Just needed a sanity check

[John213]

I've been working in IT for 5 years now and studying for 2 years. I'm finishing my Master's degree this year. When I got this job, I thought it'll be just another stepping stone of my career. In my industry, turnovers are high and it's not that hard to get a new job, a guy with my background can probably find a job in 2-4 weeks.

I always wanted to go to a bigger company like Google, you know, just an average joe dreaming of going to the ivy league, but I started to like this company. I know they like me too. In the last year, they raised me by 12k and gave me 5k as christmas bonus. Let's just say I'm at 90k+/year. My supervisor is probably one of the coolest supervisor you will ever meet. There is no stress in the job and they trust me.

I want two things after my graduation, first is a vacation and second is either to get a job in a bigger company or get a raise to 100k+/year with my current job. For the second thing, I think either way is possible: I can get a job in a bigger company that will pay me higher or ask for a raise with my current company. My plan is to ask my current company, if they decline, I will probably find another job.

Now, let's go back to the first thing. I've always dream of having an extended vacation like 4 weeks or so. I plan to travel and have a personal break. I'm just tired and exhausted because I haven't took a long vacation and I've been really busy the last couple years with full time work and graduate school.

I want two things right now and I know it's insane. I know I can't really ask the company for a 4 week vacation because it is not normal. 2 weeks is probably max but I think that's kinda short for my plan.

I'm doing okay financially and have 6 months of emergency fund. My perfect world is for my employer to increase my pay and allow my 4 weeks vacation which I know is not reality. Another alternative is to quit my job, have my break, and hopefully get a higher pay job in a bigger company.

What would you do if you were in my shoes?

[Singuy]

If you like your job, like your pay, and like your boss then it's best for you to stay. I wouldn't quit my job with that many perks just for a vacation. The best part of your job is that you like your boss. Getting a job may be easy, but getting a job in which you like your boss(or bosses) maybe difficult.

Let me tell you, if you are working in a hostile environment with a crappy boss, even 10 vacations a year will not solve your problem.

[disneysteve]

I've always dream of having an extended vacation like 4 weeks or so. I plan to travel and have a personal break. I'm just tired and exhausted because I haven't took a long vacation and I've been really busy the last couple years with full time work and graduate school.

The only time I've ever not worked for more than 2 weeks was when I was unemployed for about 3 months back in 2000. I can't deny that I loved every minute of it, but realistically, I don't think a 4-week vacation is very common or necessary. Two weeks, which I've done many times, is plenty of time to travel and unwind from the stresses of life. In fact, given the choice, I'd rather take two 2-week vacations several months apart than one 4-week vacation if it meant not getting another break for a year.

[phantom]

In my experience, 3 weeks of vacation is not at all uncommon in IT if you're willing to stick with the same employer for more than a year or two. I've also seen employers offer 4 and 5 weeks around the 3 or 5 year mark. I haven't seen many employers who like people to take off more than a week or two consecutively. But, if you are willing to take your vacation when business will be slow, I think a lot of good employers will work with you. The way you talk about how much you like the place you currently work, it sounds like you might already be at exactly the sort of place that would be willing to give you the vacation time you want.

I don't think the sort of pay bump you're looking for is unreasonable either if you've continued to grow since your last pay bump, especially not after getting an advanced degree. Again, you've already said that you're at an employer who is willing to give big raises and reward people for good work, so I think there's a good chance they'd give you another nice pay bump if you asked.

Sure those two thing together are a lot to ask for all at once. But, I think there's a decent chance they'd give them two you either now or after another year.

If I were in your shoes, once I had my master's and once it had been a year or more since my last raise, I'd ask for exactly what I wanted. If they couldn't quite come up with what I asked for, I would start looking for another job. But, I would be very picky about what job I took, and I wouldn't leave unless I had a pretty good sense that I'd be happy in the new place. I would try to negotiate a start date that was a month and a half out, giving me time to put in two weeks notice and still get a break. If there are a bunch of places that would hire you within 2-4 weeks, there are likely to be some good places that are willing to wait for you a little while.

[MonkeyMama]

If you like the job, keep the job. I don't know that I'd quit a perfectly good job for a vacation.

That said, if they are really happy with you, I have no idea why they wouldn't give you the time off. Unless it's a problem logistically? I suppose I am thinking to the point that you are graduating and deciding what to do next. I think it's reasonable to bring up wanting to stay but wanting to take some time off in the interim. I don't think it hurts to ask and just feel out the situation. But even that said, if I went and told my boss tomorrow I was leaving for a few weeks or months (just out of the blue for no reason), I'd 100% have a job. Now if I did that all the time, is another story. I make myself invaluable in the workplace and most of the time have been in a field with stiff competition for employees. It sounds like you are in a similar situation. From that perspective, I don't see why anyone would object. It certainly doesn't hurt to ask.

I think I'd probably make one or the other the bigger priority right now. You can always ask for both, but I'd choose which one to fight for or that means more in case they don't just hand you both. It might be worth letting the pay bump go to get the vacation. It may be worth pushing off the vacation for your next job change, so you can focus on your salary. But I'd prioritize which is more important to you.

P.S. Just to be clear, I presume this vacation would probably be unpaid. I mean, legally, it would have to be. They can't give some employees (in the same class) longer paid vacations than other. I just wanted to clarify since this wasn't necessarily spelled out. Probably is what you meant, but it's good to be clear. If 2 weeks is the norm maybe you would be asking for a couple of additional weeks unpaid.

[snafu]

John, working in an organization you like with a good boss is not to be taken for granted...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alanhall/2013/03/11/im-outta-here-why-2-million-americans-quit-every-month-and-5-steps-to-turn-the-epidemic-around/

I've always presumed there was a disconnect because such a high percentage of supervisors/boss were promoted to their position based on technical expertise or project success. So few have training, experience or expertise in an HR role.

Many of us manipulate vacation time around holiday weekends to extend time with a few days of leave without pay. Unless you have a specific agenda/tour/adventure/cruise, you'll likely be bored after two weeks given your current, hectic schedule.

[John213]

If I were in your shoes, once I had my master's and once it had been a year or more since my last raise, I'd ask for exactly what I wanted.

I will get my Master's degree end of May. I believe my last raise was last year August.

That said, if they are really happy with you, I have no idea why they wouldn't give you the time off. Unless it's a problem logistically? I suppose I am thinking to the point that you are graduating and deciding what to do next. I think it's reasonable to bring up wanting to stay but wanting to take some time off in the interim.

P.S. Just to be clear, I presume this vacation would probably be unpaid. I mean, legally, it would have to be. They can't give some employees (in the same class) longer paid vacations than other. I just wanted to clarify since this wasn't necessarily spelled out. Probably is what you meant, but it's good to be clear. If 2 weeks is the norm maybe you would be asking for a couple of additional weeks unpaid.

Correct (2 weeks paid + 2 weeks unpaid). I will actually have 2 weeks accrued paid vacation by the time I'm ready to ask. I think they will give me that without any problem, but I was just thinking 4 weeks (2 weeks paid + 2 weeks unpaid) is kinda too long to ask.

Unless you have a specific agenda/tour/adventure/cruise, you'll likely be bored after two weeks given your current, hectic schedule.

I have plans for the first couple weeks (where to travel, what to do, etc.). But for the next couple weeks, not so important. The third week I'm planning to just stay home, relax, and just get bored. I'm planning to send my resume to different companies because I just wanted to see what's out there, so by fourth week, I should have several interview scheduled.

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I guess the best course of action is to ask for 2-3 weeks of vacation, ask for a raise when I come back and start looking for some offers if my pay increase got declined.

[FLA]

my brother is in a very specific part of the tech field, he has always gotten perks and money thrown at him, if he asked for a raise he got it or he would do sort of what you're doing. Quit his job with however many weeks is professional in his field, new job lined up to start whenever he was ready. He often took a "sabbatical" between jobs. In his field, if you have a pulse, it seems they will go to extremes to keep you. It sounds like IT is the same way. The only time that didn't happen was when he worked for a not for profit at MIT under Sir Tim Berners Lee, he took a large pay cut but got to work with his hero on a job he truly loved. Money isn't everything.

if you really love your job and they love you and they are about to get a Master's prepared employee out of you, there's no harm in asking for what you want

[ua_guy]

It sounds like the options are pretty clear cut.

1. Wait until you have accrued 4 weeks of vacation, and then talk to your boss about planning to have 4 weeks away on paid time.

2. Talk to your boss about taking vacation with your current accrued time, and maybe taking some unpaid time to shore up a full 4 week trip. Yes, 4 weeks is a long time to be gone, but it also doesn't seem all that unreasonable (if your boss has a pulse) that after finishing a Master's degree and also working for this company for a few years, that you might want to step away for a few weeks to celebrate and relax. Employers are generally reluctant to grant unpaid time, so if you meet resistance, maybe settle on 3 weeks?

3. Quit, and find a new job. But this comes with significant drawbacks. They may not give you any vacation up front. You may hate your new boss. The new job might be more stress than it's worth. You seem to have it pretty good right now...that's worth something.

I work in a nonprofit sector that's public, so our IT business operates very differently. But if you are in the private sector, I still don't know that demanding a 10k raise is going to work out in your favor. You'd better be prepared to justify why you're worth 10k more, or maybe you set some goals to work towards that would net you a 10k raise (additional certifications, maybe supervisory responsibility, or a lead role, etc).

Maybe the negotiation becomes about being able to take 2 weeks additional vacation off the books. My partner works in the private sector and he negotiated terms like that once, and has also done it for one of his employees.

Let me tell you, if you are working in a hostile environment with a crappy boss, even 10 vacations a year will not solve your problem.

Truth. Vacations only make the misery worse because it's THAT much harder to come back to work.

[Nutria]

I always wanted to go to a bigger company like Google, you know, just an average joe dreaming of going to the ivy league, but I started to like this company. I know they like me too. In the last year, they raised me by 12k and gave me 5k as christmas bonus. Let's just say I'm at 90k+/year. My supervisor is probably one of the coolest supervisor you will ever meet. There is no stress in the job and they trust me.

Yet Another Keep Your Current Job reply. Good companies are really hard to find. Besides, the grass is never greener on the other side of the fence. NEVER.

When was the last time you took a vacation? I know many Indians who skip annual vacations and take a 4 week trip back to the home country every two years. Maybe you could arrange something like that.

[John213]

Vacation aside, would more money really make you happier? It's not what you make but what you save that matters.

Yes, pay increase would make me happier. I guess my benchmark is 6 digit based on the link.

1. Wait until you have accrued 4 weeks of vacation, and then talk to your boss about planning to have 4 weeks away on paid time.

We have a limit on accrued vacation which is 2 weeks so I can't do this option. I can do 2 weeks paid + 1-2 weeks unpaid. Also I think I forgot to mention that I've been only in this company for a year.

When was the last time you took a vacation? I know many Indians who skip annual vacations and take a 4 week trip back to the home country every two years. Maybe you could arrange something like that.

In the last 5 years, just 1 week vacation couple years ago to meet my fiancee parents out of state.

[Nutria]

Yes, pay increase would make me happier. I guess my benchmark is 6 digit based on the link.

Once you work for an incompetent or evil boss at a horrible company, you'll kick yourself for leaving your current gig.

Go for the big raise after you've been there another year. (Two generations of frequent job hoppers is why companies treat programmers as meat instead of people. So, if you like it that they treat you as a valued human, treat them like they treat you.)

BTW, I'm in the IT industry, too.

We have a limit on accrued vacation which is 2 weeks so I can't do this option. I can do 2 weeks paid + 1-2 weeks unpaid. Also I think I forgot to mention that I've been only in this company for a year.

Tell them you're going to take the 4 weeks off, and why (just one week in past 5 years, and that you'll see them -- happy and healthy -- when you get back.

[DoreneHanson]

Take some time off, and then decide what you want to do,all these can be a bit overwhelming, but If I were in your shoes i would have stayed.

[sv2007]

Do you knwo how old that post is?

You are dragging up a whole bunch of really old posts and tricked me into replying to 2 of them that the OPs will likely not care about at this time.

Why ?

tsk tsk tsk.