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Posted on 06/14/08 @ 3:04 am
A few posts ago, I mentioned how I'm now going to have to double up on my courseload so I can get out and graduate on time. One of the two courses I'm taking — Internet-Oriented Programming — requires two prerequisites to take. Two more classes on top of the four I already have to take to get out? Yeah…I'm not having that. So I filed a claim to take the course without a prereq. I mean, just look at this course description: This course focuses on Internet and Web programming, one of the fastest growing areas of system development. Students apply Internet programming languages such as HTML, Dynamic HTML and JavaScript to develop their own Web sites. The course also examines Internet application tools and commercial Web servers. Prereq my ass…this class will be a cake walk. As part of the claim, I had to not only fill out a form with a written appeal, but also submit my resume and any job descriptions for positions I've had which call on the experience necessary for the class. Getting a description from Big Company, Inc. was no problem (designers have been leaving left and right lately), but getting the one from the old gig with Micro-Manager would be difficult since it hasn't been updated since I left and may not even be readily available. (As I may have alluded to in a previous post, Micro-Manager finally gave up the ghost and resigned shortly after the tornado that hit downtown Atlanta. Personally, I know there were many more reasons behind it, but the fact that she's gone lifts a dark cloud from that place like nothing else.) So off to Google! A quick search and I see that her position has been filled not just by an unknown from outside the organization (Hallelujah!), but by a man. Now I'm not a chauvinist, but you have to understand that when I did work there, Micro-Manager, Hortense and D.A.W.G. represented the Holy Trinity of bad female representation in the workplace to the nth degree. Hell, all you have to do is search for "Micro-Manager" here on this blog to read her numerous exploits. Her presence there was the only reason I left, regardless of it being the most diverse position I've ever worked. Aaaaaannd…..scene. I fired off a quick e-mail to the new guy, saying that I used to work there in that same department and that I was requesting a copy of the job description for a class I was trying to take. He replied, but in a rather interesting way: Attached you will find the job description you requested. I'm curious though, from your time here, you definitely made an impact that's still lasting. Why did you leave, if you don't mind me asking? Also, are you still in the Atlanta area? I have something very interesting to discuss with you. Please call me upon receipt of this e-mail. Now it may just be me, but is he implicitly offering me my old job? Nah….couldn't be. They have some milquetoast cat currently there. I met him…dude wouldn't even shake my hand. Naturally, he'd fit in well under Micro-Manager's regime since she prefers men she can break emotionally. Besides, he's still here from last I heard and doing a so-so job. I replied back to the new guy saying that I was still in the Atlanta area, but didn't give him the real reason I left there (I just said that it was time for a professional change). Two hours later, I get an e-mail from Evilene: I just want you to know that your old job is available again. When do you plan to apply? The person who replaced Micro-Manager is very nice. Mouth of the South is out of control. She has taken me to HR twice within two weeks, mainly based on assumption and perception. …well alrighty then. Looks like I've got some thinking to do. With the cancer extracted from that department, a lot of things change. Hortense and D.A.W.G. no longer have Micro-Manager to cover their asses. They're still there, but the dynamic would be different. A plus of going back would be that it's a permanent gig. That's right — no more contracting. Full benefits and a 401k. Salary. Paid leave. It's close to home. I would have an office. And there's no more Micro-Manager. No. More. Micro-Manager. Can I say that enough? Because seriously…she's not there like the Zombies song says. And while I know it's not an explicit offer, the notion is something to consider, particularly since I'm not even emotionally invested in Big Company, Inc. and would really like not having to work weekends for a change. I've got the weekend to think about it before following up on Monday. Stay tuned! Technorati Tags: serendipity, work offer, micro-manager, school Filed under: Jobs and Work Comments: 2 Comments |
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Posted on 05/03/08 @ 11:14 pm
The future is of particular concern to me right now. Aside from our crumbling economy, higher gas and food prices, and Atlanta political turmoil, I'm finding myself now more than ever wanting to make sure my shit is in order for the future. Finances, relationships, family…and career. Especially career. It's no secret that I skip from job to job like hopscotch. Sometimes, it's a good jump, other times it's a bad one. But I own up to each one, and still managed to get recruiters chomping at the bit to employ me even with a lengthy job history. Mostly I even get job offers out of the blue, but I usually pass them over because a) I'm already employed and not looking at the time or b) it's totally out of my range. The latest offers I've received though, met neither option. But we'll get to them in a second. After leaving the Startup from Hell, Big Company, Inc. gave me my old job back with a slight twist — a little more money and a new title. And for a while, my time there was cool — people were glad to have me back and it seemed like things had changed since I last left. That is, until the rumor started: I'm leaving in six months when I get my degree. Filed under: Jobs and Work Comments: 5 Comments |
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Posted on 12/23/07 @ 8:44 pm
It's no secret that I'm not a huge fan of the holiday season. Personally, I'd like to just skip November and December altogether, and head straight into the next year with as minimal marketing and fanfare as possible. Right now, this feeling is amplified considering I got laid off from my job Friday (and got the news AFTER I got home, mind you) for the most bullshit of reasons. I wasn't "a good fit". I stayed late hours, completed projects, got along well with the other developers, and really felt like I was making a positive impact with the department. I kept my boss up to date with my projects, and provided him weekly summaries of my progress. I even suggested and implemented a workflow including version control for their internal programming environment. But I wasn't "a good fit". Filed under: Jobs and Work Comments: 9 Comments |
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Posted on 11/16/07 @ 3:40 pm
Well, I may have dropped off the face of this here blog-a-ma-jig for a while, but I got reasons, man! For starters…school. I'm trying to keep my 4.0 GPA in this Masters program, but I got an A-minus in my last class, which brought me down to a 3.8. And with only four more classes left after my current one (Telecommunications Law and Regulations), I'm scheduled to get my degree somewhere near the end of the summer in 2008. Therefore, a large amount of my free time has been dedicated to group projects, research, lectures, seminars and all kinda scholastic-type endeavors therein. That includes trekking it down to the Decatur campus at least twice a week to talk to advisors and professors, straighten out financial aid, and basically make sure all my affairs are in order. Heaven forbid I have to go through that mad chase for signatures and shit like I did when I went to Morehouse (you HBCU grads know what I'm talking about). Also, I got plans and stuff for the 2008 Black Weblog Awards…plans I really haven't been able to flesh out fully. Two things that will be definite for next year — and you can blog this if you like — are that the nomination and finalist voting period will be longer, and we will include prizes for next year. BWA talk has been dead since September, but I've been thinking about advertising, branding, programming, logo and design contests, and extending the Awards into an LLC or something. Again, these are all still in the planning phase, so nothing's set in stone yet. But when it is, you'll definitely find out. We're not dead yet. And speaking of other things that ain't dead yet…there's the blogcast. I had full intentions of starting back up on October 15 — six months from the last blogcast. But when I sat down at the computer and fired up Audacity and plugged in my mic…it wasn't working. And I had trashed my old mic when I "upgraded" to this new digital one, so I was out of it. I tried recording some stuff on my mp3 player, uploaded it to my computer, ran it through Levelator, and it sounded like pure shit. So no new blogcasts until I can get a new mic (which should be pretty soon). I have recommitted myself to a weekly show in 2008, and will be getting back on the horse and doing a few shows until then. After all, the next episode is #50…I can't leave without a 50th episode! I also still haven't finished my new 101/1001. On top of all this, I took on a new freelance writing gig, and I've got a few freelance design jobs I would really like to get a foothold on soon. So as you can see…a brotha has been busy busy busy. And when I'm busy, the blog suffers, unfortunately. However, you can help me out a LOT by giving me some topics for discussion. What do you think I should write about for some future posts? Leave your suggestions in the comments. Thanks for hanging in there with me!
Filed under: Jobs and Work and Miscellaneous Comments: 12 Comments |
Contrary to popular belief, I have not leapt from this mortal coil.|
Posted on 05/11/07 @ 2:18 pm
I read an article a few weeks ago over at Lifehack.org called "Create Your Best Work Life with One Question" — the question, of course, was "What's in it for me?" At my old job, we called that "the WIIFM factor", with WIIFM said like a rhyme to "skip 'em". It's inevitable that having a personal stake in the place you work is crucial, especially if you're a twentysomething pulling down an entry-level paycheck. There's got to be something there that makes you get up in the morning and trudge through things day after day. Maybe you've got a work crush. Maybe there's fresh fruit and bagels every day when you get in. Thing is, there has to be something there which vibes with you and gets you going. And when that's not there, then what's the point? I was looking over my resume the other day and noticed a trend — since I left college, I hadn't held down a job for more than a year and a half, tops. Thing is, I don't feel bad about that at all. And most employers don't feel bad about that either considering how many job offers I've been getting lately. But I realize the one fundamental reason why eventually I parted company with these companies. There wasn't anything in it for me. At the box office, they were content with me shelling out tix to the elderly arts crowd for $7 an hour, even with a degree in Mathematics. At AT.c, while I was an account manager, they were content with me staying in my same place answering phones, even though I had a career path to go into business analyst work. The killing part was that they gave me cross training AND set up interviews for me, only to yank it out from under me. The firing just came as a coincidence. And at the last job, aside from Micro-Manager and her coven, there was no path of growth for my position. They were also against me pursuing my Master's degree. And at the current/soon-to-be-last job, my hard work wasn't appreciated by my manager, I was getting maligned by co-workers, and got passed over for promotions that I definitely deserved, but went to flunkies of the boss. I realize that I'm not one that plays office politics, at least not willingly. I go to work to do a job, and that's it. Amicable friendships with co-workers…I see that as a plus. But I'll be damned if I work somewhere, bust my hump, and then don't get credit for it. That shit don't fly in my universe. That's what has to be in it for me. Filed under: Jobs and Work Comments: 2 Comments |
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Name's Karsh. 27. Country-born, city-raised, 
