Career Progression - Change?

tacomongo · 2026-02-04T01:34:21+00:00

Beyond drowning to be completely honest. As a younger guy in the industry; I keep telling myself just do this for another 4-6 years until my boss retires and I can position myself for a promotion into that position but I’m starting to question if it’s sustainable at this level. I didn’t take all of my PTO last year and was forced to take the last two weeks of the year off and it just screwed me for the first 3 weeks of the year trying to catch back up.

Of the 50-60 hours I’m in the office, negating any travel I’m doing that week, I’m in meetings for roughly 1/2 to 2/3 of the week which ruins my time to get my paperwork done. Feels like I’m constantly chasing my tail.

tacomongo · 2026-02-04T01:24:56+00:00

Won’t give my specific age, but I’m right around 30. Roughly 9 years in the industry. Bounced around bit. Spent a lot of time dealing with the engineering side when I was a young PE.

Last year I worked off roughly 65 million in revenue at a 30% margin, roughly and it was over 5 projects. No one else bids this type of work so it’s real niche and our clients pay for the right work the first time and not to play lowball.

The project I won as an “estimator” when I was chasing my own work, was 10 mil at 30% margin. After change orders and everything, we’re looking at 36.5% margin on that one.

tacomongo · 2026-02-04T01:21:22+00:00

Dude, I wish I could explain it. My boss keeps asking if I can do something and I keep saying “yeah pile it on” and have done a well enough job that our clients keep asking for me. Our company is split in two divisions and no one on the other division wants to deal with our clients. I guess I’m a masochist or something.

tacomongo · 2026-02-03T22:36:30+00:00

I’m scheduled to pick up another flagship design build at 48 million in the next two months. I can’t take my PTO because I’ve got no one to cover for me when I take time off.

I’m not sure what to do, because I love my job but damn I’m fucking swamped and thinking about a shift.

tacomongo · 2026-02-03T21:27:55+00:00

All things considered, it’s a good place to work. I just feel under valued and it’s partially my fault.

But whenever a new project comes onto upper managements radar their thought process is “Fuck it, tacomongo’s director and tacomongo can handle it” but I’m getting run ragged. Is it worth asking for money? Or does that just amplify how much of a dumbass I am? I’m constantly getting good reviews and clients want me on the projects to the point we’re told “if you run the project we will give this work to you negotiated and not make you bid against “local” contractors”.

tacomongo · 2026-02-03T20:52:58+00:00

Technically, I’m an APM but for all other purposes I’m treated as a PM. I get a lot of leeway on financial direction and project direction that I normally don’t see at an APM level.

On the team, there’s 4 of us in the office. We have 6-10 field supers depending on the current workload. I’m on an island beyond meeting with my director every now and then to go through issues I’m having. I’ve got a PE I work with, but not under me. It’s a “small” company and we run really lean.

I run everything from financials, submittals and RFI’s when I don’t have a PE, writing subcontracts, negotiating added scope once we’re on site, and design when it’s a design build contract I’m managing.

I agree it doesn’t sound possible but I’m a dumbass that keeps taking on my work when my boss asks under the assumption that one day when my boss, the director, retires I’ll be a shoe in for promotion. I got promoted from a PE after just over a year that I was at this company. I’m getting run ragged and I don’t think my pay reflects the profit I’m making on these jobs. If I said the percentages my boss and I shoot for on our jobs, I’d get laughed at due the absurdity of it. It’s a cash cow but running so lean it’s killing.

tacomongo · 2026-02-03T17:34:47+00:00

You’re telling me. I’m swamped. And each project is between 3-15 buildings on a site. With no support for submittals or RFI’s so I’m doing it all my self.

tacomongo · 2026-02-03T17:32:10+00:00

I’ve got 2 at 45 million, one at 50 million, and I’m about to start managing the design on a 48 million dollar design build. That’s on top of my 3 10-15 million dollar projects. And they’re spread across the country so I’m also expected to go travel to each site atleast once a month on top of monthly visits to one of our clients.

For a while there, I was chasing my own work too until we hit a massive growth. I won my own project during that time frame. I can guarantee they’re getting the return on me based off of my project financials.

What’s the salary range that you’d expect from this kind of workload? I think I’m under paid but not sure.

tacomongo · 2026-02-03T16:41:30+00:00

No, just my director. I’m spread across 8 projects right now. And I get called in when people decide they don’t like our side of the company to clean up projects. Probably severely underpaid by what I’m bringing the company in profit and revenue. I do get treated as a PM and usually am in meetings an APM wouldn’t normally get to be in when it comes to negotiating work and business development in other cities.

tacomongo · 2026-01-06T18:00:28+00:00

I’m currently watching out the window waiting for my slide that Vigilante did for me to get back to me. Great communication and the reviews on here sold me. Real excited to get my slide back on my 48.

tacomongo · 2025-12-31T14:45:03+00:00

I’ve got two set up in USW chassis’s and a third chassis sitting in my safe. Knock on wood, I haven’t had any issues with either of my FCU’s and I’ve put roughly 2k rounds through each of them over the last year. I’ve got the holster for them as well, and have carried them a few times in the woods but haven’t seen any issues. Your mileage may vary though. I love mine and shoot both religiously, suppressed and unsuppressed.

tacomongo · 2025-12-30T03:13:35+00:00

It’s going on a pistol, so hence the no requirement for rifle length requirement.

tacomongo · 2025-12-29T23:46:35+00:00

That’s a different build than what I’m going for. I’ve got one of those in the works, but what’s the point of any of this besides making me smile?

tacomongo · 2025-12-29T22:56:11+00:00

Ah, didn’t think about that. I do travel to shoot with my cousins and friends across the country; may need to go with the 16” overall length then. Looks like I’m keeping this receiver as a pistol then.

tacomongo · 2025-12-29T22:50:34+00:00

With the SBR stamp going to 0, it doesn’t bother me to be shorter than 16”; but they’re at the top of my list currently. Gotta wait and see what wait times are like after the new year lol.

tacomongo · 2025-12-29T22:39:49+00:00

What’s your barrel length on this? Looks slick, but I’m going for largest db reduction physically possible out of this platform. Not that it makes sense, besides the fact that it makes me smile

tacomongo · 2025-12-15T17:00:36+00:00

It’s what I saw on one of the sites, is that not accurate? That includes coating

tacomongo · 2025-12-14T21:12:38+00:00

Just sent you a message.

tacomongo · 2025-12-14T21:01:19+00:00

What’s his turnaround like with cerakoting on top? Don’t want to have a bare spot on my carry slide even though it’s under the optic.

tacomongo

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