Are you cubed skank?

[hamilton]

I'm sorry to hear that Hamilton, I know you were hoping for that job. I did some baking today, do you want some haystacks to ease the pain?

Well, thanks RayRay - haystacks couldn't hurt, anyway!!

[RayRay]

I'll drop some off when I go out this afternoon, so be on the lookout for strange chocolate filled packages outside your door.

[MarcO]

yeah sorry to hear about that Brian. They don't deserve someone as beautiful as you. I wish them nothing but failure and disease.

[CyberHippie]

Sorry to hear dude. I hope RayRay bakes like Laurie does!

[Jaimoe]

I have a double major B.A. in History and English, and a B.Ed. I really didn't enjoy teaching, but now I am considering going back, because I can't keep working like this. I agree with your assessment of a college diploma being more useful, though.

It's a tough world out there for people with arts degrees. After graduating from Queen's back in 1991 with an English degree, unless I wanted to be a teacher ( which I didn't ), finding a rewarding and decent paying job would be difficult if not impossible - arts degrees are too bloody general.

I decided to continue my education by doing something that I like ( Radio & Television Arts at Ryerson ), that potentially would lead to ample job opportunities. This turned out to be true: TV is a thriving business. Yet I struggled for many years - I scrubbed toilets ( I worked in maintenance at a Co-op ) for 2 years before I got my first part-time job in my industry. Then, it took me another 2 years to get hired full-time ( at Life Network, where I was poorly paid ). At the same time, I did manage to fluke another part-time job at Citytv working on Electric Circus and specific live events. I used the Citytv job only to keep my foot in their door - which paid off eventually, but it took over 4 years of bad tunes and phoney dancers.

The long and short of it is, have you ever thought of taking a few courses in something that is more business oriented or job specific? I'm not one that believes you in particular need a college diploma to find employment. You already are educated. Taking some courses would be beneficial, and hopefully they will provide you with hands-on business opportunities and/or solid connections. Teaching is an option, but if you don't really like it, I'd advise you to find something else.

By the way, you really don't need an education to work in either TV or radio - connections, then experience are the most important... and a great deal of perseverance.

I'm sorry to hear about your plight. You are not alone.

Best of luck,

David

[MarcO]

Booche: " I think I listen to Phish more than The Dead ".

Did Booche really say that??

Sometimes I worry about him.

[Booche]

"I did manage to fluke another part-time job at Citytv working on Electric Circus and specific live events."

That was the best period in my life. Watching Electric Circus with the sound off, blasting the ganj and Dead in hopes of catching a quick glimpse of you. Heck, Barrett was hooked on the show by the time you left!

"Dude, EC is on.............."

"Yeah but Ball doesnt work there anymore."

"Does it even matter? Its not like we were ever looking for him."

[Jaimoe]

"I did manage to fluke another part-time job at Citytv working on Electric Circus and specific live events."

That was the best period in my life. Watching Electric Circus with the sound off, blasting the ganj and Dead in hopes of catching a quick glimpse of you. Heck, Barrett was hooked on the show by the time you left!

I was always at least 3 pints to the wind by the time the show started. No crew member was sober during EC. How could we be?

[Davey Boy 2.0]

"I did manage to fluke another part-time job at Citytv working on Electric Circus and specific live events."

That was the best period in my life. Watching Electric Circus with the sound off, blasting the ganj and Dead in hopes of catching a quick glimpse of you. Heck, Barrett was hooked on the show by the time you left!

"Dude, EC is on.............."

"Yeah but Ball doesnt work there anymore."

"Does it even matter? Its not like we were ever looking for him."

If i recall correctly we'd usually be wearing 3D glasses watching EC... ::

[Booche]

"If i recall correctly we'd usually be wearing 3D glasses watching EC..."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!

Holy crap, the Prism Glasses!!!!!!

I completely forgot about those things. Man, when we were young we knew how to have a good time.

[Deeps]

Hello folks,

My insanity, despite your help via this post, is taking over. Now I am pondering taking some action (no ammo will be involved).

Rather than pretending it's OK to have 100s of people in a building who don't communicate with each other, and further pretending that I am not wasting my time because my 15 minute walk on my break was RefreshinG! I was thinking about writing the below message to my boss.

Your thoughts would be helpful, your empathy........ better, [color:purple]your blind support ......a corporate necessity

/****************************************/

When was the last time we had a meeting for this department?

The management group has from the beginning of this year been increasing the number of meetings as a means of improving various departments. A strong focus on prioritizing things through managerial conversation will definitely help in getting things organized and for this I commend you, but your need to create family within this department is also important don't you think? We speak of culture in this company and all I see is the culture of individuality as of late.

Seeing my manager, my mentor, my leader once in a while between meetings that I have no knowledge of is discouraging. I have expressed this before and I have waited patiently for some aspect of team work to find its way into the way works together. I don't think this is coming without a shift in management approach or at least some encouragement from your direction to get us working together. More of your time and leadership around here would make this place a lot better in a number of ways.

I know I could have a job in a large factory feeling even more isolated and ineffectual. I appreciate the flexibility of this place and the positive attitude of the people in it. I don’t find it overly productive mind you nor do I find it a culture where people push each other to higher goals. We are a group of smart people who could achieve something bigger if we were assigned to work together once in a while.

Why don’t I know the goals as outlined by my fellow employees during the process? Why don't they know mine? I think if people knew about what one another wanted to achieve for the year and we were updated on each other’s progress periodically then we could support each other. We would feel like we are in this together. We would see how each person's work is helping the department as a whole and probably gain some sense of individual importance.

I hope that writing this will open a discussion that we can build upon. I hope I haven't offended you and look forward to your thoughts.

Respectfully,

Gladys (Gladys = niiiice)

/******************************************/

Deeps

[Guest Low Roller]

Be careful, you just may get what you ask for.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

sounds like it's time for a retreat- maybe even an overnighter

[Booche]

I dont think you want to witness your boss singing, "hot love on the hot love highway"

Hmm, actually, maybe you do Deeps. Maybe you do.......

[AdamH]

I'm very fortunate to be working in my chosen profession (or area I guess:Marketing and Communications) and doing it with a sense of fulfilment in the NGO sector. My days vary as does my job satisfaction but my belief in what my organization does hasn't faltered in any way.

The NGO work environment is a strange one in many ways. You're being paid less than you're worth, your human resources policy may be non-existent or very questionable, and there's a driving expectation that you will work harder than ever because of the cause/objective of your organization (even if it means forsaking overtime, lieu time, and personal time to do so).

The emphasis here is on job security, striving to go from a contract employee to a permanent one, and because funding is almost never guaranteed unless you're a large NGO, the end of the fiscal year finds you arguing your merits, rationalizing full-time rather than part-time, or in my case giving a "marketing 101" tutorial with all staff members partly to remind them why you exist. Our office is broken neatly into two groups: core and support staff. Core staff...revered, safe in their positions, paid better...looks down on support staff, and is constantly scratching their head to figure out why we exist and what we do that's so special.

Probably the biggest challenge is understanding that you have very few places to move up, and even limited opportunities to move around. None of our managers had any management experience before taking on the role, they simply moved to fill the position when someone quite or moved on. That project management bit that everyone hates is in full force here, and is complemented by the writing of position papers, one-pagers, documents, timelines and rationale pieces that never see the light of day.

Our office is 95% female, which is a unique dynamic of it's own. I report to a woman and I'm fine with that in principle, but our office is so overwhelmingly female that even fellow employees often say they worked for or with a man.

And this pretty much sums up the secret to enjoying your work life:

While most of us may never experience the perfection of doing what we absolutley love for our paycheck, sanity (if not bliss) is found by keeping alive that part of ourselves that is NOT nurtured in the work space and MAKING TIME for those things/people/pursuits

[TomFoolery]

If you want to have a good discussion with your boss, I would remove some of the couched complaints and just stick to statements that offer positive options.

I.e. "I know I could have a job in a large factory feeling even more isolated and ineffectual" - you are telling your boss you feel isolated and ineffectual. True though that may be, it isn't going to make your boss see the opportunity.

"We are a group of smart people who could achieve something bigger if we were assigned to work together once in a while. " - now you are giving your boss a positive option on which he/she can act.

If your boss chooses to address your letter by meeting with you, prepare a bunch of your complaints and your suggestions. Walk him/her through your complaints orally, and emphasise to him/her know where you think things could go.

Good luck!

[Deeps]

This is already helping....I agree that removing the complaint side is a good idea.

I think, but hope I am wrong, I am idealistic in thinking that people in here even care to work more co-operatively. I wonder if my co-workers are lulled into this state where they cherish the lack of involvement by other people and cease to see how work would be better with collaboration.

I think what will come of a discussion with the boss on this is an indication of whether or not we (the department) can start to interact a little more. If he says it's not in the cards I'll ask where in the company that this dynamic may exist.

Deeps

[AdamH]

Deeps that thing about collaboration is very true: I floated the idea of taking down our cubicle walls a little while ago and the for/against was spplit neatly down the middle. Privacy, solitude and isolation is attractive for some, and breeds insanity for others.

[bokonon]

hey bush, it's barbeque.

hmmmm, when i was six i liked fighting with my brother and sister, reading and climbing trees and bike riding.

so, should i be

a) a pro-wrestler (i could give lex luger a run for his money)

a library technician

c) a hermit who lives in a tree, or

d) a spandex wearing cyclist?

[RayRay]

Deeps,

I don't know what advice I can give you on how to approach your boss, but I do want to let you know that I hope it all works out for the best and that you can help to create a more positive work environment for you and your co-workers. You are a lot braver than your fellow employees who seem complacent in there mind-numbing cubicles. Good Luck and best wishes buddy.

[Deeps]

Well there are small victories in everything.

This is a notice I received today ... seems like she made a good decision..

/*************

Hi all, please note the following name change:

Margo Kuntz has changed her name to Margo Donnelly

thanx Anna

/*************

[timouse]

wow.

i hereby pledge to stop complaining about my job really the only thinng i have to complain about is the engineers who design the things i have to then work out how to build...i work for a small metal fabrication shop owned and managed by a very good friend. i have my own corner office, albeit with a view of mississauga factory hell, but at least there's lots of natural light. i can listen to music, i have blisteringly fast internet access, and occasional lunches with the boss.

right on deb, you pretty much said it. this is the means by which we all are able to do the things we love...and way to go dr evil, way downtown helped me decide to leave my last job in a cubicle farm!

deeps, this is a great thread. glad you decided to try the positive approch, hope things get better.

or you win the lottery and if you do, share it with hamilton and get him out of a life of drudgery

[Deeps]

Seems that it is not so much the cube as the square mindedness that can make an office a nightmare.

In recent weeks I have embarked on a cool learning experience. I've had a project to work on that tests my ability to analyse a problem assess the various solutions available to me, make decisions based on which I feel are best and discuss with colleagues which paths we should take.

I've realized that moving into a teaching profession is not in the cards for me right now....I need to use what I have (which is a well-paying job, close to home, and flexible enough to accomodate a musicians lifestyle) and make it entertaining.

I needed to demand that this job get more interesting; I did during our annual review. I explained that I would never be fufilled if I was always just plugging the holes in the leaky boat I inherited and my boss listened.

I needed to realize that the interest factor of a job has very little to do with the content and everything to do with the ability to create and analyze and improve the way the unit of which I am a part does business.

I am happy with what this job does for me now I, but also realize that if I don't end up counselling or teaching others I will have wasted my true talents. This ball needs ot get rolling in the interim.

So the advice to myself and others if they see some wisdom in my reflections....

Consistently demand that we are given the opportunity to investigate the aspects of our jobs that allow us to feel fufilled in doing and stand up for our right to do so.

If it's company policy to allow you feel like a no-mind then maybe it's time to challenge that policy.

Through some serious open discussion about what the needs of every employee in the department are and then taking steps to feed these needs it seems that over the last 6 months the morale of all of us has seriously gone up.

Our manager has seriously stepped the education in this department. Half of the staff have taken one or more courses already this year. I've been learning a tonne; primarily on the job, which is how I prefer it and he knows that!

In short education = job satisfaction.

/****************************************/

Thought it important to write something positive in this thread instead of only using it when I am feeling frustrated.

Take care

Steve