How do you like your job?

[-CC-]

Arghh, I come to these forums to ESCAPE my job..and now there's a JOB THREAD!?!!

 

[arg]

Ugh, I feel sorry for you. I've had to do that a few times at my job, but fortunately it's never been for more than 3-4 days at a time, and pretty far between.

it's slightly complex data entry, with multiple interrelated screens that have to be consistent and stuff. so i have to stay somewhat concentrated... like a semi-sentient robot. there's also a bit of analysis and reporting involved. i gotta do it hundreds of times over and over though :S .

i wish i were using my cs degree more :/. lack of practice coupled with mind-numbing work and a lot of alcohol afterwards...i swear im forgetting shit.

the pay is actually very good from the point of view of "i live with my parents" but i answered as if i were theoretically paying rent. that is some advice for you all, get a job but stay at home =D !

 

[zabu of nΩd]

Haha, I wish. My home is in the middle of nowhere, and my parents specifically chose it for its scenic location. This probably seemed like a great idea before they had kids who aspired to have a social life and before the internet and cell phones were common, but now it mostly just functions as a prison. I don't get cell phone reception, the only available internet connection is 18k, I can't use the land line and the internet at the same time, and we can't upgrade to satellite internet because the trees in our yard are "blocking the signal." I do have a car, but I can't even use it to visit friends because most of their families moved away years ago (I don't blame them). My only real escape is occasionally revisiting my former college, but doing that regularly isn't an option because the gas and maintenance for my car would make it prohibitively expensive without a job. Alternatively, having a job monopolizes enough of my schedule that I'm simply not available to leave when it's convenient for my friends in Oswego.

Yeah that is rather sucky. Especially if your aspiration involves working with people, which it seems to be.

I already volunteer with the BSA and I do educational presentations about reptiles.

Okay, cool. I feel like I brought this up with you once before and got the impression you weren't doing anything, but I guess I was mistaken.

What a short sighted thing to say. Clearly, I'm not currently in a position to be doing these things, otherwise I would be. I'm not concerned with your criticism of how qualified I seem to you either. It's evident to many in real life that I have a lot to offer and the fact that I'm good at pretty much everything while receiving so little satisfaction from most of it is certainly evidence in my favor. I was routinely understimulated in high school and college just like I am now. That doesn't mean I'm unambitious, it means that I'm uninspired, possibly as a result of not being challenged enough.

Well, I tend to regard with some skepticism people who claim that their lack of success in life is due to poor 'guidance' from others. Many people who have achieved great things in life did so because they had the self-sufficiency and initiative to overcome their disadvantages. I might be less skeptical if you actually explained in detail what it is you're good at, but obviously you're under no obligation to 'prove yourself' to some dude on the internet.

I have yet to figure that out, unfortunately.

Why would you bother saying you feel "destined for greatness" without having any idea what that greatness would be, unless you're just a pretentious narcissist? I'm not saying you are a pretentious narcissist, but based on your posts so far I can't really think of a better explanation.

 

[zabu of nΩd]

it's slightly complex data entry, with multiple interrelated screens that have to be consistent and stuff. so i have to stay somewhat concentrated... like a semi-sentient robot. there's also a bit of analysis and reporting involved. i gotta do it hundreds of times over and over though :S.

i wish i were using my cs degree more :/. lack of practice coupled with mind-numbing work and a lot of alcohol afterwards...i swear im forgetting shit.

Yeah, that's the problem with getting a job that doesn't use your degree. Pretty hard to practice those skills in your spare time too when your job is draining all your willpower.

the pay is actually very good from the point of view of "i live with my parents" but i answered as if i were theoretically paying rent. that is some advice for you all, get a job but stay at home =D !

Good advice, and I wouldn't mind doing that, but unfortunately where my family lives is not the greatest place to find programming work. Plus I really want to live somewhere different.

 

[mutantllama]

I work at a health food coop

I like a lot of the people I work with, and I can tolerate the others
I'm a peon that sweeps and mops
I don't get much money
I guess my job has slightly influenced me to eat healthier
Next year I'm planning on working full time at the same place, but I don't plan on working there my whole life.


So I guess I enjoy my job, and I like working with cool people.

Although, wine tastings can suck my cock.

 

[Pessimism]

Am I one of the few here who weren't lucky enough to have parents pay for ANYTHING school or home related (while living in one of the most expensive states around - California), work damn near full time on top of that, and pay for my own apartment?

I wish I had it so easy (no offense, but fuck I WISH).

Whatever. I work at Wal-Mart, so it must be pointed out that I was forced to choose all the negatives on the list. Too bad there was not an option for "I hate my damn job and sometimes wish for all life to end".


My job is mind-numbingly tedious
My job is too stressful / gradually frying my nerves
The people I work with piss me off a lot
If I have to keep this job for the rest of my career, I will probably snap...
My job pays too little
I am a nobody/grunt/peon at my company/organization

 

[unknown]

I pay for all my schooling ($2653 a semester), bought my car, pay my insurance and cell

 

[-CC-]

Am I one of the few here who weren't lucky enough to have parents pay for ANYTHING school or home related (while living in one of the most expensive states around - California), work damn near full time on top of that, and pay for my own apartment?

I'm there with you bud I actually had to pay rent for my dad when I turned 18, so when I was 19 I said fuck it and moved out because I'd rather spend a couple more hundred and get my own place..of course that ended up not being my own place, but me and 2 other roommates!

 

[MasterOLightning]

I'm a technician (Benefit Authorizer) for the Social Security Administration. I do most of the things that the systems can't do automatically when it comes to managing people's records. For as complicated as Social Security policy can be, the systems are very good, but there are plenty of deficiencies and things that need to be done manually. I correct payment errors and draft the letters that go out to people as well as make smaller tweaks, like changing addresses, recording marriages and deaths, entering earnings reports. It's mentally challenging because no two cases are the same, and there are several facets to the work beyond just retirement payments (work, worker's comp, disability, SSI, dual-entitlement, etc.). Training was nine months.
I can put on headphones and listen to music all day, and I don't have to interact with people much. That's okay since probably 70% of the people I work with are black women, and I'm the youngest person at the job. My commute is only about 20 minutes each way and I can start any time between 6 and 9:30.

The government pays well. I have a lot of time off, and I get about a 22% raise when I hit the next pay grade in April. I live on my own, and don't really have to worry about money at all. Within reason, I buy whatever I want and don't think twice about it. Probably in a year or two I'll buy a condo. Pretty cool. There's also a lot of promotion potential because the government is full of older people nearing retirement, and there are few people in their 30s or 40s because the job market was much better over the last 20 years, and the gov't can't be as competitive in terms of wages. The floor is high enough, but the ceiling is low. Still, if I stick with it, I can get up to a $100,000 position and retire by 55.

 

[unknown]

wow

 

[Evil?]

Am I one of the few here who weren't lucky enough to have parents pay for ANYTHING school or home related (while living in one of the most expensive states around - California), work damn near full time on top of that, and pay for my own apartment?

I wish I had it so easy (no offense, but fuck I WISH).

Whatever. I work at Wal-Mart, so it must be pointed out that I was forced to choose all the negatives on the list. Too bad there was not an option for "I hate my damn job and sometimes wish for all life to end".

I am/was in the same boat. I had to pay for everything.

 

[IntoPhagist]

Good topic...I work full time stock for my local CVS, It's hard to get a job right now and it'll do for now. Fulltime ain't bad either so I don't hate it. The job is easy, basically just loading/unloading trucks, putting the shit on the shelves and some other shit. It just got really boring, every week I work the same days and do the same garbage on those days. At least I don't have to use my brain so much. I also really can't stand the people that I work with, not that there bad people...They just don't care and are from the ages of 16-21. I'm 23, my boss expects a lot from me and I always work 9 hour days and stay later then anybody. The kiddies do a shit job, and I get blamed for shit not being done some of the time.

6/10

 

[cookiecutter]

I'm a technician (Benefit Authorizer) for the Social Security Administration. I do most of the things that the systems can't do automatically when it comes to managing people's records. For as complicated as Social Security policy can be, the systems are very good, but there are plenty of deficiencies and things that need to be done manually. I correct payment errors and draft the letters that go out to people as well as make smaller tweaks, like changing addresses, recording marriages and deaths, entering earnings reports. It's mentally challenging because no two cases are the same, and there are several facets to the work beyond just retirement payments (work, worker's comp, disability, SSI, dual-entitlement, etc.). Training was nine months.
I can put on headphones and listen to music all day, and I don't have to interact with people much. That's okay since probably 70% of the people I work with are black women, and I'm the youngest person at the job. My commute is only about 20 minutes each way and I can start any time between 6 and 9:30.

The government pays well. I have a lot of time off, and I get about a 22% raise when I hit the next pay grade in April. I live on my own, and don't really have to worry about money at all. Within reason, I buy whatever I want and don't think twice about it. Probably in a year or two I'll buy a condo. Pretty cool. There's also a lot of promotion potential because the government is full of older people nearing retirement, and there are few people in their 30s or 40s because the job market was much better over the last 20 years, and the gov't can't be as competitive in terms of wages. The floor is high enough, but the ceiling is low. Still, if I stick with it, I can get up to a $100,000 position and retire by 55.

Interesting post. I am definitely considering government work (US or Canadian) after I graduate. I feel like it would be a good fit for me.

 

[Srontgorrth]

I'm a technician (Benefit Authorizer) for the Social Security Administration. I do most of the things that the systems can't do automatically when it comes to managing people's records. For as complicated as Social Security policy can be, the systems are very good, but there are plenty of deficiencies and things that need to be done manually. I correct payment errors and draft the letters that go out to people as well as make smaller tweaks, like changing addresses, recording marriages and deaths, entering earnings reports. It's mentally challenging because no two cases are the same, and there are several facets to the work beyond just retirement payments (work, worker's comp, disability, SSI, dual-entitlement, etc.). Training was nine months.
I can put on headphones and listen to music all day, and I don't have to interact with people much. That's okay since probably 70% of the people I work with are black women, and I'm the youngest person at the job. My commute is only about 20 minutes each way and I can start any time between 6 and 9:30.

The government pays well. I have a lot of time off, and I get about a 22% raise when I hit the next pay grade in April. I live on my own, and don't really have to worry about money at all. Within reason, I buy whatever I want and don't think twice about it. Probably in a year or two I'll buy a condo. Pretty cool. There's also a lot of promotion potential because the government is full of older people nearing retirement, and there are few people in their 30s or 40s because the job market was much better over the last 20 years, and the gov't can't be as competitive in terms of wages. The floor is high enough, but the ceiling is low. Still, if I stick with it, I can get up to a $100,000 position and retire by 55.

That sounds pretty interesting, how did you get the job and how long have you had it for?

 

[Jean-Pierre]

My job is mind-numbingly tedious
My job is too stressful / gradually frying my nerves
The people I work with piss me off a lot
If I have to keep this job for the rest of my career, I will probably snap...
My job pays too little
I am a nobody/grunt/peon at my company/organization

Multiply that by two going on three and that's me (except replace wal-mart with CVS, Hot Topic, Dive Bar). Work sucks.

 

[Ben_t]

That sounds pretty interesting, how did you get the job and how long have you had it for?

I can only speak for me but from what I've read my situation is close to his (except that I'm in Canada) and I'm in the IT field. I got my government job through my University by doing an intership there. When I graduated I didn't even need to apply, they called me to offer me a position which I gladly accepted.

I've been working there for a little over 5 years and my salary (which was most than 40k when I initially started) almost doubled within that time (although that's not everybody as I won 2 promotions to get to that much, it's not just the yearly increments).

I love the fact that there are so many opportunities within the government once you're in. It makes for great learning opportunities and a lot possibilities to try different jobs. Job security is also a lot better than any privated companies I've seen and there are some pretty good benifits as well and a good pension plan.

 

[Profanity]

I love my job. I work in a supermarket pushing trolleys all day, it rules, seeing attractive women and handing them trolleys, emptying the till bins where many attractive women work. Having to move gangs of teenagers, stopping/reprimanding naughty drivers.

I am very passionate and take a lot of pride in my role of Trolley King and get very upset when people question my job or don't listen to my suggestions. I have been working there since mid 2007.

 

[MasterOLightning]

That sounds pretty interesting, how did you get the job and how long have you had it for?

I've been working there since April. I found the position through usajobs.gov. There was an exam that about 700 people took for 15 hires. I knew I was a lot smarter and more qualified than most of the people who applied, so even with those odds I felt pretty good. My particular position is fine, but there are so many more things I can do once I finish my two year probationary period.