Category: Work

It's been a long time coming, but it finally happened (pending a successful background check, of course). And without hesitation I accepted. No more being treated as a second-class citizen by the guards at the employee entrance! Paid holidays! Paid time off! And at $11K/year more than I'm currently making as a contractor!

It was a good day.

Next week will mark the one year anniversary working for my present employer.

As soon as I came to work here, I knew that—while not perfect by any means—this was someplace I wanted to see myself staying at until my rapidly-but-not-rapidly-enough approaching retirement.

Coincidentally, yesterday I interviewed for the full-time position [that had been created so they could actually hire me as an FTE] in the department for the job I've been doing for the past year as a contractor.

This being a governmental agency, they couldn't just hire me outright, as much as my supervisor has said wished he could. No, there are procedures that must be followed; a process.

That process included inviting several other candidates to apply, two of which I knew for sure were contractors who came on board the same time I did.

This made me nervous; one of the guys has a much more extensive skillset than I do, and while the position was created for me, this did not automatically guarantee I would get it nor did this fact alleviate my anxiety going into yesterday. With all that's happened to me employment-wise over the past few years, I'm not counting any chickens before they hatch.

While I knew beforehand that this was going to be interview-by-committee (an increasingly common thing, according to Ben), I was still nonetheless surprised at the participants who greeted me. I knew my direct supervisor would be in the group, but I did not expect to see one of my peers and two of the end-users I have regularly supported over the past twelve months (thankfully, both of whom I have a good working relationship with). The final interviewer was a woman from a different department, brought in apparently to remove any bias in the process.•

There were seven "questions":

• Describe your background in Tech Support and how it relates to the position for which you're applying.
• What is your familiarity with Active Directory?
• How would you prioritize the following work requests?
The Director can't print.
Your friend on the 6th Floor can't start Internet Explorer.
The Finance Group is unable to access SAP.
You have two PCs that need to be reimaged.
• What is your experience with Sharepoint?
• If you were given a project for which you had no experience and required training but there was no budget for training, how would you approach it?
• We have a central location as well as remote offices. How would you approach supporting customers at the remote locations?
• Anything you'd like to add?

Admittedly, all softball stuff, but even then afterwards I was wracking my brain wishing I'd given more extensive answers than I did. I also stumbled on my answers regarding Sharepoint, being unable to recall exactly what I've done with Sharepoint while here. (I've touched it once, maybe twice.)

Still, I am glad it's over and done with. As my supervisor was leaving last night, he stopped by my desk and said, "You did good. It's a process. Sleep good tonight."

So I've gone from totally freaking out to something resembling cautiously optimistic…

It's been an interesting few days at work.

It started Saturday night. For some godforsaken reason, I decided to log in to my work account to check email. (Yeah, I was that bored.) That was my first mistake. When I attempted to get into the webmail portal, it kept returning, "bad account name or password." Thinking I'd fat-fingered it, I attempted to log into VPN. That returned, "account disabled."

Okay, I'd definitely fat-fingered it and locked myself out. I gave it fifteen minutes to allow it to reset and tried again. Same result. Not overly concerned—but with memories of how I was unceremoniously let go from ADOT starting to dance in my head—I went to bed and decided to just wait until morning to try it again.

Sunday morning rolled around and I still couldn't get in. Having worked myself up into a panic, I texted my supervisor and asked if something had happened to my employment status I was unaware of. There was no response.

Several hours later, and now in full panic mode with visions of the six months of unemployment hell I went through last year now doing a full-on rave in my head, I called the boss…and got his voicemail.

He called me back an hour or so later and assured me that nothing had changed and that I'd probably locked myself out. (He was in fact a little taken back that I'd even consider that they'd summarily dismissed me like that.)

Finally calmed down, I enjoyed the rest of the weekend and headed into work Monday.

Arriving at work, my account was still disabled. Fortunately my boss was there and when he went in to look at my account, he said, "That's odd. It's showing you've been termed." Apparently all of us who originally came in under this one particular contract had been termed—even though I was technically no longer a part of that group, or even working in that department any more.

As I overheard a few of my supervisor's phone calls to the main I.T. department, I thought, "This is what barely-but-well controlled anger sounds like." While it took nearly all day—and several more phone calls—to get my full access restored, everything was back to normal by the end of the day, and they'd basically paid me for sitting around for 8 hours looking pretty.

I came in Tuesday morning and it was a full-on repeat of the day before. "Account Disabled. See your Administrator" was my greeting when attempting to log into my computer.

So apparently someone else in the I.T. food chain decided to take it upon themselves and complete the tickets to have our accounts termed. This time it took nearly a day of phone calls—and more than a few supervisory visits to Human Resources—to get it fixed. At one point I could log in, but it showed my name as "Termed" and I had no access to anything. Then I couldn't log in at all. Then my separate administrator account that allows me to do big boy things stopped working…

Since I had access to absolutely nothing and to prevent the impression they were paying me to look pretty two days in a row, I suggested that I spend the day cleaning up the computer lab, a room that's become a dumping ground for old equipment and a project we've been discussing for months but never had the time to start.

By the end of the day, I gave up trying to log in, because nothing had changed from the morning. For some reason this time it had to wait until overnight processing to be fixed.

Fortunately, yesterday morning everything was back to normal and I was able to get back to my regularly scheduled duties. But seriously… the level of incompetence was astounding.

What did I learn from this?

(1) There is absolutely no reason for me to check work email on the weekend and (2) I really need to start socking all the "extra" money I'm making from this gig away…just in case.

…to the owners of the cafe in the building where I work: you wouldn't have to be so concerned about people stealing shit if you didn't charge for EVERY DAMNED THING.

After months of not requiring it, now they're demanding that you once again open your boxes at the register instead of just accepting what you tell the cashier is in them. (Shrödinger's Burrito)

Yes, I'm stealing a piece of plastic cutlery, or A PAD OF BUTTER. Jeezus…

Probably because I'm taking the day off. But tomorrow—and indeed the rest of the week—promises to be a bitch. On Friday a huge move (90 people across two campuses) is scheduled. No movers are involved at all. The users are moving their own crap, we have no gondolas to move the equipment (only the standard rubbermaid carts), and there is really no plan in place as to who moves first and in what order to make it as painless as possible. Supposedly we've got a lot of help scheduled, but any real plan in place, I fear this is going to be an absolute clusterfuck.

And did I mention my boss is out that day?

https://twitter.com/voenixrising/status/1139664402557198336

Said coworker moved cubes today, so I made a housewarming gift that I put up under her name on the new cube:

My first week back in the old department went well. They made some changes in the seating arrangement, and while still not ideal, I do feel like I have a modicum of privacy now.

The girl (whom I'd referred to as the Comicon chick prior to my return) whose cube my desk intrudes upon is cool with it. She'd been out for two months on medical leave, so returning to work to discover that her entire layout had been rearranged to accommodate this interloper was probably the least of her concerns.

She plays music during the day at a low volume; not really low enough you can't hear it, but not loud enough that it's annoying. On Wednesday I heard Phillip Glass playing and I turned around and said, "Is that Phillip Glass?"

"Oh my god…you know who Phillip Glass is?!?"

And I dare say that was the beginning of a wonderful work friendship.

Turns out she's a lot more hard core about Glass than I am; she has all his albums (whereas I have only a dozen or so), has been to numerous live concerts, and has even met the man…five times.

She's Star Wars. I'm Doctor Who. We respect each other's fandoms.

Work itself hasn't been bad. I have a few roadblocks at the moment: no phone and the inability to drive a company vehicle to the various remote sites. This limits the things I can do—or at least limits the speed at which I can get things accomplished. My supervisor is working on both items, so once that's in place I can return to my usual efficiency.

And we had a fire drill last week. I'm on the fifth floor now, and all I can say is thank the gods I wasn't on nineteen like I had been. My knees don't do well with stairs—in either direction—and 24 hours later my calves and knees are both loudly complaining about those five flights I had to scramble down. Hey, I'm not 25 any more!

Well it looks like I spoke too soon. I'm not going to be moving over to the Desktop Support position as I originally reported. My supervisor came to me yesterday afternoon and told me that he couldn't move me over until they ("they" being those with a higher pay grade than him) hired a replacement for me on this project. "It'll be a couple weeks in the new department and then we'll bring you back." I served up my best "Really, bitch?" look and said, "C'mon…it took six weeks between the time I first interviewed and actually started work." He nodded and agreed that it may be a bit longer than two weeks. "But we aren't going to give up!"

Whatever. As Ben is fond of saying, "It is what it is." But I'm profoundly disappointed for a number of reasons. I was really looking forward to staying in this department. I've been here three months and have gotten to know all the policies and procedures—not to mention the people—pretty well. I was also looking forward to the relative stability this change would afford.

But no. As of Monday, I'll be moving with my contractor colleague to a new department, with an entirely different IT staff and wholly different policies and procedures. We met the supervisor there, and he didn't seem too thrilled to see either one of us.

And that promise to bring me back? At this point I'm not holding out much hope. I am mentally attempting however, to just go forward as if the events of Tuesday never happened. I'm working. It's good income. At this point that's what matters.

We're just about finished with the rollout of the new equipment for this department. This is kind of bittersweet because, as I've written about before, I really enjoy working with my IT colleagues as well as pretty much everyone in the department here. My supervisor has made no secret of the fact they like me too, and has strongly urged me to apply for any open IT position in the organization—even if its not in this particular department—just to "get on the list" so that when an IT job does become available in this department I'm ready to jump on it.

In the meantime I've been wondering where they were going to shuttle us next since we're going to wrap up here by the end of the week—if not sooner.

This morning my supervisor approached me and asked if I'd be willing to come on—unfortunately still as a contractor (but at my current pay scale which is fabulous)—as a full Desktop Support Tech. Of course I would!

Long story short, he was unable to get funding at this time for the full time perm position he was hoping to get me into right now, but was approved to bring on a contractor in the role. It's not 100% official yet, but he's confident enough that his boss will sign off on it that he's assigned me a cube and put in a request for a cell phone.

At this point I don't even care if it doesn't go perm (other than the lack of paid holidays and time off). Just get me through until full retirement baby, so I don't have to go through unemployment again!

It's been about six weeks since I started the new job, and I have to say I'm really loving it there. The first week was kinda iffy because despite the hiring and onboarding process having taken six weeks in and of itself, they still weren't ready for me to do what I was hired to and along with one other contractor were reduced to doing mindless grunt work—deploying monitors at a couple different facilities. It was very physical work, and for the most part not having been off my ass for the previous six months, I came home exhausted the first few days.

The second week my network account was in place and all my permissions working, so I was assigned to the department where I am now, and it's been a joy. Everyone has been friendly and more than welcoming (I was even invited to the department's holiday lunch/gift exchange) and I've been treated with an unexpected amount respect by my peers. I was so used to the "he's just a contractor so he doesn't know anything" attitude I got at my last job it threw me for a loop until I remembered this is how it's supposed to be, and in fact has been most of the other places I've worked. More than anything, this department reminds me of my team at the hospital, and that's a very good thing indeed.

I think my supervisor recognized my talent immediately, because after proving myself by solving a few ongoing issues they were having with imaging machines as well as performing a few flawless PC deployments (i.e. customers not complaining that stuff was missing on their new machines), they cut me loose to run on my own with only very minimal supervision.

I genuinely like everyone in the department and both my supervisor and the two colleagues I work with have already made it clear that when a permanent position opens up this summer, they want me on board. I'm totally cool with that. This may be where that arrow drawn back at DISH finally hit its target.

And as of at least right now, I haven't even been getting the Sunday evening "icks." That's got to count for something, right?

I know I'm going to be moved around to several other departments before this project is over, but at least I know I have a welcoming "home" waiting when the time comes.

…while doing some cleaning today.

Kind of surprised I never gave it to the dogs to destroy. I almost don't want to now…

You may have noticed my relative silence this week. That's due to the fact I finally returned to work Monday. After being unemployed for the past six months, I'm not used to being back on my feet eight hours a day and I come home completely exhausted.

It was a 20 minute team interview with 3 people and 6 questions. My answer to one of the questions really impressed them. I got very positive vibes from all three of the guys, and left feeling really good. In spite of that—since I'd walked out of interviews feeling good so. many. times—it was still a shock when my recruiter called later that afternoon and said, "They'd like you to come work for them."

OMG. We don't have to move. At least not this year.

It's only another 6-12 month contract, but nearly all my contracts have gone perm (or in the case of my last gig, "open-ended."). It's also at a significantly higher pay rate than I'd been making at my last job.

I'm meeting with the recruiter tomorrow to start the onboarding process, with an expected start date of either the 12th or the 19th, depending on how quickly everything churns through the system.

And as is my policy—and to protect everyone involved—I'm not going to say who this is with until such time (hopefully not any time soon because I'm in no hurry to go through this unemployment thing again) that our relationship comes to an end.

Okay, I will admit that when I put in the application—not really wanting the job because the commute alone would sour me to the whole endeavor but simply to satisfy my job search requirements for continued unemployment compensation—as a Desktop Tech at Scottsdale Community College a couple weeks ago I never dreamt they'd actually call me in for an interview. But they did.

I didn't want to go—and as recently as on my there I entertained the thought of simply turning around and going home—but I resolved myself to the fact it would get me out of the house, and if I did somehow end up getting offered the job, it would at least be a job. I'm not anywhere near the point where I'm bored with not working (it would be a hell of a lot more fun if there was still income), but I am becoming more annoyed at the whole situation than anything else.

The interview ended up being of those horrid by-committee things where they slip you a paper with the questions on it and announce, "We'll be going around the room to ask the questions."  The committee consisted of the Lead Tech (who retrieved me from the waiting room but didn't bother to introduce himself until we all sat down and then proceeded to let out an exasperated sigh after each of my answers), one peer who looked like a burnt-out hippie, the director of theater and music (Why?!), and the I.T. Manager, who seemed annoyed that she had to be there. After the round of 11 questions, there were two practical tests: one involving customer service (list the order in which you would address these issues) and one involving basic Mac knowledge (connect to the internet—the ethernet cable was unplugged), run Speedtest, and clear the Keychain). I was initially told the entire interview (including the practical test) would last about an hour. It took half that. It was almost as if they couldn't get me out of there quickly enough, and I was happy to oblige. There was nothing about any of it (or the people for chrissakes) that made me want to work there.

 

You know that part of a job interview when the person behind the desk turns to you and asks, "So…do you have any questions?" and you're supposed to spew forth a bunch of crap to show you've done your homework and are interested in the company's direction and outlook for the future? Questions that you know are bullshit, they know are bullshit, and yet you're still expected to do that kabuki dance nevertheless?

After having gone through a dozen  interviews over the last four months, at this point this is how I would love to respond:

Y'know, I've done my due diligence and have researched the company and really have no questions that haven't already been answered online or you haven't addressed during the past half hour. But I would like to add a few further things for your consideration.

I know you're not going to hire me. Don't look so surprised. I've been to this rodeo often enough to know now that even though you saw my resume and thought, "This guy has great experience and the skill set we're looking for. Get him in here!" the look on your face when we first met told me all I needed to know. I walked in and you immediately saw, "Old guy who probably won't be able to lift a printer or crawl under a desk—and certainly won't have the mental agility to keep up in the constantly changing world of I.T.."

Well I have a response to that. I was lifting printers and crawling under desks as recently as four months ago in my last position. I've been keeping up with each new development of personal computing when my passion was ignited the first time I touched a Commodore VIC-20 back in 1983. My newsfeed is tech! I've built PCs from scratch. I know how they go together and what to look for when they don't work. And as far as mental agility is concerned, at my last position we were having multiple issues with Windows 10—including in-house software not installing—and I thought outside the box, did my research, and came up with a solution. I may not know Office 365 or some other piece of software, but that's only because it wasn't in use at any of my previous jobs. That doesn't mean I can't get up to speed on it in a short amount of time.

I show up to work on time. I do my job. I am reliable and can be counted on to do something if asked and seek better ways of doing things if I see something that needs improvement. I have people skills that only time and experience can impart. And if you're worried about me retiring, that's not going happen for at least another decade if I want full benefits—and we both know that these days people seldom stay at any one job for that length of time anyway  No, if I'm happy, treated with respect, and like a company, I'll be in it for the long haul because I hate interviewing and don't ever want to have to go through this again.

I'm sorry that my knowledge, experience and people skills do not come in a shiny 22-year old package fresh out of school with a pocket full of certifications that you were hoping could be the forward-thinking face of I.T. to your customers, but if you want someone with my kind of background and skill set, you need to take the years that go along with it.

Thank you for your time. It was a pleasure meeting you. Have a nice day.

About the same time the gears were grinding with the possible job at the architectural office, I was called back by a recruiter who'd sent me to the interview at a certain health insurance company shortly after all this started back at the first of July. It was for a relatively brain dead imaging and deployment job, but I thought I did fairly well in the interview. Of course nothing came of it, because—as I'm learning—age discrimination in the I.T. workforce is a very real thing.

Said recruiter told me that the health insurance company had decided they needed an additional body for the next six months and had asked if I was still available. Hey, second choice is better than none, right? But I put them on hold for a couple days, hoping the architectural gig would come through.

I called the recruiter back before I'd heard definitely anything one way or another on that job just to give her a heads up that I was interested if the other gig fell though.

Long story short, the IT Director wanted a "quick chat" with me (even though I'd spoken at length with him two months ago). I found this a little odd, but I spoke with him last week and he asked if I'd be willing to come into the office for another in person interview.

I said I wouldn't mind, figuring it was just going to be a chance to meet him face to face (he's based in the Louisville office) before being offered the job. After all they called me, not the other way around.

Well, I went in to the office today and learned it wasn't just a routine meet-and-greet. It was a whole other interview with him and the other member of the Phoenix team who'd been out the day I initially went in. THEY'RE STILL SHOPPING. His parting words were, "Great to finally meet you. I have three more in-persons to complete and I'll let your recruiter know our decision Monday afternoon."

I'm just DONE at this point. I won't say I'm giving up because I can't, but I am definitely stepping away from this madness for a few days. I've already started automatically deleting any and all emails coming in from off-shore recruiters because nothing has ever come from a single one of those contacts.

To this leave this post on a little more positive note, I'm getting some business cards printed. My friend Cindy convinced me that I need to start marketing my skills on a freelance basis. She said all the old folks out on her side of town would appreciate finding someone who actually knows their shit and would more readily trust someone referred by a friend to come into their homes and work on their computers than someone they might've found online.

So maybe I'll end up self-employed? It's not like I'd be losing any employer-paid benefits at this point anyway…

Okay, I admit that I get recruiter emails for jobs that I just don't want because of a horrific commute or because I lack the proper skill set, but the jobs themselves are at least tangentially related to I.T. support.

But not this one! It was so far out there that I have to repost it. It was obvious the dude didn't even bother READING my resume, but instead—like so many of his offshore brethren—simply did an automated word search, made a hit and fired off this absolutely ridiculous email without bothering to read further. And to be clear, NOWHERE on ANY of my profiles on the job boards I'm using, does "Maintenance Mechanic," "willing to relocate," or "3rd shift" appear.

I wouldn't work third shift when I was 25; I'm sure as hell not working it now.

Hi Mark,

This is Naimesh from ProKatchers and I am writing to you regarding an excellent job opportunity that I have with one of my premier client located in Chicago, Illinois. If you are interested in this job opportunity, you can reach out to me on my email or call me directly.

Job Title: Maintenance Mechanic
Location: 2945 West 31st Street Chicago, Illinois, 604
Duration: 12 Months (Possible Temp to Hire for the right person)
Shift: 3rd Shift 10pm to 6:15 am

Job Description:

● This position will be primarily concerned with ongoing maintenance and repair of equipment.
● Receives directions from Maintenance Supervisors, Maintenance Manager and Production Supervisors.
● Works independently in addressing operation needs and completing assigned work.
● May work under the guidance of another mechanic during probationary stage. Essential functions of the job include but are not limited to the following: *Not all functions are applicable on a daily basis.
● Rotations of the following functions may occur accordingly depending on business needs
● Troubleshooting [magic word! send an email!]packaging equipment problems and taking appropriate corrective action.
● Performs complex preventive maintenance of plant equipment and locates potential problems
● Performs complex electrical circuit installations for additions / modifications. Ability to read and understand blueprints & schematics for properly testing equipment.
● From work orders, drawings, specifications, schematics, sketches, and verbal instruction, performs complex maintenance repairs, fabrication, and rebuilding of shop, field, and plant equipment.
● Demonstrates the ability to troubleshoot, adjust, and repair most plant equipment, without supervision.
● Performs complex horizontal and vertical welding, fabricating, silver soldering, hard facing, braising using acetylene, arc, mig and tig welder on most ferrous and nonferrous metals.
● Able to properly use machine shop fabrication machines such as lathe, mill, grinder, drill press, brake, and press to fabricate machine replacement parts or new equipment.
● Tests, adjusts, modifies and maintains digital and logic circuitry, microprocessor controlled devices, elements and components such as programmable logic controllers, process control equipment, metering devices, recorders, sensors, and controllers.
● Prepares purchase requests for parts and materials required to perform preventive and corrective assigned tasks
● Overhauls, maintains, installs, adjusts, inspects and repairs a wide variety of plant equipment
● Be able to train maintenance personnel
● Able to use Infra-Red Camera to do predictive electrical troubleshooting repairs.
● Maintaining packaging equipment in optimum operating condition.
● Working with and supporting packaging operators in problem resolution.
● Equipment lubrication.
● Repairing packaging equipment to standards and specifications.
● Able to use computer [Magic word! Send an email!] to fill out work orders for Maintenance Management ● System (SAP)
● Other duties as assigned based on skill and knowledge level.
● Must comply with all applicable food laws, regulations and food safety requirements.
● Must comply with Company Policies, as well as, promotes safety and safe work conditions.
● Must comply, promote and maintain an environment consisted with Security regulations
Must be able to interact with facility employees and management.

Skills Required:

● Should be familiar with operation of packaging equipment (i.e Hayssens, Erectors, Sealers).
● Verifiable reading and writing ability.
● Conversant in English (Spanish ability desired).
● Basic electrical knowledge.
● Demonstrable proficiency in use of hand tools (screwdriver, pliers, hammer, and wrenches).
● Demonstrable proficiency in practical arithmetic.
● Experience with from/fill/seal (Hayssens), erector, sealers.
● Demonstrate proficiency in use of portable power tools (hand drill, grinder).
● Working knowledge of electrical systems, Computer Operated Processing Systems and Programmable Logic Controllers;

Experience Required:

● Arc welding of low carbon steel
● Gas welding techniques
● HVAC
● Use of plumbing and pipe fitting tools; pipe fitting techniques
● Pneumatic systems
● Hydraulic systems
● Measuring instruments
● Blue print reading
● Basic carpentry
● Basic masonry
● Pump repair
● Gear box repair
● Seal installation

Experience Preferred:

● Should be familiar with operation of packaging equipment (i.e Hayssens,  Erectors, Sealers).
● Verifiable reading and writing ability.
● Conversant in English (Spanish ability desired).
● Basic electrical knowledge.
● Demonstrable proficiency in use of hand tools (screwdriver, pliers, hammer, and wrenches).
● Demonstrable proficiency in practical arithmetic.
● Experience with from/fill/seal (Hayssens), erector, sealers.
● Demonstrate proficiency in use of portable power tools (hand drill, grinder).
● Previous experience required, preferably in the food industry.

Education:

● High School Diploma or equivalent . Trade school or equivalent in mechanical field preferred.

I would really appreciate if you could forward me your updated resume with all the updated details

If this weren't enough, he called twice and left voice mails!

Oh, I reached out to him for sure, but I won't post my response here. Let's just say that email served as an outlet for my increasing intolerance of teh st00pid I'm encountering from these offshore recruiters as well as my frustration for losing out on that job with the architects yesterday.

I may have used the phrase, "fucking asshole" at least once.

So much for getting in at that architectural office.

"Mark, Thank you for your interest in employment at [company name].  We appreciate the time you spent preparing your resume and your time for interviews.

Your qualifications have been carefully reviewed along with other candidates. We have decided to pursue others who appear to match our requirements more closely at this time.

We appreciate your interest in our company and wish you success in your search for a suitable career position."

And I could understand even less of "Kevin" or "Devon" or whatever the fuck he claimed his name was…

It was a good interview. It wasn't the slam-dunk I had been hoping for, and the role itself is a bit more than I had been initially led to believe, but it was a good interview nonetheless.

I met with the two main IT guys from Kansas City whom I'd spoken with on the phone interview two weeks ago and the two principal architects from this office.

I did okay on the technical questions. When asked about something I had no experience with, I was honest and told them as much, which they seemed to appreciate—and something I learned from my initial interview at ADOT was always preferred over some lame attempt to bullshit your way through it.

I got the sense they're looking for someone with more networking and experience with VMs than I possess, but at the same time they made a point of saying they're not fully up to speed either on running the number of VMs they're attempting, and are willing to train as we go along. This reminded me when I initially interviewed at the hospital back in 2004 and was asked if I had any AD experience. I truthfully answered I did not, and was told, "None of us really do yet. We're all learning."

Overall, this role sounds a lot more like what I was doing at my first job in Denver than just a straightforward desktop support position. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, that situation forced me to learn a lot of new things that go on "behind the wall" that I otherwise might not have been exposed to. On the other, it was extremely stressful at times, with management often expecting me to just know things that I didn't.

I also don't know how I feel about returning to a 24/7 operation. They told me after-hours calls or late nights didn't occur that often, but they did happen now and then when something goes down.

They are looking for someone with a passion about learning new things and thinking outside the box. You know, the kind of things that were actively discouraged at my last position. I made it a point of highlighting not only my passion with the Mac, but also the fact I garnered a lot of my tech knowledge through plain old curiosity.

The positives that stand out about this gig are it's an architectural office. Just walking in and smelling that distinctive odor was like an aphrodisiac. You could almost feel the creativity pulsing within the space. (And what a beautiful, open, funky, warehouse space it is!) There are only 40 users at this particular location, half of whom are on Macs. The total number on the payroll is about 250 spread across five offices. It's a full time, permanent position with full benefits. The money is good; not as much as the gig that was cancelled on me at the last minute a couple months ago, but more than I've earned since we left Phoenix and moved to Denver. The commute doesn't seem like it will be horrible. I would be the only onsite IT guy and on my own for most of the time, but backup would only be an IM away.

In short, as I'm writing this, I'm realizing this is almost exactly what I asked the Universe for three weeks ago.

It's amazing how much less stress is involved in a job interview when you don't actually want the job to begin with.

My Skype with the architectural firm went really well. I have an in-person interview scheduled for next week.

In the interim, one of the multitude of blind, generic, desktop support positions I have applied for over the past month finally got back to me.

Turns out it was with a large, well-known national insurance company. Not my first choice, but I agreed to the interview, even though with the possibilities of the architectural firm looming large, I really did not want the job. But I also viewed it as practice for the important interview next week.

First bad vibe was the campus itself. It was like a military installation. The guard at the entrance had a RIFLE slung over his shoulder. Seriously?

"Do you have any weapons in your car?"

Only my farts, I thought. As Ben can attest, those can be deadly.

There were cameras everywhere. I thought DISH was bad. I guess a hell of a lot more people get angry at their insurance company than their television provider.

I met with the department manager (who was ten minutes late) and two potential peers. As we were waiting for the manager to arrive the peers were chatting with the HR Admin and said, "Yeah, this is number four today."

Already just a number.

First thing the manager pointed out was that since this was a contract position, I'd have to wait six months before coming back for a second gig.

Dude, I'm already turned off to this place. Are you trying to make it worse?

I answered all the technical and customer service related questions to their satisfaction, but I could tell the manager had reservations. I'm sure he took one look at me and thought, "old man" because he made a point of letting me know—more than once—that "This is a really big building and there's a lot of walking involved. We rarely do anything remotely, preferring to go deskside when possible so the end-users get to know us." He then pointed out that they "regularly lift 25-35 points of equipment and transport it from one end of the building to the other. "With the walking and lifting are you up to that?"

My first thought:

I told him I was, but it was obvious the interview was already over after only 20 minutes. I asked a couple bullshit questions about size of the department and what types of software I'd be supporting and then we all said our goodbyes.

And I DID. NOT. CARE.

I remember it being so much easier when I was still in the architectural profession. It was a career where you had something physical to show prospective employers to prove you knew what you were doing. I can't remember a single instance of walking into an interview with a roll of drawings and not walking out with a job offer.

Being in I.T. is different. There's nothing tangible to show. Now it's all play-acting and answering hypothetical troubleshooting questions, none of which you can actually prepare for. The one thing I've learned over the years however, is a demonstrated enthusiasm for the job you're shooting for.

When I think back on the jobs in I.T. that I've gotten (or almost gotten), it was my genuine enthusiasm for the particular role that I feel erased any blundering answers to technical questions. Being able to show that you know how to deal with difficult customers is also a big plus.

I applied for a blind "I.T. Specialist" job yesterday on indeed.com. This morning I received an email from a local architectural firm saying they're very interested in interviewing me.

That one got me out of bed.

The only thing I can see as exciting as going back into the healthcare industry would be returning to an architectural design firm.

I have a Skype interview scheduled with them tomorrow.

…to the universe again, because you'll never get what you want if you don't know what you want—and this forces me to specify exactly what that is.

Ideally, I want to work for a small company (approximately 250 employees or less).

I don't want to be the sole I.T. guy, but I wouldn't mind being the sole person responsible for—as one of my old supervisors used to say—everything on this side of the wall. I want someone else (and I don't care if I report to him or not) taking care of the servers, the routers, the goddamned wiring, dealing with the vendors…in short, everything on that side of the wall.

A Mac shop would be nice, but not an absolute requirement.

A relaxed, jeans-and-polos-as-appropriate attire environment would be great.

I also want the typical benefits that used to be a standard package given to you when employed: health insurance that doesn't bankrupt you if something goes wrong, paid holidays, sick leave and two weeks' paid vacation.

If I can find all that, the salary is flexible, but nothing less than $45K a year.

And a bit of positive feedback from my supervisors might be nice too. In short, someplace where I'd be reasonably happy until I retire.

Is that asking so fucking much?

…in my job search that I'm getting really tired of the stupid.

I'm sick of recruiters who just do a word search without actually reading a resume or online profile and send job postings for which I am either entirely unqualified or aren't even in Information Technology.

This morning I got one for a Senior Systems Administrator at the Arizona Department of Homeland Security.

"Jega M" from Advent Global Technologies in Houston obviously found "Active Directory" in the skill set of my resume—but nothing else in the job description she sent—and thought she hit pay dirt. Too bad she didn't actually read my resume that has a 20 year history of only DESKTOP SUPPORT because I am DONE suffering fools gladly.

My response:

(a) It's obvious you emailed me today only because you did a lazy online word search and found some phrase in my resume that made you think I'd be interested in or qualified for this position. In this case I believe it's "Active Directory." I have NONE of the other required skills—much less a degree in Information Technology—that this position requires.

(b) I would NEVER work for DHS, and especially not under the current Administration. Call me old fashioned, but I don't think working for an agency that separates children from their parents and puts them in cages is a particularly inspiring career path.

I was wide awake at 3 am this morning. I almost sat down at the time to write this post and title it "Conundrum."

But that wouldn't have been necessary.

For the past few days I've been getting emails from recruiters concerning a "Config & Deploy Specialist" position. It came with a state req number and I had a sneaky suspicion that it was from my former place of employment. I returned one of the emails to verify this, and yes, indeed it was.

My first contract at ADOT was with the Config & Deploy department and I loved it. I adored my supervisor and coworkers and at one point actually—in all honesty—told my boss that I really enjoyed coming to work (quite something after having come from DISH).

And yet, my initial reaction to this new position was "Not only no, but HELL no!" if for no other reason the manner in which my last contract was terminated. But the more I mulled it over last night, the more sense it made to at least apply and see what happened. Though the new supervisor of the department was a bit of a dick, he'd praised my work with the Macs and working with my former colleagues again was a definite draw.

And oh yeah…the money was significantly more than I'd even been making as a desktop tech.

So at 3 am last night I resolved to call my previous supervisor first thing and ask if there would be any reason why I shouldn't apply for this newly available position in C&D.

I said I was asking her first because I still had no idea why my previous contract was terminated. Even then she still wouldn't tell me. Her words:  "I'll run it past Bruce and Bill since they're the ones who…and you'll be reporting to them, so let me get your number and if it's okay I'll let you know and if you don't hear from me…"

So that would be a no. I never had a problem with her, so I don't understand this reticence to be completely forthcoming as to the cause of my dismissal, but obviously it was more than just personnel shuffling or overstaffing and this silence points to the fact that it might not have been entirely above board.

And quite frankly just hearing her voice again gave me the heebie-jeebies, so fuck 'em. It truly is time to look ahead and move on.

On a more positive note, that removed the conundrum I might've found myself in.

During the past week or so I've been interviewing (2 phone, 1 video) for a short term contract installing and setting users up on a single sign-on solution project for one of the major hospital systems in Phoenix. When the description was first sent to me I swear it felt like it fell from heaven. It would get me back into a clinical hospital environment where I could come home each day feeling like I was actually doing something worthwhile for a change.

The downside is that it was only a 2 month, 32-hour-a-week gig. But it's paying nearly twice what I've been making, and that alone will get me out of the financial hole we're slowly sliding into. (And my friend Cindy, who retired from this hospital system said, "They'll never get it done in 2 months. I know those people.")

I'm supposed to hear back from them today or tomorrow. There are 8 positions total, significantly improving my odds of being selected. The agency's account manager listened in during the final phone interview with the client, and he said I did a great job.

Fingers, toes, and eyes crossed.

…sitting in Starbucks filling out on-line employment applications and submitting resumes, something I had hoped I'd never have to do again.

Memories of Denver. Sigh.