Turning down a promotion?
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- toe_knee0
Tnx for all the feedback guys/gals. Good old qbn. :-)
Having chatted with my better half, and slept on it. I have officially accepted the promotion. Nothing to lose really and the experience will do me good.
thanks again!
- fugged0
is a fortnight like when you sleep in your treehouse?
- hellojeehae0
mm tricky. i would take the promotion and see how it goes. but turning it down definitely sounds sketchy to your company
- dijitaq0
@fooler2
not all can be so lucky. in this case, may end up without a job and with little freelance work for back-up.take the promotion. a higher rank up the ladder in your c.v. won't hurt and you can always quit later.
- cannonball19780
take the promotion, wait, quit, then if you want a job again you can get a better one
- fooler20
I worked at this one place for like 2 months before I watched the VP scream and yell at my Art Director until she cried, yelled "I QUIT!" and packed her stuff up and left the building.
An hour later he pulled me to the side and asked if I wanted to be promoted to her job.
I politely said no thanks, and he had such a puzzled look on his face - like who would turn down a promotion.
I found a new job a few months later.
- PIZZA0
1 day off every 2 weeks is lame, if you really cared about freelancing you would be doing it at the weekends/evenings.
I'd say go with the promotion.
- ETM0
With only the extra1 day off every 2 weeks, I assume you are putting in a lot of hours in the evenings and weekends. Don't forget the personal time or you'll burn out and it will all crash around you.
But it can be worth it. I built my business nights and weekends while working. I just did it slow and steady and when I had enough saved to live off of for six months if I didn't make a dime, I took the plunge.
- vaxorcist0
I was twice in management jobs... in both cases there seemed to be a 6 month honeymoon or so, then the politics started, so you could take the gig, and keep looking around, make sure you don't get burned out or have all your brain RAM used up in meeting randomness...
- i_monk0
Take the promotion, you can always quit later.
- Hombre_Lobo0
This is a good read. Very helpful stuff :)
I'd agree with others, take the promotion for a while so that when you are looking fr work elsewhere or freelancing you have that new title which may earn you more clients.
- gramme0
Either take the promotion with gratitude, or commit 100% to freelance and take the plunge. Anything else seems like trying to have your cake and eat it too. It's neither fair to yourself, nor to your employer.
- vaxorcist0
hmm..... I used to work for a really, really good art director who explicitly told his CD that he didn't want to be promoted into management... and he's still an AD.... and from what I hear, loves it....
My father's a physicist, he was once promoted into a management role and hated it, he switched jobs to a university setting where he could mostly avoid management stuff, as he told me he strongly believes that promoting good creative people into management is often a huge mistake....
- utopian0
Stay Thirsty, My Friend
- Ranger0
If you can satisfy your freelance work with 1 day a fortnight then you obviously havn't got that much freelance stuff on. I'd say take the promotion and do the freelance at nights/lunchtime/during work hours. If the freelance increases from there you could then approach your employer about cutting down your days but from a higher position. In my experience it usually suits employers to give managers flexitime rather than lose designer hours.
If you've been asking for it then you obviously want it. If your freelance doesn't grow anymore then you'll be regretting turning it down in a years time maybe. In short I guess I'm saying it sounds too early to potentially jeopardize yourself based on the amount of work you've built up outside so far.
- toe_knee0
good advice all round cheers guys
- dyspl0
I would say this desicion has more consequence on a longer term period ; deciding for one or the other option is like choosing for a path in freelance career, or going for the agency career.
The safer would be choose the promotion, see after some months / 1year if managing is interesting for you. If not then make your freelance gig growing and when ready leave.
- airey0
also, i'd add that a few more turns on the wheel with a higher rank and some in-industry contacts with that higher promotion will help, if you decide to go freelance. the more contacts you have that see you in a certain way will help you a millionfold.
- airey0
welcome to a crossroads.
if you're serious about the freelance then shit or get off the pot. 1 day a fortnight won't work for either direct clients nor studios you might want to do it for.
the reality is that until you freelance fulltime, and that could include a 2-3 day a week contract with your current employer, you won't grow the freelance in any real way, unless you;re one of the 1% designer-savants. sad but fucking true.
the main question is are you happy working there at all? would someplace else be better? would you be smarter taking the promotion then move on someplace else with the new title? it's up to you. but put the freelance aside for now is my 2 cents.
- ukit0