CS 2900

First, I'm going to say, "brilliant marketing." I'm paying to work for them.

Background: My college is rewiring their entire network infrastructure in their Computer Science labs over summer semester. They're running network wire for over 100 new computers in 5 different rooms. Each wire needs to be terminated to either a server block or a jack, both ends, 8 "twists" per wire and then certify the whole line, that's a lot of tedious work. That's just the beginning, there's still installing all the server software in the server rooms as well as a myriad of other details I won't go into.

Anyway, because this isn't a private college all the hiring of labor goes through the state's bureaucracy. Because the two instructors in charge of this project don't have much time, they have to do it themselves.

The Brilliant Part: They created a new elective class, CS 2900, and are having the students do all this work. Their pitch is, "this class will NEVER be offered again in any semester in the future" and "no school has EVER done this before, nor will they ever do this."

So, what do I do? I paid my tuition and joined the class, just to put it on a damn resume. I'm paying THEM to let me work. I'm thinking of dropping the class and saving my money so I can play video games and enjoy my summer, but the experience lasts as long as Moore's Law.

Still Employed, School is Long, Summer Come Soon

I'm still employed. Everyday, fellow employees joke about how long I have until I'm fired/laid off. I swear, theres a fucking office pool going around.

Currently, I'm in the middle of a project that no other employee in my department is capable of handling. The remaining hardware can't be ordered until May, so the installation can't happen until then. Which means, I won't be let go until it's complete. A wise worker once said, "make yourself indispensible." So, I'm employeed until at least the end of May. After that, who knows.

The end of Spring semester is approaching. Right now, I have too much homework I should be working on, instead, I opt to write here. My communication class is going great! I'm at a steady 102%. No kidding. Top of my class. We just have one more group project then the final test(s). Two more weeks, then that class is finished. I really liked it. I really liked Psychology, too. Scored an "A" there.

My Calculus class is kicking my ass. I estimate a low "C" right now. The math is getting so complicated, I'm 80% sure I'm going to change majors. I mentioned this to my professor and, of course, she had intent to change my mind. The words of encouragement failed to take hold, especially considering that I'm 7 chapters behind and I'm more inspired to write on my site than pull out my book.

I can't wait for summer. I don't intend to take any summer classes. Spring semester is always bad for me because I'm hyper and can't stay focues on school that long.

My A.D.D. is kicking in again and need to change out of my work clothes for school.

Oh yeah, and I think I want a motorcycle.

Job/Degree Wanted

I didn't get the position I applied for. After two interviews, one of which was with the owner, they decided to go with someone with more "experience". It's depressing. I put my hopes in that basket and it dropped. Oh well.

I'm currently a little depressed, but I have no one to blame but myself. I haven't looked much at other places very aggressively and I just sit and wallow in self pity. Despite it all, I'm beginning to feel better. I need to focus a bit on school now as I am falling a little behind.

There's just something about studying that makes my mind click off, even if it's an interesting subject. Maybe I'm waiting for that "a-ha!" moment. You know, when you finally get something and feel a surge of energy to try it out or investigate further.

I'm not feeling it.

Job Update

I kept my job, but was demoted, sort of. I went from the theatrical maintenance guy who made sure the shows triggered correctly, to a theater seat repair man. Mind-numbing, mindless work - twisting wrenches and screw drivers. A monkey could do it.

So, I'm looking for a new job. It's going to be tough because the unemployment rate is really high right now. With an interview next Wednesday and my school schedule to compete with, it's going to be a hard sell. Not to mention, after this semester, I might have to switch to a daytime school schedule (because the classes aren't offered at night.) The position I'm applying for is a daytime schedule.

Wish me luck.

Am I fired?

I might loose my job. I just bought a condo, haven't even made the first payment, and I might loose my job.

There's been some corporate "restructuring" going on at my work. It began here, in a restaurant. This restaurant is owned by a larger corporation of movie theaters, restaurants and car dealerships. Well, the concessions for the theaters and the restaurants ordered their products through the same shipping dock that did all the ordering, handling and delivering of product. The dock was charging this restaurant far beyond what they were supposed to, which drastically altered the books and caused a trickle down of profits. When they decided to find out why there was no profit, they found many more "discrepancies". On their search, they found more things to get rid of. The term used is "trimming the fat." Once word got out about all this, combined with the economy, the result was massive job loss.

My department has been dissected and split and I wasn't on "the list" of people being deployed to new areas. Currently, my position is up in the air. To top it, this particular restaurant has been sold and is no longer part of the "big" corporation of which I'm employed. It worries me a bit.

I just bought a new home. We haven't even made the first payment and I might lose my job. Go ahead, ask me how I'm doing.

I can't justify it.

As you've learned in the past, I'm currently studying to be an engineer, specifically Electronic. My college currently only provides APE's in Electrical. The difference between the two? Here's my version: Electrical Engineers are the engineers who can design huge substations and power grids for supporting large communities with electricity. They come up with new plans for generators, their possible outputs and maintenance. Electronic is much smaller. Like calculators, GPS tracking systems and electronic gadgets that fuel todays gadget addicted CIA, MI6 an KGB operatives. Fun stuff.

Why did I decide this? I don't know. I think I decided when a friend told me how much it's possible to make, or rather, his boss made doing this kind of stuff, but my friend himself isn't remotely close. Plus, it requires computers and a highly-detail oriented, inventive mind, which I have. So, why not?

Now, about 3 years into it and not even half way through a pre-engineering degree, I'm beginning to wonder if it's what I really want. Here's why:

I've been running out of stuff to do at work. So, in my moments of being idle, I've been dabbling with Photoshop. It might also be useful to know that I've always loved art: illustration, sculpture, painting ... you name it and I love it. Ever since I was 10 I've sketched, drawn, studied, watched and surrounded myself with all kinds of art. I've taken every possible art class offered in every possible school year I could and still maintain my minimum credits. All my electives have been art. So, when I'm idle, I naturally gravitate to it. It might also be of note to mention that my family has a history of artists.

So, I've been dabbling in photoshop and posted some stuff online, only about three pieces. But I see other stuff and think, wow ... I can do that. It's what I love, truely. In my heart of hearts, in the core of me, I find art. It beats with my life. But, I could never do it for a living. Because when you depend on it for survival, it no longer becomes fun. When you have to change yourself just so you can sell a piece and eat for a week, it changes everything. When someone pays you to do it, rather than pay you for what you've done, they become your art. You're freedom becomes bent, your vision becomes askew and it changes you. It's no longer your art.

I also think I would just be too afraid of starving to death.

So, I dabble. I make my own. But I'm tormented because I've always felt that, people create art as a form of expression. Like talking, to make others aware of you're presence. To incite emotion, the same emotion, you felt when you were making it, so that they could understand, and in doing so, relate to you, forming a connection. It's so breif and yet, so powerful, that they cannot help but fall in love with it, the connection. So, they buy the piece, and whenever they want to feel that again, all they have to do is open their eyes, and there it is.

I would surely starve.

But, I can't help but wonder, if being an Engineer is what I really want. If it's what I'm supposed to be doing to make my life complete.

Firing the boss

My boss got fired today. How does that make one feel? Most would rejoice at the fact that their superior finally got the shit end of the stick but not me,.. Really. Not only did my boss get fired, but my mother's fiancee got fired. (Sounds nicer than "future father-in-law", don't you think?) Now, how does that make one feel?

I work for a "trans-national-family owned business specializing in wholesale photo restoration and retouching". Have you ever been to a Ritz Camera? Or a Wolf Camera? Or an Inkley's? We do their photo restorations. Perhaps you've been in a MotoPhoto? We do a few of theirs, too. Anyway, the owner/president/CEO is truly and utterly a complete asshole. I mean that in the most sincerest form. Not all bosses are dicks, but this guy... this guy is fucked. I once cleared some time off (one day, unpaid) to celebrate my mother-in-laws birthday in Wendover, NV. (Gimme a break, I live in Utah... I am NOT Mormon... Yes, I get that a lot). After my return, I was reprimanded before the entire office staff and told that, "[I] didn't DESERVE time off", and that it was my fault that the company was not making it's goals that month. "[My] fault that we're not making the goal this month", FOR ONE DAY OFF?!! UNPAID!!! Needless to say, I upped my efforts, overshot our goals and still hold the grudge. I've been there for two years, there's ambition for ya'.

Anyway, I found out today that the man who hired me, a truly silver-tongued salesman, was fired. He was also VP of the company, and the LAST person I'd suspect to be fired. I still don't know why.

The owner/president/CEO is a swinger. By "swinger", I mean, the silver-tongued genius will probably be rehired back by the end of the year (he was never rehired.) Another employee has been fired and rehired 4 times. I've been almost fired, and surely rehired once. It's so volatile and unpredictable, I'm not willing to chance it. It's worse than walking on egg shells, without breaking them. Even if I'm only "fired" for two weeks, that's two weeks without a paycheck. So now I have to "yes" him to death.

"Yes, I'll take care of the billing", "Yes, I'll call the photo labs", "Prints? You got it."

I AM a hypocrite, after all.

Update: I lasted a total of 5 years with the boss considering me part of the "inner circle" of employees. I was pretty much guaranteed a position with the company somewhere, virtually invincible. Until I quit.