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-   -   The Quest (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=9890)

BigV 01-19-2006 01:31 AM

The Quest
 
I held a different thread hostage for several posts and I would like to move the discussion to here.

I lost my job in December, and now The Quest for financial validation of my professional contribution to the success of some local business has begun. Like every other great quest, the Hero will be embark on a journey or effort in pursuit of a goal, often lengthy, ambitious, or fervent (thank you wiktionary).

Before I go any further, I wish to thank (in order of posting):

Sundae Girl
glatt
Undertoad
jinx
Brianna
dar512
Griff
Marichiko
Happy Monkey
Clodfobble
Beestie
wolf
xoxoxoBruce
justmehere99
limey
Brett's Honey
Cyclefrance
mrnoodle
warch
zippyt
Elspode
LabRat
and especially staceyv for finally, mercifully, taking the spotlight off me. Your support immediately following this very unexpected and frankly unwelcome news was a godsend to me. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

This thread has been gestating quite a while, and now it's here. I have made many posts to it in my mind, held many conversations with all of you, in my mind (you're all wonderfully compliant, polite, and supportive in these conversations :p ). But it's time to "get real", or as real as this internet thing gets.

So it has begun. And the first step of that beginning is thank you all.

Onward!

Undertoad 01-19-2006 01:47 AM

Yessir, onward! But you know, your previous posts and support and stories were what earned you that level of support back. You got what you gave, in this case. (Doesn't happen in every case.)

wolf 01-19-2006 01:54 AM

What did you do and what do you want to do?

Opportunities like this can take you to some interesting and exciting places.

BigV 01-19-2006 02:03 AM

Lest you think I am facing this quest alone in real life, I assure you I am not. I am blessed to have the caring support of a few very good friends out here in 3D land, and their contributions have proved invaluable.

In no conscious order, Steve C, Walid F, David C, Dave M, Howie K, Tim H, Mark G, ... wow, the list really does go on and on now that I try to enumerate them.

Some highlights, while I can recall them.

I was given a couple of binders of good information from a dear friend who was laid off from a local bank. The bank's program included professional third party outplacement, and the material he gave me was their documentation of the whole "get back on the horse" process. It includes many (manymany) steps. It is very thorough, and I'm about 25% the way through it. I'm filling out all the worksheets as though I'm in the self study version of their program. It has been very enlightening.

Another friend, mrnoodle, very generously assisted me in the proofing and editing of my resume. He is as professional as he is brutal. I wouldn't want him as my personal trainer--I'd collapse. Thankfully, I don't get winded as easily when I'm only exercising my yap (or my typing skills). That led to another problem, actually, and he coldly and efficiently solved it. My longish resume now has *no* surplus verbiage (is that redundantly repititious, I wonder?) Regardless, thanks to him, I now have something to distribute with confidence. I feel my resume looks very professional, and I expect it will be recieved and percieved that way too.

Many folks, trying to be helpful, offer suggestions for where to apply (at their own company, mostly) or where to look for openings. Most of these suggestions were pretty good, especially the ones that were job posting sites, a'la Monster.com. Monster.com *is* the king of these kinds of affairs, and I've gotten a couple of nibbles from that source. Also worthwhile are: nwjobs.com, dice.com, **new** craigslist.com, and to a lesser degree, usajobs.com, and jobdango.com.

I'm a computer professional, and I'm looking for a job in technology. This is a good location for that search, and the prospects are promising. I'll post some of the openings I've set my sights on.

BigV 01-19-2006 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad
Yessir, onward! But you know, your previous posts and support and stories were what earned you that level of support back. You got what you gave, in this case. (Doesn't happen in every case.)

I am touched. Thank you for the very kind remarks. :blush:

BigV 01-19-2006 02:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolf
Opportunities like this can take you to some interesting and exciting places.

Quite! But right now my need for a stable cash flow far outweighs my desire for new challenges and experiences. I hear the wild calling, but am commited to deferring the satisfaction of answering that call in favor of supporting my family. Let me be clear--this is in no concievable way a burden to me. The thing I want the most is the welfare of my family. That satisfies me. But someday, that need will be satisfied with far less 9 to 5 effort from me and some of those hours will be spent returning that call.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolf
What did you do and what do you want to do?

I am a generalist. Jack of all trades (technological), master of none. The Lone Ranger. Actually, this is quite appropriate to my most recent position. I was the whole IT department. It wasn't that I couldn't do the work, I just didn't like working alone and it caught up with me, so to speak. Look, y'all know how much I talk. I am in love with the sound of my own voice, and it sounds even sweeter when reflected off of others. I really do like some company, professional company (you. there in the gutter. out. now.)

At the last job, I ran all the technology. If it had a blinky light and a power cord, it was my responsibility. I don't mind that work, the variety can be very stimulating. I especially like helping people. Solving problems. I get a charge out of fixing stuff. And I like to talk about it, often while it's being worked out. Not in a showoff kind of way, but more in the "hey, this is cool, check this out" or "Hey! It's all ball bearings nowadays. Now you prepare that Fetzer valve with some 3-in-1 oil and some gauze pads. And I'm gonna need 'bout ten quarts of anti-freeze, preferably Prestone. No, no make that Quaker State." (thanks Fletch!) kind of way.

So I can do mostly all the stuff, I prefer a position that has contact with others, both users and teammates. Oh, and a boss that knows what he's doing. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Actually, wolf, I recently had an interview here. They have some rockstar gear, and (yay!) more than one person on staff supporting and maintaining the technology. One of the informal tests was to leave me in the lobby for 10 to 15 minutes so I could get a chance to be with the clientele. I did, no biggie, and the first question was, How would you handle being around people like that? No problem. I have my own personal space that can be invaded, like everyone else, but I'm a big boy now and I can take care of myself. Plus, I'm mature enough to consider the source and not make more (or less) of any given interaction. Fine, I don't mind working in a place where some of the people in the building have mental problems.

Actually, I think if that was a problem, the universe of potential employers would shrink dramatically, perhaps to a singularity. I've already decided I don't like to work alone--bring on the characters.

xoxoxoBruce 01-19-2006 04:11 AM

OK, so your habit of training people, walking them through the problems/solutions while you solved them, with maybe an extra effort to make everyone self sufficient while you were in LA, led management to decide they didn’t need you anymore? :neutral:

lumberjim 01-19-2006 09:16 AM

wow. totally missed the announcement that you were sacked. that sucks in december.

two things to remember:

talent can go anywhere

the cream always rises to the top

everything else is details.

good luck

xoxoxoBruce 01-19-2006 04:31 PM

Here, Jim. :(

zippyt 01-19-2006 06:49 PM

BigV , Dude I do the same thing , train the least able to do the most , AND understand what they are doing and WHY !!! I have left the suits and ties standing in the middle of production areas befor , JUST so I was comfedent that their workers were compatant at running a new process, THEN I would go meet with the folks that spent all the money .

Have you thought about teaching classes , or joining a training company that gives training on speficic equipment or software ???

marichiko 01-19-2006 10:12 PM

Hey, BigV!

Have you considered working for the Feds? Like for example, here's something off USAJOBS.

Sounds like a fun job and the pay's good, too. They had a bunch of others in the Seattle area, also.

Good luck!

Beestie 01-19-2006 10:25 PM

Lemme tell you. For years, I went from one job to another trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Scoured the net for ads. Send resume's online. Deafening silence. One Sunday, my wife asks if I checked the paper (Wash Post). I rolled my eyes and told her that nobody advertises in the paper that isn't already on the net so I checked the ads just to humor her. Found ad. Job description was perfect. Sent resume. Got call same day. Had job 3 days later. 6 years later, I'm still there. Blind ass luck but it came from not assuming anything and looking under every rock and being patient (I'd been looking for a good long while).

So the point is that you never know where that perfect job is. Could be down the street or right under your nose. Patience. Diligence. Basically, you are hiring yourself to find a job for yourself. Treat yourself as you would someone you were paying to find a job for you.

limey 01-20-2006 06:44 PM

Keep at it BigV! I'm with those who say if you like people and talking things through then don't ignore the training type jobs ...
Anyway, best of British to you!

zippyt 01-20-2006 06:51 PM

I had a thought BigV , if you are hurting for cash there is all ways the geek squad http://www.geeksquad.com/ ,

One thing though , if you go that rout we HAVE to have a pic of you stylin in front of your geek mobile !!!

BigV 01-20-2006 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marichiko
Hey, BigV!

Have you considered working for the Feds? Like for example, here's something off USAJOBS.

Sounds like a fun job and the pay's good, too. They had a bunch of others in the Seattle area, also.

Good luck!

Thank you!!

I followed that link, and I am in the middle of a rather laborious login/registration/application process.

As part of that process, I found a couple of interesting questions. The first one made me laugh out loud (yes, I know there's a smilie now. Hush.) The question, and I paraphrase, but only a little, asked "Do you have one year of specialized training OR a PhD in the area of interest?"

Ah, *snicker*, I'd like experience for $100, Alex. 1yr=PhD? Ooooookay. I hope it gets easier from here. :rolleyes:

Later, there was a good question, an essay question. Here is the question and my answer. All editing, proofing and content criticisms are invited. Constructive ones will be considered, humorous ones will be laughed at and I'll disregard the bs ones. Here it is: (yes, they end it with a question mark, not my typo.)
Quote:

Originally Posted by BigV on Federal Job Application
Question:
List the typical technical resources you use to assist in resolving problems or learning new technologies?


When faced with a technical problem, I try to gain enough information fast enough to minimize the damage. Here is a list of common technical resources I use to help me resolve these kinds of problems.

Event logs, error messages, and error logs are all useful when available. These telltales are cross referenced with system manuals, troubleshooting resources (manuals, manufacturer manuals, websites, or cds.) I also consider the input of the user that reported the problem, and I ask a lot of questions about the circumstances surrounding the situation, especially about what was going on just before the problem happened. Often, the problem I'm faced with is not the first time the problem has happened to me. If I've seen and solved it before, I should be able to remember or look up the answer using local resources, like an operating manual.

For those problems that are new to me, there's a good chance that they're not new in the world. Google has provided many links to answers to questions where I know only some of the circumstances of the situation. I have found answers in discussion groups populated by users of similar systems, or on the manufacturer's online information, or other places. These search results, combined with my own experience usually lead me to an answer. Most problems I face are solved at this level.

Sometimes, the combination of all my skill, experience and research fails to produce a ready answer. At times like this, I ask for help. The human technical resources I rely on can be other employees in the department, or in similar environments in other locations. Sometimes, I call the organization that created the system; software publishers, hardware manufacturers, and/or the designers or maintainers of the systems I'm working on. I have a personal network of professional peers and friends that I regularly share war stories with. We like helping each other, and I am active in this network, giving and recieving help as needed.

When learning new technologies, I use many of the same strategies, since as a new user of a given technology, everything unknown I face is like a new problem to be solved. "How do I accomplish this task?" "How do I make this work?" "Why does the program/device behave this way?" "What just happened?" Paying attention, relentless reading, talking with others about how stuff works and just plain using and doing and working make up the bulk of my new learning.

Certainly there are other ways to learn about new technologies. I read trade publications, I read manuals and users' guides, including third party publishers. I have attended formal training classes based on a given technology or set of responsibilities. There are self guided tutorials and paid trainers that can both be learned from. But mostly, using a given technology lets me take something new and make it something known.

Good question!


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