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(no subject)
Dec. 29th, 2001 12:35 amTrust me to make sure everything gets screwed up without even realizing it. Ugh. Can I have a do-over?
Dec. 29th, 2001
tidying up
Dec. 29th, 2001 06:06 pmI'm going to spend the next week or so documenting where things are installed on my system at work, and how to do things like restart the web server and make sure everything starts up again on reboot. It's depressing. Not documentation per se, although writing documentation is not my most favorite thing to do, but the fact that I'm doing it because I have to leave the company.
I've worked for the same person through several different companies for the last six-plus years. It was my first job that didn't involve working in retail somehow (maybe working as a copyright clearance person kind of counted as not exactly retail, although it was for the university bookstore and for the purposes of putting together those photocopied packets of articles that professors often make you buy), and my first web-related job back when Word didn't have "Save As HTML" functions and writing HTML was considered a real marketable skill . </geeze> My boss has encouraged me to keep learning and was willing to spend parts of the budget to send me to classes when I asked; I went from HTML code monkey to doing Unix systems administration over the course of my employment with her. The working environment has been great. We managed to have fun even while being surrounded on all sides by buttoned-down, ex-military government contractor types. Some of them would even come down and hang out while we played floor hockey in the lab. I could come to the office with my hair dyed green, facial piercings, wearing flowy velvet and boots with 3-inch platforms. I could come in any time I felt like it, barring scheduled meetings (which she never scheduled before 10 am if she could help it out of deference to me), and work until I got done what I needed to get done. Telecommuting was encouraged when we had actual offices to go to, and when we didn't it was a full-time setup. (Sounds like a great gig until you find that you haven't gotten out of your pajamas other than to shower in three days.) Not only is she my boss, but she's my friend. That I'm sure won't change regardless of where I work.
So why am I leaving? It's not been a good year for us contract-wise (as in, we haven't had one this year), and I need some financial stability so I have to look for another permanent position or a long-term contract. I stuck it out for as long as I could by living on my savings, but those are gone now. I am definitely going to miss the "work when we feel like it" thing, but unfortunately I am not in a position to do that anymore. It's been real fun while it lasted, and I'd keep doing it if the folks who hold the title to my car worked on a "pay us when you feel like it" scheme. I don't want to leave, but I've kind of been forced into it by my lovely mountain of debt. I tend to stick with jobs if I'm generally happy for a long time. I worked at the same place all through college, and ended up working there for a year or so after graduation. I've worked with E. since October of 1995, through four different companies. I'm sad to see it coming to an end. (And it's not helping that I can't get most anyone to even acknowledge getting my resume. Got a response from Aquent with a questionnaire to fill out about my skills and then never heard a peep from them again. I'm hoping that this webmaster job will pan out, but I am not counting on it until I have an actual offer letter in hand.)
I've worked for the same person through several different companies for the last six-plus years. It was my first job that didn't involve working in retail somehow (maybe working as a copyright clearance person kind of counted as not exactly retail, although it was for the university bookstore and for the purposes of putting together those photocopied packets of articles that professors often make you buy), and my first web-related job back when Word didn't have "Save As HTML" functions and writing HTML was considered a real marketable skill . </geeze> My boss has encouraged me to keep learning and was willing to spend parts of the budget to send me to classes when I asked; I went from HTML code monkey to doing Unix systems administration over the course of my employment with her. The working environment has been great. We managed to have fun even while being surrounded on all sides by buttoned-down, ex-military government contractor types. Some of them would even come down and hang out while we played floor hockey in the lab. I could come to the office with my hair dyed green, facial piercings, wearing flowy velvet and boots with 3-inch platforms. I could come in any time I felt like it, barring scheduled meetings (which she never scheduled before 10 am if she could help it out of deference to me), and work until I got done what I needed to get done. Telecommuting was encouraged when we had actual offices to go to, and when we didn't it was a full-time setup. (Sounds like a great gig until you find that you haven't gotten out of your pajamas other than to shower in three days.) Not only is she my boss, but she's my friend. That I'm sure won't change regardless of where I work.
So why am I leaving? It's not been a good year for us contract-wise (as in, we haven't had one this year), and I need some financial stability so I have to look for another permanent position or a long-term contract. I stuck it out for as long as I could by living on my savings, but those are gone now. I am definitely going to miss the "work when we feel like it" thing, but unfortunately I am not in a position to do that anymore. It's been real fun while it lasted, and I'd keep doing it if the folks who hold the title to my car worked on a "pay us when you feel like it" scheme. I don't want to leave, but I've kind of been forced into it by my lovely mountain of debt. I tend to stick with jobs if I'm generally happy for a long time. I worked at the same place all through college, and ended up working there for a year or so after graduation. I've worked with E. since October of 1995, through four different companies. I'm sad to see it coming to an end. (And it's not helping that I can't get most anyone to even acknowledge getting my resume. Got a response from Aquent with a questionnaire to fill out about my skills and then never heard a peep from them again. I'm hoping that this webmaster job will pan out, but I am not counting on it until I have an actual offer letter in hand.)
(no subject)
Dec. 29th, 2001 10:39 pmAND then a scholar said, Speak of Talking.
And he answered, saying:
You talk when you cease to be at peace
with your thoughts;
And when you can no longer dwell in the
solitude of your heart you live in your lips,
and sound is a diversion and a pastime.
( continued... )