I am very worried about the cuts. I started looking for new opportunities and it is interesting to me that someone mentioned that we should perhaps avoid large corporations from now on.
Has anyone gone to a much smaller company after Ford, and what were your experiences?
Now I'm considering that as an option, but I don't know how it would affect my overall career.
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Been at smaller companies. The problem?
Limited promotional opportunities. Buyouts happen and are rarely positive for existing employees. Layoffs still occur. Smaller companies can have a bad quarter and go under.
I feel like working at a smaller company gives you a bigger chance to feel like your work is meaningful and actually see results from what you do. I've got a few friends in other industries who grew too tired of the rat race and just went into business for themselves. There are obviously some trade offs, but it's certainly a good option to consider. When you consider the amount of politics involved here, and how you have to adapt to all that, it's definitely nice to think about working at a smaller org.
There was a time that the "big 3" was like making it to the major leagues. But Ford has moved so much of the design and engineering to suppliers (or to Mexico and India) that those days are long gone. I saw first hand how the CAD Ford group got smaller and smaller through the years. If a CAD guy retired (or died) they were never replaced. The work was simply sent to suppliers or India (where it took 4 times as long to complete). The average age of the CAD group must be close to 60 by now. There is no future there.
Before joining Ford I worked for a number of years at two smaller companies. I actually felt the job security at those companies was a little less than at Ford but there were still a number of benefits. I did everything, soup to nuts, and I developed deeper and broader job knowledge and skills which made me feel more marketable. You have to work at a smaller company, there’s no place to hide and slackers don’t survive. This is positive because while you’re working hard so is everyone else and management is aware of your contributions.
Luckily I was able to retire from Ford. I would have been concerned about finding a job after Ford because my skills had become very narrow and people get moved around so much that you don’t develop deep knowledge about much of anything.
Job security is a thing of the past so it would be wise to maintain marketable skills regardless of where you work.
small companies are best....you may actually learn something
As others said I did it all at the smaller company and worked much harder
I've been employed at companies of all sizes. Smaller companies are not a job guarantee. Find a job that you are interested in and everything will work itself out.
Yeah. I moved on to Packard after the Edsel fiasco, but being quality and middle-sized it went bankrupt shortly after.
Lithium Mine Engineers is top dollar anywhere, though.
Yes. I moved to a Tier-1. There is day and night difference. We have a lot to learn rather than repent at middle age realizing your responsibilities were too narrow at an OEM to have marketable skills when you get chopped off in a wave of layoffs. Sooner the better if you are not the star player in your team or the manager’s pet. Believe me I learnt it the hard way.
I found working at a small company my role was...everything. no roles, do it all.
You will have to work at a smaller company. No hiding out with very narrow responsibilities like at Ford.
Ford = top of the food chain = easy money.
I would check around, today it seems smaller to medium size companies are best. If you start at a smaller company and move to a large corporation this the best strategy, especially if you want to have a career on the management side.