Career Options

I said I wasn't going to start another blog post until I dealt with the 30 draft posts I have. But right now I am in a spot where I need to write to help me make sense of where I'm at. I have not put actual company names for privacy reasons, and to allow me the freedom to say whatever I want. Whilst no fucker reads my blog, I do realise that it is in the public realm, so thus I must be cautious. Anyway, here goes with my current thinking:

Option 1 - Stay put. Look, this is the safe option. I am pretty secure in this role for sure, although days like today make me wonder. My boss spent most of our meeting this afternoon, to discuss department structure, twitching, and lost his shit more than once. He often struggles with logic, grabs things and holds onto them like a rabid dog, even if they are nonsensical, and gets angry when challenged. I have had my ups and downs with this man over many years now, but right now we are at about rock bottom. And after 6 years, I am tired. Tired of many things, but in particular, tired of dealing with his shit. Yes, working here gives me plenty of freedom, yes this company is growing, and investing in new and improved ways of doing things, and yes I am at the centre of much of that. But without any appraisals, personal KPI's, feedback of any kind, and this year, without even a fucking increment letter (did get the increment, but that's not the point), the management part of my boss towards me simply does not exist. Yes, that allows me to fly under the radar somewhat. Yes, the mentoring program, the KPI reporting my team is developing, and yes the new quarries we are going to be running, all makes for interesting work, and the ability for me to spread my wings in a safe environment. But there is so much about this place that shits me. Not just my boss, but at least 2 of the other GM's are fucking useless, and don't get managed either. We have no strategy, and there are a lot of fuckwits. There are also a lot of good people, and as I wrote a few months ago, I do have good patches. I don't get paid a lot, and bonuses have mostly been shite, but I do get paid reasonably. This life suits my family too. So it's an up-in-the-air proposition right now.

Option 2 - BBM. This is the local option, the mining company that would allow us to stay put in Echuca, while giving me a new job, and hopefully a new lease on life. I was hell bent on this a year ago, kind of last time my boss shat me to tears. I approached them, so the fact that it has dragged on is not their fault. Still, they showed interest, real interest, and even with a management change, as the company moves from exploration and permitting to development, they are still interested in me. For a while, I was uncertain, as a lot seemed to hinge on fucking community and government relations, which frankly is the worst part of what I do now. But talking to one of the directors the other day, I got much more of a sense of the technical work involved, the challenges, and the value of this project. It really did put a spring in my step and made me much more positive about these guys. Getting back into mining would allow me to really use my full set of skills, and hopefully, being GM for such a project - assuming we can make it succeed - could be very lucrative for me. I am heading down to meet the new CEO in December, and I hope an offer will soon follow. If it makes sense, then I think this option becomes top seed in the tournament of Dave's Career Future.

Option 3 - Kuching. This is that new mob in Borneo, trying to start up a gold mine. Like BBM, I reached out to them rather than vice versa, and they were very interested in me. Probably mostly because I was a statutory mine manager in Malaysia in the past, and these kind of relations are very important in this part of the world. But fuck me, you couldn't script the BS that has gone on internally with this crowd in the past year. They have sacked the board, essentially sued their major shareholder, and had their mining lease lapse. I am told that when that is granted again (they expect this will happen, but of course they will say that), then they will need someone to lead the BFS project, permitting, and then get the mine going. We all know that my heart is in Malaysia, so the option of going back again is bloody appealing to me. However, this job reeks of risky start-up, and frankly I am still somewhat tainted by the residual odour of ASN, AYN and GMC - the other start-ups I have been involved in over my career that ended up being a shit-fight. I am not going to tell Kuching to go away, but I think it is a severe long-shot and even with an offer, I'd be hesitant, without a lot of reassurance.

Option 4 - Gua Musang. This is the option that I left in 2016, after they hadn't paid me for 6 months. They still owe me 60 grand. Because of that, and because I still harbour the desire to return to Malaysia to live, I have periodically contacted my old boss, who is still the MD, to see what's up. Each and every time, he says funding is imminent and he expects someone to sign up for $400 million this week. EACH AND EVERY FUCKING TIME! I must be a fool for still talking to him. He must be a fool for still believing this. The fucker must be in his 70's by now, so surely isn't going to keep pushing this barrow. Look, I'm going to contact him as per my calendar appointment in a few weeks, which will be a month after his last promises. If it remains the same old story, then I think we won't worry about it anymore, and put this one to bed permanently. In reality, this has been the case for years, but while the website is still up, and the company emails, plus the JR BS, I guess there remains a flicker of hope.

Option 5 - Keep looking elsewhere. This one, I am not sure about, as I feel the need to commit to something, not just keep flitting around the edges. Most mining work is FIFO these days. There are options, but options that would require us to move. I am not against that, but a) no capital cities, b) no Vic/NSW/SA, and c) no FIFO. North Queensland I could do, WA I would consider, Darwin I would consider. Expat life, I would consider. I have been "considering" roles in these areas on and off, for a few years now, with little to show for it in terms of potential options. Yeah the Greece thing was interesting for the 5 seconds it was around, as was the Dubai thing. But the reality is options for me, with the criteria I have in mind, are not as widespread as perhaps they once were. Maybe this will change again, but what has changed is me - I am now on the road to retirement. I also need to carefully consider what is best for my family.

The Conclusion - So much like what happened a few years ago, when I was also thinking about leaving my current job, I think I need to get past the next offer, and if it is not forthcoming, or at least to the degree that makes me think jumping ship is worthwhile, I need to buckle down and recommit to my current job. So we'll see what happens next, but I suspect Option 2 is the leading option. If it doesn't happen though, I think we'll just stay put. Watch this space...