Thanks!

Post Reply New Topic

After my earlier thread on passing my probation, I have been thinking about which conditions had improved over the last year that allowed me to pass. And I realized that my postings and your collective responses here on wrongplanet have been so important.

Last year, I had the dreaded meeting with my employer where I tried explaining that I thought I had some difficulties with learning and I wasn't sure what to do or how to talk about them, to be stared at and told "People don't talk about those sorts of things". So I tried to hide it, and well, it became all the more obvious that I was different.

Here, though, I feel like I have community. And I enjoy reading through your answers and your questions because I think, "These people here are like me!" And you all have been so welcoming and so thought provoking for me. you all have been important to helping me pass! I really appreciate that. I do sound cheesy and I know it, but I just HAD to say it. And I know it has been two weeks since I have passed, but in four years I have had about thirteen jobs and over fifty interviews, so I take nothing for granted!

You're welcome.

the OP has true grit.

I fear I'm on the other end of this conundrum. I've been in the professional world 18 months, and what I know already is that internship = exploitation. For posterity, AS individuals notoriously understate their abilities for fear of receiving too much to handle, or simply an instilled belief that their perpetual studiousness will come off as less-than-genuine. I know my study habits were viewed suspiciously from an early age.

I wish I was one of those crafty types.

In some cases this may be true... I just finished an internship and, upon doing so, I learned that one of my responsibilities there (that I was only supposed to be allocating 1-2 hours a week and felt bad about struggling with) was a full-time job at the agency I work at now! However, I definitely feel more confident in my abilities to do my job well now... It is exploitation, but if you think about it as a learning experience (just another classroom), then it may be better. That worked for me, at least!

[quote="cberg]
For posterity, AS individuals notoriously understate their abilities for fear of receiving too much to handle, or simply an instilled belief that their perpetual studiousness will come off as less-than-genuine. [/quote]

I always try to take on MORE than I can handle and end up floundering... I think it might be to prove I'm not deficient... Come to think of it, I think I'm doing it at my job now... I'll have to keep an eye on that!

Back to managertina's original comment: I'mm fairly new on here, but I feel really comfortable and happy in this community and have found some good support... I'm glad to hear you've had the same experience on the long-term!

I sure learned a lot as an intern (twice) but I really would've preferred being paid what my work was actually worth, even if that meant less relaxation. Agreeing to a 10% cut of project funds as a solo consulting developer was probably the dumbest thing I ever did. Many people assume we're obsessive enough to view compensation for our time as secondary to what we learn. Bastards...

I guess I could be called crafty, although I'm still collecting the engineering knowledge and equipment to consider myself as such. I work to stay current while I'm not employed, and more or less wait for the actual talent scouts (as opposed to shot-in-the-dark recruiters) to figure out what my resume actually means. I get a lot of requests, justified and otherwise, to put my computing work in plain English. Not like that's physically possible* or anything...

*conservation of information

I can understand what you folks are going through. Having been there myself, I make sure to treat the people who are on contract here kindly and as though they have some intelligence. I also, when I call and let people know that they have not gotten my job, actually tell them the traits in their personality and their questions that came off very well, and let them know that it is just a matter of experience (or whatever they were working on and should have had before getting the job). And I do select only based on experience, and I don't not tell the truth.

And, frankly, I cannot afford to give my staff the money that they are due, and that feeling really rubs me the wrong way.

I hope that this gives you folks some encouragement, but in one of my former interviews, I spent twenty hours preparing for a PowerPoint presentation, and planned an event in great detail. I spent hours rehearsing said interview, and spent two hours in the car driving there. Only to have the police call and both delay and interrupt (two phone calls) the interview process to discuss a vandalised/broken into building. Of course, it would have to be during my interview. Anyhow, that, and one failed question meant that I did about thirty hours of work for nothing. And no callback or email or anything.

Sometimes, I think we all deserve a pat on the back for struggling through this economy.

But I know that you guys would understand all this, and that is why I love coming here: both for advice and your understanding!

(forgive me for sounding a lot like a cheerful Pollyanna).

cheerful pollyannas are cool