For those of you late 30's/early 40's

[-]

digitaldefector@reddit

Early 40s IT operations VP. #1. A job that helps you be happy.

Reply

[-]

A healthy office environment that doesn’t ask me to do overtime is all I want these days. I worked really hard early in my career, and I’m in a position to just coast until I retire. Also, don’t underestimate the value of a short commute.

Reply

[-]

AtlasDM@reddit

I'd be okay with occasional overtime if it was with a company that actually paid me to do it. Early in my career, I worked for two companies that tried to argue that salaried employees were overtime exempt, and any time off was deducted from your paycheck. In the US, salary is just one of several criteria for exemption, and there's even a DOL letter explaining why IT support staff are not exempt from overtime. Many businesses are crooked and prey on young employees who don't know any better. I always ask potential employers if they have in-house or outsourced payroll because of this.

Reply

[-]

packet_llama@reddit

Everything I've read indicates exactly the opposite, that salaried IT workers are exempt. I looked for and didn't find any DOL letter indicating otherwise (granted I didn't make an exhaustive search). Care to share more info?

Reply

[-]

AtlasDM@reddit

I'd be interested in knowing where your knowledge is coming from as well. This is a pretty easy thing to find on Google but somehow business owners struggle to find it when their employees are complaining about getting taken advantage of. The opinion letter from DOL is FLSA2006-42 ([direct download here](https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/legacy/files/2006_10_26_42_FLSA.pdf)). [Here](https://www.overtime-flsa.com/job-types-industries/computer-it-tech-support/) is a link to an attorney office that explains it in layman's terms.

Reply

[-]

thortgot@reddit

Lots of states have different rules. Here in BC "high technology" workers are OT exempt. The letter of the law could be stretched to include some senior admin roles. It's designed to be for developers though. I hold an extremely rigid position that OT needs to be compensated at a minimum of time for 1.5 time off. It's much easier to manage then getting OT payment in companies.

Reply

[-]

AtlasDM@reddit

DOL is a federal agency, so it applies to all 50 states in the US. Also, in the US, it's illegal for companies to pay OT with time off.

Reply

[-]

thortgot@reddit

Federal regulation is a component of it, however I have been advised different things based on where the employee is physically located. It appears an equivalent OT exemption appears in the DOL. [eCFR :: 29 CFR 541.400 -- General rule for computer employees.](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-V/subchapter-A/part-541/subpart-E/section-541.400)

Reply

[-]

AtlasDM@reddit

This exemption is specifically pointed out by the DOL letter I linked as not applying to helpdesk employees and other IT specialists. It's intended to apply to programmers and other "creative" workers and not to everyone who might come to mind as a "computer employee."

Reply

[-]

thortgot@reddit

It explicitly calls out admins.

Reply

[-]

packet_llama@reddit

Thanks for your response and sources. My information comes only from my memory of my findings last time I looked into this. While I think I'm fairly good at choosing reputable sources, I definitely wouldn't put my memory of vague search results up against your concrete references. You've caused me to doubt my previous conclusion, I'll need to read the documents you linked and reexamine my beliefs. Thank you!

Reply

[-]

BaconEatingChamp@reddit

I'm a network engineer as a public county employee and am not exempt

Reply

[-]

gravityVT@reddit

What do you consider a short commute?

Reply

[-]

FiskalRaskal@reddit

Anything under 20min each way.

Reply

[-]

ericneo3@reddit

> don’t underestimate the value of a short commute. Had a 1.5 hour commute each way, every day. Wished with every bone in my body that I could move closer but I just couldn't afford it.

Reply

[-]

FiskalRaskal@reddit

Oh, man, that’s rough. I know several on my team who bought homes that far away thinking remote work would be permanent. It wasn’t.

Reply

[-]

jrhalstead@reddit

I've got a two hour each way but I only do it once a week. It's fine once or twice a week but I'd go nuts for more than that

Reply

[-]

ErikTheEngineer@reddit

Same here...I've settled on 2 days a week because I don't want my teammates to think I'm taking advantage. The compromise I've made is that I come in super early, leave early so I can be home in the evening and train time is partially work time. It works out but I can't ever imagine going back to doing this 5 days a week (and I did it in the beginning of my career.) I was really hoping fully remote work would stick. However, I think the executives are going to win this one at least partially. There's just too many middle managers whispering in execs' ears that they can't manage people they're not staring at at least part time.

Reply

[-]

Realpain84@reddit

Home Office is only one Thing that really matters...

Reply

[-]

mrbiggbrain@reddit

Yes. I mean I am pretty far into my career so all these things matter significantly to me. At the same time all of them are a little flexible. I currently have a longer commute but make more money. I have lots of great co-workers, but not much room for growth. I have a pretty decent work life balance, but the benefits could be better. But my next job could be only a minimal pay bump but closer to home, or more demanding but for way more money, or the same pay and benefits but with much better upward momentum. It's not which one can I get, it's which ones matter to me at this stage and which ones I am willing to give a little on for the other perks.

Reply

[-]

bmxfelon420@reddit

100% life/work balance, I need to be able to take time off to do stuff. None of this "oh well we really need you that week" kind of shit, I need to feel like I can have a life that doesnt involve work.

Reply

[-]

Cormacolinde@reddit

Top is definitely life/work balance, and has been for a long time (late 40s). Pay and room for growth as I have certain career objectives I want to attain.

Reply

[-]

duhnahduh@reddit

I mostly want a job where the rest of my team doesn't sit and watch YouTube all day while I bust my ass on tickets

Reply

[-]

me_groovy@reddit

In this economy? Pay.

Reply

[-]

Emotional-Ice8107@reddit

A healthy office with good worklife balance that allows me to spend quality time with my family along with good pay and benifits that will be my order at around late 30s you will not need that much training as you will be mostly experienced and by the time you will also probably having a vehicle to take care of transportation so the main thing that I will look before a job is how much time I can spend with my family.

Reply

[-]

ExpressDevelopment41@reddit

Work/Life Balance, which to me just comes down to a stable environment. Pay, including yearly raises/promotions that outpace inflation. Strong leadership. The rest of the job could be great, but if you want to quit every time you talk to your boss, it's not worth it.

Reply

[-]

IStoppedCaringAt30@reddit

WFH and salary

Reply

[-]

USS_Frontier@reddit (OP)

How do you feel about OT? As in frequency of OT.

Reply

[-]

IStoppedCaringAt30@reddit

Comes with the territory. Especially if you're salaried. I never minded working extra hours because I've had bosses that recognized the extra hours and gave me days off to make up for it. So I guess as long as extra time is recognized and balanced it's fine. But if the money is right.... I'll work extra and grind it out for a while.

Reply

[-]

davidm2232@reddit

Commute is biggest for me. I don't want to work remote as I really enjoy socializing at work. Helps me treat users like real people and not just headaches.

Reply

[-]

jws1300@reddit

45. I want a day or two work from home. Short commute, average or better pay, flexible days off, solid retirement.

Reply

[-]

USS_Frontier@reddit (OP)

My goal for 2024 is to find a new job and my top 3 factors are: Life/Work Balance, Pay, Benefits in that order.

Reply

[-]

MorninggDew@reddit

Spot on.. Hope it works out for you!

Reply

[-]

USS_Frontier@reddit (OP)

Thanks!! I've become much more cynical when it comes to jobs in my "old" age.

Reply

[-]

rREDdog@reddit

Here I thought I was just jaded. This must be normal for our age group.

Reply

[-]

USS_Frontier@reddit (OP)

I think there's benefits to it.

Reply

[-]

MorninggDew@reddit

Older and wiser... I find I have just become way more cynical about everything!!!

Reply

[-]

the91fwy@reddit

My dad was a good dad. He did a lot to get me started as a young one with computers but that came at the cost of 60-90 hour weeks of manual labor and as a result I never got to see him toooo much as a child. But the battery I have today (and I don't have kids myself, never likely will) is: if there is an incident ongoing and a key person involved needs to rush their child to the ER how is the team going to react & adapt? I'm lucky to have gotten a place on a very strong team that can come together and heal around incidents like that; a team that has one another's back. I need enough pay to sustain my bills, put some retirement away and enjoy my hobbies. My health mandates that I have a PPO insurance policy so that's always a question I inquire about when looking for jobs. For healthy people that doesn't matter so much. I can learn and grow on my own. I don't care about certs and stuff like that. I'm a sr. so I've more or less come to the conclusion I'm no longer ever doing a commute again. The more flexible you are with me, the more I am with you. By not having a daily commute to an office and the closest one physically to some of our PoP's - on the very rare chance that there's hands needed there, I'm usually happy to volunteer and go.

Reply

[-]

lothow@reddit

Work life for me. 46. Don't mind having to kick my ass for weird stuff here and there but getting ran over is now out of yhe question.

Reply

[-]

The_Original_Miser@reddit

This. I'm not 18 anymore. Money and benefits are nice but unless you find a unicorn company they just don't give a shit about you, so why should I care about them? Life's to darn short. I'm not into getting the firehose out constantly.

Reply

[-]

SOMDH0ckey87@reddit

Top 4

Reply

[-]

Break2FixIT@reddit

I honestly have the following in my mind when I am going into an interview (just did on le and got the job) My job role is for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, with after hours updates being put on a flex time tracker. My time is my time, anything that requires my time outside of 8 hours on the work day is time and a half and will be used when I deem fit. I have a young family (2 children below the age of 4), they come first no matter what. I will get the job done but if the servers crash my kids are heading to the hospital for any reason or need my help for anything they come first, the burning servers come 2nd. I always make this very clear during my interview. I am already making the money I am now, I don't jump ship unless a 10% increase. They can say no, and I am fine with that. They make the case for class wide unions when they don't understand the above.

Reply

[-]

heathen951@reddit

Work/ life Pay Benefits - payed certs And absolutely no travel

Reply

[-]

USS_Frontier@reddit (OP)

Don't bother me with "Team Building" bullshit either. I'm not at work to make friends.

Reply

[-]

lomenak@reddit

You must be a treat to work with.

Reply

[-]

USS_Frontier@reddit (OP)

Sorry I don't want to have forced "fun" with my co-workers off the clock. If they're paying me? Hell yeah, I'll do whatever cringy "ice breakers" they want me to. Besides, I'm not going to be rude with my co-workers. Just don't expect me to open up about my personal life. Not unless we really, really, really click.

Reply

[-]

nerdyviking88@reddit

I think there is a strong difference between "ice breakers and trustfalls" then a work-sponsored unwind at a bar/grill/etc. I routinely send my staff on these, fully paid, and don't attend myself. Bossman isn't there, have a few drinks, etc.

Reply

[-]

USS_Frontier@reddit (OP)

👍

Reply

[-]

kindofageek@reddit

Nah, I’ve made lifelong friends at work but I’m NOT there with the intention of doing so. If that happens organically then fine. But screw off with mandatory feel-good bullshit that’s supposed to force staff to be closer. We have some purely optional outings and get-together events that people can choose to attend if they desire.

Reply

[-]

justinDavidow@reddit

I'd add to this list: "what the company does". When I was getting started 25 years ago, the idea that I had a meaningful impact on the world felt impossible. Today: working for a company that does actual subjective "good" in the world, led by an amazing team of owners who prioritize their mission over short term profits, working with an amazing team who has been able to accomplish everything we set out minds to: I wouldn't have it any other way. Today, and for the past 15 years, the only companies I would even consider leaving my job for are companies in specific industries, with particular missions, or businesses with leaders who align with the direction I want to see the world go.

Reply

[-]

USS_Frontier@reddit (OP)

Thanks for this. I'll keep this in the back of my mind.

Reply

[-]

malikto44@reddit

* Co-workers and Stress at work. Am I able to do my job in relative peace, or do I have to always CYA because someone is going for full stabby-stabby, in order to gain something? Do I have to use RCS on all config files because someone will change a file and blame the misconfig on me? Will I have to always deal with managers CC-ed because nobody does a damn thing without managers poking them? * Commute. If I have to commute downtown, hope I don't hit someone jacking lanes and playing chicken with a scooter, motorized skateboard or e-bike, pay $45 for daily parking, and have to keep my vehicle unlocked with the windows rolled down so the local addicts don't break anything, no. * Siloization. If I get stonewalled while management breathes down my neck, demanding Joe in another division stamps a certificate, but Joe is out on vacation, won't be back for two weeks, and I get notified that a CA expired on some machine I have no visibility into, with management angry at IT because "it happened on IT's watch", that gets old. I am tired of previous jobs where I took hits on my employee review because of morons who refused to do their part. One MSP, a project had a drop dead date of over a year. Nobody did anything to hand over until the day that the project was due, and I had to, within a span of four hours, get stuff up and running. I had to go buy external USB hard drives (MyBook Duos configured with RAID 1) and USB flash drives to use as LUNS because the admins who ran the SAN never did their part even though they said they did. * Pay. Sorry, but if a place isn't doing rates which allow me to rent a 2/2 in the city without breaking the budget, then I'm losing money by working there, with the exception of a public service job where I can get rid of a bunch of student loans, and be able to get a pension, rather than a 401k. * Vacation time and weekends. There is a time of the year where I spend a bunch of weekends doing some festival stuff. It keeps me sane. * Training budget. If I'm not worrying about my job, or chasing my tail, I grind certificates.

Reply

[-]

MathematicianNo8594@reddit

I can tell a company or two really hurt you. I’m sorry to see this.

Reply

[-]

malikto44@reddit

Its just the normal way of doing business with MSPs. It isn't about hurt per se, but how people are in specific environments. I've been in companies where this wasn't a factor and people were genuinely helpful, but there are many companies, especially ones that offshore, outsource and lay off, where the people who wind up staying are the ones who can backstab the best and make themselves more costly to fire than to replace.

Reply

[-]

MathematicianNo8594@reddit

That’s what I’m saying. You’ve been severely chewed up and spit out. Work abuse. Just because you may consider it normal doesn’t mean that it should be. Nonetheless, you shouldn’t have been subjected to this, to the extent that this is how you feel overall.

Reply

[-]

Wagnaard@reddit

Work/Life balance is out. Its some sort of All-Life Cycle or circle or something that's in now. Whereby you give everything equal weight.

Reply

[-]

billiarddaddy@reddit

It's a combination of commute, medical premiums, vacation, and compensation. Any one of those can be sunk by the others.

Reply

[-]

caffeine-junkie@reddit

Top is work life balance. No way am I going to miss out on my son's growing up. After that is the total compensation package, so pay+benefits. If your benefits are crap, the pay better be really good to compensate so I can get private while still meeting my salary minimum. After that, wfh. If you want me in the office, the pay better reflect that as its now encroaching on the work life balance if I'm spending 2+hrs a day commuting; here you're looking at a minimum of 1hr each way unless you want to spend 1mil+ on a house to reduce that commute to 10-30 min each way. Even then the job would have to be hybrid with no more than 3 days in office. Could also rent, but then looking at least 3k a month for a 3 bed, assuming you could find one.

Reply

[-]

scubadoobadoooo@reddit

life/work balance over everything. though i would also appreciate learning opportunities because i feel pretty stagnated

Reply

[-]

kitkat-ninja78@reddit

There is no one important factor when looking for a new job. The following 3 are equal in deciding for me: **Benefits** * Work/Life Balance * Commutable distance **Pay** * Inc Pension contributions **Benefits** * Room for growth * Learning opportunities * Paid for learning/certs * Professional membership paid I may place one or more of the sub-points lower (or even disregard one or two of the sub-points) if another sub-point is really attractive. But I can't just disregard one or two of the main points. At this point in my life, what good is double my salary if my work/life balance is s\*\*t and I can't spend time with my family? While a good work/life balance is great, but if the pay and pension is s\*\*t, I am going to struggle once I retire. IMO, there has to be balance...

Reply

[-]

gehzumteufel@reddit

For me, WLB and pay are equal. Who cares if you make a ton of money if you can't spend it. Who cares if you have amazing WLB and are paid shit. I want WLB and paid well. Currently feel I'm doing pretty good at $170k/yr and great WLB.

Reply

[-]

Georgiewho@reddit

I used to say I didn't care if work sucked but then I had two kids. It's all about work/life balance now. Pay of course is important but I care a lot more about a job that treats me well. A long commute is out of the question unless it's a hybrid where you go in 2-3 times a week. Benefits matter but currently I'm under my wife's plan so I'm fortunate that it doesn't matter to me currently.

Reply

[-]

syscreeper@reddit

Left my last job after 11+ years because I wanted to see something new. Back then my order was Life/Work Balance, Pay, Benefits. 3 years later my priorities have changed. Now its: Co-workers that you can stand to be around for 8 hours. Is a big one now. Then comes Life/Work Balance and Room for growth.

Reply

[-]

MickCollins@reddit

LWB I have down. These guys don't call for *anything* after hours unless shit's on fire. Pay's OK but could be better. Commute absolutely blows; 45 minutes each way up and down a mountain in winter. Benefits are OK. Learning opportunities is one of the reasons I'm sticking around; I'm doing stuff I haven't touched in years and I like getting reacquainted. No room for growth though, I'm at the top of my game - next would be management. They're getting one of those online blanket licenses for cert training (no in person, online only, which I fucking hate because they always put me to sleep). I can stand to be around my coworkers. My career took a major shit seven years ago when I had to find a job because my then job was closing the site. I took a job that I was lied to point blank to my face about getting my money moved up after I started. The worst team I've ever been on as the team lead just wanted to stab me and take credit for my work. I left that job (with lousy pay and lousy benefits) for another in 2021 and it was OK until they canned my manager. The replacement manager was just a hatchetman for upper management and didn't give a fuck about most of us. They forced me to resign (I didn't want the firing on my record when looking for next job) because I wouldn't say I would live in the state I was in for a few months taking care of my mother after a heart attack / stroke and my father had just died. Recently the only friend (my mentor) I had at that job passed away really unexpectedly. I'm sorry he passed, for real, but they fucked themselves because now they have to pay major cash to get someone to fill his shoes...which they'll never find.

Reply

[-]

ErikTheEngineer@reddit

48 here...I'd say work/life balance is way more important now. I still enjoy my job and love learning new stuff every day...but the always-on culture of tech isn't super-appealing to me anymore and it's gotten worse with DevOps and Agile. Working with people who have no boundaries and have their work performance published for all the micromanagers to see is exhausting. My advice to anyone starting out would be to use the first part of your career to cement in those fundamental skills and save as much as you can comfortably. Unless something drastically changes in the next few years I don't expect it'll be easy to find a new job if I have to when I'm in my mid-50s. That might be different if I'm not the one begging for an outsized salary because I could afford to take a lower-paying job and supplement it with savings.

Reply

[-]

three-one-seven@reddit

I’m 39 and just left the best job I’d ever had up to that point to get a new one that came with a 50% raise. Pay was my first priority. The new job has reciprocity with the pension system from my old job (public sector), that was my second priority. And it’s 100% remote, my third priority. Really a Goldilocks situation IMO. I lucked out.

Reply

[-]

redstarduggan@reddit

I'll say this as mid-late 40s with no mortgage and a young family: Life/work balance and commute Currently I don't really have a commute, except on days I choose to go in (which is regularly). I know I could earn 40-50% more by working a bit harder and never being at home but I wouldn't swap it for the money.

Reply

[-]

justinDavidow@reddit

Co-workers. Unconditionally and without question. Working with a shitty bunch of people makes the lowest effort, highest paying, quickest commute, best benefits, endless learning opportunity, unrestricted growth potential, job that offers certs in anything a person could want: fucking miserable. I deeply prefer working with awesome PEOPLE over anything else.

Reply

[-]

rms141@reddit

Pay Work-life balance Benefits Room for growth In that order.

Reply

[-]

GullibleDetective@reddit

Life and work balance I'm happy as long as I make close to 70 solo, it's enough for a small house and some travel where I'm at

Reply

[-]

ericneo3@reddit

* Life/Work Balance - I don't want to be doing overtime because of staff shortages or failed systems that some cheapskate refuses to address. * Pay - Raises should be yearly or people will look elsewhere. * Commute - I don't want to spend more than 1.5 hours commuting each way. * Benefits - Flex hours and occasional remote work. - - - - * Learning opportunities / Company pays for certs/training - Lots of places offer these on paper or as a requirement of your performance review until they need to pay, then comes the excuses why they cannot pay, allow you time to attend events or time off to sit the exam. And there is always another emergency on the day of your event / exam for which they demand you drop your plans to come in to fix the problem. * Room for growth - I've never seen a workplace promote existing IT staff. When someone leaves either the remaining staff are expected to pick up the slack or someone from outside is brought in.

Reply

[-]

gordonv@reddit

Pay Benefits Commute. (This can cost $1000 a month, this is important) Life work Co Workers / Toxic environment control

Reply

[-]

ther0g@reddit

I feel work/life balance and limited stress is the greater than all the money you could offer me. Working from home is also an amazing perk even though I’m a social butterfly

Reply

[-]

Key-Window3585@reddit

Work life balance and remote only. Prefer mostly cloud. Tired of managing on prem. Mostly windows and some Linux is nice mix. Do not want to do any workstation support. Do not want to be on call. Technology stack is probably least important as I get older. I am fine with Microsoft stack sccm,Scom,sharepoint online, and defender. I can always use ansible for Linux stuff it’s free. Biggest complaint with current job is we are mostly on prem and return to office is a joke. Besides that perfect gig.

Reply

[-]

HoustonBOFH@reddit

Outside that range on the high side. :) Independence vs micromanagement is first. And about 90%. People come second. An office with a lot of politics is a deal breaker. Pay is last on the list. I need to justify it, but I have taken pay cuts for better jobs. The other things are not on the list. Benefits are a part of pay. Commute is a part of the work hours, and I consider it a part of work. Learning and growth will have to happen anyway to stay current. And when you have the history, no one asks for certs.

Reply

[-]

bobs143@reddit

I'm 55 now. But even in my 30's I was looking at live work balance. Pay is always good and good benefits. But pay doesn't mean much when you work 65 or more hours a week. At that pace it's unhealthy and you never have time to enjoy the pay.

Reply

[-]

HoustonBOFH@reddit

Ditto. Pay is way down my list. How much I love or hate the job is the top.

Reply

[-]

hbkrules69@reddit

49/yo here. Not looking for a new job by any stretch, but I cannot see myself going back into an office again.

Reply

[-]

yesterdaysthought@reddit

Those are a person's prime earning years so IMO it would be: 1. Environment via exec management isn't toxic. This leads to most other problems like shit coworkers, managers, unreasonable overtime demands, no budget, etc 2. Career opportunities If you're in a decent co and not moving forward, you may need to look at yourself. If you're not in a decent co, you should be able to figure that out in 1-3yrs and make the decision to move on. In my case when I was younger, I didn't always have the courage to make the change.

Reply

[-]

MrCertainly@reddit

1. Life/work balance. This means NO ONCALL, NO AFTERHOURS -- or if there is, it's extremely limited and very manageable. This also means remote work (or if in-person, it's damned convenient to do). 2. Pay. You want to pay me peanuts, don't complain when you get empty shells. 3. Benefits. I'm an American, and in this "land of opportunity", we're one of the last major developed countries in the world that hasn't figured out worker's rights or universal healthcare. Healthcare & paid time off are big rocks to put in my bucket. Any of these three are deal-breakers. ----- I do not care about "learning opportunities" -- if a company wants me to learn to BENEFIT THEM, they can pay me to do so. Otherwise, I'll learn on my own for things that'll BENEFIT ME. And I promise, those won't be things they'll be taking advantage of. "Room for growth" -- ah, you mean quitting and leaving for another company. Yes, in AWA: At-Will America, that's normal. Either party in an employment scenario can terminate the relationship at any time, for (almost) any reason, without notice, without compensation. "Company pays for certs/training"....see above about learning opportunities. If they want me to get those things, they better pay me for studying AND the certs themselves. "Coworkers that you can stand to be around" -- I don't care, that's why I'm being paid. If hiring dipshits is part of the corporate culture, then I can always happily find a place that has better culture. Otherwise, I'll suck up my ego and "embrace the suck".

Reply

[-]

kleptocornholio@reddit

Pay: needs to be more than I have now or I won’t bother. Commute: WFH is standard. 1 day/week at the office can be accepted but not a specific day required. Things come up. Travelling yes but at least a week or 2 notice, except emergencies. Certs/training: honestly that is a given but I do not really care. If they want/need me to have them they should pay at least the exams. Room for growth: Idgaf. I’ve worked for 10+ companies and most of the time shit happens before you are considered for promotion. Also I do not want to become a “manager” in most of the companies I’ve worked at. No respect for the next point. I also do not long for the carrot on the stick. Stress: mostly determined by your direct boss. Make sure he is a good boss. Most difficult part of the hiring process as employee. W/L balance: learned that, again, things come up. Major issues can mean your weekends or nights will be spent working, obviously without notice. So that is why my rule is 9-5 in all scenarios except for emergencies.

Reply

[-]

TieDyeGuyFry@reddit

Work/Life balance or decent boss/colleagues. Both of those are required.

Reply

[-]

anon-stocks@reddit

Early 40s. I spend a lot time working so I absolutely must enjoy the job (CHALLENGE ME WITH DIFFICULT PROBLEMS!). Pay/benefits must be top knotch with good raises. The company needs to do the right thing for it's customers/employees and not just so their share price rises. I love tech so don't force promote me. My boss needs to be very direct and tell me if mess up or not meeting expectations. Tldr, I think I lucked out and landed it.

Reply

[-]

Doublestack00@reddit

Commute and work/life. In my current position I'm getting further and further behind in IT knowledge. Ive probably got 5 years left here before the sell. No idea what I'll do after that's as I'll be in my late 40s.

Reply

[-]

GiveEmWatts@reddit

1. Work/life balance 2. Pay 3. Benefits

Reply

[-]

secret_configuration@reddit

* Life/Work Balance * Pay * Benefits

Reply

[-]

jar92380@reddit

Work/life balance is the most important factor for me. Then commute (love remote) and then pay.

Reply

[-]

boryenkavladislav@reddit

Everything you cited here is important to me, but the thing I think is most important is that I believe in the leadership team's ability to execute on the goals they claim to have. All the other stuff tends to work out favorably like Pay, work life balance, good culture, manageable levels of chaos... As long as there is a talented leadership team that actually has a better than average shot at achieving what they say they want. I rejected two VP and CIO roles with other companies I had a referral to because I didn't trust the other senior leaders at all, and took a IT Engineering Manager role from the open market because of this. No regrets so far!

Reply

[-]

LOLBaltSS@reddit

Mid-30s. I got my shit pushed in by a MSP for six years... going into a siloed environment being paid 120K with a shit load of PTO and holidays mostly remote significantly cut down on my blood pressure. Do I feel like I "lost my edge" a bit? Yes. But I don't have ideation to pull a Budd Dwyer anymore.

Reply

[-]

Moose6788@reddit

Bud, no!

Reply

[-]

synthdrunk@reddit

Sane management and processes. That takes care of all of the rest of those. Rare as hen’s teeth but if you don’t hunt for it, you are prey.

Reply

[-]

duebina@reddit

Pay and commute. I'm singularity focused on being debt free so I can begin sunsetting my career to retire and be free.

Reply

[-]

packetgeeknet@reddit

In order of importance * Life/work balance * pay * remote work * colleague competence and leadership * benefits I’m always learning. I don’t need a company for that. I don’t care about certs at this point in my career. I haven’t worked in an office since 2015. I don’t plan on doing so again unless I’m compensated extremely well to deal with commuting time/stress, vehicle gas/maintenance, and my work hours include commute times, which ultimately mean less productivity time.

Reply

[-]

ubiquitrips@reddit

I am not looking, but if I were, near the top of my list would be something missing in the above. Enjoy the type of work / technology you work with on a day to day basis. I can spend a couple of hours on a task and it will feel like an eternity or I will work nights and weekends on something that is stimulating as a hobby. Once you know what that is, don't choose the eternity for slightly more pay, etc. A sure fire way to being miserable is dreading most days of the week. Outside of that, the usual. Life / Work balance (ties into commute), co-workers that try hard and push each other to be better, and ability to improve my skills.

Reply

[-]

overdoing_it@reddit

> Life/Work Balance / Commute Anything that's not work from home is out if the question so I guess both of these. Pay is Important insofar as I would make the same as or more than I already do, but I'd pick a lower increase over a much higher one that required any commute.

Reply

[-]

VariousProfit3230@reddit

WFH, Pay, Benefits. If I have to commute that’s an extra 15k minimum. 35 here

Reply

[-]

BoMax76@reddit

Worklife balance for me. I have so many things I need to do outside of work with family and helping aging parents that it is almost a job itself.

Reply

[-]

NUKL3UZ@reddit

Money, work/life balance. And lastly I absolutely will not work for any company that mandates you to be in the office at all times.

Reply

[-]

KindPresentation5686@reddit

The only reason to work is to support your family. Work don’t give a dam about you. Work your 8-5 so you can enjoy your family.

Reply

[-]

merc123@reddit

Work from home (gives me life/work balance) and money. Benefits 3rd. I will sacrifice pay for cheaper benefits and raises need to be respectable.

Reply

[-]

lonewolf1277@reddit

41. Life balance, benefits, pay in that order. Underpaid for my position now, but the flexibility my work gives me with two kids is worth more than the extra 10% I might get elsewhere

Reply

[-]

skyrim9012@reddit

In addition to what everyone else has said I look for how they handle after hours work. If I spend a few hours on a Sunday updating the firewalls can I take off early on another day? I also am how they handle hardware life cycle. I've worked on places that won't do anything and just keep replacing parts and it can become a nightmare

Reply

[-]

QuimaxW@reddit

My #1 is purpose. Why am I doing what I'm doing? Is there a greater purpose? My current role at a non-profit, I'm not on a salary, live in an exotic (read developing...) country, and get the privilege to serve other people on a daily basis. Also, I live walking distance from the office and the kids school and our supply store. Work-life balance is all muddled together. Now, if I was going for a "regular" job in the US...pay & work/life balance are 1 & 2 in no specific order. In any position that's interesting, growth and learning should "just happen" in the course of normal stuff. Certs? Um...I don't have any currently. Don't really care. If one isn't considering my experience, then there's a good chance I don't want to work there anyways.

Reply

[-]

FloridaIsFull@reddit

Yes.

Reply

[-]

slugshead@reddit

* Pay/WorkLife equally * Pension

Reply

[-]

USS_Frontier@reddit (OP)

Do you mean an IRA or 401K? Or an actual, factual pension?

Reply

[-]

slugshead@reddit

Proper pension - I'm UK based so there's a legal requirement for all employers to provide a pension. There are lots of different schemes, I'm lucky to be on the LGPS (local government one). Which is transferable between jobs, ultimately it does limit me to what jobs I apply for if I want that pension scheme, but it's worth it.

Reply

[-]

Loud-Practice-5425@reddit

Work/Life and it isn't even close. Working weekends and holidays is a non starter.

Reply

[-]

qazokmseju@reddit

Pay worklife balance

Reply

[-]

jimicus@reddit

The benefits package as a whole. It’s quite common to find huge disparities in things like bonus schemes and pensions even when the base salary is fairly similar.

Reply

[-]

MeatSuzuki@reddit

Supporting my family was my first consideration when I changed my career.

Reply

[-]

panzerbjrn@reddit

46. My top factors are : Fully remote Decent Pay Doesn't care where I am in the world

Reply

[-]

throwaway0000012132@reddit

If you have a great pay, then the next thing will be looking for intrinsic values that will help you and fill the needs you have. Work/life balance and great work environments are my #2 spot, because without them, even a great salary is not enough if you have to support toxic people; that shit kills you mentally. Everything else is secondary.

Reply

[-]

landob@reddit

Benefits, Pay, commute At least for now in my life that is all that matters.

Reply

[-]

disclosure5@reddit

Pay and work/life balance are all that really matter here. The problem with "room for growth" and "opportunities" is you have no way of assessing it. Every potential employer will tell you there's great opportuntiies. You have to assume it's bullshit because you won't know. Certs? Yeah no, I don't choose jobs after 20 years in the industry based on who is going to pay $180 to sit the latest Azure cert (which only goes to benefit them anyway, due to partner status). I do not give two shits about some monthly pizza lunch benefit.

Reply

[-]

USS_Frontier@reddit (OP)

>The problem with "room for growth" and "opportunities" is you have no way of assessing it. Every potential employer will tell you there's great opportuntiies. You have to assume it's bullshit because you won't know. I already assume it's BS haha. >I do not give two shits about some monthly pizza lunch benefit. Same here.

Reply

[-]

Bob_Spud@reddit

All important but be aware you ain't going to get a raise for some time. Go for the money

Reply

[-]

USS_Frontier@reddit (OP)

I've heard the most surefire way to get a raise is to get a new job.

Reply

[-]

DadLoCo@reddit

My problem is, my church went in for sending its voluntary leaders on leadership conferences that included management experts from the corporate world. I learned enough to know I don’t want to be a manager, but I also learned exactly which kind of manager I don’t want to work for. Most of my opinions on this come from hearing Marcus Buckingham speak on the subject. All covered in his book, “One Thing You Need To Know.” Not a promo, but Marcus if you’re reading this I’ll take a referral bonus thanks.

Reply

[-]

Sad_Recommendation92@reddit

41 here - Life Work / Balance (this is largely up to you, I work at a place where you can totally do 8-5 with the exception of maintenance / on-call which you can flex hours around but some of my peers still insist on working an extra 20 hours for free) - Pay (as much as I love tech and problem solving, don't bullshit me, I give my time in exchange for the money to take care of my family ) - Benefits (crappy benefits can basically be a paycut, likewise, really good benefits can make up for lower baserate in some cases) - Coworkers I can stands and hopefully a few I like (working with a bad team is sure to just add to your stress and not help your overall health)

Reply

[-]

waddlesticks@reddit

Really this should be what you aim for when looking for any job at any age. Pay is what should change depending on your skill set. When these are ticked you are generally finding a good employer, sometimes in those cases a slight pay cut you could be reasonably happy with if you yourself are happy. Think about it this way, what's better when it comes to a job, would you prefer to be in mental anguish for that extra 10k a year, or actually happy and enjoying the work you're doing?

Reply

[-]

Kritchsgau@reddit

Remote working, or commute under 15mins max once a week is most important to me and a young family currently. Happy to see how long i can hold onto this current position

Reply

[-]