So, I started this new job last Thursday, and I've decided to start looking for a better job. I know I should be happy with what I got, but it's just mind-numbingly brain dead work. So much to the point that I think I am actually doing poorly because there isn't really anything I care about. I know I should feel some sort of obligation or something but I just hate it. I go in there... I have to show up at 9AM. I take a 45 minute break for lunch at 11:30AM. I have my 15 minute break at 2:30PM. I go home at 5:30PM. I guess it isn't so much that I have to be there at a certain time, but I have a micro-manager that determines when I take my breaks. Plus, rather than organising the test pass so that each person is a specialised feature owner, it's just first come first serve on which ever area you choose. I hate it.
I know I'm judging it way too early, but I kinda started off on the wrong foot when I accepted $5 less per hour than I was looking for... and $2 less than I had submitted my offer at. Then I had to choose between taking the job or losing my unemployment. Obviously I had to take the job. Even then, it's not the job I applied for. No coding... no planning... I am at the bottom of the ladder again, and it sucks! The thing is, I don't know how to do this job because I haven't memoized the test cases yet, but I applied for a job where I would create the test plans and test cases, automate some of the procedures, and really make changes, but in stead I get a micro-manager.and a set schedule. In fact, because of my micro-manager, I have to either drive, or get to work 45 minutes early because he doesn't want to let me come in at 9:10AM and leave at 5:50PM (which is when the Microsoft Shuttle comes and goes.
Maybe my manager is right (not the micro-manager, the real manager), and things are going to change a lot in the next 6 months... god knows things need to change... and maybe it would be good for me to urge that change to happen sooner than later. I don't know. I guess I'm really just feeling frustrated that I haven't gotten my log-in information yet... so that means I don't have permission to do my job (as far as the computer is concerned.) With a little luck, after I get my log-in, I will be given permission to access the source tree for a couple tools and stop being a monkey that just follows directions, but it is just scary to think that I could be going back to doing what I was doing last time I was at GTO.
Anyway... so yea, at the moment it seems like I kinda hate this job... compared to my old job it's: not as nice, more of a pain to get to, doesn't pay as well, has pointless extra rules, not nearly as interesting,
On the other hand... if I were to move to Redmond, that could technically save me $1,200 a month (that is if I were to put a dollar amount on my commute time to and from work.) So, maybe if I didn't have to spend 3 hours a day going to and from work I would feel better because I would have up to an extra 3 hours every day... one before work, and between one and two hours after work. You may say I have 3 after work because I could go to bed an hour later without losing any sleep.
Well, we will see how things go. I bet I can find some way to work things out in my favor. However, it is my bed time now... so I'm going to go get some sleep.
Later,
SteveO
