The New Job
Well, it’s worse. I thought that Expeditor’s was tough and it was. The new job has better tools and setting, but is still a much worse environment. On top of all that, I feel that this job has no respect for me personally. I do not enjoy this job.
Expeditor’s is a culture shock for software people in Seattle. There’s a very strict dress code which is strictly enforced. The policies about appearance and behavior are strictly enforced. For example, you aren’t allowed to have a whiteboard in your workspace. There are published policies about how to communicate (written and spoken communications) and those policies are strictly enforced. Expeditor’s has an acclimation period that cannot be ignored.
The new job doesn’t really have those kinds of rules. We have dual monitors and whiteboards. There are no real rules about Dilbert comics or plants or other items you might like in your workspace to make your desk feel comfortable. However, you need a security clearance to be able to touch any of the information that pertains to your job. That takes time. We sit in solo cubes (with our dual monitors and whiteboards) and everyone wears headsets. Why? I don’t know there isn’t any conversation! I tried to schedule a meeting to chat about the small amount of code I was allowed to look at and I got 3 (3!) people to come by and ask why I would want to talk about what I had seen. I can’t believe they are paying me by the hour. It’s very frustrating.
On top of all this fabulosity, on my very first day, there was absolutely no one ready for me. I sat in an outer office for 30 minutes waiting to speak to anyone. There weren’t even any receptionists available. I didn’t pick the start time, they did! More insulting, no one even considered going to lunch with me on day one. I asked the bloated sack of protoplasm in the cube next to me what the lunch policy was and he said, “I brought my lunch.” We’re on the same project! When the project manager finally went to lunch with me on Tuesday, he was very clear that we would have separate checks. Not even 1 lousy lunch. Worse than all this, I have been on the job for 3 days now and not one person that I have met has said, “Welcome aboard.”
So I ask myself as I continue to interview, “what is it that will keep me on this task?” The work isn’t interesting. The people are at best jerky. And there’s something about being a government contractor. I don’t know if I can explain it. The people are arrogant without any skill or intellect to back it up. You’d think I’d fit right in. I guess I only like it when I’m the underskilled blowhard.
Expeditor’s is a culture shock for software people in Seattle. There’s a very strict dress code which is strictly enforced. The policies about appearance and behavior are strictly enforced. For example, you aren’t allowed to have a whiteboard in your workspace. There are published policies about how to communicate (written and spoken communications) and those policies are strictly enforced. Expeditor’s has an acclimation period that cannot be ignored.
The new job doesn’t really have those kinds of rules. We have dual monitors and whiteboards. There are no real rules about Dilbert comics or plants or other items you might like in your workspace to make your desk feel comfortable. However, you need a security clearance to be able to touch any of the information that pertains to your job. That takes time. We sit in solo cubes (with our dual monitors and whiteboards) and everyone wears headsets. Why? I don’t know there isn’t any conversation! I tried to schedule a meeting to chat about the small amount of code I was allowed to look at and I got 3 (3!) people to come by and ask why I would want to talk about what I had seen. I can’t believe they are paying me by the hour. It’s very frustrating.
On top of all this fabulosity, on my very first day, there was absolutely no one ready for me. I sat in an outer office for 30 minutes waiting to speak to anyone. There weren’t even any receptionists available. I didn’t pick the start time, they did! More insulting, no one even considered going to lunch with me on day one. I asked the bloated sack of protoplasm in the cube next to me what the lunch policy was and he said, “I brought my lunch.” We’re on the same project! When the project manager finally went to lunch with me on Tuesday, he was very clear that we would have separate checks. Not even 1 lousy lunch. Worse than all this, I have been on the job for 3 days now and not one person that I have met has said, “Welcome aboard.”
So I ask myself as I continue to interview, “what is it that will keep me on this task?” The work isn’t interesting. The people are at best jerky. And there’s something about being a government contractor. I don’t know if I can explain it. The people are arrogant without any skill or intellect to back it up. You’d think I’d fit right in. I guess I only like it when I’m the underskilled blowhard.
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