Thursday, July 26, 2012

I was asked the below question by a person working on a PC help desk.

I have worked for the last two years as a help desk support technician. I have a good reputation with the people I help and like the work. The thing is, I'm getting really bored. A job at the company opened for a second shift operator in the data center. Do you think I should take it?

I began by asking you two questions in return. First, what job would you like to have in five years? Second, what effect would working second shift have on your family and work-life balance?

The reason I asked you these two questions is because their answers play a significant role in my advice to you. If you know where you would like to be professionally in five years, then you will be in a position to decide if a second shift job in the data center would help you get there. If your answer is no, then your decision is made. If your answer is yes, it's moving you in the direction you would like to go, then my second question becomes relevant, namely, what effect will working second shift have on your personal life.

My assumption is that second shift at your company is 4:00pm to midnight. Some people love this shift; other people never get use to it and dream of the day they can go back to working standard working hours.

The moral of the story is that when considering a new job, don't look at the job in isolation. Make sure you are taking it for the right reasons and that once the novelty wears off, can you live with the day-to-day ramifications of your decision.

This blog is based on a column I wrote last year, as part of my weekly blog in IT World. For my most recent IT World blogs, go to http://www.itworld.com/blogs/eric-bloom.

Until next time, work hard, work smart, and continue to grow.