Somehow I didn't get the job mentioned in the last post. The recruiter called back at the last second to leave a voice mail saying "they went with another candidate". I can only assume she thought I was over-qualified. So I didn't really find anything else after that. Another month of nothing.

But I was getting bored with that. So I went on dice. I found two jobs to my liking. One was with a recruiting place I had worked with before the other was just a job that looked like a fit. I sent the two resumes and got two responses.

The unknown company I emailed and within minutes recieved an email asking for my going rate of pay. I said 16 to 20 an hour and I was accustomed to 18. Then I didn't hear anything.

The more familiar company recognized me and said there was a position and that I should come in and talk about it. So that one was on a thursday, the unfamiliar one had an interview on friday.

The familiar company's offering looked promising actually. Fairly well paid, a close commute but only a month in duration.

The unfamiliar one, the one with the real interview, sounded like it could teach me things I could really add to my resume.

The interview was kind of nerve racking. It was on a Friday like I mentioned at 10:00. Actually it was a lot later than that because the manager wasn't in yet or something. They wanted me to start the following monday.

Okay: stop. This is bad sign number one (I'm learning). Something's going on if they're really pressed to get a warm body in.

Secondly though my resume was extensive and listed my skills the questions seemed a bit off and one of the two interviewers continually down played my skills...

That'd be bad sign number two.

After what seemed like quite a while the main interviewer started make more statements than questions about job responsibilities and expectations. Okay that's a sure sign I have the job if I want it.

So as instructed I call the recruiter back. He says they want my and the rate is 14 an hour.

Okay lets pause a minute and rant for a while. WTF?! They ask me for my rate. I say it's 16 to 18. They offer 14?! See if I had any where-with-all I would have said something like "didn't you receive my email? It's at least 16 or I'll have to decline". See that would have been smart. But what did I do? I took the stupid job. WHY THE HELL DID I DO THAT?!?

Fine, call me dumb why don't ya. Still it's kind of an applied game theory in action isn't it?

I said my minimum was 16 and yet without a fight I took 14. This tells the hiring manager I can be pushed around. Abused. Exploited. And I won't fight back. Furthermore I'm sure he'll find a way to dick with me.

On the other hand I hope he knows 14 is not exactly "motivational money". How much abuse will I put up with for 14? Especially when I can get a new job for 18 with so little effort. What the fuck do I care where that leaves them? Fuck 'em and their 14 dollars an hour.

Then there's a side detail: one of the other employees seems especially praising of me with nothing really to praise. As it turns out I'm performing a lot of the duties he used to have to do himself. So he is in fact motivated to make me feel like I belong there and stay there. If I leave he'll have more work. Hah!

So I've been a little pissed at myself for taking this job for such shitting money. Especially without a fight and after providing a minimum. They're the ones in the corner, they should have to pay for a qualified candidate.

So that's basically the pluses and minuses of my current position. Of course there are other details. For instance for some reason my first week I do really, really badly for some reason. Just nerves I guess. I felt like I was so tired I could hardly move. And my feet started to hurt again. But I think it's all in my head. By Thursday I actually feeling much better. And today, Friday, I was even exhibiting some kind of energy maybe.

In fact I don't know how I made it the first week. I mean I'm sure I did okay, but some with higher standards at the very least would have chewed me out over the apparent feet dragging. But no one really said a word. Which implies still further evidence these people are motivated to keep a pulse with a minimum competence. Which this first week is what they got.

Of course there is still full more details. For instance an apparent short time ago another person occupied my position. His name was Alex apparently. He's referenced a lot. He didn't follow procedures and caused some delays and was eventually fired for this. And now it's like everybody is still stuck on Alex and I'm being punished for his deeds. Which isn't fair. And is starting to piss me off.

Should I tell you what I'm actually doing? Fine. Unlike my last position there's a group of techs who go out in the field and service the PCs and one guy left back in the "IT Room" or whatever you want to call it who has to do all the ghosting and application installing. For now that'd be me with the ghosting and application installing. So I'm stuck in a room for eight hours a day. Every day. I'm not alone though. Oh no. I've got one co-worker, in charge of inventory apparently, and an extremely stressed out manager. Of course all managers are stressed out. But this guy is noticeably stressed out.

So I'm still learning their processes. I try to ask questions but the two of them are not always accommodating. So unless I'm getting 14 an hour to psychic makes it kind of hard to actually know if I'm doing stuff correctly. So I get a hostile reaction for asking a question or asking if someone would look over a PC before I put it up for deployment and yet even more hostile reactions if a PC goes up that isn't ready. Ok fine. Damned if I do, damned if I don't.

So lets review shall we? I'm getting paid next to nothing and I'm in a readily weakened position with at least two managers who know I can be abused and exploited if pushed a little. But I also know they're in a weak position since they need someone to fill my position rather badly. This gives some what of an immunity to abuse. This combined with the pay gives me a pretty big margin of error or whatever you want to call it.

Also I'm apparently in need of a get-myself-going-again kind of a position. Somewhere where I can get re-accustomed with a normal work day and in an environment which will tolerate said re-acclimation. And this place is fairly close to where I live so It's not that awful of a commute.

Ya, sometime last night I started to realize there were positives to keeping this position. Like the mentioned acclimation for instance. And who knows? Perhaps I will be able to learn something unique and exciting for this position that I can add to my resume.

¶ 11:36 PM