Job!
I got one!
Even got what I asked for in pay. Problem is, it's in tech again. "Mainframe Support" for a computer company. Oh well, at least the pay is decent.
Congradulations! (even if its not what you wanted) :) Are you working for a large company that you might be able to move around in?
much congrats, too!
Thanks. And the company is large-ish. It's several hundred people, so there is a chance to move around/up hopefully. We'll see how it works out. Still, even if it's not what I wanted exactly, it'll be nice to be getting a paycheck again. :-)
FYI, I'm gonna be out of town for the next couple days. Gonna go visit family before I start work on Monday.
Woot! Pay that you been asking for is always good! CONGRATULATIONS!!
*does a little new job jig*
Congrats man! Way to go! It's always nice to hear that people can still get computer related tech jobs in the U.S.
Good job!!!
Get it? GET IT?!??! GOOD JOB. BECAUSE YOU GOT A JOB. GET IT? GET IT? BUT WHEN SOMEONE SAYS 'GOOD JOB' THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THEY ARE COMPLIMENTING AN EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY, SO MUCH AS AN ACTION, ANY ACTION, THAT'S YOU'VE DONE WELL. AND IN YOUR CASE, OR RATHER IN BOTH CASES, THE PHRASE IS APPROPRIATE.
OMIGOSH, HOW FUNNY. HA HA HA HA HA HA.
We continue to ignore Gopus...
But yeah, haven't gotten my first paycheck yet (comes in two days) and I'm trying to figure out how to quit and still pay my bills. Just for anyone that wasn't clear on this already, work sucks! :-)
I've got plans though, I just hope they come through.
I'm thinking exactly the same way! I want to quit but I can't seem to see myself walking away from the money...
Money is the devil, I tells yeah. If I won the lotto all I'd do is get blotto.
My job, on a scale of 1-10... last week it was pretty low. In fact, I thought my dislike for it was about as close to "1" as you can get. Turns out "1" isn't the bottom though. Nor even "0." In fact, there is a limitless series of negative numbers descending into the infinite abyss of hate. Einstein was wrong, there are THREE things in life that are infinite. The universe, the stupidity of man, and HATE. Granted, the first two tend to lead to the third, but still... :-P
So what does one do in modern society when you can no longer even stomach the thought of going to your job anymore? I can't quit yet, as I don't have enough money. And it's not like I can go live in the woods, hunt for my own food, and build my own shelter. I can't go off on a crusade. And I certainly can't sign up with a pirate ship. All the historical options for a disgruntled youth seem to have disappeared. So what's a disenfranchised young man to do in this modern era?
...obtain a box and a spork. Using spork cut off one side of the box. Find/steal/borrow a pen that's dark in color and mark the box side with: "JOB SUCKED SO I QUIT. NEED MONEY TO BUY INTERVIEW SUIT." Walk to a busy corner and push the presently frequenting bumb off, stand in his place and hold the sign. Wait for money to follow.
ROFL! ^_^
Heh... I'm nearly at the point where I might consider that. Today they suggested I might be working 12-16 hour days next week during this "disaster exercise" they're doing. As far as I know, I'm on salary and wouldn't even get overtime for it. Frankly, I don't think they pay me enough to even keep me 8 hours a day. If they really expect me to work overnight like that... well, it should be interesting. I've already making a list of interesting ways to quit, and any additions would be welcome.
My favorite (but probably too extreme) so far is to sunbathe nude on the CEO's skylight. Under "realistic options" I'm thinking a long memo to Human Resources, with many veiled insults and clever phrases, but essentially giving my two weeks notice. By the time anyone actually figures out who it should go to or what it says, my two weeks will be up and I can just walk out the door and not come back. When they call the next day to ask why I'm not there, I can say "I quit two weeks ago, didn't you get the memo?" Last day I might also wear a t-shirt (totally against dress code) that says "I am NOT a human resource!" I also like this option because "Memo to Human Resources" is a title to a They Might Be Giants song.
I'm an hourly wager doing Worker's Comp for a place in Wa that manages 72 different retirement homes all throughout Ca, Id, Mt, Nv, Or, Wa, Az & Ut. I'd kinda _like_ to be salary because they pay _alot_ more that way and I've _NEVER_ seen the people who I work with on salary stay a minute over 8 hours. =P (but it is an improvment over my last job; an improvment of a $5 an hour raise..!)
I still manage to spend all the money on basicly things I _need_ to do instead of things I _want_ to do most of the time though. I suspect that has something to do with being a parent though.
I found a place that's pretty good reads and especially liked this one as it might be valid to you:
http://www.i-resign.com/uk/letters/pentium130_resign.asp
Funny letter there. That's the style I'd want it to echo, though I'd probably write something that is about 15 times as long, complete with dissertations on early hominid societies and such.
As an update, turns out it's only 6 hours overtime next week, they make up for it by letting me do nightshift duty too, which works much better for me. And I do get paid for overtime, but unlike normal workers (who get 1.5x pay) I get a weird sort of half pay... the more I work, the LESS I get paid per hour. Weird, but not as bad as it could be. We'll see how this next week goes. I'm trying really hard to keep a positive attitude about it, and just maybe I can find a way to survive this while I try to get some other options.
Xepher
You've probably seen me say this to a number of people; but I'll repeat it here: Do your job search while you're still employed! Let the place you hate finance the search for something better. Don't quit until you've got a fallback lined up.
--otrstf
Heheheh... I'm not THAT stupid, though the hatred last week was at peak levels that allowed me to at least entertain such ideas. I've calmed down a bit over the weekend though, and won't be doing anything too rash. Thanks for the concern/advice all the same though. See, when I was talking about quitting, I thought I did have something lined up... all the references to "plans" and such. Plan A fell through though, at least for a few months. I'm waiting for a couple paychecks before I can try Plan B. If and when that starts working, only then will I quit.
Sorry for the vageries, but some of it involves family business and whatnot. Hope you understand.
Good to hear. Plans are good! Be carefull if you get down to "Plan IX", as I hear there've been problems with that one ;)
My sister's husband was laid off (network eng in the 'springs), so I've been in automatic 'job counsellor" mode all week. Best of luck.
Honestly man, you're good at it, why don't you do web programming?? Take it from me, it makes some damn good money, and you can sit at home at your own desk doing it.
Because I honestly have no idea how to get work. I mean, it's not like you can just put up a website and have people knocking on your proverbial door. I figure you probably need to be connected to whatever community is out there for it, and I'm not. Though if you have any pointers on the "accquiring clients" end of things, I'm about ready to try anything.
Why is that, you ask? Well, I went to work yesterday at 8am. Guess what time I got to leave... 7:30am. Today. I was at work for almost 24 hours. I mean, what do you do when you're scheduled for 7pm to 1am, and your boss says that "Oh, that's in addition to your regular 8-5pm." Then again at 10pm or so, when things are falling apart, and they decide to shut it down. "We need someone to guard the trailers overnight. How you feel about sleeping here?" I started to say no, but then he said I'd need to be in at noon the next day then... when I honestly wansn't scheduled until 8pm. Since my shift is ending three hours short, he's saying I have to come in 8 hours earlier for the next one, or spend another 8 hours there and then I get the next day off. I mean, if I'd gone home, I would've done nothing but go to bed, get up, and go to work again. That's fracking BS after an already 14-hour long shift. So I "slept" there. The sleeping part didn't work so well of course, so when I got home this morning, I fell right asleep and just now woke up. I'm still sore, because yesterday was 14 hours of heavy lifting, moving and installing equpment in these trailers. Last I checked, I signed up for a computer tech job. Heck, for that matter, I used my CDL skills from the bus to drive one of the massive trucks too. That definitely wasn't in the job description.
I think I'm gonna try any/all plans I can think of for self-sustaining income, in order to minimize the time between now, and when I can afford to quit this job. For now, I just got to grimace and bear it. :-)
Oh crap, sorry to hear that! I can't believe they can even think of making you work those hours. Are you programming for Wally*World or something??!!?? There has to be some type of law against that somewhere for your state...
I actually don't go get my own contracts. I'm an outsourced programmer to another contractor. If you look around the net, there are a lot of "small" web design companies that would probably outsource some things to you if you asked.
Data: Interesting. That probably makes things a lot simpler, as you only have to do the work, and not worry with all the customer stuff. I'll look into it.
Mune: Heheh... It feels like wally world. I work for a company called UCS (universal computer services) They've been in the news the past couple days because we just bought out our largest competitor, which was Reynolds & Reynolds. So it is a rather large company. Today, I just got home at 6pm, and I had gone into work at 6am. 12 hour day. And now they're gonna have us working over the weekend too. I'm past the point of anger now. It's so stupid and unbelivable that it's almost funny.
Quote from: XepherData: Interesting. That probably makes things a lot simpler, as you only have to do the work, and not worry with all the customer stuff. I'll look into it.
Exactly! I never deal directly with clients, I just do the programming. The only problem with this method is that the contractor takes a rather substantial cut of the contracts cost. The upside though, it that you can build up a reputation to go off of.
Why dont you send in an annonomous complaint to the Labor board in Texas and have them drop by for a surprise investigation of both work conditions and worker interviews.
I'm enjoying the unemployed life!
Well no, no I'm not...and I'm still bitter about that government job that I didn't get.
http://www.quityourjobday.com/
It's hilarious! And it makes several good points. I like the "how to quit" section.
Oh dear. I'm at work looking at that... eeeeeeek!
Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) died on Monday. I've been rather depressed by that, as he was one of my personal heroes, and the world seems a colder place without him. But his death (and what a freakishly unpossible way to go that was!) got me to thinking. Even though he died in (arguably) the prime of his life, he still did more with his life than most people could if they lived to be 1000. He died doing what he loved. That thought, and this song I heard...
Quote from: "Jonathan Coulton - A Talk With George"Don’t live another day unless you make it count
There’s someone else that you’re supposed to be
There’s something deep inside of you that still wants out
And shame on you if you don’t set it free.
(BTW, awesome artist. Get the free MP3 and full lyrics here. (http://www.jonathancoulton.com/lyrics/a-talk-with-george))
I know it's cliche, but life is too short to waste. Which brings me back to this thread. I've been complaining for a while now, but I think I'm gonna do it for real this time... And I'm making flyers. :-)
Signs of Addictive Behavior
1. You don't "want" to, but feel you "need" to.
2. You engage in the behavior more than twice a week.
3. You have tried to quit, but found it difficult or impossible.
4. You feel other people expect it of you in order to "fit in."
5. You wake up with nausea, a racing heart, or other physical symptoms.
6. You feel depressed or anxious before, during or after such behavior.
7. You find your behavior negatively impacting your family or social life.
8. You have less appitite and energy throughout the day.
9. You notice you have less tolerance than when you first started.
10. You sometimes feel very depressed and wonder if life is worth living.
If you feel any of the above describe you, and you would like some help and support to try and quit, then mark your calander for September 18th.
Quitting is hard! We can do it better, together!
http://www.quityourjobday.com
r.i.p., steve;
he will be missed...
I work in the service industry, If we did that, the hotel would probably go under in one day.... also, noone in town may hire us again. I have too strong of a work ethic.
Say, wait a sec, can't you put your resume on Monster and look for that type of programming work that way? I mean, I think its free to put up your resume and such... I think it would be worth a shot.
Well, I'm not making flyers... but my resignation letter is something I'm quite proud of. I'm going into work in just about 6 hours with the following letter. Click here a scan of the actual page (http://xepher.xepher.net/downloads/Memo.jpg) (complete with Old English font and burn marks!) or read the plain text below.
QuoteMemo To Human Resources
To Whom It May Concern,
After a period of intense and thorough introspection, I have come to the conclusion that I can no longer allow UCS to continue serving as my employer. Thus, this letter shall serve as official notice of termination.
I ask that this letter not be misconstrued as a negative comment against those with whom I have had direct contact or working relationships. My fellow team-members in DR support are all excellent people, and a joy to work with. Indeed, I feel it would behoove the company to pay closer attention to the excellent service they provide, and reward them accordingly.
Speaking for myself however, I find that the limits imposed by the corporate environment severely hamper the pursuit of meaning, purpose, and joy in life. Because of this, I feel it has become apparent that my goals differ severely from those of UCS, and it is in both our interests to discontinue our relationship. Additionally, I fear that continued alliance with the company may jeopardize my Chaotic Good alignment.
Recent events â€" such as the surprising death of Steve Irwin, the anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, and many things in my own life â€" have conspired to remind and impress upon me the brevity and transient nature of human existence. Like Thoreau, I do not want to find that, when it comes time to die, I have never truly lived.
As such, I have decided to pursue a career in professional buccaneering. Since my days as a young lad, I have dreamed of a life of swashbuckling adventure on the high seas. Many an afternoon was whiled away, yearning for long days of bold adventure, and cool nights full of pretty women and strong rum.
Of course, the life of a corsair can be difficult and fraught with peril to life and limb, but I feel that it provides the sort of challenge I need at this point in my career. Likewise, when I look upon the Jolly Roger, waving majestically over the blue seas, I finally feel at home. So while life on the open ocean may not be filled with the thorough record keeping, comprehensive security, filtered air, or artificial illumination provided by UCS, I will still sleep well each night. For as I lay beneath the stars, the cool ocean ocean breeze blowing across my face, I will know I have done my best to carve a name for myself and my crew amid the annals of heroic adventure and daring insurgency. So with my sword on my hip and my crew by my side, I sing...
Yo Ho Ho! A pirate’s life for me!
Sincerely,
____________________________________________________________________________
Captain James "Sea Otter" Otting Signed This 18th Day of September, 2006
With any luck, I'll be updating ya'll on the reaction at work by noon or so. Without luck, they may actually insist I stay for that full two weeks notice period.
*rotflmao* That is awesome.
Bloody Brilliant!
And it worked! Both my supervisor and my manager got a bit of a laugh out of it even. My manager even spent a few minutes telling me how surprised he was I stayed this long. He basically told me that a job of this sort would never satisfy someone like me, and that I needed to find something where I could really feel like I'm making a difference in the world, etc... Pretty much read my mind, and told me all the things about myself that I'd been thinking about over the past few weeks. Really kind of encouraging that way. He asked when I wanted my last day to be, and I said that, if it wasn't a problem for them, today would be great. They said okay. So I turned in all my tools and keys and such, and then my supervisor had me fill out a timesheet for this week. Of course, I only had two hours on it for the whole week, but he said I'd be getting paid for the full week anyway.
How fracking cool is that? I mean, it's like being rewarded for being an honest jackass. I am continually amazed at how life works out like this for me. I jump head first out of proverbial windows, and not only land on my feet, but find I'm winning the race as well. As I've said for years, "Say what your heart wants, then let your life follow. Anything more is ego. Anything less is cowardice." When you do that, you'll be amazed at how well things work out.
That certainly is Freakin' Sweet. Congrats! Best possible way to end a job as it sounds.
Congrats, Xepher! You deserved the happy ending.
Pity laws keep me from trying that at school...
...your name is James? 0_o I never would have thought you a James.
But congrats on the surprizing outcome! =D
What WOULD you have thought my name to be then?
And in other news, looks like I'm gonna be waiting tables at Olive Garden for a while now. Interview tomorrow, but it looks like a done deal.
Quote from: XepherWhat WOULD you have thought my name to be then?
I probably would've guessed either James or Stephen, myself. Then again I don't know you so it's probably based off of some strange subconscious connection between those names and the username 'Xepher'. :p
Anyway, that is indeed an awesome way to quit. Congrats on the new job, too. :)
heheh, that's awesome dude. real glad to hear stuff worked out... inspiring actually, considering you believed in yourself and took a leap of faith and everything worked out ok
i'm proud of you... :')
hehe, cool, I'm quite amused
Now I just have to find a way to make money soon... I had an epiphany, and it turns out, I don't want to work at Olive Garden. :-)
No surprise there, resturant work is as dull and boring as most other jobs.
i dunno, i might snag the job at olive garden just for the tasty munchies... =P
I have an interview at Sears in a few hours. Seriously, Sears? I never thought they would call me back.
Good luck with that (which probably already happened by this point.)
I got it, by the way.
Congrats. Hope it works out well for you.
I never had a job before... except for volunteer work.
So... how DO you get your first job? Like what to write in your resume or what to say in an interview... lol... >_>;;
My first job, I went into an ISP to sign up for service (it was the first ISP to show up in our little town) I ended up talking with the owner, and he was impressed by what I knew. He gave me a free month of service. I poked around on the account, and found some semi-private data on the company I shouldn't be seeing. I went and told the owner about it, and he was doubly impressed with my honesty. He offered me a job the same day (I wasn't even looking for work.)
Next job... Umm... I worked for the special events department at my college. Basically just put your name on the list, and they call when they need stuff. It was just occasional manual labor type stuff for plays and concerts and such. Kinda fun being backstage and managing broadway style props and such during a show.
After that, it was bus driving. Basically they were so desperate for drivers you just had to have a good driving record.
I started by own business after that, doing computer repair. Put up a website and an ad in the paper. Didn't have much business (but had some) for the first month or so. After the second month by "main competitor" (read: "only IT company in town") emailed me with a job offer. The offer was for half billable rate... meaning I got paid half of everything a customer got charged. Considering they charged per hour what my own "company" charged for an entire visit/day, it was a great deal.
UCS (the job I hated and quit in this thread) was the only "real" job I think I ever had. I applied with a bit of experience from before (which was good) a college degree (even though it was unrelated and in journalism) also helped. Mostly, it was the fact that I knew what I was doing, and wasn't shy. The first day at work I managed to get a "promotion" to the department I wanted, simply by telling my boss I wanted it. I said it in front of several long time employees, and they tried to joke with the boss about "Who does this guy think he is? Telling you what he wants when he just got here! Ha!" My boss turned to the guy trying to suck-up to him like that and said "Probably the guy that gets his way... I was transfered the next day.
Anyway, long story short, if you want to know my words-of-wisdom for a job interview/application: Be yourself... within limits. The things that always got me ahead were stepping outside of the box... but not too far. If you're different, you get noticed... but if you're TOO different, you get ignored. It's the difference between going up to a stranger and saying "What's your opinion on monkeys?" (that's an ice-breaker at parties) and saying "What do you think of my bum?" (as you pull down your pants.) Different is good, but make sure it's in-bounds. The letter of resignation I mention in this thread... that's extremely borderline. I only managed that because I had a couple months to get to know the people I'd be handing it to. I would NOT try something like that for getting a job, only for LEAVING one. :-)