Something of a rant

[Mr Mister1]

Okay this is mostly a vent to get some things off my chest. Apologies if this doesn't make a lot of sense, I'm trying to race through the explanations, while also being rather tired, but I'll do my best.

 

Well I've been working in this area for the past 4 weeks, it's basically involved me checking data received from another organisation and then uploading it to a bigger database (that's a very simplified description).

 

Anyhow I was thrown into it on my first day with very tight deadlines and at best minimal directions about what to do and at worse no direction being told you "look at the documentation." So I've pretty much had to teach myself what to do then do it really quickly as there was a lot to do and small time frame. In a lot of parts I've had to wing it and still end up working 10 hour days just to get the work done.

 

So we get to the final stage where the section is about to publish the information we collect. For one set of date there is found that there was one error, not with the information itself just one processing stage that didn't quite work. So I then have this female who is collating all the information giving me a huge interrogation about whether I did everything else right, turns out I did.

Then comes another set of data which I was initially told not to check at all and just to send on to other people to use. Turns out there were issues there as well, the people who supplied the information didn't do it properly and the guidlines to not check it mean that it wasn't checked until the final stage, holding things back somewhat.

 

So again I get some grief, despite the fact that really I did everything right.

 

I think this was something of a final straw in what has been a very stressful week. In addition to work I also had two job interviews and am studying part time with an exam next week. I've been trying to get the work I had to do done as best and as quickly as I can despite the limited guidance and non existant supervison but despite getting it mostly done on time, a few errors and all hell breaks loose.

 

You know you're in trouble when you feel the great urge to suggest someone become self-inpregnated, which is what I really wanted to say. It's interesting because this is a person whom a few weeks ago I let slip a comment that was a bit too honest about her, and promtly apologied. Seems that shes not bothered about being unfairly nasty to people though.

 

Anyhow I guess the summary is that I really dislike where I am right now, to the point where I wake up in the morning and really don't want to get up.

What makes things more frustrating is that I applied for another job ages ago, and the outcome should have been determined 4 weeks ago (pretty much when I started here after my higher duties in a different area finished) so I've been waiting for that which will determine whether I stay where I am or go. The fact that that keeps dragging on has really been getting to me.

 

Well I don't know if I've made any sense here but that's how my last few weeks have been.

[Jane0815]

Hey a question from left field. Has this happened in other job situations - where you do everything right, but still get into trouble?

[Mr Mister1]

Actually when I was on higher duties in the last area I was initially told as part of the offer that if I did well enough that they'd make me permanent. Along the way I kept getting positive feedback and told that I was doing well enough for that to happen.

 

Then at the end the Director decided to go against that agreement and fill the position with someone else.

 

I do wonder if there really are that many nasty people out there or if I'm just missing something massive here.

[HealingHandsWarmHeart]

mister...if you don't mind me asking what it is that you do?

[Mr Mister1]

I work for a Government department.

[HealingHandsWarmHeart]

well that explains it...LOL just kidding.

 

I used to have the same problem at some of my first jobs- i often found that things didn't get done right because a) the powers that be did not supply the correct information and b) i wasn't experienced enough to know what questions to ask to get the job done.

 

What always helped me was to take the lead of my coworkers...I paid attention to the questions they asked and how they asked them to get a better feel for how they wanted things done.

 

Also, i was very honest, if i didn't understand their instructions i would ask for clarification prior to beginning a project.

[Mr Mister1]

Yeah, only I was doing something different to what everyone else was doing, and most people didn't even know anything about what I was doing. Which is always a fun position to be in.

Either way I'm sure I could possibly learn something from this. Umm be even more throughout perhaps, even if it means working 11 hour days as oppose to 10. Check though things even though they say not to bother maybe.

 

I'm also starting to question if I can complete the Masters Degree I set out to do or not. I am studying part time, which is 1 subject a semester. While working full time. Which has made things even more busy and stressful, but I pretty much get the sense that no one at work really cares. Infact I get the sense that I'm not really seen as part of the team, perhaps because they don't expect me to stay round for very long.

 

It's an interesting place though, a few days ago I overheard another person having a massive face off with t he Director because the Director was just yelling at her when something wasn't working. So it hasn't exactly been one big happy family.

[HealingHandsWarmHeart]

Ouch those kinds of environments are never fun.

 

However, my experience has been that most companies don't care what you do in "your time"... so no they won't care that you are going for your masters as well as working full time.

 

I say continue going for your masters...do the very best you can with your limited resources at your current job.

 

Also, if other people are having issues with management i would suspect that's just "their way" and most likely won't change.

 

Good luck to you- you sound like you are on the right path.... but DEFINITELY continue going for your masters... you will regret it if you don't follow through!

 

I feel that you are young enough that the skies the limit- go for it..

[now_better]

i've worked at a place where i absolutely hated it. i would wake up in the morning and think about not going in all morning long. i would think about how much i hated that place when i wasn't there. i would think about it while on vacation... it consumed my life. so i did what i had to do: i quit. sometimes you never know what a place is going to be like until you start working there and once you get a feel, you realize this is not where you belong. going from a university setting to a commercial industry, it is absolutely suprising the number of cruel and idiotic people you will meet in the workplace. it makes you wonder "why did i have such a hard time getting a job when there are people like THIS here working?"

 

anyways, i quit and i absolutely DO NOT REGRET leaving that company. i work someplace much more easygoing with good people and though i could be more enthusiastic about work, i'm happy where i am. so if you can afford quitting and don't mind the "suspense" of looking for a new job, i'd totally leave.

[Mr Mister1]

thanks HHWH & Now Better,

it's a bit sad that they don't care about my study given it's directly related to what the department does and thereforeeee in the departments best interest that I undertake it.

Anyhow when I said I wasn't sure if I'd complete it or not, what I meant is I might settle for a graduate certificate as it's less work. The problem is it's not what I was aiming for and it doesn't quite have the ego factor that a Masters would. I'm currently enrolled in a graduate certificate and need to get the equivalent of about a B to be able to transfer to Masters.

 

Quitting isn't really an option as I still have a mortgage to pay off. I'm waiting on the results of a bulk promotion round which if I am successful in will be moved to another area. The trouble is they keep dragging that out, infact if they had finalised it by their initial deadline and I was successful I wouldn't have even started in this job. I guess the fact that I've been waiting on the result from that, which keeps getting put off, hasn't helped matters in the stress department.

 

In addition to that I applied for two other jobs since then and have had interviews for both of them. So I'm also waiting to see how they go.

 

So yeah I've done pretty much all I can to leave for the moment and am just waiting on other things.

 

Hmm and applying for two jobs, waiting for the result of another, doing post grad studies part time and working long hours to meet tight deadlines is always a good way to keep yourself busy.

[Mr Mister1]

Well the good news is I found out yesterday that I got up in the promotion round! So I wont be staying where I am for much longer and hopefully will be able to leave this and the rubbish that happened in my higher duties behind me as I effectivly stayed at the higher level with just a month at the lower level.

 

Let's see how it goes from here!