Wednesday, October 01, 2008
I’ve got to write this out so I can get it out of my system and send the lady from Tek systems a far more tactfully worded response…
Dear Tek Systems Lady,
Yesterday, after a few e-mail exchanges wherein I mentioned that my employer isn’t pursuing very strongly hiring me on as a full time employee, you asked me what exactly my goal is with this job. Well, in all honesty, I have several goals, some of which I’ve met, some of which are ongoing.
First and foremost, let me say that I’m extremely grateful to be employed. I’m not sure if you’ve ever experienced a lapse in employment that lasted a little more than two years and included a failed attempt at relocating to an entirely new part of the country in the hopes that the job market would be better there. I went through just that after getting a degree from a place that boasts about how 96% of their graduates have jobs within six months of graduating. I’m pretty sure they count making subs at Subway as being employed, never mind that that person is very underemployed. You can’t be underemployed if you’re not employed, right? So, now that I’m finally working, please excuse me if I’m not pushing my employer all that hard to make me a full time employee granting me access to benefits like the ability to see a doctor for the first time in over ten years. I mean, it’d be great to have that, it REALLY would, but the IT sector, from what I’ve noticed, is fairly volatile. If I raise too much of a stink, some recent college grad would kill to have my job for far less pay than what I’m getting. I’m pretty sure you have some of those people under your employ at your contracting office. The problems those kids are seeing are the same ones I saw: Employers are NOT willing to give the necessary experience required to get a good job. So how are they supposed to get a job that requires five years experience in software that’s been out for three if no one will give them a chance? That’s the $64,000 question.
Now, earlier this year, I set some goals for myself, some folks call these things resolutions. My “resolutions” included things like “getting a job” and “getting my own apartment” and “go to fest(http://www.thefestfl.com)”. There were many more, but these are the main ones that this job has facilitated completing. Because of this very job, I’ve completed or damn near completed those goals. I’ve done things I hadn’t even thought possible before this year, mainly, I got to go to another country. Even if it’s only Canada, I still had to go through customs(and that guy was a complete dick). And I did it on someone else’s dime. I win. Epically.
I’m thinking that when you ask about what my goals are as it pertains to this job, you’re looking for a very different answer than that. You’re probably looking for something like “I hope to further advance my career” or “I want to make shit tons of money. Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash” or “I want to save the world”. I’ll tell you what, I work in helpdesk. This isn’t going to much further my career except to allow me to get my foot in the door somewhere in a couple years, hopefully that somewhere is far away from central Wisconsin. I don’t want to make shit tons of money. I know, I know, that’s not the American way and it makes me a commie pinko bastard, but I’m doing pretty well for myself right here. Would I like to make more? Sure, I’d LOVE to drive a new Cadillac, but, again, I work in helpdesk. I’m the geek at the very bottom of the totem pole, it’s gonna be a while before I’m out in my new Caddy. And save the world? I work helpdesk, I don’t save the cheerleader, I’m not a giant dick like Bono or the pope.
What I want to achieve in my current position isn’t anything grandiose by any means, I’m sure much to your chagrin. I want to be able to like my job, which I’m sure you understand is very rare, and I want to be good at what I do. I don’t need to be the best, because being the best at helpdesk is like being the best the Special Olympics: Even if you’re the biggest winner, you’re still a loser. But, so far, I’ve been accomplishing my goals every day at my job. There’s moments I hate it, yes, but I think that happens no matter where you are, but there are more moments where I like it, ones where I’m proud that I’m good at what I do because the users are happy. So, you see, I’m quite happy with where I’m at, even though your office is getting, from what I understand, three times what I make an hour from my labor. I’d think, from your position, you’d want this to continue for as long as possible so you can keep making those phat stacks to afford gas for your Hummer(fuck you and your bourgeois lifestyle), but I guess you make even phatter mad duckets if I get hired on full time. Good on ya, if you want that, you can push for it.
Thanks,
Tommy Tumult
said Tommy T. at 9:11 AM - #
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Dear Tek Systems Lady,
Yesterday, after a few e-mail exchanges wherein I mentioned that my employer isn’t pursuing very strongly hiring me on as a full time employee, you asked me what exactly my goal is with this job. Well, in all honesty, I have several goals, some of which I’ve met, some of which are ongoing.
First and foremost, let me say that I’m extremely grateful to be employed. I’m not sure if you’ve ever experienced a lapse in employment that lasted a little more than two years and included a failed attempt at relocating to an entirely new part of the country in the hopes that the job market would be better there. I went through just that after getting a degree from a place that boasts about how 96% of their graduates have jobs within six months of graduating. I’m pretty sure they count making subs at Subway as being employed, never mind that that person is very underemployed. You can’t be underemployed if you’re not employed, right? So, now that I’m finally working, please excuse me if I’m not pushing my employer all that hard to make me a full time employee granting me access to benefits like the ability to see a doctor for the first time in over ten years. I mean, it’d be great to have that, it REALLY would, but the IT sector, from what I’ve noticed, is fairly volatile. If I raise too much of a stink, some recent college grad would kill to have my job for far less pay than what I’m getting. I’m pretty sure you have some of those people under your employ at your contracting office. The problems those kids are seeing are the same ones I saw: Employers are NOT willing to give the necessary experience required to get a good job. So how are they supposed to get a job that requires five years experience in software that’s been out for three if no one will give them a chance? That’s the $64,000 question.
Now, earlier this year, I set some goals for myself, some folks call these things resolutions. My “resolutions” included things like “getting a job” and “getting my own apartment” and “go to fest(http://www.thefestfl.com)”. There were many more, but these are the main ones that this job has facilitated completing. Because of this very job, I’ve completed or damn near completed those goals. I’ve done things I hadn’t even thought possible before this year, mainly, I got to go to another country. Even if it’s only Canada, I still had to go through customs(and that guy was a complete dick). And I did it on someone else’s dime. I win. Epically.
I’m thinking that when you ask about what my goals are as it pertains to this job, you’re looking for a very different answer than that. You’re probably looking for something like “I hope to further advance my career” or “I want to make shit tons of money. Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash” or “I want to save the world”. I’ll tell you what, I work in helpdesk. This isn’t going to much further my career except to allow me to get my foot in the door somewhere in a couple years, hopefully that somewhere is far away from central Wisconsin. I don’t want to make shit tons of money. I know, I know, that’s not the American way and it makes me a commie pinko bastard, but I’m doing pretty well for myself right here. Would I like to make more? Sure, I’d LOVE to drive a new Cadillac, but, again, I work in helpdesk. I’m the geek at the very bottom of the totem pole, it’s gonna be a while before I’m out in my new Caddy. And save the world? I work helpdesk, I don’t save the cheerleader, I’m not a giant dick like Bono or the pope.
What I want to achieve in my current position isn’t anything grandiose by any means, I’m sure much to your chagrin. I want to be able to like my job, which I’m sure you understand is very rare, and I want to be good at what I do. I don’t need to be the best, because being the best at helpdesk is like being the best the Special Olympics: Even if you’re the biggest winner, you’re still a loser. But, so far, I’ve been accomplishing my goals every day at my job. There’s moments I hate it, yes, but I think that happens no matter where you are, but there are more moments where I like it, ones where I’m proud that I’m good at what I do because the users are happy. So, you see, I’m quite happy with where I’m at, even though your office is getting, from what I understand, three times what I make an hour from my labor. I’d think, from your position, you’d want this to continue for as long as possible so you can keep making those phat stacks to afford gas for your Hummer(fuck you and your bourgeois lifestyle), but I guess you make even phatter mad duckets if I get hired on full time. Good on ya, if you want that, you can push for it.
Thanks,
Tommy Tumult
said Tommy T. at 9:11 AM - #
|
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