System Engineer Position

[rewilliams10]

I have a good job with Sprint but just received a 20% raise to work for Cerner. I have been reading a lot of bad reviews about Cerner about working 50-60 hours per week. The team that i would be on is Cerner Works. Can anyone give me some insight on this team with this position?

Thanks in advance

 

[Markbnj]

Really?

 

[Tweak155]

You received an OFFER for 20% more, correct? How many hours / wk you work now? If the change in hours is 20%, it is a net 0 effect.

 

[rewilliams10]

I get to work around 9:15 and leave around 4:30 with and hour and half lunch break. So I work actually about 30 ish hours a week and get paid for 40 hours. Yeah the work hours would definitely increase by more than 20%.

 

[JM Aggie08]

I get to work around 9:15 and leave around 4:30 with and hour and half lunch break. So I work actually about 30 ish hours a week and get paid for 40 hours. Yeah the work hours would definitely increase by more than 20%.

So:

*Terrible company reviews.
*No net pay increase relative to workload.

Stay the fuck at Sprint.

 

[sdifox]

that 20 percent is maybe 10 percent in hand after all the taxes no?

 

[zinfamous]

benefits?

 

[slag]

So:

*Terrible company reviews.
*No net pay increase relative to workload.

Stay the fuck at Sprint.

Ayep.

Used to work at sprint. It wasn't a bad company to work for.

Do you live in Lenexa/Overland Park, or do you commute from Lees Summit or somewhere north? I guess what I'm getting at is, would your drive be much less to cerner?

 

[rewilliams10]

The benefits are about the same, And drive is about the same. I'm thinking a counter offer to make it worthwhile and will go from there. It would be awesome if it was a normal 40 hours per week job

 

[seepy83]

You should think of your current 9:15-4:30 with 90 minute lunch as a big perk to your existing job. I don't know what your salary range is right now, but jobs with those kinds of hours (likely very low stress) are few and far between in the IT field.

 

[ultimatebob]

The benefits are about the same, And drive is about the same. I'm thinking a counter offer to make it worthwhile and will go from there. It would be awesome if it was a normal 40 hours per week job

If you wanna play hardball, show the offer to your current employer and ask for a raise.

I've seen it done successfully before, but you can piss off your existing boss if he's big on loyalty.

 

[neegotiator]

I was a Software Engineer there years ago on a different team, so can't specifically speak for Cerner Works or the System Engineer position in general. I was definitely in the 50-60 hours along with occasional 2-3 weeks periods where we'd stick around til 10pm and on. It was ok coming out of college, but I left after couple years due to combo of proprietary technologies (i.e. - CCL) that didn't translate outside, a lot of groups saying "that's how we've always done it", and the work hours (haha though wish I stuck around for the stock)

Sorry can't speak for that group and maybe it's changed since I left, just my 2 cents.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

it's systemS engineer.

 

[DT4K]

Keep in mind, this was in 2005, so i'm not sure if things have changed at all since then.
I interviewed with Cerner for a software dev job.
They booked me on a flight that arrived in KC about 10pm Sunday night. They picked me up and took me to the hotel.
They picked me up at 8am Monday morning and brought me to their offices.
I spent about 2 hours being interviewed by a few different people.
Then they took me straight to the airport for the return flight.

No rental car. No time to check out the area or anything.

They called me a couple days later and offered me a job.
I said no thanks.

The travel arrangements, along with the whole interview process, left me with the distinct impression that they didn't give a crap about their employees or potential employees.

I've interviewed with several other companies over the course of my career and all of them have made arrangements to provide a rental car and give me time to explore the area. One company even made arrangements to have me spend the day with a realtor, so they could give me a tour of the various areas of the city and look at some houses. It seems pretty obvious that someone who is considering relocating might want to see the area they would be relocating to. But Cerner only seemed concerned with getting me in and out as fast as possible and as cheaply as possible.

That's just my experience and it was over 8 years ago, so take it for what it's worth.

 

[rewilliams10]

It really depends how much money I want to make and what i want to do with my career

 

[Scarpozzi]

If you're happy with your current setup, don't rock the boat. Also remember that retirement savings and benefits/health care may differ between employers. Do your research up front on who has the better benefits package. 20% for more hours and less benefits isn't a move in the right direction.

 

[Tweak155]

If you're happy with your current job, I'd stay. It's hard to find a job you're content with in the long term. Jobs generally always seem great at first, but they lose their honeymoon affect. So if you've been there a while and still like it, I'd not switch.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

a close friend went to work with cerner out of college. this guy has a huge tolerance for punishment, and even he couldn't handle it for more than a couple years. They hire cheap kids out of college, work them till there is nothing left and repeat the process.

do you really want to work possibly 100% more (30hr to 60hr) for only 20% more pay?

 

[Murloc]

remember that taxes are progressive in most countries (at least up to a point) so that 20% increase might actually be even less due to increased taxation, like if you end up in a higher bracket by a low margin.

Unless you're dirt poor, I don't see a reason to go from those great hours to a stressed out no-life job.

Remember that according to various sources, happiness tops out at 50k-75k$ depending on where you live. At the same time, rich managers kill themselves because of the stress.

 

[vi edit]

a close friend went to work with cerner out of college. this guy has a huge tolerance for punishment, and even he couldn't handle it for more than a couple years. They hire cheap kids out of college, work them till there is nothing left and repeat the process.

Epic does the same exact thing. They hire fresh, bright brains out of college, assimilate them to the hive and then devour their souls until they can escape. Cerner is making some serious gains in market share growth while Epic is slowing down. I'm sure they are working around the clock to play catchup and continue their upward market trends.

The interesting part of these jobs is that you can learn the ins and outs of the systems very well and then go on to pick up an analyst position at a healthcare system that is a much lower pressure environment. If you can stick out the couple years of misery and learn the system well, you have some good marketability in healthcare systems that are Cerner shops.

 

[Tweak155]

remember that taxes are progressive in most countries (at least up to a point) so that 20% increase might actually be even less due to increased taxation, like if you end up in a higher bracket by a low margin.

Unless you're dirt poor, I don't see a reason to go from those great hours to a stressed out no-life job.

Remember that according to various sources, happiness tops out at 50k-75k$ depending on where you live. At the same time, rich managers kill themselves because of the stress.

That is simply not true. Whatever portion of your income that is over the bracket is taxed at the higher rate, not all of your income.

If tax bracket is $60-$100k @ 20% and you make $75k, then only $15k is taxed at 20%.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I got derailed at the 90 minute lunch break. Outside of Europe, I've never heard of this.

 

[ultimatebob]

I got derailed at the 90 minute lunch break. Outside of Europe, I've never heard of this.

I doubt that it's an official 90 minute lunch break... he can just get away with it because nobody is watching.

 

[XavierMace]

If you're seriously only working 30 hours a week, I'd milk that as long as you can.

 

[Schfifty Five]

That is simply not true. Whatever portion of your income that is over the bracket is taxed at the higher rate, not all of your income.

If tax bracket is $60-$100k @ 20% and you make $75k, then only $15k is taxed at 20%.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Murloc was saying that Tweak155.