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Everything Work RelatedWednesday, August 25, 2004
The Job Rejection
Well it has been over two weeks since I went for that job interview. Everything seemed to point to me having a good chance at the job. I had planned to call this afternoon to check on the status of things. I guess I don’t have to know. I got the mail and there was a letter from the place. Well I could tell it wasn’t good news without even opening it. If they were interested in me they would have called me not sent a letter. So I opened it knowing fully it would be a rejection letter.
It was. So I guess I can take that job off the list. I’m really disappointed just because of how many positive signs I got. First they not only interview me for the position I originally applied but they take the time to interview me for a second better job. They bring in several people to talk about the job. They contacted all my references. My mother, who knows the interviewer, even ran into the interviewer at a conference and my mother got positive signals about my interview.
Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk. I’m sure they found someone with more experience so it was no competition. I don’t blaim them if they had to choose between a new college graduate and someone that has real world experience I would pick the person with experience too.
So now where does this leave me? In the same position I’ve been in since May, Jobless. I really wouldn’t be the panicky if it wasn’t for two facts. First and foremost is that I have car payments every month. I have enough savings to cover me for a while yet but it’s getting smaller and smaller. Second is that I’ve wanted to move out by my birthday which is just over a month away.
I guess I’ll just keeping digging for jobs but darnit it’s getting harder and harder to find computer jobs around here. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. NorthWest Ohio is a freaking black hole for technology. There are just not many good jobs for someone that wants to be a programmer.
I guess I have a few options for what to do. Lets weight the pros and cons shall we?
1) Start expanding my search area
- Pros -
There will be more computer jobs in larger cities.
They’ll probably pay better.
I get to move to someplace new and exciting.
- Cons -
Have to move away from the area which I do like.
Have to move away from my girlfriend whom I LOVE!
2) Lower my job standards
- Pros -
There are more “computer” jobs if I’m willing to not do programming
I will probably be able to find local companies that need help
- Cons -
Work is depressing
Lower pay
I’ll be doing something I don’t want to do
Now the fact is I’ve already lowered my job standards. When I first started job hunting I was only looking for programming related jobs. However, I have begun to apply for tech support, IT assistant and part time jobs. I’m not getting any more bites than before.
I don’t know what to do right now. I think it’s just time to admit I need a job more than I need a career right now. Doing anything that gives me a paycheck every week needs to be my priority. I have a friend I’m going to build a computer for that works at a loading dock for a company. He says they have a pretty high turnover rate. I’m going to meet with him Friday to discuss the computer so I might as well just ask him about applying there.
I guess this is my penance for not working at all through high school or college. I tried to not have to do menial blue collar work but it appears I will have to do the time.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
First Job Interview - Afterwords
Well I said I’d write about the interview so here it is.
The place is about 45 minutes to an hour away so I left around 8:45am. I arrived around 9:40 and headed right in. I’ve read you should always arrive at least 15 minutes early so I was right on time. The place is actually in a vocational school so it took a bit to find the office but I managed to find the entrance.
It was a bit of a shock walking in to find that there was no reception area. It was just like a short hallway with a secretary at a desk. Right there was also the office of the lady that would interview me. Her door was open and when I walked in she saw me. The secretary asked if she could help me and I said I had an interview at 10. She then proceeded to use the phone to page the interview lady who was no more than 5 feet away from her. It was rather silly but it also helped me relax a bit.
So the lady came out and met me and asked me into her office. She asked the usual assortment of interview questions. Topics like “tell me about yourself”, “where do you see yourself in the future”, etc. I tried to work my way through the best I could and I think I did ok.
Along with the lady, who is the Assistant to the Director, the Network/Systems Services Director was also in the interview. They discussed the position and took turns asking a few questions than I asked a few.
I had mentioned how I’d like to do software development in the future and the interviewer said they had an opening for a Programmer/Analyst. So, she went and brought in two of their System Analysts to talk about that job. I ended up repeating just about everything I had said early for them and discussed some programming stuff too.
The interview was over about 10:30. I shook everyone’s hands and said the usual thank you for the opportunity, etc and left.
So, I managed to get a two for one with the job interview. I’m no apparently in running for both the Computer Help Desk Technician and Programmer/Analyst positions. If I was given the choice I would take the Programmer/Analyst position but I’ll take the Help Desk position if they offer it to me.
I need to send a thank you to the interviewer tomorrow before I forget. Also I’m going to apply for a Technology Coordinator at a local school district as well so I need to write up a cover letter and get that sent out too. That’s the todo list for tomorrow anyways.
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
First Job Interview
Oh Happy Days!
Oh Happy Days!
I got my first call for an interview from the many, many jobs that I applied for. This place I actually originally applied for a programming job but it was filled internally I guess. They had another open for a Computer Help Desk Technician so I applied for that as well.
The lady called and wanted to set up an interview for Monday. So, it should go without saying that I’m really happy. I know it’s just an interview but after applying for almost every computer job in the area for the last 2 months it’s nice to finally get a chance at a job.
I know I’ve said I would never do tech support but I’ve reached a point where I have to admit I have no choice. A job is a job. Plus, the woman made it clear that they have many opportunities for advancement once I get in the door. If I work hard and prove myself there’s a good chance I could be able to get into doing software development at some point.
So anyways here’s a bit about the place. It’s a computer services center for education institutions like Public Schools. They provide services for accounting, payroll, reporting, student registration, attendance, grade reporting, etc, etc. Basically, they can handle just about everything a school needs to manage. They service about 100 entities so it’s a pretty large organization.
The Computer Help Desk Technician is the initial support contact for the hardware staff. Responsibilities include ensuring customer problems are resolved in a timely manner, tracking purchase orders, invoices and quotes. This person would try to resolve some of the more basic hardware/software problems and also assist with maintenance of current inventory.
So in laymen’s terms… Your the first line of support. When a client calls you try to fix the problem then when even you’re confused you transfer them to someone else to handle it. Plus, you get to deal with other issues like managing orders from clients.
I’m sure it won’t be too bad. From what I understand they provide all the services from a central computing system where all the clients connect in to the site. They also provide general PC support too. So, I’m sure most support problems are probably pretty routine stuff like people having network connection problem, issues with accessing services and the general PC issues that arise like Windows not booting, viruses, problems with Office, etc.
Anyhoo, the interview is Monday the 9th at 10:00am. I have all weekend to research up on the company and prep the best I can. I really don’t think it should be too much trouble. I’ve been providing free tech support for years on message boards online and have learned a lot in dealing with helping people.
Still, say a prayers, light a candle, cross your fingers, do a dance or whatever you want for me to have good luck. I still need all the help I can!
Sunday, June 13, 2004
The job quandary...
The other day on the Computer Science mailing list there was a job offer. The description of the job indicated that the majority of the job would revolve around developing the Microsoft CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software plus some minor assistance in general computer support issues.
Suffice to say I was extremely excited about the job prospect. The idea of having a 9-5 job where I could do some development work is a dream come true. However, I got a reply today from the person and it turns out it’s only a part time job.
quote:
I would consider this to be very part-time in nature, work on your own
schedule (mostly from home as we have remote access capabilites).
So now I’m rather disappointed. On one hand I wonder if it is really worth taking. I can’t live on a part time job like this so I still need to find another job to afford things like car payments, rent, etc. On the otherhand I think I should take the job. It’ll still well worth it for the experience even if I can’t make a living on the job. It’ll give me good work experience and look very good on my resume. I’m not sure what to do. Ugg!
Software development has been what I’ve wanted to do for some time. Unfortunately, since graduation I haven’t found any job openings for dev work in about a hundred mile radius of here. The few computer jobs I have found are all tech support related.
I really hate doing tech support. I’ve done it for years with family and friends and it drives me nuts. I don’t mind doing it because I mean they are family so I want to help but it’s not like I enjoy doing it. So the idea of getting a job where that’s what I do all day just makes me sick. What’s worse is everyone keeps suggesting I find these types of jobs.
I guess I’ve come to this explanation since it seems to work best. Basically there are two types of computer degrees you can get. There’s MIS and then there’s Computer Science. MIS is like training to be a general practitioner/family doctor. Your family doctors are tech support people. You’re sick and you go to them to get fixed. MIS people train to manage and run computers for businesses. They’re the tech support and system admin that you go to when you have a sick computer. I have a Computer Science degree. That’s like training to be a surgeon. Yes a surgeon still knows and understands everything needed to be a general practitioner but they study even more in order to specialize in a particular area. They have the skills to operate on the body. As a person with a CS degree I learned not only that general computer skills but also how to build computers and program them. And when I say build computers I don’t mean put together parts like Dell or Apple does. I mean actually design the parts of a computer like how to make a CPU or video card. That’s the equivalent of doing heart surgery in my mind.
So when people say I should go get a tech support job, to me, that’s like telling a surgeon to go find work doing family medicine until he can find a opening for a surgeon. That’s an insult to all the hard work and effort you put into your education.
Friday, September 19, 2003
Moving jobs overseas
Few articles worth reading about all the high tech jobs getting shipped overseas.The first is by CIO magazine. It shows that many jumping on the outsourse bandwagon are finding that it's not such a great idea after all. The savings are not always as great as they appear.
The second is from Wired News. It talks about how many tech trade shows are turning into outsource fairs where foreign companies are advertising their outsource services.
Third is another from Wired News. It's about protestors at the 2003 Nearshore & Offshore Outsourcing Conference.
I'll leave you all with one quote from the last article
"'We're sending all our technical expertise overseas,' Snyder said. 'Pretty soon, we're going to see a drop in the number of people going into the electrical engineering and computer science fields in this country.'
Indeed, interest in computer science among new college students has been dropping steadily since 2000.
A survey conducted last year by the University of California at Los Angeles' Higher Education Research Institute revealed that 2.2 percent of freshmen in 2002 planned to major in computer science -- down from 3.3 percent in 2001 and 3.7 percent in 2000. "
As a Computer Science student I can attest to these numbers! The size of incoming CS studends has srunk since I was a freshman. For basic intro levels classes it used to be packed rooms and multiple times offered. Now they're cancelling classes for lack of interest and even those that aren't cancelled are dwindling in size.
Not only are there less students coming to the CS major but many in the programs are changing majors for fear of not having a job when the graduate! Sure part of this is just due to the crappy economy but it doesn't help to have a crappy economy and hearing stories daily about companies in the tech industry dumping whole divisions and shipping opperations overseas. It's just frightning to be a student right now in a tech field. I would have never thought of it 2-3 years ago but I might end up finding a government job just for the security it provides.
I know I don't have a chance in hell but I'd love to get a job at the CIA. It's not all clandestine operations. They do hire people for tech support, software development, IT, etc. The biggest reason why I'm interested you ask? Simple really. The first requirement any of the jobs require is you have to be a US citizen! I'd never have to worry about the CIA moving to outsource IT staff.
I'm going to definetly apply for a job. I know I don't have the grades or skills to score such a sweet job but I'd never forgive myself for not atleast applying.
on 09/19/2003 at 10:36 PM
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