talk me through this workplace drama

[Anonymous]

hello!

i am work at a non-profit and am having a tough time as of late. my boss departed, partially because his boss just kind of ignored him and our department and he couldn't get the kind of support he needed to do the kind of programming that needed to be done.

now i am reporting directly to the big boss and very little effort has been made to replace my former boss. the big boss expects me to perform all of the functions of my former boss, though i am paid 40K less than my boss was being paid. my patience is up 6 months into this experience and our department is withering on the vine. i worked up the courage to ask for a raise/promotion or some other kind of help yesterday and was brushed off and told that maybe a temp would be forthcoming. (we need master's level skilled labor, so a temp will not be much help). it was also clear that big boss was annoyed and now thinks that i have the dreaded "bad attitude."

here's the catch: i am in a master's program (evenings) for a degree that will be a career change for me. but there are positions here at my present organization that would work for my new career once i graduate (different department). i'd like to keep that option open, as i have worked here for a long time and believe that our social mission is worthwile and important.

i am in a bind. i would just look for another job if it weren't for the career change issue, which involved risk on my part. i owe it to my family to set myself up to make that work.

[Anonymous]

How long until you complete your master's degree?

[Anonymous]

all the people i've ever known who have worked for non-profits have these same kind of issues. the organization is low on money, there's little mobility, and if you have a bad boos, you're stuck for a long time.

how long until you graduate? once you do, and you move to a different department within your organization, will you have a different boss (other than your current big boss)?

it makes sense that you're not getting the support you want - your old boss didn't get the support he needed, and the big boss didn't care. now that your old boss has left, i'm sure the new boss wants to see how much money he can save by watching you work yourself to the bone. your withering department is not valuable to the big boss, or you (and your old boss) would have gotten more support.

you have to ask yourself, is this job (not the organization) worth it? If yes, just stick it out until you graduate, perform as best you can with the support you're given, and then transfer out of that withering division. best of luck.

[Anonymous]

If you are close to graduating, could you maybe quietly discuss with those other "might hire you after" depts? Any way they would be willing to take you on, knowing that it would be X mos til you had the credential?
(ps - only do that, if you know it won't get back to your current boss, that you were shopping yourself within the company)!
more wine. that seems to be my method of late.

[Anonymous]

there are different kinds of people in the world: bosses who take advantage and know it, bosses who take advantage and don't know it. how can you find out which you have? what kind of feedback have you given and how was it received? have you had a review with boss and how did it go?

if you have a clueless boss, you need to find a way to break through his own haze of overwork and stress to clarify what's going on with you. if you have a boss who knows and doesn't like to hear about employee problems, you need to find a new boss OR do the calculus about time to completion before you get masters versus leaving now. (beware: if organization is paying for your tuition, they may be allowed to ask for it back. look into the tuition reimbursement policy as part of our calculation.)