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New Gig

Fman99 Jul 20 2011 07:32 PM

After commuting 100 miles a day, round trip, for the past eight years, I received a verbal job offer for a new position with a company located in downtown Syracuse. It's a place I interviewed with back in 2009, that didn't have a first shift opening at the time, and I got back in touch with them this past spring after deciding that I was ready for the next thing. Anxious but excited. Looking forward to reducing my commute by about 85 miles per day total.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 20 2011 08:14 PM Re: New Gig

fantastic. I need a new gig myself. And commuting 100 miles has to suck.

metirish Jul 20 2011 08:17 PM Re: New Gig

Good stuff for the fman, less commuting must mean more jerking off here....win win sounds like to me.

TransMonk Jul 20 2011 08:47 PM Re: New Gig

Congrats to you! Commuting is for fools. I ride my bike .976 miles to work everyday.

Frayed Knot Jul 20 2011 09:02 PM Re: New Gig

Shit, the cutdown in the commute alone is like a $50/week raise.

G-Fafif Jul 20 2011 11:31 PM Re: New Gig

Congrats! Avoid trips to the HR manager for at least the first six months.

Rockin' Doc Jul 21 2011 04:51 AM Re: New Gig

Congratulations on the new job.

Edgy MD Jul 21 2011 05:45 AM Re: New Gig

Good for you. Hire me. Also gig-hunting.

seawolf17 Jul 21 2011 08:01 AM Re: New Gig

That's a hell of a commute from DC to Syracuse, Edge. Congrats, F!

Edgy MD Jul 21 2011 08:04 AM Re: New Gig

I can telecommute.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 21 2011 09:18 AM Re: New Gig

Awesome. Hire me too. I'm capable, friendly, and not averse to occasionally wearing something low-cut and barely workplace-appropriate.

Fman99 Jul 21 2011 09:30 AM Re: New Gig

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Awesome. Hire me too. I'm capable, friendly, and not averse to occasionally wearing something low-cut and barely workplace-appropriate. Sorry, I took this job with the specific condition that I not see your tits.

themetfairy Jul 21 2011 09:44 AM Re: New Gig

WTG Fman - best of luck with the new job!

bmfc1 Jul 24 2011 11:46 AM Re: New Gig

Good luck Fman!

Fman99 Jul 24 2011 06:16 PM Re: New Gig

Thanks all!

Fman99 Jul 28 2011 02:35 AM Re: New Gig

Made it official, gave my notice yesterday, start the new gig Monday 8/15. It's exciting, and nerve wracking also. I'm fine with that.

MFS62 Jul 28 2011 06:57 AM Re: New Gig

That's Great! Remember, whatever you do in life, there are two rules for success: 1) Never tell everything you know Later

Fman99 Aug 19 2011 07:33 PM Re: New Gig

A week into the new gig and I'm pretty confident that I made a good choice. The work is challenging in its newness but also still largely within my skill set, so I'm gaining confidence in that sense. My new coworkers are an entertaining and friendly bunch and my commute is lightning fast. I went home for lunch twice this week.

Fman99 Sep 07 2011 10:33 AM Re: New Gig

Feeling pretty comfortable in the new place, enough so to even post the occasional anatomy-and/or-scat-related witticism here to the CPF during business hours. Cause that's how I roll, y'all.

Fman99 Oct 24 2011 08:12 AM Re: New Gig

My new job sucks. I made a bad choice.

Edgy MD Oct 24 2011 08:17 AM Re: New Gig

They didn't like the assless pants, huh?

metirish Oct 24 2011 08:18 AM Re: New Gig

Fman99 wrote: My new job sucks. I made a bad choice. I saw on facebook that you missed you old mates..... what's going on that it sucks?

Fman99 Oct 24 2011 06:47 PM Re: New Gig

metirish wrote: Fman99 wrote: My new job sucks. I made a bad choice. I saw on facebook that you missed you old mates..... what's going on that it sucks? Their business model is all out of whack. They have a very complicated product, which is chock full of bugs, and maybe 1/3 of how it works is documented. In the interim you're expected (as a new employee) to spend all day asking other people how to fix things. There isn't much of a way to be a self-starter. Not enough support from management, from the developers, or from anyone, really. It's also database engineering and not network engineering. So it's not my first choice for a specialty. Ultimately I was tempted by a pay raise and a shorter commute. Not that I wasn't bored in my old job, but changing fields has been more of a disappointment than I figured it would be. My old company told me when I left that I was welcome back anytime. Which was decent of them. And though I'd be accepting the long drive if I went back, I'd also keep my time served if it's within the first year, and I can move around to some new contracts there to get more variety. The alternative is to find something else in the Syracuse area, which is where I'm looking right now. I'm going to try and give it more time, if it doesn't get to be too unbearable for me. I'm picking it up fast enough (faster than the other new guys, at least), but I'm just not enjoying it very much.

Edgy MD Oct 24 2011 07:42 PM Re: New Gig

Well, you might want to... Wait a minute. I'm the last person to give professional advice.

TransMonk Oct 25 2011 09:43 AM Re: New Gig

That certainly is a bummer, Fman. I hope it gets more enjoyable for you.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 25 2011 09:54 AM Re: New Gig

Dumb question maybe but is moving closer to your old job make any sense? Long commutes suck.

Fman99 Oct 25 2011 11:58 AM Re: New Gig

TransMonk wrote: That certainly is a bummer, Fman. I hope it gets more enjoyable for you. Thanks bud. Moving isn't really an option, only because we all like living in the Syracuse area and none of us wants to go live in Rome. My wife's job is just 2-3 miles from the house and she is not fond of driving or commuting any considerable distance. Also with the kids in school she's really kind of tied to staying in our school district so she can have the kids dropped off at the day care center where she works when their school days end.

metirish Oct 25 2011 12:06 PM Re: New Gig

Yeah it sucks man, is it only the commute that would bother you about going back to the old job or is there a bit of wondering what people will think, your mates there miss you right?

Fman99 Oct 25 2011 12:42 PM Re: New Gig

metirish wrote: Yeah it sucks man, is it only the commute that would bother you about going back to the old job or is there a bit of wondering what people will think, your mates there miss you right? I don't feel weird about going back, if that's what I end up doing. Most of the people told me when I left that they'd be happy to have me come back. And I do miss many of them, that I considered my friends over the last 4+ years. My immediate supervisor gave me some smarmy comments when I left as he didn't take well to me leaving. I don't know how that would play out. There are also other companies in Rome, at the lab, that have also expressed interest in me. I do have options, which is nice. But changing jobs, 401ks, health insurance, it's all such a fucking hassle. And I'd have to start all over on that again. And it still might be the best case.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 25 2011 01:06 PM Re: New Gig

I returned to a job I left once (this one in fact). Plusses and minuses to it, I guess.

Fman99 Oct 26 2011 12:18 PM Re: New Gig

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I returned to a job I left once (this one in fact). Plusses and minuses to it, I guess. I'm curious to know how you were treated upon your return. I'd expect a mixed bag, maybe 80% grateful and 20% dickish. What's making this more interesting is that now (thanks to a partially hidden FB post) that people in Rome know I'm in a dissatisfied state there are other employers besides my previous one that might have an interest in hiring me. Several years experience, good job performance and an active security clearance will get you everywhere these days. At the very least, the more options I have, the less agitated I will get at my current scenario.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 26 2011 12:31 PM Re: New Gig

I was in a stronger bargaining position when I left the first time than when I came back, but a year of involuntary self employment will do that. The job I took to leave paid way more but really sucked and laid me off right before 9/11, really fucking me over. I left on good terms with the boss so it was a matter of a job coming up, but they knew what they were getting with me and so while the $$ was about the same as when I left, they credited my previous time toward vacation accrual & such. Co-workers who would give you shit because you took a job for whatever reason (better commute, more $$, better looking receptionist etc) should go f themselves.

Fman99 Nov 09 2011 08:07 PM Re: New Gig

Well I was apparently going through a rough patch last month. Things have improved. I've picked up a bigger piece of the skill set, and gotten some positive feedback, and I've been enjoying myself more the last two weeks. So luckily I was patient enough to give it some time. I feel more like an engineer now, and less like a dumbass. I'm making good coin, the work is steady and challenging, and I am having a fun time over the course of most days. Better yet, they offered to promote me today. Even though I've only been there less than 3 months. I passed on it, they're looking for someone to be a supervisor in a position that would be less technical and more administrative, which I have no interest in. But it's a nice sign, that they view me as having potential for that type of growth (snicker) down the road and that they think highly of me as an employee. Funny how a couple of weeks can turn things around.

themetfairy Nov 09 2011 08:15 PM Re: New Gig

Plus you have less time commuting = more time for running! Glad that it's working out :)

Edgy MD Nov 09 2011 08:27 PM Re: New Gig

Glad to hear.

TransMonk Nov 10 2011 07:26 AM Re: New Gig

Yea!!

metirish Nov 10 2011 01:49 PM Re: New Gig

Fman pulls through again....good stuff man.

Rockin' Doc Nov 15 2011 08:01 PM Re: New Gig

Patience is a virtue. Glad to hear that your patience has been rewarded and things are working out your new job.

Fman99 Nov 23 2011 09:47 AM Re: New Gig

Rockin' Doc wrote: Patience is a virtue. Glad to hear that your patience has been rewarded and things are working out your new job. Thanks all. Nice to have a bunch of A+ Mets fans in my corner.

Edgy MD Jan 17 2012 08:20 AM Re: New Gig

I've been going through my rough patch and I'm trying to take heart from the Fman experience. I've sort of been left to create this job on my own, and with a couple of dozen possible sets of expectations, and maybe 350 toes to step on, I'd've appreciated a little more guidance. Trying to get the gumption to get past this. I'm getting a lot more writing opportunities, and am appreciating that, but other folks here think I'm a web programmer, and though I'm technically on the web team, that ain't me, and they haven't even shown me behind the curtain of the CMS six or seven weeks into the job.

Fman99 Jan 18 2012 07:25 PM Re: New Gig

Edgy DC wrote: I've been going through my rough patch and I'm trying to take heart from the Fman experience. I've sort of been left to create this job on my own, and with a couple of dozen possible sets of expectations, and maybe 350 toes to step on, I'd've appreciated a little more guidance. Trying to get the gumption to get past this. I'm getting a lot more writing opportunities, and am appreciating that, but other folks here think I'm a web programmer, and though I'm technically on the web team, that ain't me, and they haven't even shown me behind the curtain of the CMS six or seven weeks into the job. I am light years away from when I was in a bad place, back in October. Not that it's all roses and sunshine, but I recognize now that I was in an adjustment phase, and I am largely happy to wake up and go to work in the morning. My father gave me some good advice, he told me you need to give yourself six months before you make a decision on whether or not you made a good choice.