You asked,
Can you help me interpret this situation better? Should I take any actions?
It's hard for us to direct your actions, since they will depend on your personal goals and motivations. However, we can provide advice on a framework to help you proceed.
It sounds like the crux of the matter is that you expected to work on a specific project, and that project has not really started yet. In the meantime, you are being directed to work on another, less interesting project. Your next steps should be:
- Mentally, take a step back from the job. Take some time to collect your thoughts, and consider what your true motivations and goals are. It sounds like you've done this at least a little, because you seem to know that you're interested in the web-based business. However, you also seemed excited about the huge salary - so make sure you are carefully balancing what is important to you (salary vs work subject?).
- Make sure you consider not only your immediate happiness and your immediate needs (especially salary), but also your long term goals. It's frequently the case that companies in transition end up moving more slowly than originally planned - the current work not being interesting doesn't automatically mean that you will never get interesting work from this employer.
Those steps may seem unnecessary if you already know what you want, but before considering any big step (like quitting your job) it can be helpful to deliberately take the time to refresh your goals. Some people in your position may decide that they're so happy about the larger salary that they're OK with putting off their desired project, for instance. So, take the time to consider your motivations.
- Once you know what is important to you - both in the long term sense, and the short term sense, you can engage your boss again and attempt to get some clarity. When you do this, be specific and ask questions framed in a way that helps your boss give specific answers that will actually be helpful to you.
I am making that last point because many times, employees will want a certain change or will want to know when something is going to happen, but they ask about it in a way that doesn't get them an answer that they're happy with. So, for instance, instead of asking,
When can I start focusing on the web project?
You may want to ask,
Can we discuss a road map for the next few years, that will help me understand the timing of the web project?
If your boss redirects you and says the focus needs to be on the local project for now, you can seek further clarification. But instead of asking,
When will the local project be over?
You can ask things like,
Can you help me understand the goals and targets for the local project? What things do we have to achieve in order for it to be successful?
This can help the two of you draw up a concrete target - then, once you have a plan to ensure that the target will get met, it will be much easier to talk about a time line for working on the web project.
If you continue to feel unhappy, and you are not getting satisfying answers to your questions, then it may be time to look elsewhere. But, don't just walk out the door. Instead, consider this a learning experience. Make sure you understand why you are unhappy in this job. Then, as you search for a new job, make sure you are searching in a way that will help you avoid the same situation all over again. So, if working on a specific type of project is important to you, the first (and obvious) step should be looking for jobs that feature that project type.
However, you should also make sure you are developing a list of questions about things that are important to you. Then, as you go on job interviews, you can ask your questions. Again, be specific. If a potential employer says that they will soon branch out into web business, and they will want you involved in that, you can ask about the timing for that up front. Ask about how they are resourcing the web project and how they are preparing to keep the rest of their business stable while branching out. Questions like those will help you understand if your new employer has a concrete plan that will let you focus on the work you enjoy, instead of risking your current situation where there is no apparent plan.
