is still going to reap what she sowed.

[kitcatwoman]

Look at it this way--if the next job turns out to be crap-tacular, you can stick around there to try to make your resume look OK, instead of the current place. You will be in exactly the same situation that you are in now, and you will not have lost anything, really. It will be just one more position before you have had "settled down." If it's a great job on the other hand, then you will have won in many ways. It doesn't sound as though you can really lose with one more move. Best of luck!