Lazy Man and Money

I’m Being “Furloughed!”

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This is from regular writer Kosmo. I put furloughed in quotes because when he first told me about it he said he was getting a mandatory week off of work without pay.

We got news that we will be furloughed for a week – either in July or September. This was a bit of a kick in the wallet, as it’s basically a 2% reduction in pay for the year. On the flip side, we won’t be working that week, so it’ll be time to recharge the batteries a bit. In normal circumstances, that wouldn’t be bad. Right now, honestly, my batteries are pretty well charged. I’m no longer spending 60-90 minutes per day commuting, not taking the kids to their activities, and not going out to restaurants and stores. We’re even getting to kids to (reluctantly) do some household tasks. That has free up a lot of time.

Many companies have been hit hard by COVID-19. If a one week furlough ends up being the only impact I feel, I’ll be pretty happy. More realistically, my bonus will take a hit, because it’s tied to company performance. I assume we’ll still get raises next year, but that’s not certain. Hopefully, this is the only furlough week we’ll have, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we have another.

My wife’s employer is the major hospital in the area. Since basically all non-emergency care was banned for a couple of months, they had a huge drop in revenue. They’re going to be doing something to cut expenses, but it’s not clear what. Hopefully, it’s just a furlough of a week or two.

Overall, my employer has been handling the situation very well and has been very transparent about the whole process.

What is the financial impact?

My wife and I are pretty secure in our jobs. Nobody is ever perfectly safe, but we’re both positioned pretty well. The impact on us will be mostly short term. We’re going to lose thousands of dollars in income. Hopefully, this is in the low single digits. Bonuses and future raises could also be impacted.

Unlike many people, we’re not living paycheck to paycheck. We’re both mid-career, and we don’t have particularly expensive tastes. While we don’t save quite as much as we’d like (largely because we have kids) we put a pretty healthy chunk into retirement savings every month, have a great start on 529 plans for the kids, 50%+ equity in our house, and have enough in liquid assets to weather a short-term storm.

We also qualified for a partial stimulus payment, which we put into savings. Our expenses have also dropped quite a bit in the past few months. Our driving has dropped to almost nothing, which should delay the purchase of a commuter car to replace my 2007 Elantra. Additionally, I’m pretty sure I’ll qualify for unemployment during the furlough(s). Put this all together, and it’s likely that our financial picture won’t be impacted too much – with the lower expenses offsetting the decreased pay.

How will I spend my time?

I’m going to have several days where I don’t have to think about work at all. How will I spend my time?

First of all, I’m going to take some naps. Why not? [Editor’s Note: I highly recommend naps.]

The garage could use a cleaning. Mostly, I just need to get rid of random crap that I no longer need and organized all the containers of screws, bolts, and nails I have. I have no idea what the school situation will be like, but if the kids are home, they can pitch in.

We have a ton of stuff to drop off at Goodwill. There’s a decent-sized mountain in our storage room, and it would be nice if we could reclaim that space. Again, the kids will be able to help with this – sorting things into piles so that we can get everything properly categorized and logged for tax purposes.

I’ll probably spend a bit of time writing. I’ll probably write a couple of articles for this site, and maybe dust off my novel.

Time for stamps?

Will I have time for stamps? Of course.

One activity that has taken up quite a bit of time lately is my jump into philately. I’ve been scouring auction sites for good deals and spending quite a bit of time and money getting my collection off the ground. What do I have to show for it? A lot of half-empty album pages. Many of the early pages have only a few stamps.

There are 665 New Zealand stamps issued between 1855 and 1970 if you ignore specialist variations (which I do). At this point, I have specimens of 298 of those stamps in my album (in some cases, multiples of the same stamp) and another 30 are currently in transit. COVID-19 has been brutal on international mail – I’ve been waiting 40 days for some of the albums, and 25+ for several. So I have purchased about 330 of the stamps I’ll need.

When I get those stamps in my album, I’ll be halfway done – in just two months. That means I should have the whole collection wrapped up by about Labor Day, right? Not quite. Although I’ve picked up a few higher-end stamps, most of the stamps in my album are the cheaper ones. I’ll probably be able to fill another 200 spots in my album without spending too much on any particular stamp. But as I get close to the finish line, it’ll start to get a lot more expensive.

Also, I’ve picked up an interest in covers (envelopes). Each cover is somewhat unique. A different addressee, postmark, or even physical placement of the stamps. I actually have my eye on several that I’ll be purchasing soon. Now I just need to figure out how to store them.

An interesting note: I’ve become irrationally drawn to postage due stamps.

Working from home until next year

Other big news from my employer is that we’ll be working from home until next spring. Some employees might start coming back to the office in September, but it’ll be a slow trickle for a long time. I’m in IT, and since we should know how to be productive with remote tools, we’ll probably be last.

I’ve been getting by with a single 22″ monitor for the last few months. When I was last in the office (March 12), we weren’t allowed to take equipment with us. They relaxed the restriction a few days later, but at that point, I had no desire to go back into the office.

We bought a spare monitor and dock for my wife so that she has two LCD monitors in her workspace upstairs. I really didn’t want to repeat that expense downstairs. Most of my recent work has been analysis and planning. Lately, it’s been shifting into testing work. Testing is a lot easier with two monitors, and if we’re going to be working from home for nine more months, I needed another monitor.

So I got my manager’s approval to go back into the office to grab stuff. I grabbed a monitor (24″), a dock, and my Lazarus Android tablet, which had died for several weeks, been replaced, and then suddenly came back to life. I had Lazarus stashed at work since I had a better tablet at home. I also grabbed my stash of cables, and my Cyclones hoodie and jacket. Then I went to work cleaning. I always have a lot of food stashed in desk drawers. Everything was sealed and had not yet attracted rodents. Pretty much everything was expired. The whole lot went into the trash.

How are you being impacted

How are you being impacted by COVID-19? What changes have you had to make in your daily routines?

Pandemic Finances

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The following article is from regular contributor Kosmo. It was submitted earlier last week, before most of the conversation in the United States has rightfully focused on race and police brutality. I’m busy homeschooling a 6 and 7 year old through finals week (who knew there were kindergarten “finals”?). There’s great unrest in the personal finance blogger community as well. Everything around me seems to be an onion of fighting – just layers upon layers of fighting – home with kids, professional, politically, human rights, science (COVID-19) – did I miss anything?

We’re now about 2.5 months into the COVID-19 pandemic.  Some businesses are starting to open, while others will still be closed for a while.

My wife and I have both been working from home since mid-March.  It’s likely that she’ll be returning to the office in the next month.  My employer has announced that we will be working from home at least through Labor Day.  Even then, offices will only be at 25% capacity for a while.

It’s been a roller coaster ride of good and bad financial news:

Bad news: Investments

The pandemic has cost most people money, and we’re no exception.  The biggest hit was investment accounts.  We’re tracking slightly ahead of the Dow, but are still down for the year.  We’re mid-career, and although we haven’t saved quite as much as we’d have like (thanks, kids), we still have more in investment accounts than most people our age.  That means that we’ve taken a decent hit.

Some of our retirement assets are in pensions from my previous and current employer.  The pension from my previous employer is defined benefit, so there has been no impact.  The pension from my current employer is defined contribution, but can’t lose money.  It basically pays a dividend within a fairly tight range, based on bond rates.

Bad news: Compensation

Unfortunately, my bonus for next year will likely take a hit.  Last year, my bonus was around 10%.  The company will likely struggle to meet some of the ROI-related goals for the year, which will impact bonuses.

My wife’s employer is a hospital, and they have seen significantly decreased revenue.  They are looking at more drastic action, which will likely include some sort of temporary pay cut.  We’re just hoping it’s a small cut.

Bad new: home office costs

We didn’t go crazy setting up home offices, but my wife did need a few things.  She’s a CPA, so a second monitor (and the dock to make it possible) was a must, and she quickly got tired of the chair, so an office chair was a must.  Overall, the costs were about $350.

I didn’t have any costs for my own setup.  Currently, most of my job is involving analysis.  If I was doing a lot of heads-down testing, a second monitor might be a necessity.  For now, I’m happy hunkered down in the corner of the dungeon basement.  (It’s actually a finished basement, so it’s not a bad setup at all.)

Not all bad

I don’t want to dwell too much on the negative.  We’re better off than most people.  My wife’s pay cut will only be temporary, and I’m confident that the market will eventually rebound.  We did qualify for most of the stimulus check, which should offset some of negatives.

Good news: no day care

My kids are 12 and 10.  We’ve been paying people to watch them since they were born.  Day care, BASP (B and After School Program), and summer care.  For the last 2.5 months, they’ve been at home.  We’re still paying a holding fee (because if you lose your spot, you’re screwed), but the cost is much lower.

My daughter won’t be going back.  She’ll be in 7th grade next year and will be taking the bus to school.  It would have been nice (and cheaper) to have that as an option in previous years, but we’re 1.9 miles from the elementary school, and kids must be 2.0 miles from the school in order to qualify for a bus.

My son (going into 5th grade) will be going back at some point.  But by the time I go back to work, we will have saved more than $2000.

Note: the IRS is allowing people to change their flex spending for dependent care, but only if their employer allows it.  If you won’t need your entire flex spending amount, check with HR to see if you can decrease your election.

Good news: long hair

I’m the only member of the household who has had a haircut since March.  No, I’m not a jerk who sneaks out to the barbershop in the dead of night.  For the past twenty years, I’ve used a home haircutting kit to cut my own hair.

My son’s hair is getting a bit shaggy, and we’re currently planning a trip to the cuttery next week, with all possible precautions.

Haircuts are expensive.

Good news: lower discretionary spending

We’re spending a lot less money on discretionary things.  We’re not dining out (although we’re doing delivery a couple of times per week), not buying random stuff at the mall, not buying gas, not incurring wear and tear on the cars.  No date nights, no movies, no sports gambling (because there are no sports).

Instead of buying snacks at the vending machine at work, I’ve been getting 2 liter bottles of generic cola (99 cents) and bags of candy bars.  That’s saving a few dollars per day.  I could save even more if I snacked on water and carrots, but who are we kidding?

[Editor’s Note: Our investment in a custom SodaStream kit has kept us with plenty of fizz. Flavorings, such as diet coke, or calorie-free fruit is very cheap.]

We run a lot of household expenses through our Fidelity Visa, since it automatically puts the 2% cashback into 529 accounts for the kids.  The monthly costs has been about half what it is in a normal month.

What are we spending money on?

We’re still spending some money, of course.  The grocery bill has skyrocketed, since those groceries are now providing nearly every meal.  In  a typical week, the kids would eat at school (2 kids X 5 meals per week = 10), and we would eat several meals out.  So the cost of the typical meal is lower, but almost all of that cost is on the grocery bill now.  (Speaking of food, it’s lunch time for me – time to microwave a Banquet Salisbury steak TV dinner.)

[Editor’s Note: I’ve been occasionally splitting Hungry Man dinners for lunch with 7 year old. It’s hard because he doesn’t eat a lot of different foods.]

As mentioned in my last article,  I have begun collecting stamps.  I’ve spend too much and money on stamps in the past month.  It’s a drop in the bucket compare to what we’ve been saving, but it has definitely become a bit of a money pit.  The good news is that I should be done buying supplies for a while.  I have my tongs, magnifying glass, stock pages, and storage boxes.  So I’ll just be buying stamps now.

I also spent a few bucks buying digital codes for the Jurassic Park and Hunger Games movies.  For a total cost of about $30, I was able to get nine movies.  In a normal situation, I don’t have much time to watch movies.  Lately, I’ve had quite a bit of free time.

We also decided to upgrade tech for the kids.  They currently have Fire 6 tablets.  We actually got a great deal  of them at the time.  By taking advantage of a Prime Day deal and signing up for an Amazon credit card, our total cost was $47 – or $23.50 per unit.  The downside is that they kinda suck, and that they’re now five years old.  Battery life has always been an issue, and it’s getting worse.  Surprisingly, the kids haven’t complained yet, because Minecraft still works.

I found a deal on the 8″ Lenovo Tab 3 and bought two of them.  I have a Lenovo Tab 10 for myself, and it has been a very good user experience.  The Tab 3 doesn’t have the same specs, but it should be good for their needs – Minecraft and streaming video.  We ended up paying $59 each.

Non-financial news

We were planning a vacation to Door County, Wisconsin in a few weeks.  Our AirBNB was very nice and was within walking distance from Lake Michigan in 2017.  We planned a return trip last year, but had to cancel due to a family medical situation.  So we made the same plans for this year.  Unfortunately, with all the uncertainly, we decided to push this back to next year.  Finger crossed that everything works out next year.

What about you?

How have your finances changed?

A Killer Made Me Do It

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Today, we have another post from writer Kosmo… influenced by a killer.

My birthday is coming up later this month.  My wife recently asked me what I wanted.  Most years, I don’t have a good answer.  I pre-order Kindle versions of the books I want, and I generally don’t accumulate a lot of “stuff”.

“Stamps,” I replied.

Why am I beginning a stamp collection just as I approach my 45th birthday?  Well, a killer made me do it.

My favorite writer is Lawrence Block.  I’ve written several articles about his works over the years.  If you like mysteries, you’ll probably find a Block series that you like.  The killer who stoked my philatelic interests is a man named Keller, the subject of a five book series.  Keller is a hit man.  He travels around the country, killing people who need to be killed.  When he finishes the job, he ends up with a bunch of cash.  You can’t deposit a lot of cash without having the bank file a form 8300 with the IRS.  Nor can you structure your deposits in such a way to avoid detection.  In fact, making five deposits of $9500 each will raise more eyebrows than a single $47,500 transaction.

So, what’s a hit man to do with all this cash?  He plows it into stamps.  They sit in albums, slowly appreciating in value (although Keller is quick to point out that it’s difficult to recover the purchase price very quickly, due to dealer markup).  Block tends to weave a lot of actual knowledge into his books (particularly the Keller and Tanner series).  So I was able to pick up the basics of collecting from Keller.

Block also wrote articles for Linn’s Stamp News.  Those were compiled into a book called Generally Speaking.  I read it when it initially came out, despite having no interest in actually collecting at that time.  The book was recently updated, so if you’re interested in the hobby and haven’t read it, this is a good time to read it.

But enough with the free advertising for my favorite author.  What do I hope to get out of stamp collecting?

It’s certainly not a profit motive.  While Keller can invest in high dollar items such as Martinique 2 and Martinique 17, I’m going to be buying considerably lower dollar items, such as this lovely set from the Ross dependency.  (What’s the Ross Dependency?  It’s the section of Antarctica that belongs to New Zealand).  I’m doing it purely for the enjoyment.  I’ll periodically spend small sums of money and expect the collection to never be particularly valuable.

Speaking of money, there are a lot of things you can buy when you’re getting started in the hobby.

  • Catalogues – If you want to have an idea of what’s out there and what to expect to pay, you’ll want a catalogue.  Scott is the dominant force in the market.  There are a variety of catalogues, depending on your area of interest.  Expect to pay about $100 for a new catalogue, or many hundreds if you collect several countries (especially if they are in different part of the alphabet).  There are some free online catalogues, such as Stampworld and FreeStampCatalogue.  However, everyone has their own numbering scheme, and most seller use the numbers from the Scott catalogue (or sometimes Stanley Gibbons).  So if you don’t have a Scott catalogue, you may have to do a bit more research when you’re buying or selling.  I’ve opted not to buy a Scott catalogue, at least for now.  Instead, I spent $15 on a used copy of a book about New Zealand’s stamps.
  • Tracking software – You probably want to track what you actually have.  These are generally subscription-based services.  I opted for StampWorld’s VIP membership ($30 per year) which includes tracking of your collection.
  • Magnifying glass – If you want a close-up look at your stamps, you’ll want a magnifying glass.  My close vision has been getting worse in recent years (as a normal part of the aging process), so this will be a must.
  • Tongs – You shouldn’t touch stamps with your fingers, because the oils on your skin can harm the stamps.  Instead, you should special stamp tongs to move stamps.
  • Storage – There are a different ways to store stamps.
    • You can spends hundreds of dollars on nice albums.  There are albums for various specialties.  If you’re collecting newer stamps, there will be supplements each year, for the stamps that were issued during year.  The album will have a specific space for each specific stamp in your collection.  You use mounts or hinges (older method, less expensive than mounts) to attach your stamps.
    • Stockbooks – Stockbook pages contain a number or vertical strips.  Simply slide your stamps under a strip, and you’re done.  It might not look quite as nice as a pricey album, but it’s less expensive and it’s easier to move stamps around (for example, if you get a higher quality version of a particular stamp).
    • DIY – I’m actually going to buy some Stockbook pages and put them into a three ring binder I have.  It’s a nice, big binder that was originally purchased for my baseball card collection.  It ended up going into storage and never got used.  Finally, it gets to shine.  I’m going to buy some stockbook pages and put them into the album.  You can buy pages with a various configurations, because stamps vary in sizes.  Additionally, some collectors collect “covers” (envelopes with the stamp attached) and those naturally take up much more room.  Stockbook pages usually have a lot of holes, so that they can be used in a variety of binders.
    • Glassine envelopes for short-term storage of stamps.  Glassine is a semi-translucent paper.
  • Stamps – I knew I was forgetting something.  Now that you can store and handle stamps, it’s time to buy them.  You can buy from a dealer, or on Ebay or stamp auction sites such as HipStamp.

Before you start just buy stamps randomly, you’ll want to figure out what you want to collect.  This may be a particular country or date range (worldwide pre-1940 is a common specialty) or a topical subset, such as stamps that feature fish.

My primary focus will be on New Zealand, pre-1970.  In recent years, I have adopted New Zealand as a country of interest.  (Executive summary: I wanted to bond with Indian co-workers over cricket.  I somewhat randomly picked New Zealand as my favorite team and got hooked).  It seems like production of stamps really proliferated after about 1970, and I don’t really care for a lot of the newer stamps.  In addition to New Zealand itself, there’s also the Realm of New Zealand –  Ross Dependency (in Antarctica), Tokelau, Cook Islands, and Niue.  So there’s plenty for me to collect without going beyond New Zealand.  If I do branch out further, it will likely be into the non-Australian portions of Oceania.

I’ll also have a few topical subsets, just for fun.  I’ll collect baseball, cricket (the sport), dinosaurs, tigers, and elephants.  I’ll probably also delve into covers a bit.  There are some items from the Ross Dependency that have postmarks from the actual location in Antarctica, which seems pretty cool to me.

How many philatelists are in our midst?  What have you found most enjoyable about the hobby?  What advice to you have for new collectors?  And, if you don’t mind sharing, how much money have you sunk into stamps over the years?

Shopping for the End of the World (as we know it)

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Today’s article comes from regular contributor, Kosmo.

My family is at near-lockdown stage at this point.  A week ago, the kids were in school, my wife and I were both working from the office, and we were set to go on a long weekend trip to a local indoor waterpark.  The trip was the first to get scuttled.  Late on Thursday, my company gave us the option to work from home for two weeks (which has since been changed to indefinitely).  My kids aren’t going to have school for at least a month.  My wife is hoping that her group’s work from home request, currently mired in red tape, approved today.  If not, she’s going to burn vacation waiting for the approval.  At that point, none of us are leaving the house/yard for a while.  The vast majority of Iowa’s cases are in my county (thanks to an Egyptian cruise), so we’re being cautious with our human interactions.

We usually have a good supply of food on hand, but enough to last 4-8 weeks?  Probably not.  Over the weekend, I made a trip to the grocery store.  What did I get?

Non-perishables

  • Canned tuna – I hate tuna (and pretty much all seafood), but the rest of the family likes it.  The stuff’s good for a couple of years.  I also bought a couple of jars of Miracle Whip to mix with it
  • Other canned meat – I bought some canned chicken and ham.  There aren’t going to be anyone’s favorites, so I’ll push them to the back of the pile.  But if we need protein, they’ll serve nicely.  Easy recipe: make Stove Top per the recipe on the box.  Then add canned chicken, cheese, and a splash of A-1.  Not everyone likes the resulting casserole, but I do – and it’s very quick and easy to make.
  • Peanut butter and jelly – A couple of larger containers of both.  While peanut butter doesn’t have as much protein as the meats, it does have some.  We’re going to run out of bread before too long, so I also bought crackers to spread it on.
  • Dinty Moore beef stew – My wife likes the stuff, so I bought several cans.
  • Beef vegetable soup
  • Hormel Compleats pot roast – I eat these pretty often for a lunch at work, so I grabbed several of them.  Should keep things feeling fairly normal for me.
  • Summer sausage – It’s good for about six months and doesn’t require refrigeration until opened.  My daughter and I both it quite a bit
  • Chef Boyardee for the kids.
  • Pop – I’d go crazy without my sugar and caffeine
  • Spaghetti (unprepared)
  • Tomato soup – To make spaghetti
  • Microwave Mac and Cheese – Velveeta shells and cheese
  • Ramen noodle – I’m not sure these things ever expire
  • Fruit cups – The store was a bit picked over, but there were still some peaches
  • Raisins – Fresh fruit that lasts virtually forever
  • Applesauce
  • Pudding – Name brand stuff was gone, but Hy-Vee (grocery chain) will be fine.

Perishables

  • Bread – It won’t last long, but it’ll keep things feeling normal for a bit
  • Hamburger – The most versatile of meats.
  • Hot dogs and brats – immediately threw them in the fridge to stall the clock
  • Cheese – We like cheese a lot.  Blocks of cheese had expiration dates a few months out, so I bought a half dozen blocks.  Colby jack for the rest of the family; non-jacked Colby for me.
  • Deli meats – Bought some Hillshire Farms 9oz tubs of ham and turkey.  The expiration dates are a couple of months out.  They’re good for about a week after you crack the seal.
  • Bananas and apples

As you can see, there was a lot of focus on protein-rich non-perishables.

Note that we already had a stocked freezer before this whole situation started.  So we already had plenty of frozen pizzas, pot pies, hot pockets, TV dinners, as well as several pounds of hamburger.

We’re also stressing food conservation to the kids

  • We WILL eat leftovers.  Eat yesterday’s leftovers today, so that you don’t have to dip into the reserves.
  • Avoid waste by taking only what you know you will be able to eat.  If you’re still hungry, have some more.  But avoid having uneaten food on your plate at the end of the meal.
  • Be wary of expiration dates on perishables.  Once you’ve started the clock ticking (opening the deli meat, for example), focus on that item for the next several days until it is gone.  Don’t allow food to spoil.

The food conservation tips are always a good practice, but we’re not always as diligent about them, especially when something even more tasty is just around the corner at the grocery store or restaurant.  There’s no longer such a thing as a quick trip to the grocery store.  Every outside interaction is a potential exposure.  While we should avoid panic, we should also make smart choices and minimize outside contact as much as possible.

Job Search Journey: Management Potential?

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This is a continuation of Kosmo’s Job Search Journey, but you can read it as a standalone article.

The Whole Job Search Series:
1. You’re Fired
2. Assessing the Situation
3. Networking
4. Learn
5. The Interview
6. Frustration
7. Success
8. Sink or Swim
9. Search for Stability
10. Job Search Journey: The Interview the Lasted for Seven Months
11. Advice

Two years ago, I was facing the impending loss of my job.  I was nearly three months into my job search, and barely three months from the point where I would no longer have a job.  Panic had begun to set in – I was wondering how long we might have to survive on one salary, and how I would avoid getting bored while unemployed.  For that matter, what was the process for filing unemployment?

Happily, it never came to that.  I ended up finding a job about six weeks before the clocked stopped.  I coordinated my start date with the termination date for my old job, so that I’d qualify for my severance. After eight months as a contract employee, I transitioned to permanent employee status.  My employer is one of the most prestigious companies in the area.  Overall, things worked out really well.

Now, I’m looking to take the next step in my career.  My boss left for another job.  I applied for his job, interviewed for the position, and am awaiting the decision.  My interview wasn’t perfect, but went well.  I was able to make most of my key points.  I think I have a decent shot at the job.  If not now, I think it’s just a matter of time.

Why become a manager?

I was a regular employee at my previous job for more than twenty years.  During that time, I never had an interest in becoming a manager.  Why not?  Mostly because I was always surrounded by very experienced teams members on autonomous teams.  Honestly, as a manager, if you have a twenty year employee with a track record of success, you should have a fairly hands-off approach.  Be available for guidance, make them aware of any new information (changes in policy, etc), help remove roadblocks, but don’t micro-manage.  Stay out of their way and let them get work done.

At my current company, there are a lot of people who are less experienced.  Many of these people are bright, but they simply don’t have the experience to have learned some life lessons.  You learn a lot by making mistakes – and often times, they haven’t yet made those mistakes.  They may need explanations of why things are done one way and not another.  Many times, the answer is that the approved way has more safeguards and exposes the company to less risk.  They may also be unsure of what their career path will be, and may need someone to show them the options, and help them take the next steps.

I’ve spent my career helping to build IT systems for people.  This work is akin to picking the fruit from a tree.  When you retire, your legacy disappears fairly quickly.  I want to become Johnny Appleseed (Johnny Careerseed), helping employees become productive and happy (akin to planting fruit trees instead of merely picking up the fruit).  The legacy of Johnny Careerseed will live on after Johnny has retired.

How to become a manager

Obviously, you can’t simply decided to become a manager and have your wish granted.  You have to take some steps to prepare.  Here are a few of those steps.

Be good at your current job

If you have a reputation as a poor performer in your current job, you’re not going to be seriously considered, even if the jobs are completely different.  If you’re a mediocre performer at your current job, focus on improving your performance, before applying for manager positions.

Initiative

The analyst I replaced wasn’t someone who showed a lot of initiative.  I was able to make an immediate positive impression by jumping in and taking some initiative to move my project forward.  At this point, I am the project lead, and I do many of the task which typically fall to a project manager.

Interpersonal skills

You don’t need to become best friends with everyone you work with, but it’s helpful to at least have a positive or neutral working relationship with everyone.  In your current role, you might be able to avoid interacting with certain co-workers.  As a manager, you won’t have that ability.  You’ll need to interact with all of your employees in a fair, non-partial way.

My boss also “volunteered” me to work on a committee for his boss.  This ended up being a good opportunity to have face time with his boss – the guy who happens to be the hiring manager for the job I applied for.

Interview experience

If you become a manager, you’ll have the opportunity to hire new employees at some point.  Interviews look very difference from the other side of the table.  If possible, gain some experience on an interview panel.  Be an active participant, but also pay attention to the other people in the interview.  If you hear an insightful question steal borrow it for future use.

In the past year, I’ve been involved in about a dozen interviews.  Recently, my project manager asked if I’d be interested in being on the panel for a position she was trying to fill.  It’s not even a position on my team, so it helps bolster my reputation as a team player, while also gaining me valuable experience.

One thing I always try to do is smile and nod a lot during the meeting, to help put the interviewee at ease.  The goal of an interview is to determine if the applicant can do the job; often, nervousness during the interview makes it more difficult to determine how well the person can do the job.

Fun fact: the project manager was initially interested in poaching me for the position, until it became apparent that she couldn’t afford me.  That made me feel better about my negotiating skills – I’m apparently doing quite compared to others in my role.

Training

Take advantage of any training your company offers.  I was able to take a course on “difficult conversations” that I found useful.  Historically, I haven’t been great at confrontation, but I’ve improved pretty dramatically in recent years.

Advice

Finally, look around you and get advice from family or friends.  I have several friends who are IT managers, serving in similar roles to the position I’m seeking.  I’ve reached out for them for their thoughts and advice, and I’ll continue to do that in the future.  Shared information makes everyone stronger.

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