Today i had really strong thought about leaving my job.

I was sitting there cursing the report writing and non-web development stuff i was doing.  And then i told my colleague… “I hate this shit. All i wanna do is code.”

he replied “unfortunately you probably won’t be doing much of that anymore.”

And i thought to myself, “y’know he’s probably right.”

When we were hired on (my colleague and I started at the same time, summer 2007), we were tasked to repair and add functionality to the current IETM.  We finished the bulk of that work and we fixed what was broken, added new things and updated old functionalities.  We had a few additions throughout the year, but it didn’t facilitate enough work to last a long period of time.

So i haven’t been doing much coding lately because there just isn’t any work for it right now.  Instead I am tasked with writing reports or correcting animations on crappy 3D software (not Maya or 3DS).  My computer is slow and i have to make do with shareware programs to help me complete my job.  And it just doesn’t make sense… you don’t give a surgeon a box cutter and tell him to perform open heart surgery.  Granted my job isn’t anything near open heart surgery, but you don’t ask a mechanic to fix your car with a rock and a pipe.

The same goes for me.  In order to do my job well, i’d like to have the necessary hardware and software, and i don’t.

The fact that i am lacking in proper tools only adds to my frustrations.  And when i begin to believe that i don’t have any web development work to facilitate a steady job, i get really depressed.  I dunno if i want to stay here when i’m not actually focussing on web development, after all, that is what i went to school for.

But do i stay?  The job pays well, better than most web developer’s positions.  It has good job security.  It has a pension that i just started putting money into, where the copmany matches what i put it.  There are some good perks like travelling.  On sunday i’ll be leaving for Budapest for a week to attend a 3 day conference.  In the past 15 months i’ve been here, i’ve had the opportunity to visit Montreal and Washington DC for business.

But is it all really worth it?  If I stay here, i konw that i won’t be doing exactly what i want, and trying to find work elsewhere doing the same stuff will be hard if i’m not actually putting my skills to practice or advancing in other areas.  So i can’t really stay here that long, but getting the experience is a resume booster, and before starting work here i personally committed to 5 years minimum.  But now i’ll jump at the chance to work somewhere else.  I just don’t want to take the hit on decreased pay.  So decisions decisions… i guess if something good comes up i’ll take it, or if that job overseas comes looking i’ll be happy to go.

Anyone want to join me?