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Ok,
So here is how things rolled out for me the last 4 months:
Was in Texas, had a great job working for the “Evil Empire®” when family matters made it imperative that I return to Wisco.
Problem number one: I make too much money.
Problem number two: I’m fifty years old.
I start trolling, looking for opportunities when this random guy chats me up on the phone.
Says I’m golden. Wants to shop me at a large nationally known company in a contract position.
Now, I have never worked contract in 25+ years of doing what I do. But, I’m jammed up, I bite.
“What’s in it for me?”, I axed.
“Great opportunity!”, he says. “Lots of money, we got bennies, pay your moving expenses. They’ll hire you direct, after a while.”
"You just have to stay with us for 6 months."
“Ok, sign me up.”
Pack my $hit, haul me ass back up Nort.
Show up to start what I believe to be an 18 month gig. Plenty of time to sort things out, find something more stable.
9 short weeks later, I am informed that due to “reallocation of resources” me and 3 other hoors are, uh, redundant.
Sucks to be me, I suppose.
Go to pack my pencils, when the contract coordinator tells me they want to talk to me at the plant down the road. Got nothing else going on, so I go see what they have to say.
“Can you do all this stuff on your resume?”, they want to know.
“Well, yeah. That’s why I wrote it down, you see”. Or words to that effect.
“OK, see you Monday. We need you for a year to help our guy out while he does important stuff with two million of the company's hard earned dollars." Cool. “I’ll be there.”
" After that, we'll probably kick you to the curb.” , was the unspoken understanding.
New people, new desk, new IT devils, off to the races.
10 days later, the guy I am helping to unload drops his 2 week notice.
“You need to get up to speed on this project.”
“Sure, I’ll do it. Uh, what are we doing?”
Meanwhile, my contracting company goes “Tango Uniform”. Can’t make payroll.
Good news is: I still get paid and the 6 month obligation is null and void. Bad news is, I got no insurance, or vacation anymore. I’m a free agent, I guess.
And so it goes. How the hell do people live this way?
Presently, I have an excellent chance of sliding into this position and getting a direct hire by the end of the month.
I’d rather be good than lucky, but I’ll take it where I find it.
Wish me luck!
So here is how things rolled out for me the last 4 months:
Was in Texas, had a great job working for the “Evil Empire®” when family matters made it imperative that I return to Wisco.
Problem number one: I make too much money.
Problem number two: I’m fifty years old.
I start trolling, looking for opportunities when this random guy chats me up on the phone.
Says I’m golden. Wants to shop me at a large nationally known company in a contract position.
Now, I have never worked contract in 25+ years of doing what I do. But, I’m jammed up, I bite.
“What’s in it for me?”, I axed.
“Great opportunity!”, he says. “Lots of money, we got bennies, pay your moving expenses. They’ll hire you direct, after a while.”
"You just have to stay with us for 6 months."
“Ok, sign me up.”
Pack my $hit, haul me ass back up Nort.
Show up to start what I believe to be an 18 month gig. Plenty of time to sort things out, find something more stable.
9 short weeks later, I am informed that due to “reallocation of resources” me and 3 other hoors are, uh, redundant.
Sucks to be me, I suppose.
Go to pack my pencils, when the contract coordinator tells me they want to talk to me at the plant down the road. Got nothing else going on, so I go see what they have to say.
“Can you do all this stuff on your resume?”, they want to know.
“Well, yeah. That’s why I wrote it down, you see”. Or words to that effect.
“OK, see you Monday. We need you for a year to help our guy out while he does important stuff with two million of the company's hard earned dollars." Cool. “I’ll be there.”
" After that, we'll probably kick you to the curb.” , was the unspoken understanding.
New people, new desk, new IT devils, off to the races.
10 days later, the guy I am helping to unload drops his 2 week notice.
“You need to get up to speed on this project.”
“Sure, I’ll do it. Uh, what are we doing?”
Meanwhile, my contracting company goes “Tango Uniform”. Can’t make payroll.
Good news is: I still get paid and the 6 month obligation is null and void. Bad news is, I got no insurance, or vacation anymore. I’m a free agent, I guess.
And so it goes. How the hell do people live this way?
Presently, I have an excellent chance of sliding into this position and getting a direct hire by the end of the month.
I’d rather be good than lucky, but I’ll take it where I find it.
Wish me luck!
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