"IT You"

Hi, I am really thankful to you in starting this up. I will pray for you, and wish you success. Here is my dilemma: I have been working in IT industry, since 1989. I worked really hard in different parts of the world. My last assignment was in the Middle-East. Over there I did some major breakthroughs, built up a very good team, and very good business. Then came my new boss. Being a Middle-Eastern person, he started replacing everybody with a Middle-Easterns. I was heading a team of 21 engineers, from different nationalities, Asian, Middle-Eastern, Far-East, Chinese, etc. I never even dreamt of making a distinction between the different nationalities, as we had multi-national clients. Our team was multi-national. With the new boss' consistent drive to hire Middle-Eastern people, I really got frustrated. I knew one day he was going to come after me, so I looked around for a new job, and moved to the US a few months back (staying with the same company). But the new job was not of the same type, and it utilised only 10% of my ability. As time has passed, I have realised that as I was moving, the boss tried to tarnish my name and spread the mis-conception that I had accepted this new position as a last resort and was a failure. My superior, and other people for whom I have worked, do not think so. My appraisals have been very good, and with positive comments only. The problem is now with this lowly job. I see little chance of moving up, with a slow down in the IT sector. I feel there is nothing else to do, and my ex-boss (now) still holds a grudge against me. I am a god loving person, and do not have a mind set to harm anybody. What should I do....??? While I was here, I brushed my technical skills and did some pretty good certifications also.

IT Industry Worker

Dear IT Industry Worker,

It sounds to me like you have taken some pretty positive steps that are working for you. You say that your current boss and co-workers are positive about your performance and that your performance evaluations are positive. You also have done some upgrading of skills.

At the moment, the IT sector is reeling from the bursting of the bubble and so I expect that it would be difficult to move up even if that former boss was not bad mouthing you. You might have a chat with your current boss and ask for her/his help in strategizing how to move up in the company. If you think it will be necessary to change firms to move ahead, talk to an employment counsellor about how to position yourself to do that succesfully.

From what you have said it sounds like that old boss is not having a negative impact on your career. While it is never nice to have someone bad mouth you, I always think that it reveals more about the source of the information than it does about the person who is the subject of the abuse.

Thanks for writing, and thanks for your prayers.

Dr. John

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