#careergrowth

I'm an NCG who just started at the Training Institute (TI).

What's the likelihood that I'll be a manager or supervisor within six months?

I was laid off about 2 years ago and got a job somewhere else. Im being offered a very high salary to come back.

This is probably the wrong forum to ask this but looking for opinions of other high level leaders (lets say band 5+) on whether this is a good move. Im happy where I am and have a defined path to a very high level position but its a very far commute and significantly less pay than Cigna is offering.

Just when I think I'm about to get promoted, the rules change. It's always something else. Always. I've been playing this same game for years and I'm getting really, really tired of their sh-t. I think the whole thing is intentionally set up like this, to always keep the carrot just out of our reach but close enough to keep us motivated. Well, I'm done trying.

I'm getting pretty tired of the games management plays. They sell you on some big project or exciting change, making you believe it's an opportunity to prove yourself and move up. In reality, it's often just a way to squeeze more out of you while their favorites are quietly positioned for promotions. You're told that taking on more responsibility, expanding your scope, and delivering beyond expectations is what it takes to get ahead. So you work yourself into the ground, believing the promises. Then a year or two later, promotion time comes, and the same favorites get rewarded. At some point, you realize the game was never fair, and the hard work was never the deciding factor.

EM is my first job out of school. I thought it’s a place where I can retire, until I discovered this site. I never stopped learning new skills and looking outside. I will leave soon a much better pay job. Thank you all for sharing the bad stories and saved my career!

Been here 5+ years, stuck with a toxic boss/team for a good chunk of those years. Been trying to leave for the last 2 years with no luck. (And my job search started even before RTO btw, I'd imagine more people here are looking elsewhere now.)

I used to like this place and the growth opportunities it gave me, good benefits, and flexibility. All that went away when I was restructured onto this current team (and restructured again within the team so toxic boss can "better divide his time amongst the few direct reports that he cares more about"), with a toxic boss who tells me frequently, "there are others on this team who are a better fit for this role than you," and actively tries to replace me.

When I tried to interview elsewhere for a lateral move (same role/title, same responsibilities, no title or pay raise), even after I pass all final interviews, companies tell me "Fidelity is such a great place I don't see why you want to leave...", I get rejected for simply being a fidelity employee and this fake perception this place carries externally. And believe me, I've tried to look internally too and failed many times here - either for roles with another internal candidate already lined up or ghost postings that aren't actually real.

There's a perception that this place is amazing (and it is, 4-5 years ago maybe but no longer), and now I get why people have such long tenures here - they can't leave, they are stuck in the same roles with no transferable skillset to go anywhere else. RTO pains just make it all worse.

I am out of Oracle. I searched for opportunities in Java, Oracle technologies,etc. There is hardly positions opened for these. I searched for Oracle customers if any. very less. Oracle is viewed as obsolete company in Tech world.
The people in Oracle are viewed as out of the tech queue

I stayed as if I have job continuity in Oracle but reality differs.
Not losing hope but picking up latest tech.

Avoid non-technical managers if you can, especially when you’re new to a team or XOM. Incompetent managers often lean on so-called mentors, usually people who’ve been around longer and somehow stablished themselves , and those "mentors" pass along their own messy, poorly defined tools, models, or tasks. You end up cleaning up their problems while they present it as guidance or support. In reality, they’re just fixing their own mess through you, and when evaluation time comes, they can point to your work as proof they were helping. Why the people they “mentor” often get ranked low? because the mentor wants to protect their own top spot. They push mentees into lower rankings to stay safe for another cycle. Part of mentor evaltion should be expecting high ranking for mentees... They’re also deeply involved in assigning projects and controlling visibility for whoever they want, so they end up effectively managing the group instead of the actual manager.

has anyone known of a someone being promoted during this time of layoffs .

i have it and was weird

It’s clear that if you work for WTS you have been lied to. The idea that they want to grow the company with you, WTS, couldn’t be farther from the truth. The truth is all of the money and investments from CUSA are in the PPS and Enterprise divisions.

Did you know the company is creating new Enterprise sales roles with a starting salary of $80k? Look for yourself. How does that make the rep who has worked for WTS making $55k feel? As a WTS rep are you too wondering where the Q4 promotions are that will help you financially? Not there. Well why would they be if they don’t care about the future of WTS. They have you on the cheap right now and don’t need you moving forward so why not save a couple bucks?

Last but not least, our company is being run by two individuals that could retire tomorrow (oh and they will). Don’t think that MO and MM are on contracts simply to see this division through until they could shut down WTS and push retail to the dealerships. Don’t let MO lie to your face when he tells you that he needs you. It’s a big fat lie.

More specific questions here

What percent of people have senior leader objective and what percent have executive leader?

Given number of available positions, how many will make it their CO? Will senior leader CO people eventually end up being executive leader? What other insights should one think about?

Can the discipline managers, VPs or council people comment?

Full disclosure. I was let go with project star a few years ago. Used to check the site from time to time. Just stumbled back across it. Curious. Has much changed at Truist? How are things there now? I was mad when let go but landed and make a lot more money now than I ever did at Truist and am much happier. Curious about those who stayed behind or soldier on.

Hi everyone, does anyone in support have any idea how to get out of this sh-t hole?
I've been in the same role for six years now. Given the freeze and the country I'm in, which offers very few requisitions, do you have any ideas on how to change roles, such as moving into Sales? Do certifications really help you be more attractive? Or is it just a lie?
Obviously I didn't find anything out there, which is why I'm still here

I spent too long expecting things to improve internally, but the better opportunities seemed to go to a select few. Once I moved on, I got a $30,000 pay increase and finally had access to more challenging work. If you're feeling stuck, start comparing what other companies have to offer instead of assuming another internal opportunity will come along.

Imagine laying someone off, reposting essentially the same job, and encouraging them to reapply. What kind of corporate mind F is that?

Companies spend years preaching career growth, rewarding performance with raises and promotions, and encouraging employees to take on greater responsibility. Then suddenly, that same growth makes them too expensive or expendable.

What were employees supposed to do? Refuse promotions? Turn down raises? Stop developing professionally to remain affordable?

You can’t encourage people to build careers and then penalize them for succeeding.

“It’s just business” may explain why a decision was made. It doesn’t excuse how people were treated.

Pound sand, Comcast. And F U.

I saw a belk market tiktok today about how they are now doing sth. They demoted me months ago from Omni lead because markets weren't doing sth anymore. I now work at a job making almost double doing operations supervision. So I guess thanks Belk for that. But leadership needs to get it together. Your management didn't know what was going on.

12+ years in backend engineering, mostly building large-scale distributed systems, with some AI/ML experience over the past couple of years. I'd consider myself an average senior engineer. At this point in my career, does it make more sense to stay on the IC track and specialize in AI/ML, or move into engineering management? curious what others with similar experience have done and whether they regret their decision.

I find the discussion of IDP discouraging because the promises made never happen. The business need always wins and only hipos have the opportunity to try different jobs. I am stuck in a role because no one else knows how to do it. It isn’t a role that I enjoy or is rewarded. Critical role that they won’t let me leave and then they consistently rank me low.

Principal and senior principal roles are no longer executive level. Very few chief roles left.

For current or former Aetna Lead Directors: If you’re below the salary midpoint, is a 10–20% raise realistic when making a lateral move to another Lead Director role? Or is it better to focus on promotion to a higher-level position?

My boss basically told me I'm needed too much in my current role to get promoted. So apparently, being good at my job is the very thing holding me back.

I'm new here, I'm just wondering what to expect.

I know people believe level up is BS. Can anyone just tell me what Level Up was supposed to be? I keep hearing it mentioned but I am not sure what it really is

I am currently interviewing for an Associate Inside Sales Rep role in EMEA and I would like to get some feedback on how the promotion path is, how the culture, salary, benefits, etc. are. Thank you very much!

I know this isnt everyone that acts like this, but as a longtimer, this is how i see many in IT act in these roles:

I7: Works hard, gets told you have to do your tasks plus I8 tasks to be considered doing a good job

I8: Does the I7 work, all the I8 work and 95% of the I9 work

I9: Doesnt pay attention in teams calls, rarely knows whats going on in general and asks the I8 all the questions for the trivial things they do work on that they should know the answers to

Am i missing anything?

Stop acting surprised about layoffs. MC has a long history of them. You work there for about 10-15 years (if you're lucky) then they lay you off. There's only been a select core group that have lasted since the old Westport days. And they know who they are. It was once a great place to work back in the early 2000's. It's not the same place it once was. All the 20, 30 and 40 year old's. Keep those resumes updated and always entertain new opportunities. There is life after MC.

100s of remote no work all day remote , netflix for 6 years, 200 k package with 50k eoy bonus, senior software engineer. How to be vp?

If you got the call this year, hear this: you didn't fail. A company that cut 65,000 jobs since 2019 and says AI will "bring headcount down more" didn't let you go because of your worth — it let you go because of its math.

Your skills and your work leave with you. The badge stays behind.

Take the severance, take a breath, and remember: plenty of ex-WF folks landed somewhere that pays better and respects them more. Some started businesses. Some finally took the break they needed.

The next chapter is yours to write, not theirs to approve. You've got this — and this board's got you.

Advice for early in career here? Seeing lots of chatter about layoffs and it’s really discouraging to feel like Cisco is not a place I could grow my job. How would I know if I’m on the chopping block?

You don't have to stay in a job that makes you miserable forever, even if leaving isn't possible right now. Keep learning and building skills so you're ready when a better opportunity comes along.

The first one wasn't for me so I withdrew.

But: the job market is improving for sure. Hang in there! There is life and opportunity out there. Just not here.

Or is everyone just taking the paycheck until they get a package?

I’ve been here 3 years.Level 5. No one I know gets shares, who gets them? Only Senior Leadership?

Part of me wants to leave, but starting again at this stage of my career feels like a huge risk. For now, I'm only staying because I don't know what other realistic option I have.

I was a VP and received $800 - $1000 bonus during my tenure here. Im now at a new bank and my bonuses are huge! Was $800 - $1000 the norm for bonuses?

For anyone early in their career, I'd seriously consider other options before settling in here. A job should help you develop, not leave you feeling worn down and stuck. I've seen the enthusiasm people start with disappear over time. There are many, many other places where your ambition might be put to better use.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits dropped to near 57-year lows last week amid low layoffs, ‘suggesting’ a modest pickup in job growth in October after September's underwhelming performance. However, the reality is, it is very difficult for many to switch jobs. Especially those of us looking to escape BNY. These labor department stats suggest that everyone is working. Thing is, what kind of ‘jobs’ are these? Govt jobs, part time jobs shouldn’t count. There is a huge difference between a professional career job versus working delivery at Amazon or Dominoes pizza. I’ve been actively looking to get a new position for 2 years now and have had 4 interviews.

Hi everyone, I want to post this as a grievance of my experience after layoff.

It's been over 12 months and I can't find a job or make it past more than 2 rounds in an interview.

I gave usaa over 9 years of my life and thought that the usaa brand would have enough weight to keep me competitive in the market.

At USAA, I did everything from product to marketing to experience owner and even program management.

I felt like the skills i learned and even all the training like the safe agile training would help me in the job market.

After a whole year of searching, interviewing, getting my hopes up, and realizing in those interviews that my skills were dated, I cried.

I don't have anywhere or anyone to help teach me these new skills especially as ai has taken over. All of the stuff USAA did for adopting AI is so far behind. It's so overwhelming to see that the market has moved so far past what we were doing.

How am i supposed to learn how to use AI if I can't even afford a subscription at this point? I have a family to feed and if I spend money on a subscription, it takes away from that because I don't have a job anymore.

I have tried applying to USAA multiple times over the past year but have not gotten a call back.

And the saddest part is that my colleagues that I worked with for almost a decade have become too busy to help me get a foot back in the door. I've helped so many of these people get promotions and advocated for them. It really hurts to have such a big part of my professional identity tied to USAA and I can't even get anyone I thought was a friend on the phone.

I used to think I was good at every role I had at usaa, and that was more than likely true. I was promoted and had great reviews. But after months of rejection, I find myself just questioning if I will ever make it out.

Its lonely out here.
I wish I was back in with the people I used to work with every day.
I wish nothing changed because it was good.

But most of all, I wish that if I got laid off, I would have gotten laid off sooner because then at least I would have an easier time adapting to the market. If you were laid off in the past 16 months, you would know what im talking about.

The job market is different. Companies only want the best now. I even had an interview with a former USAA exec and she told me that she doesn't really hire from usaa because the organization was too slow to market, so most of the skills were built only for usaa.

Ughh. Im just ranting now.

Im sorry guys.