New Jobbbb!

Hey. I gotta job! Technically I'm finishing my third week, but it's new to me! For the first time in over 2 years I got myself a FT position, with bennies, and NOT as a temp. (More on that in a second.)



So there I was temping over at the Blue Electric Box and thinking that it'd be a decent temporary gig, but the managers mentioned that as they grow as a department, the possibilities of placing me as a permanent employee would grow as well. And that was fine. I mean, it was work. There was the on-site gym. Great cafeteria. Actor friendly. (Meaning, quite a few actor buddies were on site) Seemingly Flexible. And more or less Friendly. (You grow to loathe the "temp treatment"...regardless of what you think or what the managers say, I'd been placed at 3 different offices where you were treated with outright contempt. Kind of like being relegated to the cafeteria table away from the popular kids. And you eat it. Every day. Because you need the job. At least I did...)



My issue was that it was kinda mind-numbing. Under-challenging. Moreover, my direct report was...not a people person? Exact opposite, in fact. A poooooor leader. Yelled instructions and assignments at us through our door in passing. I had to schedule a meeting w/my temp agency as to what direction I was going since it didn't seem like I was getting a whole lot of guidance. (And he was a mouse-grabber. Like, grab your mouse right out of your hand to "show" you what he couldn't communicate verbally. Bad form.) Then when you couple in the fact that he was a little condescending- to everyone- I was getting antsy and a little pissy. (The "productivity" tracker they implemented was bullshit too. That's neither here nor there. I just haaaaaaate micro-management)


And then the Careerbuilder threw me a bone.


There was a QA position in a small company that was literally a nickel toss away from my home. The required skill set seemed aligned with my own so I threw'em my resume' and as luck would have it- I landed an interview. (First a phone interview w/their Vegas HR dept. Which was...weird...if not a little casual) I ended up with a face to face 2nd interview the following week and my hopes were starting to get higher. After I took the day off at the Temp job to hit it... I marveled at the 3 minute commute from my front door. I imagined bike rides. Lower blood pressure due to not having a s#itty commute. And after finally meeting the interviewers with their ridiculous sense of humor, the fact that one of them found my marathon small talk interesting, being told I was the best fit for the position based on my experience...It was in the BAG, baby!!!


AAnnnnd I blew it. Actually, I was positive I blew it. Something felt wonky when I walked out. And after 5 days of waiting w/baited breath and thinking about how to word my resignation email...I got the "we decided to go in another direction" phone call. So...I exhaled. Spent a day stewing with it. And woke up the next day thinking about how I was going to make my next few (days/weeks/months/years) working at Blue Box pleasant. That's right. I decided to flip my attitude and see if I could make a go of it. Good for me, right? Didn't mean I wouldn't keep looking for other things, right? RIGHT??!?!?!


And like an 80's movie where the "ex" comes back while you're just getting on your feet? Apparently one of the candidates dropped and they called me to ask if I was still interested in the position. MY EMOTIONS!!!! YOU TOY WITH THEM!!!!


There were some wonky hitches...I kept it on the complete down low until the offer was extended, accepted, my paperwork was received and in good order...hell, I thought I'd jinx it until after my pee-test cleared. But clear it did. And on 6/13? Jobbed. It didn't take me more than a day to realize that I made a good choice. It might have been also when the CEO dropped off the company magazine and actually said "Here's one for Mikey!" that I was almost positive I did.

The money isn't tremendous. And figuring out benefits after nearly 8 years was a chore. But it is a small company. And growing, with a good business model. With the commute being so easy, it's amazing I spent so many years angry at other people...more amazing I didn't suffer a heart attack. My co-worker is cool. She's a gear-head and a self-proclaimed "Jeep Snob" who fills me in on she and her husbands latest off-road shenanigans. (I'm learning about cars, yo. A LOT about cars) So yeah. I can go to the doctor and dentist now. Pip.



So that, friends, is me at my new job.