Work And Career Issues

(Aightball/41198) Worf> As I take a gander to your link...do you guys offer teleco...

Aightball@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:02:00 -0600

Worf> As I take a gander to your link...do you guys offer telecommuting jobs?

(WORF/41197) We're certainly hiring (doubled in size over the last year).

WORF@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:01:00 -0600


We're certainly hiring (doubled in size over the last year).

Plus, we're pre-IPO as well. :)

If you see something you like, don't submit it on the website. Get at me via
email and I'll drop it off for ya.

http://www.couponsinc.com/corporate/OurCompany/Careers.aspx

(Guardian Angel/41196) @WORF - they must not be THAT hungry for talent if recruiters at...

Guardian Angel@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:58:00 -0600


@WORF - they must not be THAT hungry for talent if recruiters at Facebook fall
off the face of the earth after going "omg, omg, omg we want to talk to you
about a job with our <fill in the blank> team!!!" -_- Not that I'm particularly
interested in moving, but getting in on some pre-IPO facebok action would have
been nice enough to tolerate a year or two in SFO (granted, I -like- SFO...)

DC area is similar in that if you're tech, you can get a job. If you have a
certain subset of certs, the State Department wants to talk to you about jobs,
too (ofc, those are FS jobs, so you'll mostly be out of the country, incl. in
places where you could be shot just because you're an American...)

(Gespalder/41195) On CA> he government is nearly bankrupt

Gespalder@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:35:00 -0600

On CA> he government is nearly bankrupt

And in Sacramento they are looking at another way to earn money

SACBEE BREAKING NEWS ALERT B; 2/18/2012

Sacramento considers parking surcharge for non-city residents as part of arena
financing plan

Sacramento officials are considering requiring non-city residents to pay a
surcharge to park in downtown garages on event nights as part of the financing
plan for a proposed arena.

(Mariah/41194) I love the weather in CA, and the lack of bugs, lower humidity, ...

Mariah@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:22:00 -0600

I love the weather in CA, and the lack of bugs, lower humidity, less severe
allergies, but the cost of living is astronomically higher than Texas. I don't
have family here. The government is nearly bankrupt, and the schools have no
money. Our PTA (for which I am treasurer) has to pay for the PE teacher that
comes one day per week. So our kids get ONE day of PE per week. 24-1 ratio in
grades k-3 and 33-1 ratio in grades 4-5, and higher in middle school/high
school. We don't have a library because they laid off all the librarians.
Because of union contracts, no one else can check books in/out or even barcode
new books to be put into the library, so all the new books our PTA bought last
year are getting no use. When I was in Texas, I was teaching. I can't get a job
even subbing here because laid off teachers have to get the jobs first, and
there are plenty laid off teachers waiting for sub jobs. This will be the first
year in 8 where they haven't issued pink slips in March, but that's because
we've had a lot of military move into the school district, so our numbers are
higher. I'd like to go back to work, but it's just not an option other than
office jobs, which really stink because of the commute. I could get a school
job here in town, but no office jobs really available. Since my husband isn't
exactly helpful around the house whether I'm working full time or not, every
minute counts and if my workday can end by 4, that's a huge difference, even if
I have to do work at home later on, because that's time I can spend with my
kids instead of getting off work at 5 or later and commuting a minimum of 30
minutes in traffic. Of course, even office jobs aren't that plentiful. The
biggest employers are two biotechs, who've been laying off, Bank of America and
Farmer's. Bank of America is too far for me to commute to and so is Farmers.
I'd really rather be in the schools anyway. I enjoy being around the kids. At
least for now, I'm around them by volunteering at the schools.

(Salubrious/41193) And California has the second highest unemployment in the countr...

Salubrious@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:31:00 -0600

And California has the second highest unemployment in the country, 11.1%, only
besting Nevada at 12.6%. While the averages don't dictate individual
circumstances, they are certainly a good guidepost. While one can find a job in
California, and can find a house one can afford, and can afford insurance and
electricity and taxes, all of these things are going to be easier in just about
any other state.

(WORF/41192) Sal> It's not quite the way your are potraying it. Right now, if...

WORF@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 11:30:00 -0600


Sal> It's not quite the way your are potraying it. Right now, if you're in
tech, it's near impossible to be unemployed in CA. Employers are hurting for
employees and recruiters/headhunters are pretty active.

Property taxes can't be judged by their surface rate either, as Prop 13 severly
limits the valuation of any house over time. So someone who's owned a house for
10 or 20 years may be able to sell it for a million, but only be taxed on a
value of say $250k.

Average car insurance is going to be higher because those that do drive can
usually afford more expensive vehicles. Plus, Hollywood. When you've got $100k+
cars on the road as a not-so-uncommon thing (spotting a Lambo, Ferrari or Lotus
is a semi-regular thing in the SF area) the insurance coverage is going to be
higher.

As an aside, I pay an annual car insurance bill of $242.20. That's down 10
cents from last year. ;)

Regarding commute length, that just depends on your perspective. There's a
pretty solid public transit system here in the SF area, which means communting
w/o worrying about traffic is easy. My travel time is about 1 hour to 1 hour 15
minutes each way. That's not that different from when I was living in the
Chicago area. Still, if I didn't want to live in SF proper, renting a place
near work would be simple and that commute time could easily be 15 minutes.

What's funny, is tech workers are known for wanting short commutes. I've seen
job ads from Palo Alto companies telling people in SF not to apply because it
is a "long commute."  heh

Each situation is going to be individual. Don't judge based merely on averages
alone.

(Kyoti/41191) Yeah, as Mr Kyoti and I are comparing were we want to move to ne...

Kyoti@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 11:22:00 -0600

Yeah, as Mr Kyoti and I are comparing were we want to move to next, Sperlings
is the go to place for data and comparisons. We're finding we have to do a lot
of additional research to determine local property tax rates, etc, but
Sperlings is a good place to start. What I want is to put in a bunch of other
variables - income tax rate, voting record, educational background, populatin,
etc, and have it spit out lists of places that meet that criteria.

(Salubrious/41190) There is a lot that can be compared though. The average gas pric...

Salubrious@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 10:07:00 -0600

There is a lot that can be compared though. The average gas price in CA is now
$4/gal. Texas is $3.46, and the national average is $3.52., so figure gas costs
of 10% to 15% higher living in California. California also has long commutes
and traffic congestion, which could make that worse depending on the commute.
Then there is electricity, another major household expense. California is at
15.3 cents/kwh, with Texas at 11.95 and Florida at 11.31, so figure on a 25%
higher electrical bill. Let's try auto insurance. The average annual premium in
California is $2000 - $2499. Texas and Florida are $1600 - $1999. California
has some great features, but you are going to need a significantly higher
salary to pay for all the additional expenses.

(Tanj/41189) Property taxes in California are also roughly twice what they ar...

Tanj@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:39:00 -0600

Property taxes in California are also roughly twice what they are in Texas, in
addition to the properties being about twice as expensive.  

But doing things like this is hard to compare.  Take Sacramento, CA (a very
nice place to live) versus Dallas, TX.  Sperling's BestPlaces.net says that
Housing is 75% more expensive in California, but overall Sacramento is
"just" 20% more expensive.

Hard to compare stuffs.  Things you buy online, cars, and airline tickets
will cost the same no matter where you live.

(Salubrious/41188) If one is comparing the California job market to Texas, Florida,...

Salubrious@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:21:00 -0600

If one is comparing the California job market to Texas, Florida, etc, one has
to consider that California has a state income tax going up to over 9%. Texas
and Florida have no state income tax. California also has higher property
values and energy costs. California state government is also near bankrupt, and
things are only liable to get worse for taxpayers.

(The After Party/41187) Mariah

The After Party@rss.iscabbs.com — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:49:00 -0600

Mariah

  Seems like SecureWorks just goes to dell for job searches.
  Yeah, BioWare -> EA (EA bought BioWare). I applied for a job there (though
  I think I'm overqualified). Same job showed up about a year ago and I
  didn't get contacted then either (which kind of pisses me off).

  Why do you hate Cali?
  We won't go there because housing is still expensive..and the weather
  isn't all that awesome.

(Mama K/41186) A funny one for y'all........

Mama K@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:31:00 -0600

A funny one for y'all........

One of my employees called me last night, about 1015, in an absolute, complete
panic.  She was absolutely convinced she'd REALLY screwed something up, and
didn't know what to do.  (I'm the Asst Mgr at a retail store at the mall.)

When she counted the drawers, and put the numbers into the computer, the
computer told her that her deposit amount was $0.00.  She was completely
freaking out, just KNEW that she'd done something wrong.

I had to explain 3 different ways to her that when nobody uses cash to pay for
their purchases all day long, we don't have any cash sales, and ergo, no cash
deposit.

(Smoke Eater/41185) Oh come on, you know they fired her because of the bad publicity...

Smoke Eater@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:21:00 -0600

Oh come on, you know they fired her because of the bad publicity!  If it
weren't for that, they would have retrained her.

(Miser/41184) Raub, I could see that. The big problem I see is that even afte...

Miser@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:16:00 -0600

Raub, I could see that.  The big problem I see is that even after the lady
explained the burqa to the employee, she continued to call it a ski mask.  If
she had stuck to the book/policy while correcting her use of terms, I may have
had more faith in her ability to learn.

(KAM/41183) So, once again, radical Islamists have cost a hard-working Ameri...

KAM@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:08:00 -0600


So, once again, radical Islamists have cost a hard-working American her job!
Next time on Faux News Network!  </sarcasm>

(Raubvogel/41182) Miser, if it was the first time she did something stupid, retrai...

Raubvogel@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:06:00 -0600

        Miser, if it was the first time she did something stupid, retraining
would have been the approach I would use. I mean, ignorance can be corrected;
stupidity is forever...

(Salubrious/41181) There are laws in some jurisdictions about hiding your face in p...

Salubrious@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 04:35:00 -0600

There are laws in some jurisdictions about hiding your face in public. It
sounds like a training issue that this worker was trying to enforce a rule that
wasn't a law or a policy of the business. Or maybe she had post traumatic
stress from being held at gunpoint by people in masks.

(Miser/41180) And then the Great Moslem Conspiracy can be realized! Okracoke ...

Miser@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 04:20:00 -0600

And then the Great Moslem Conspiracy can be realized!  Okracoke would blame it
on President Obama and Republicans all over the country could use it as proof
positive that allowing Moslems to practice their religion and build Mosques
near day cares would lead to another 9/11.

(Smoke Eater/41179) And yet, the first time someone comes in in a burqa and does rob...

Smoke Eater@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 04:11:00 -0600

And yet, the first time someone comes in in a burqa and does rob the place, the
employee will be fired for not enforcing the 'no ski mask' rule.....

(Miser/41178) It must be "idiot worker" week. A friend of mine is a manager f...

Miser@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:09:00 -0600

It must be "idiot worker" week.  A friend of mine is a manager for a local gas
station business.  A young lady that works for her had a woman come into the
store in a burqa to pay for her gas and buy a couple things.  The employee
asked the woman to remove her "ski mask" before she could be helped.  The
customer explained that it was a burqa and a religious thing and that she could
not remove it.  The employee asked her again to remove her ski mask or she
would not be helped.  The customer's husband had to come in and pay and ended
up calling my friend (the manager), telling her he planned to talk to the local
newspapers and TV stations.

My friend had to go in and fire the employee.  The girl was surprised she was
being fired and didn't understand why.  She asked my friend to get her the
district manager, who also explained why she was being fired.  The girl
demanded her paycheck right away and left in a huff.  From the sound of it, the
employee was maybe 19-20 years old, but still, jeez.

(Mariah/41177) TAP- I wasn't really mentioning Dell, but SecureWorks. They seem...

Mariah@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 20:29:00 -0600

TAP- I wasn't really mentioning Dell, but SecureWorks. They seem to be a bit
separate and still go by the brand. My husband just got contacted by Electronic
Arts (for something out here) but they do have an office in Austin. The problem
with them is we are just north of LA and they are close to Santa Monica or
Redwood City CA. I am NOT relocating to anywhere else in this crappy state, and
I don't think it's wife to have a 50+ mile commute one way unless the train
went out that way which they don't. But he's pretty unhappy where he's at right
now.

(Ebauchon/41176) Yes. Very creepy. He just turned 40 two weeks ago. Maybe this is...

Ebauchon@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:29:00 -0600

Yes. Very creepy. He just turned 40 two weeks ago. Maybe this is his way of
dealing with a midlife crisis. Buying a sports car worked for me.

(Kyoti/41175) Wow. Just. Wow. I mean, for the younger crowd, the ones who trea...

Kyoti@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:23:00 -0600

Wow. Just. Wow. I mean, for the younger crowd, the ones who treat work and home
rather interchangeably, I can see where they have trouble distinguishing
between "friend" behavior and "professional" behavior. They need to learn the
difference, but they don't always see it. At 40? Geez, that's dirty old
man/creepy behavior.

(Ebauchon/41174) He is 40 years old. Maybe he wants a second career as a congress...

Ebauchon@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:46:00 -0600

He is 40 years old. Maybe he wants a second career as a congressman from New
York.

(Kyoti/41173) E> How young was this fellow?

Kyoti@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:31:00 -0600

E> How young was this fellow?

(Ebauchon/41172) There wasn't any logic behind it. Just said I didn't have the ri...

Ebauchon@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:21:00 -0600

There wasn't any logic behind it. Just said I didn't have the right to fire him
and he was going to call HR. I gladly gave him the 800 number. I haven't heard
from them if he actually called yet.

Then the secondary question came up from someone on what to do if he comes in
as a customer and sits at the bar. If that happens and I am not there, my
instructions are to tell him he is not welcome and, if he does not leave, to
call the police and have him removed.

(Mama K/41171) I'm kinda curious.....what was his logic that you didn't have an...

Mama K@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:32:00 -0600

I'm kinda curious.....what was his logic that you didn't have any right to fire
him?

(WORF/41170) Some people just don't think.

WORF@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:16:00 -0600


Some people just don't think.

That's....insane.

(Ebauchon/41169) What ARE people thinking?? I manage a restaurant. I found out ov...

Ebauchon@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:40:00 -0600

What ARE people thinking?? I manage a restaurant. I found out over the weekend
that one of my male servers was sending nude pics of himself to all the female
coworkers he had in his phone contacts. In one case he just pulled up one of
the pictures on his phone and showed it to one of of the female employees at
work. I can document from the times some of the pictures were sent that they
were sent while he was at work.

These were not people he had any kind of intimate history with.

He insisted that I didn't have any right to fire him and that he was going to
appeal to our corporate HR office. Of course, I had already involved them
because of the nature of the behavior.

I wanted to call in a HazMat team to sanitize the restaurant after he left.

(The After Party/41168) GA

The After Party@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:10:00 -0600

GA

  I looked, but I couldn't even find a category I belong too...
  hrm, maybe something like

http://jobs.rackspace.com/job/Austin-Technical-Product-Manager-IV-US-Job-TX-733
01/1667373/

(Guardian Angel/41167) TAP -

Guardian Angel@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:57:00 -0600

TAP -
Hmm. I don't know what all they have open in Austin, but never hurts to look...
they're over by where Blizzard's support office is/was.

(The After Party/41166) Mariah

The After Party@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:49:00 -0600

Mariah

  Yeah, what GA said. Dell isn't that horrible, but I'm not sure I want
  to work for them. We know quite a few people that work there and surprising
  *surprisingly* one that's been there a long time, but Dell continually
  fires the lowest 10% and refreshes often.

  My skill set:
  http://gabe.misura.org/resume/

  ebay/paypal...not sure I want to work for them either. Moral issue.
  Stilgar will rant about them.

  My list:
  Bioware, NCSoft West, Blizzard, Nvidia, Apple, AA (miami), United Airlines
  (miami), redhat. i'll add dell, paypal and rackspace to my search list.

GA

  I'm not really a dev person these days...

(Guardian Angel/41165) Noone -sane- wants to work for Dell, to be honest.

Guardian Angel@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:01:00 -0600

Noone -sane- wants to work for Dell, to be honest.

Y'know, TAP, you could always see if RAX is hiring dev folks in the Austin
office... Most of the cloud peeps are in SFO or SAT tho, IIRC :(

(Mariah/41164) TAP- Not sure of your exact skill set, but I know Dell bought ou...

Mariah@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:13:00 -0600

TAP- Not sure of your exact skill set, but I know Dell bought out SecureWorks,
they are in the Austin area. That's who my husband's employer outsourced
forensics too, but they might need other types of employees. Then e-bay is
opening up something in the Austin area. A friend and her husband moved to CA
for e-bay and now they're moving them back to Texas. Lucky bastards. Not sure
of the division though.If she weren't in the middle of a packup/move I'd ask
her.

(The After Party/41163) Mariah

The After Party@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:05:00 -0600

Mariah

  No, they don't contract me out. I work for our internal groups on the
  att.com web site.

  Our internal networking people are fine. Our group is good. They have to
  deal with other people to get stuff done (firewalls, etc) and that can
  be a little troublesome, but not horrible.

  I'm looking at other options here in Austin or Miami (though Miami is
  a stretch because of my wife quitting her job and the schools not being
  very good, my wife feels we'd have to put our kid(s) in private school).
  Nothing at ercot at the moment.

(Mariah/41162) TAP- you didn't tell me you worked for AT&T. groan Run, run fa...

Mariah@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:24:00 -0600

TAP- you didn't tell me you worked for AT&T. *groan* Run, run far away. Do the
contract you out? My husband's company has networking contracted out to AT&T
and they have a hard time with consistency because people are always leaving
for better jobs with better pay, better benefits, etc.  You are in the Austin
area, right? My sister in law works for Ercot as a Release Manager in Taylor.
Not sure how their pay is there. I think she's been there over 10 years though.

(Cyanide/41161) I believe that and I believe it wasn't a quick decision for her ...

Cyanide@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:09:00 -0600

I believe that and I believe it wasn't a quick decision for her to quit her
job. But even though, you aren't going to get a loan.. Write out the business
plan anyway.

The point of a business plan is that you have to sit and think out the
entire business and put a stamp on it.

Instead of trying to straddle between 3-4 possibilies of how you could
shape your business. Cut it to one and focus on that. It makes decisions
easier and reduces any second guessing in the middle of the process.

It is like a warnier diagram for a business. If you write and think it
out all ahead of time, the program is 100x easier to write, because
you have logically worked through the entire thing.

It doesn't mean you can't change it after 6-12 months, if you find a
bug in your logic you can do it immediately.  But it really does make
decisions easier and you will have fewer issues, then if you don't
write out a plan.

Once you HAVE a plan, it also wouldnt hurt to run through it with a few
people who might be knowledgable to see any issues they might see.
A bank would do that before granting you a loan. You should do that before
you grant yourself a loan. Remember you are bias, and you are really just
looking for 3rd party input, to catch mistakes upfront so you can succede..

(The After Party/41160) Cyanide

The After Party@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0600

Cyanide

  My wife's done a ton of research.
  We don't plan on using a loan or venture capital. at least i don't think
  we do. depends which option she goes with.

(Cyanide/41159) The break even for businesses is usually 3-5 years.

Cyanide@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:51:00 -0600

The break even for businesses is usually 3-5 years.
Usually you solidify the details in your initial business plan
before you create the business. Typically that business plan is
used to help get a loan or venture capital to help propel your
business. (usually you do this before you quit your job to start
the business :) )

(The After Party/41158) Cyanide

The After Party@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:40:00 -0600

Cyanide

  Yep. In-laws arrived today (They were supposed to be here Feb 26). Now
  they are here, they can watch the kiddos and we can work on getting things
  moving on her business ideas. Though, typically speaking, small businesses
  take a loss the first 1-2 years. Hopefully that isn't necessarily true for
  internet businesses. We'll see.

(Cyanide/41157) TAP> Any chance you could help out your wife's new business at l...

Cyanide@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:26:00 -0600

TAP> Any chance you could help out your wife's new business at least to get it
off the ground and running faster? That wouldnt fix -your- issue, but it would
help your overall finances faster, depending on the business, and growth
potential, tax deductions, etc.

(Cerebus/41156) Would I take more money, of course who wouldnt, what I meant was...

Cerebus@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:32:00 -0600

Would I take more money, of course who wouldnt, what I meant was would I take a
job jsut because of the money, well thats a different story, my last job before
I was laid off I was making more, but it was a struggle to will myself in every
single day. I make a little less now, but a much better workplace, and a much
better company and better benefits.

I can understand with a single income wanting the cushion without a doubt, its
jsut one of those things is the extra pay ( assuming you would be lookin
goutside the company) worth the change.

(The After Party/41155) Tanj

The After Party@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:13:00 -0600

Tanj

  As the Release Manager, I deligate things to the Release Engineers (I
  don't think that is their title, but that make sense) and/or to the Reelase
  Analysist (that is their titles). The Engineers can figure things out
  so I can give them high level tasks. The Release Analysis are akin to
  monkey/button pushers (i don't like using that term, but they use it and
  they prove it time and time again. one guy has been there 5 years, same
  job, he's the lead "button pusher" but phuck if he could ever touch a
  shell script, which he runs EVERY DAY. or 'man crontab'. jebus).
  When the RE's can't figure something out, they come to me. When I can't
  figure something out, i ask the former ATG employee we have on staff.
  Or I open a ticket with oracle (they bought ATG).
  My goal is always to document as much as possible, but that rarely happens
  outside of Jira (so it effectively becomes our KB).

Dr J F

  Where do you work?


  I don't see AT&T changing their technical track anytime soon...

(Mariah/41154) My husband was running into the problem of maxing out as a techn...

Mariah@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:01:00 -0600

My husband was running into the problem of maxing out as a technical person but
his employer finally came up with a technical track that allows for them to be
promoted higher w/o being management. They have to publish and do things like
that, of course, though.

(Wang Master/41153) Tanj: That's basically a large part of what I do.

Wang Master@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 06:38:00 -0600

Tanj: That's basically a large part of what I do.
technically that's part of the job description of software engineers at the
principal or higher level (we have principal, senior technical consultant, then
fellow - I'm currently at STC).

We don't have a formal process for making people write it in a knowledgebase
but a good chunk of my time helping others (even some more senior than me)
developers figure out difficult problems and I'd like to hope that the way I do
it tends to help them learn.

one of the things that I find with tecnical tracks is once you hit the end of
the title hiearchy on a technical track you're pretty much maxed out salary
wise.  You might get the occasional competitive adjustment.  However, at the
higher levels, you get alot more compensation that isn't predictable.  At the
STC level I'm at I really have two more promotion bumps to get me significant
pay increases (fellow and technical VP).  However, I get a good 15-25% of my
compensation in bonus and restricted stock grants every year now.
and that will continue to rise as the promotions occur.

(Tanj/41152) And of course, remember that when layoffs come, the more money y...

Tanj@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 06:41:00 -0600

And of course, remember that when layoffs come, the more money you make the
more likely you're going to be against the wall when the "replace you with
two 80%-as-goods-at-half-your-salary" decisions are being made.  Management
isn't any better: middle management is devestating in mergers and layoffs.

(Dr Johnny Fever/41151) My company has changed to allow technical people to achieve a hi...

Dr Johnny Fever@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 06:37:00 -0600

My company has changed to allow technical people to achieve a higher salary /
title promotion.  You can get all the way to Director now without managing any
people if you are a "technical expert."  If you want to be a partner, you are
going to need to manage people though.  There's still a ceiling.

(Tanj/41150) There are very few jobs that can go significantly above six figu...

Tanj@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 06:33:00 -0600

There are very few jobs that can go significantly above six figures without
making *other people* more effective.  The easiest way to do that is through
management, but there are other ways.

I would like there to be an actual title for software developers that is
something like "professional mentor."  It's a senior-level developer that
the other developers can turn to for advice on how to design, get unstuck,
debug really hard problems, or what have you.  If you use him or her, you
have to write it up in a knowledgebase, but the professional mentor would
need to have an attitude that *welcomes* people wasting his or her time
with entry-level questions, and *rewards* that person.

If I have a rock-star developer, I'd rather have him or her make other
developers into rock stars too.  If successful, that position is easily
worth more than $100K.

Anyone do anything like that at their work?

(The After Party/41149) Cerebus

The After Party@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 05:36:00 -0600

Cerebus

  My wife quit her job to open her own business. Our income just went down
  ~50% (she made more than me, but I got some bonuses so we were about
  equal). So I'd like to make more money to have a better cushion for her
  lack of salary, more capital to invest in her business, etc, etc.

  YOu can't see what benefit more money would be? Or more money vs. having
  a job I enjoy? If my manager said: here's 10-20k more per year, are you
  saying you woudln't take it? heh.

Shaitan

  Hrm, I guess my title is Release manager, but in the system, I am a
  technical architect. Oh, i'm even a Sr. Technical Architect.
  http://gabe.misura.org/resume/


  My boss says I make the most on his team (or i'm near the top) of his
  33 reports. He says I dont' make that much less than him. he didn't
  tell me how much he makes, so his definition vs mine might be skewed.
  But if that is the case, then I don't see how getting me to manage an
  FTE (full time employee) will give me much of a raise to justify the
  BS i will have to do.

  I'm probably not that abnormal: I don't seek change, because I like what
  i have. I am curious what else is out there, but my current situation is
  very "good" (except for the pay). I have SUPER flexible hours, a very
  good boss (he understands my concerns, shares them even, advocates for
  me to his boss, just feels rather powerless to make changes since
  Cingular became ATT). Benefits are good. Perks are good. Bonus is good
  (so long as the company itself is doing good).
  I've left this job and came back to it.
  I pretty much look forward to the work week because I like what I do
  that much. I'm guessing that should have a very large "value" that I
  should consider and makes me hestitant to look elsewhere.

(Shaitan/41148) This is a common problem addressed in the Peter Principle. Many ...

Shaitan@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 05:16:00 -0600

This is a common problem addressed in the Peter Principle. Many companies, due
to pay banding and policy issues, run into the problem of, technical people max
out at some point and their only recourse is to go into management, which may
not be in their skillset or desire. What ends up happening is you take an
excellent engineer and they either fail as a manager or don't like the work and
end up leaving.

Most books on the topic recommend finding a way to "expand the pie" by creating
bigger technical titles without the managment responsibilities. For example, if
Sr. Engineer is the biggest title in the highest technical payband, create a
title of Technical Architect and put it into a higher payband.

Obviously, this requires commitment from the company as a whole, which in your
situation may not be possible, but it's something for your boss to investigate.
If the company isn't willing to change such policies, then yes, at your current
company, it may be that the only way for you to make more money is to go into
management. If that's the case and you don't want to, then you may be able to
find another company that will pay you to be technical at a higher rate than
your current company. You'll have to decide what is more important to you, the
company you're working for or the money.

(Cerebus/41147) TAP> Ar eyou wanting to make more jsut to make more money? If yo...

Cerebus@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:19:00 -0600

TAP> Ar eyou wanting to make more jsut to make more money? If your doign well
financially, have things in order then really unless the jump in salary is huge
I cant see what the benefit would be to it.

(The After Party/41146) income ceiling

The After Party@rss.iscabbs.com — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:38:00 -0600

income ceiling

  my wife is convinced that forme to earn more than i am making now, i have to
manage people. does everyone agree with that?
  att doesnt pay all that well, so i could get a raise of some sort simply
switching companies. i dont necessarily want ti do that because i like my
current job and my boss. but my boss directly said the only way he can get me a
raise is to have me manage people.
  i'm not opposed to that (well, i kinda am) but it is not what i want to do. i
am technical (official title: release manager) and i would rather spend my time
solving technical issues rather than filing out paperwork. my boss has gone
from goto guy to zero technical and all admin BS.
  i'm making 6 figures now, just trying to figure out where i can be happyand
make more. does that reallymean doing crap admin people managing stuff? the
irony, i have 2 contractors working for me now, but since they are contractors,
i dont fill out there bi-yearly reviews, etc.

(Rainmaker/41145) This discussion about making sure your boss does things reminds ...

Rainmaker@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:17:00 -0600

This discussion about making sure your boss does things reminds me of my first
"management opportunity".

Where I used to work as an engineer...I had finished my MBA and hoped for
advancement (company paid for it - I didn't want to just jump).

They had an informal policy that you didn't make manager until 30, director
until 40, VP at 50.  So there I was...22 with an MBA.  They made me a "project
manager"...my first project - get my boss to do his crap.  Order came from the
president directly...but then he didn't have the balls to back me up...which
meant I had to document EVERYTHING because my then-boss triued to sabotage me
because (in his words) "you need to focus on gettign married and havign a
family, not climbing the corporate ladder."

They finally forced my then-boss to do his crap after the stack of status
reported with RED BOLD "not complete - Behind Schedule" appeared after his name
for 2 months (on a weekly report).

BOY do I miss working for those jerks.

(Endric/41144) And start keeping a little notepad in your pocket where you keep...

Endric@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:09:00 -0600

And start keeping a little notepad in your pocket where you keep track of each
of these little back and forth tasks.  As in:

1/28/12 - XXX handed me order paperwork and instructed me to complete it.
(include the time and witnesses)

If you're ever questioned on it, just explain that you are keeping a to do list
for yourself.

And find a new job when you can.

(Mama K/41143) Lexington, KY, in retail. I'm the assistant manager at a specia...

Mama K@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:21:00 -0600

Lexington, KY, in retail.  I'm the assistant manager at a specialty retail
store that has ~700 stores across the country.

(Sraosa/41142) Where are you working now? Location/industry/etc?

Sraosa@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:21:00 -0600

Where are you working now?  Location/industry/etc?

(Mama K/41141) The resume is dusted, and job apps started over the weekend. I'...

Mama K@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:20:00 -0600

The resume is dusted, and job apps started over the weekend.  I'm not looking
terribly hard, but I am looking.

(Smoke Eater/41140) Yeah, it sucks, but the boss can tell you to do something solely...

Smoke Eater@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:46:00 -0600

Yeah, it sucks, but the boss can tell you to do something solely because they
don't want to do it, even if it is their job.  That's when you dust off your
resume.

(Mean Mr Mustard/41139) A clear directive to do it. I don't like those situations, but ...

Mean Mr Mustard@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:04:00 -0600

A clear directive to do it.  I don't like those situations, but they're part of
almost any job.

(Mama K/41138) The one instance that ticked me off, an order was supposed to ha...

Mama K@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:22:00 -0600

The one instance that ticked me off, an order was supposed to have been
completed on a THursday.  Then it should have been completed on Friday.  Then
Saturday.  Sunday.  On Monday, I tried to work on it, but was struggling with
the layout, so I called him for guidance.  He told me to leave my layout on the
computer, and he'd look at it Tuesday morning.  I was off Tuesday.  On
Wednesday, it was still not done, and was sitting in the exact same position
I'd left it in.  I said fuck it and did it with the crappy layout, just to get
it done.

The second was basically going through cand recording completed orders for an
accounting that had to be faxed to the home office either after close yesterday
or before opening today.  I assumed that I'd be the one to do it, because I
closed last night and opened today.  When I asked him a question about it, he
told me I didn't have to worry about it, he'd do it.  Then when I went in to
work yesterday, he tossed the paperwork at me and said "Here, I didn't do this,
you can get it done."

(Susannah/41137) It sounds like in Mama K's position, that's going to happen also...

Susannah@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 11:56:00 -0600

It sounds like in Mama K's position, that's going to happen also.  So, is it so
bad to just take it over to begin with?  Depends on what it is, I guess.  But,
sometimes, I'd rather go ahead and do something than chase after them asking,
and ending up pissing them off about it.

(Rick Jenkins/41136) The "Anything I can do for you on...." question opens the door f...

Rick Jenkins@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:54:00 -0600


The "Anything I can do for you on...." question opens the door for the boss to
dump the task on you. Of course, if you're in Susannah's position, it sounds
like that was going to happen anyway.

I prefer Lammam's response of asking how progress is going. Of course, the boss
could still say "Not much, I'm going to delegate x to you to take it off my
plate" but IMO it only leaves the door opened a crack rather than flung wide
open.

(Susannah/41135) "Is there anything I can do for you on _______?"

Susannah@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:24:00 -0600

"Is there anything I can do for you on _______?"

I actually had a boss' boss call me in and tell me that my new task was to make
sure my boss completed this list of tasks, and that he'd already been informed
of the situation.  Boy, that was uncomfortable.

(Lammam P Yrruf/41133) "Can I have a progress update on ____?"

Lammam P Yrruf@rss.iscabbs.com — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:17:00 -0600

"Can I have a progress update on ____?"

(Mama K/41132) I need a tactful way to tell my boss, "Hey, if you tell me you'r...

Mama K@rss.iscabbs.com — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:06:00 -0600

I need a tactful way to tell my boss, "Hey, if you tell me you're going to do
something, freaking DO IT instead of blowing it off completely then leaving it
for me to do."  Any ideas?

(Cyanide/41131) There is a lot to be said about professionalism. You don't have ...

Cyanide@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:29:00 -0600

There is a lot to be said about professionalism. You don't have to agree
with someones personal views, or even like them as a person, if it is a
professional working relationship. Both should be afforded the opportunity
to excel. They might turn out to be your best employee. Usually ass kissers
aren't the best employees because while they are kissing your ass, they
are typically undercutting the rest of your team while creates hostility.

(Sraosa/41130) Thanks for the input, guys. It's going to an interesting transi...

Sraosa@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:42:00 -0600

Thanks for the input, guys.  It's going to an interesting transition.  I don't
remember if I mentioned that one of my agents is a woman who also applied for
the position I got, and she already intoned to a fellow co-worker (the middle-
of-the-road one) that she thinks I'm a bitch because I got the promotion over
her.  She'll be a tough nut to crack, but the bottom line is, I'm there for the
agents, but above all, to do the job I've been charged with, and if she wants
to dislike me for it, there's precious little I can do than focus on
professionalism.

Thanks again.

(Cyanide/41129) Im with Smoke Eater.. Respect and being fair goes a long way.

Cyanide@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:58:00 -0600

Im with Smoke Eater.. Respect and being fair goes a long way.
It goes along with being a professional, and chances are you haven't been
professional.

(Rainmaker/41128) Embrace the inner Pointy-Haired Boss since you're now a supervis...

Rainmaker@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:06:00 -0600

Embrace the inner Pointy-Haired Boss since you're now a supervisor...and fire
the one who dislikes you.  ALthough, my bet is that (s)he will start REALLY
liking you now that he's your work-bitch.

Just throwin' it out there, since we're brainstorming and all!

(Salubrious/41127) I would also suggest not being friendlier to the person who like...

Salubrious@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:53:00 -0600

I would also suggest not being friendlier to the person who likes you. Nothing
is likely to spawn resentment more than the impression that one person is your
"buddy", even if the expectations are the same.

(Kyoti/41126) Be clear in expectations and evaluate their actions/impact fairl...

Kyoti@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:41:00 -0600

Be clear in expectations and evaluate their actions/impact fairly. Clarity in
expectations and the sense that you are acting consistently goes a long ways.

(Smoke Eater/41125) An old mentor of mine told me that no matter what you do, or how...

Smoke Eater@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:42:00 -0600

An old mentor of mine told me that no matter what you do, or how you act, there
are going to be some people that aren't going to like you.  He said there's
nothing you can do about it.

Be who you are, and do what you feel is right.  You are the only one you can
control.  When the one who actively dislikes you sees you treating everyone
fairly, they may not come to like you, but they will respect you.

(Sraosa/41124) There are probably better places to ask, but I figure someone he...

Sraosa@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:34:00 -0600

There are probably better places to ask, but I figure someone here will have an
answer.  I was just promoted at work, to a supervisory position, and I'll have
3 people directly under me.  One actively dislikes me, one, I have a good work
relationship with, and one actively likes me.  Any advice on balancing such
disparate relationships so that I treat everyone fairly?  The feelings aren't
mutual, by the way; I consider myself to have a reasonably professional,
friendly relationship with all of them.  My personal feelings are not going to
affect my relations with them, but I'm concerned that theirs for me will.

(The After Party/41123) Job Posting

The After Party@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:49:00 -0600

Job Posting

  Anyone need a SCRUM Master/Agile job in PA?

  Give me your email and I'll forward you this job.
  (make sure to tell them i sent you so i can get the referal!)

(-- anonymous -- <>/41122) Funny story that just happened in our lab (engineering - testing...

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 04:50:34 -0600

Funny story that just happened in our lab (engineering - testing electronics).

There's a very pompous Principal Engineer on staff here (insists we call him by
his full title, not jus "one of the engineers").  ANyway, we're testing a
high-power inverter (electronic device for the nonEE types).  He had his back
to the Tech and I as we tested...Tech hit the wrong spot on the drive with his
oscilloscope probe and shorted 600V through the device.  It when BOOM.  We both
saw it coming...as soon as the first spark flew, BUT...Principal Engineer did
not.  He was not harmed, but immediately jumped when it popped...and then took
off out of the lab and we've just learned...went home.

The smell of shit in the lab is unmistakeable.

Oh eyah...we made him crap his pants at work.

(Egregious/41121) Maybe the employee was really that offensive.

Egregious@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:07:00 -0600

Maybe the employee was really that offensive.

(LadyJane/41120) Wisconsin So why would a former owner discourage the ex-emplo...

LadyJane@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:13:00 -0600

Wisconsin    So why would a former owner discourage the ex-employee from
filing?

(Chaos And Void/41119) Depends on the state and whether or not the former owners re-ope...

Chaos And Void@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:44:00 -0600

Depends on the state and whether or not the former owners re-open the business,
or possibly open a new business, but generally, no.

(LadyJane/41118) if a business closes down and an employee does not file for unem...

LadyJane@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:37:00 -0600

if a business closes down and an employee does not file for unemployment, does
the former boss benefit in any way?

(Salubrious/41117) Linked-In might be an option to establish contact.

Salubrious@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:29:00 -0600

Linked-In might be an option to establish contact.

(Marigolds/41116) I recently started sitting in on interview committees. My HR has...

Marigolds@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:57:00 -0600

I recently started sitting in on interview committees. My HR has advised me not
even to contact rejected candidates to give them advise or leads on other
positions, much less any social contact.
if you really want to follow through, you are going to have to establish
contact through channels other than directly, e.g. professional organizations,
social groups,etc. that you already know about.
Besides, she is looking for a job. She might move away next month.

(Smoke Eater/41115) Salubrious>

Smoke Eater@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:33:00 -0600

Salubrious>
   Yes, but he wouldn't have known her/met her without her being an applicant
for the job....  so the perception of creepy is still there.  I'd still say
stay away.

(Salubrious/41104) Right, I was assuming she already knew she had been passed over....

Salubrious@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:13:00 -0600

Right, I was assuming she already knew she had been passed over. If the job is
still officially in play, I would wait.

(Kyoti/41103) Interviewer> I'd let the interviewing and candidate search play ...

Kyoti@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:21:00 -0600

Interviewer> I'd let the interviewing and candidate search play out, let her
get the word that the job isn't hers, and then find some other way to bump into
her. Some social event, club, association, etc? Maybe even virtually bumping
into her, sya on FB or linkedin or something. But only after the job thing is a
certainty.

(-- anonymous -- <>/41095) Interviewer> here

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:00:34 -0600

Interviewer> here

WHat is the basis for the suit?  She's not an employee...not being given a
quid-pro-quo to earn a job...so what's the basis (in your opinions)?

(Egregious/41094) He won't get sued. His employer will. This way she can fuck yo...

Egregious@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:54:00 -0600


He won't get sued.  His employer will.  This way she can fuck you all.

(WORF/41093) Don't do it unless you want to get "teh sued."

WORF@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:53:00 -0600


Don't do it unless you want to get "teh sued."

(-- anonymous -- <>/41092) Call me Interviewer

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:50:35 -0600


Call me Interviewer

VERY weird situation.  Did a series of interviews last week for an
administrative position in my office (person would report to me).  One woman in
particular, I clicked with (in a personal way not professionally).  She will
NOT be getting an offer for the position.  How long after the hirign process is
over etc. woujld be appropriate time to wait before contacting her about
getting together sometime?  Obviously if she was only flirting to get the job -
she'll shoot me down, buit since I'm doing it after she's getting rejected, it
seems it might be ok to do?

Obviously there's no quid-pro-quo (and if she alluded to it, I'd end the
discussion immediately) - and she won't be an employee - plus, if she said no,
I'd NEVER contact her again to ask her out.  Thoughts?

(-- anonymous -- <>/41091) So my current workplace is a worldwide known corporation. Very ...

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:50:33 -0600

So my current workplace is a worldwide known corporation.  Very OfficeSpace in
management, rather crappy place to work.  I have a job interview next week that
a friend who works there told me I probably already have the job unless I
totally drop the ball in the interview.  Pay is comparable, it's the same job
just working for the state instead of the international corporation.  I am sure
advancement opportunities are less at the state job.  While I'm not a fan of my
current job, if I can advance I would probably like it better.  What would be
the best way to use a job offer as a bargaining chip to get a promotion with
the company I'm already with?

(Knightshade/41090) Addendum- They are certainly allowed to dock any PTO from your ...

Knightshade@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 04:35:00 -0600

Addendum-  They are certainly allowed to dock any PTO from your account if you
work less than X hours in a given week and you are salaried.  But they can't
pay you any less than your salary if you work AT ALL in the pay period.

(they can also fire you if you only start showing up 1 hour a week of course
since you're not meeting the requirements of the job, but they still need to
pay you for when you worked)

(Knightshade/41089) If you are salaried AND exempt then there's no such thing as "un...

Knightshade@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 04:32:00 -0600

If you are salaried AND exempt then there's no such thing as "unpaid hours"
because you aren't paid by the hour, and you are not entitled to overtime.

You are paid to do a specific job, and they must pay you, in full, no matter
how many, or how few, hours it takes to do that job.  If you work 1 hour in the
pay period you get your full pay.  That's what salaried means.


If you are hourly there's STILL no such thing as "unpaid hours" because you
have to be paid for every hour you work.


The weird case is salaried but NOT exempt- in which you case get your normal
salary from anywhere between 1 and 40 hours worked in the pay period, plus
overtime pay for hours over 40.  But there's still no such thing as "unpaid
hours" here.

(Snuffy/41088) It's a sticky mess, but there are "exempt" / "non-exempt" and "s...

Snuffy@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 03:37:00 -0600

It's a sticky mess, but there are "exempt" / "non-exempt" and "salaried" /
"hourly" columns, check one box in each column.  And, computer professionals
can be stuck in a box "exempt" (from overtime requiremnents) "hourly" (paid by
the hour, no work no pay).

(Bodhi Dharma/41087) Knightshade> Aren't salaried employees an exemption?

Bodhi Dharma@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 03:34:00 -0600

Knightshade> Aren't salaried employees an exemption?

(Knightshade/41086) No, but the FLSA does, which makes them asking for unpaid work i...

Knightshade@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 02:42:00 -0600

No, but the FLSA does, which makes them asking for unpaid work illegal AFAIK.

(Bodhi Dharma/41085) Miser> The FMLA doesn't apply to me as I hadn't been working for...

Bodhi Dharma@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 02:32:00 -0600

Miser> The FMLA doesn't apply to me as I hadn't been working for the company
for a minimum of 12 months before I went on medical leave.

(Miser/41084) The FMLA may have some useful provisions as well.

Miser@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:51:00 -0600

The FMLA may have some useful provisions as well.

(KAM/41083) Oh, and if your PHB can't manage to figure out when they should ...

KAM@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:34:00 -0600


Oh, and if your PHB can't manage to figure out when they should be paying you,
there's an official government app for that:

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/whd/WHD20110686.htm

(KAM/41082) I'm pretty damn-near 100% sure that uncompensated hours are ille...

KAM@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:32:00 -0600


I'm pretty damn-near 100% sure that uncompensated hours are illegal under the
Fair Labor Standards Act.

Given that *AND* this bullshit about you being able to return to work when
clearly you could not, I think I'd be having a sit-down chat with HR and their
lawyers and letting them know they have one shot to make things right before
the Dept. of Labor gets a phone call.

(Bodhi Dharma/41081) My company requires uncompensated hours of work - about two a we...

Bodhi Dharma@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:17:00 -0600

My company requires uncompensated hours of work - about two a week.
I returned to work on November 21st after about seven months of being on leave
without pay.
My company, however, says that I could have returned to work on August 10th
(I'm trying to get this fixed as I was FAR from being able to return to work on
August 10th).  They are, therefore, counting my uncompenstated hours of work
obligation between August 10th and November 21st.  I found out about this on
December 21st.  This could well mean that I won't get a week of pay (remember,
in addition to some significant medical bills, I've been on LWOP for seven
months, a week without pay would hurt a lot).
One of the things I'd like to argue about this is that I could not perform
activities of daily living between August 10th and November 21st and, during
that time, I was living in a different state from the one my job is located in.
I was dependent on my family to take care of me.  Therefore, I could not return
to work.  Will companies see this as having merit?

(KAM/41080) Yep, today it is fairly easy. A small closet with soundproof ins...

KAM@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:34:00 -0600


Yep, today it is fairly easy. A small closet with soundproof insulation works
well. For insulation you could use eggcrate foam... or even actual styrofoam
egg cartons. I've seen some using the cardboard drink holders from McDonalds or
leftover shag carpeting remnants.

You can get a decent mic for under $200, and the best software IMO is actually
free: Audacity.

(Kyoti/41079) I can empathize with the situation you're in, Aightball. I know ...

Kyoti@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:21:00 -0600

I can empathize with the situation you're in, Aightball. I know a lot of people
who are having to do similar soul searches, really thinking about what they can
do well or what they want to try to do next. Having watched a few people
recently, and some back when the times were good, everything was up-up-up! and
the sky was the limit, I want to share another perspective with you.
I think there's some jobs that are almost meta-jobs. Jobs like consulting,
management, teaching, training, and the like. The skills needed to do these are
often very different from the subject matter they are related to. As an
example, to be a really great software developer is a different set of skills
than to be a really great software development manager. To be a great executive
consultant is a different set of skills than to be a great executive or
manager. These meta-jobs are often cited as some desired position - people say
"I want to manage" or "I want to teach", however they lack both experience and
subject matter expertise to be in the meta-job. I know one person now who,
right out of college, became a trainer. She's very good at it and mostly works
in the space of interpersonal skills and it works fine. But I'm watching her
confront the fact that if she wants to take it to the next level she would need
some subject matter expertise, otherwise she can only play in the space of
itnerpersonal relationships. She has no insight or ability to analyze the space
she would like to expand into.
I hear from you that you want to broadcast. Certainly there's plenty of talking
heads who broadcast who have nothing in those pretty little heads, and many who
do. But the odds are stacked against you pretty heavily there. To take that
broadcast intention and go to another avenue with it might be a great option
for you - podcasting, for example. I would really encourage you to do some soul
searching about what you subject matter expertise is. What is an area that you
know intimately well, an area that you know inside and out, and can convey to
others? It may be family relationships where you have complicated family
relationships and have a way to drawing the details out of others and giving
them new insights into their own situations, helping them see more options with
how to deal with their family. It may be that you have been injured several
times and have had to navigate work, employment insurance, disability, SS, and
more and can bring your knowledge to others giving them ideas on how to make
use of the systems available to them. It may be you're extra frugal and coupon
and make $100 stretch for food for 2 people for a month. That's hot right now.
:) Coupon, bargain shopping, all the different dimensions that people need to
live in could be different blog posts or podcasts. Overall you're trying to
build a personal brand. But what are you selling?
Anyways, I'd really encourage you to sit down and think about yourself in every
dimension. What do you have experience and expertise in? What sets you apart
from other people?

(Another Yossarian/41078) Actually, part of this class discussed how the most desirable pe...

Another Yossarian@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:18:00 -0600

Actually, part of this class discussed how the most desirable people in voice
acting can do their own recording.  Apparently, you can set up a home studio
fairly cheaply using your computer and some relatively inexpensive software. 
The lady teaching the class said her first "studio" was a closet lined with
that foam egg crate stuff and a computer.  Everything is emailed, so it doesn't
matter if you're in Chicago or Podunk.

(Aightball/41077) That might be something to look into. I'd have to brainstorm top...

Aightball@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:36:00 -0600

That might be something to look into. I'd have to brainstorm topics...talking
about my writing probably wouldn't hold people's attention. I'm not Stephen
King, after all, just an amateur with a lot of dreams. But it might be
something to think about.

(KAM/41076) If you're interested in podcasting, there are two large communit...

KAM@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:40:00 -0600


If you're interested in podcasting, there are two large communities that can
help you get your feet underneath you: BlogTalkRadio.com and TalkShoe.com. Both
allow you to take live phone calls as well as online voice calls, both have
free and paid options that  you can play with. They're pretty easy to use and
you can use their tools to help promote your podcasts.

(Aightball/41075) I'm seeing a LOT of shakeups at a few local stations here as wel...

Aightball@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:43:00 -0600

I'm seeing a LOT of shakeups at a few local stations here as well. It's kind of
like getting into newspapers, which I've tried as well: good luck.

I'm going to examine my options and see if the job I applied for pans out. They
did call whiel I was at work so I ahve to call tomorrow and talk about an
interview. Hopefully it works out and I can do that and the other job while I
keep working to get published.

I think voice acting or something would be fun, but I live in podunk Iowa =),
so those jobs are hard to come by. But I'll keep looking and see what I can
find around here. Ultimately, I want to find a job that combines the things I
love, but I might have to work other jobs before that happens.

(Rick Jenkins/41074) Yeah, a podcast of some sort with links to it from your Twitter ...

Rick Jenkins@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:54:00 -0600


Yeah, a podcast of some sort with links to it from your Twitter or FB page
might be the way to go these days. As someone else pointed out a few posts
back, many terrestrial music radio stations have greatly reduced their on-air
talent. One station around here is 24/7 automated, most of the others have a DJ
during the morning and afternoon drives and the rest is automated.

(Salubrious/41073) If you have something to say, there is no cost of entry to start...

Salubrious@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:34:00 -0600

If you have something to say, there is no cost of entry to starting a podcast.
If you can develop an audience, you can get sponsorships and sell advertising.
Unfortunately broadcast radio is on the decline, and there are far more
experienced radio people than jobs. If you have communications/performance
talent, don't limit yourself to one medium.

(Ebauchon/41072) I have worked a little in radio and taught on a Department of Co...

Ebauchon@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:13:00 -0600

I have worked a little in radio and taught on a Department of Communication
that had a very strong broadcasting program (though that is not what I taught).
I can assure you that the pay is generally low and the opportunities are few.
The opportunities for people who want to go on air to express their artistic
talents are almost nil.

(Tempestas/41071) Jobs that you don't require lifting >

Tempestas@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 03:30:00 -0600

Jobs that you don't require lifting >
Walmart greeter, restaurant host (seating people, not waiting tables), suit
salesman, financial planner, do you have a second language? translator, speech
pathologist, therapist, tutoring, telemarketing, jewelry salesman, counselor,
car salesman, bilingual tour guides are always in demand if you live in a
touristy area, remote IT support

Some of these require extended training and education, but education options
may open up if you hit the wall (pre-social security and post-disability)...
that's not a time to get depressed and hide. that's a time you'll be on welfare
.... when you're on welfare, go apply to a community college, you'll attend for
free (or damned close to it) and get your education DONE so you can reenter the
workforce.

(Another Yossarian/41070) Aightball> What about voice acting? I took a class(one night d...

Another Yossarian@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 21:16:00 -0600

Aightball>  What about voice acting?  I took a class(one night deal) at a local
community college that was little more than an advertisement for a group called
Voices For All.  It sounds like a lot of selling yourself, but for less than
the cost of another degree, you can make a demo tape and start looking for
gigs.

(Gespalder/41069) Molly DiBianca, member of the Employers Counsel Network and an ...

Gespalder@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:37:00 -0600

Molly DiBianca, member of  the Employers Counsel Network and an attorney


Casual Online Reference Checking

Another mistake that DiBianca sees is casual background checks on social media.
If you are going to do them, consider the following to reduce liability, she
says:

1.  Decide beforehand what you will be looking for (e.g., illegal activity),
make a list, and clear the list with your attorney. Keep the list to five
items.
2.  Limit your search to final candidates.
3.  Make sure the searcher and decision maker are different people (as James
said, the best defense is that the hiring manager didn't know about whatever
impermissible information was uncovered).
4.  Document your search, what you searched for, and where you searched.
5. Let the candidate know that you are doing the search.
6. Share the results with the candidate if you are making a negative
determination based on it, and especially if you have reason to doubt the
validity of the information.
7 .Control hiring managers. One casual survey found that only 10 percent of HR
departments were doing social media background checks but 100% of hiring
managers were doing them!

(-- anonymous -- <>/41068) On the new career path front, I could use some advice as well.

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:50:32 -0600

On the new career path front, I could use some advice as well.

About 2 years ago, I was diagnosed with a SLAP tear and a torn rotator cuff in
my dominant shoulder. Following the first surgery to repair the tears, I "hit a
wall" in my recovery where I was unable to lift my arm above shoulder height,
as well as significant pain and weakness. During this time, I was working from
home (IT management) on an as-available basis with the permission of my
manager, and returned to work on a mostly full-time basis after roughly 10
weeks.

After a year of making no progress and switching doctors, I underweant a second
surgery where it was discovered that there was an issue with the first
procedure, and it was corrected. However, I have yet to regain full function,
and am experiencing as much pain and weakness as before. In fact, I'm more
limited in my comfort level than I was following the first surgery, to the
point where I can't sit comfortably at a desk or computer keyboard for more
than 30 minutes. I'm also unable to drive any significant distance, reach, or
lift anything greater than 7 lbs with my dominant arm.

Due to a management change, my new manager revoked the arrangement I had with
the previous manager, and submitted a claim to put me out on disability.

Since a year has elapsed since the second surgery and disability claim, and
I've been unable to resume my duties, my employer has admistratively terminated
me. My doctor, meanwhile, is unsure of what the potential recovery time might
be, since many tests are now coming back normal, so the next option is an
exploratory surgery

My long-term disability runs out in about 10 months, and I'm filing for SS
benefits, but given the uncertainty of that, and the fact that I hate not
working, I'd like to at least be prepared with some possible options.

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions on what types of jobs I might be able
to do given my current physical limitations? While I know I'm not going to find
anything that will replace my 6-figure salary from my IT work, I'm trying to
figure out what I can do that will help me sustain my house and family, so any
input is welcome.

  -- Bum Shoulder

(Cyanide/41067) read this:

Cyanide@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:32:00 -0600

read this:
Fired: How to Handle a Termination or Being Fired
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/salary/a/fired.htm

(Aightball/41066) Sounds like I'm better off to keep thinking, then. I did apply f...

Aightball@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:28:00 -0600

Sounds like I'm better off to keep thinking, then. I did apply for a job
tonight that's pretty much my old job, different hospital. Just have to think
how to explain things without making my boss look as bad as she is. I put "laid
off, not subject to recall" as my reason for leaving...maybe I can just keep
that going.

(KAM/41065) Yep, what everybody else is saying. Everybody that I've ever met...

KAM@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:24:00 -0600


Yep, what everybody else is saying. Everybody that I've ever met that was in
radio had nothing positive to say about the pay. They were all out of
broadcasting by the time I talked to them as well.

(Cyanide/41064) aightball> yeah radio pays barely minimum wage unless you get a ...

Cyanide@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:21:00 -0600

aightball> yeah radio pays barely minimum wage unless you get a syndicated
show like on a morning talk show.

(Mean Mr Mustard/41063) CLothing Op> Spread a memo announcing the brass visit. Remind e...

Mean Mr Mustard@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:34:00 -0600

CLothing Op> Spread a memo announcing the brass visit.  Remind everyone about
the rules.  Mention a bunch of things, including plunging necklines, and make
sure your office lovely gets the message--in person, if necessary.

(Aightball/41062) Ahh...another problem, then. The "thank god you hired me" job pa...

Aightball@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:16:00 -0600

Ahh...another problem, then. The "thank god you hired me" job pays about
$8/hour. It ws better than being unemployed so I said yes and took it. Was
hoping going back to school would result in a better career that might actually
get me somewhere.

(Rick Jenkins/41061) Really, IF you got hired in radio/TV at entry level I really dou...

Rick Jenkins@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:57:00 -0600


Really, IF you got hired in radio/TV at entry level I really doubt you'd be
making any more than you are at the "thank God you hired me" job.

(Aightball/41060) Cyanide> That's kind of what it sounds like. I just don't know h...

Aightball@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:50:00 -0600

Cyanide> That's kind of what it sounds like. I just don't know how else to do
what I love and make a career of it. The "oh thank god you hired me" job is
good and I do enjoy it, but I'm not making enough to really live on. I don't
want to do nursing, because my amth skills are so poor I'm afraid I'd make a
fatal mistake. *sigh* I guess it's back to the drawing board for school.

(Cyanide/41059) AightBall> save your money. You aren't going anywhere in TV, and...

Cyanide@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:41:00 -0600

AightBall> save your money. You aren't going anywhere in TV, and Radio is about
80% clearchannel. Most stations use tape machines now for their non-prime time
slots.. Seriously IF you can get a job, it will be through someone you know,
plus experience, but I wouldnt count on finding one.

(KAM/41058) ClothingOptional> Perhaps you should suggest that the boss (assu...

KAM@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:37:00 -0600


ClothingOptional> Perhaps you should suggest that the boss (assuming you're not
the boss) pull her aside and give her a heads-up for THIS WEEK, but let her
know that after they go she can go back to business as usual.

(Aightball/41057) Well, my looks won't get me anywhere (no, really), so it'll have...

Aightball@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:59:00 -0600

Well, my looks won't get me anywhere (no, really), so it'll have be on talent
alone. I'm mostly looking to combine what I love: writing and music. This is
all I've wanted to do with my life for years, but nothing has ever presented
itself as a viable employment option. Therefore, I did healthcare for years,
now I'm working that "oh thank god you hired me!" job. So, going back to school
seems like the best option for me. Maybe I'll have a gander around some website
in this area and see what I can find. There's not a band for miles, it seems,
that needs a writer (publicist, etc.), so I'm screwed there. Trying to find a
way to follow my dreams and it's getting ahrder and harder.

(Rick Jenkins/41056) Broadcasting job> I have a degree in that and 15-ish years ago w...

Rick Jenkins@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:45:00 -0600


Broadcasting job> I have a degree in that and 15-ish years ago when I was
looking for a job it was tough. You really need to either "know someone" or
have hands-on experience, usually both.

I'd recommend volunteering at a local TV/radio station doing whatever they want
you to do. Or applying for a non-on air position and then transitioning
laterally later. If you're physically attractive it will help, no joke. If they
like you it's a good step to them finding a way to keep you on and actually pay
you. Will probably be midnight to 5am on weekends or something like that and
the pay is for shit at first assuming that you do actually get hired.

And I haven't been in the industry since internet video and radio exploded so I
would assume it's even tougher now if you're looking at traditional TV/radio
jobs.

(Smoke Eater/41055) ClothingOptional>

Smoke Eater@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:29:00 -0600

ClothingOptional>
   Have you considered giving her vacation that week?

(Aightball/41054) Does anyone know the job prospects if one chooses to go into bro...

Aightball@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:19:00 -0600

Does anyone know the job prospects if one chooses to go into broadcasting? I'm
considering this for a career but don't want to spend the money on school if
there's no good job prospects. Been there, done that, and I'm tired of doing
that. *mutters about expensive BA degree collecting dust in bedroom*

(-- anonymous -- <>/41053) Please call me ClothingOptional

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 10:30:33 -0600

Please call me ClothingOptional

I am having a problem with dress code in our office...sort of.

We have a fairly strict / conservative dress code for our business...passes all
the typical HR-snifftests etc. from our headquarters.  Recently we hired a very
shapely receptionist who "likes to show it off".

The latest outfit she wore was a VERY plunging neckline santa-esque outfit on
Friday before the holiday.  This is not atypical.

NO ONE has made any inappropriate comments, not even a hint of "talk" behind
her back that I've observed...BUT...the general mood in the office is EXTREMELY
positive when she wears such outfits.  Even the women seem in some weird way to
be happier *(perhaps because the guys are happier).  In any case, its as if the
sun is shining and birds are singing every time she shows off her body in our
office.

Productivity has been through the roof among all the staff since she started. 
The mood / morale in the office is great...and I've even found myself looking
forward to coming to work, mostly because everyone is happy, but also because
of what I may see when I'm here.

Problem is...top brass from the corporate office are headed into our office
next week.  What do I do?!

(WORF/41052) We use cell phone cameras as white board backups.

WORF@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:44:00 -0600


We use cell phone cameras as white board backups.

1) Have meeting.
2) Take photo.
3) Wipe board.
4) Email to team.

(DesCartes/41051) A work-related video doesn't have to be at work. You can show sk...

DesCartes@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:07:00 -0600

A work-related video doesn't have to be at work. You can show skills or
projects you do that relate to your work, even if you're not at work.

(Gespalder/41050) Possibly true

Gespalder@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:21:00 -0600

Possibly true
It is in my companies rules (revealed when HR updated them just recently)

(KAM/41049) You never know unless you ask, though.

KAM@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:18:00 -0600


You never know unless you ask, though.

(Gespalder/41048) http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Careers/10-Ways-to-Maximize-Your-...

Gespalder@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:07:00 -0600

http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Careers/10-Ways-to-Maximize-Your-Impact-on-Linke
dIn-492980/?kc=BLBLBEMNL10122011STR1

10 Ways to Maximize Your Impact on LinkedIn


Interesting.
However, some companies forbid making videos or taking photos at work so no
hope of making a work-related multimedia presentation.

(WORF/41046) Get that shit documented in an email. ;)

WORF@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 07:25:00 -0600


Get that shit documented in an email.  ;)