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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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Posted on 04/12/07 @ 7:30 pm
I really don't have any qualms now about working on my resume at work (no one comes by my cube) or ducking into a quiet room for a quick phone interview. I'm not getting any respect, so it's time for me to get the hell on. And to do that, I'm getting my network on. I remember reading (or hearing) somewhere how like over 80% of the jobs out there aren't even listed – they're found out through networking. This is important for any job seeker, and especially so for Black gay men (particularly in a state where your sexual orientation, whether overt or covert, can get you fired with no questions asked…and race only compounds that). You've gotta get out there and show your face so people know you outside of a resume and a mannerism. Thing is, my social biorhythm is so weird. There are times when I just prefer to be at home, playing some Wii or writing or lounging on the couch reading a good book and listening to some music and don't want to be bothered. I like the solitude, the time for introspection, and most of all, being cut off from the outside world. And then there are those times when the outside world is a-calling and I want to be around and with people. They're few and far in between, but when they happen, they come quick and hard. I was speaking with Buffy the other day about this; he's planning on moving back to Atlanta (much to the chagrin of his fiancé) but is skeptical about networking, especially when it comes to ways to start his career. Buffy, while he has a degree in finance from Morehouse, has only managed to get positions as a bank teller since graduating. "I'm trying to find a real job. I want to start my career. Do you know about any kinda networking events?" "Well there's sometimes this thing at the the Lotus Lounge…and then I think there's something called Marketing Mondays at the Four Seasons. Oh! And then there's the alumni association." "But that's stuff for STRAIGHT PEOPLE. I can't believe with Atlanta being the Black gay mecca and all, there's no kind of networking event for Black gay folks!" I was hard-pressed to retort. After all, straight people need jobs too, right? As a Black young professional, I somehow get on the invite list to several of these consonance weekday-named quasi-"networking" events (First Fridays, Third Thursdays, etc.), and I've actually been to a few of them. They're usually at some nice, uptown venue, drinks are copious (and sometimes free), and there's a decent selection of talent to look at…but not touch. To say it's a largely hetero-forced affair would be an understatement. The last one of these I went to was a few weeks ago at Toast in Midtown. My intent on going was to just have a drink or two after work, a few crostini, and then stumble on home. Nothing major, and definitely no other intentions than those. Well when I walked in, it was like a seventh-grade dance – boys on one side, girls on the other. Girls were checking out the guys, and vice versa; eventually the two crowds mixed, with most women I chatted with more interested in flirting than networking. The questioning usually went something like this:
STOP. See what I mean? Already leading a brotha down that precarious slope. I remember one of these kinda events I was at a few years ago when I just dropped the hard G on a chick and she went bat-shit, telling other women (who started giving me nasty looks) and men (who immediately backed a few inches away from me if I walked in their direction). "Girl, I ain't think there was gonna be any FAGGOTS up in here…" "Nah man, I don't get down with that gay shit…" Real classy, young "professionals". But back to Buffy. "So there's like no young Black gay professionals group or something?" "Not to my knowledge. I know there's AEN, but it's not strictly Black and gay." "So I guess when I move down there, me and my husband gon' just be sitting up in the house, occasionally searching the want ads and eating beans and weenies." "Geez, you make it sound so bad." "I just thought that by now there'd be something for us down there." "Look, I'm not saying there's not. I just hadn't found it if it does exist." Buffy's convo did get me to thinking. What is there for young Black gay professionals down here in terms of networking events? Technorati Tags: networking, professional, gay networking Filed under: Jobs and Work Comments: 6 Comments |
The job search is back on.|
Posted on 02/02/07 @ 11:22 pm
Ah, 2007. A new year, new policies and unfortunately…the same shit. But this time, it's in a different toilet. Lately at the J-O, there has been an overnight ardent interest from upper management in the well-being of their employees, almost to the point of micro-managing. No, thank God none of them will become Micro-Managers, but to me, this all seems really weird. I mean, going from hands-off to hand-in-back-pocket is a little fast and a lot of people don't like the change. However, I am turning the situation into a positive. One of the new things they've done is start to acknowledge people weekly for their contributions, whether it's getting the highest production numbers for the week or stepping above and beyond for what could ordinarily be seen as a mundane task. So far, I've been production leader for the past two weeks AND I got kudos for a quick response on a hot problem AND I won a contest and got a free design book. Of course, it was all followed with comments like this: "Oh, Karsh won something? Then I don't care." Yeah, a robot that's spanking y'all human asses week after week. Compute that, bitches. Another thing they've been doing is trying to figure out how the designers really feel about their job and such. And instead of doing it in a one-on-one setting where people could feel comfortable venting, they herded us all in one conference room and called folks out to speak. Needless to say, there wasn't much feedback. So they broke that large group into two groups. Still no feedback. They broke those two groups into two groups. Still no feedback. At this point, the shit is so fragmented there's no way the task will be completed. It's like some adverse group mitosis type shit going on. This ended up with me sitting in a sub-sub-sub group with three other designers and Brooding Velma to talk about what's going on at the job. The other three were very talkative and had lots to say. Me? I really didn't. I totally put all that other crap about the job about not being taken seriously because I'm not some art school grad or them not talking to me in File 13. Now, I show up, put on my 'phones, rock out and design and leave promptly when my eight hours are up. No muss, no fuss. But now? Now they want to get to know a brotha. "Karsh, you're so quiet. Why don't you talk?" Brooding Velma asked. "I'm just taking it all in…I listen a lot." "Well it's weird that you don't say anything in meetings." Two days later, she's in front of the entire design group congratulating me for leading production numbers for the past quarter and issuing me a prize. "And Karsh…since you came on the team you have really helped us out tremendously with your skill and speed and passion." Now…let me stop here for a minute. I take offense to being thanked for my passion anywhere outside the bedroom. And it was definitely odd to hear that out of her mouth. How insincere. No matter though. I guess it's just giving the rest of them something else to be envious over. Corporate life. High school. Is there really that much of a difference between the two? Filed under: Jobs and Work Comments: 1 Comment |
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Name's Karsh. 27. Country-born, city-raised, 
