It's hard to turn down a job right now, but...

Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
#1

I’ve always wanted to move out of East Texas and since I’m between jobs like many other people, I decided this would be a good time. I decided to shoot for DFW and have put in dozens of resumes. I hardly heard back from any of them until Wednesday which seemed like a lucky day.

I interviewed for one job but was told today I didn’t get it. I think the guy got the impression I only wanted to do one specific thing all day, which wasn’t true. Oh well. Another really liked my resume but didn’t have any positions currently. He said things seem to be picking up so I may be hearing from him soon. Here’s hoping…

The one that really bothers me, they really seemed to like me and it seemed like a good deal… until they said they often work up to 14 hours a day, 7 days a week. They don’t work all day on Saturdays and Sundays but it’s still a lot of hours. Now I’m not trying to be picky and I don’t mind some overtime but damn. As much as I want to get my foot in the door there, I know I’d really be hating life after a week of that. So when they called today, I told them I had found another job.

I just needed to vent about it. It’s back to the drawing board for now. I hope not too many people complain that I should be less picky. I think I’d rather live in my car than work almost every waking hour though.

#2

Do you mind talking to us about the kind of work you turned down?

I’m not saying that 14 hours a day 7 days a week isn’t a lot of hours, it surely is, but if it’s not physically taxing it might have been worth your while to at least go through the trial period.

I am assuming there is one - where for a period of time, if it isn’t working out for either the employer or employee, they shake hands and say so long with no hurt feelings?

Q

#3

Well the company has a lot of cutting tables like I ran at my last job, but they don’t have a position at the moment, so for a while I’d have to work in shipping and receiving. It’s not like digging ditches or roofing, but it’s pretty physical. I don’t want to end up in Dallas with no job and unable to draw unemployment so I figured I should just keep looking for now.

#4

I have some friends in Longview. What kind of work do you do? I’m not familiar with cutting tables.

#5

Moot point, I know, but when I was laid off from Lockheed Marietta (C5B program ended), I went to work for what was then Piedmont Airlines’ parts department (called AVSCO back then), and worked in shipping and receiving.

Those of you who work in the industry will know that Piedmont was bought out by USAir, and when that happened I was able (due to being bilingual) to work my way into their customer service department.

But I enjoyed those days in shipping and receiving, learning about airplane parts (did you know that tampons are used as fuel filters?) and the warehouse cameraderie.

We worked hard, but partied hard too. Loved going to Spondivits near the airport, especially.

snailboy, I’m not being judgemental, okay? Hell, I don’t even know your situation, so how could I be? I’m just saying a job is what you make it (and just being an old fart, in general!:))

All the best!

Quasi

#6

I worked on a project when I was in my early 20s that kept me there around 100 hours a week for 12 straight weeks, and I was pretty much wasted by the end of it. You’re looking at about the same (14 hours per day times 7 days is 98 hours/week).

Short term, assuming you’re getting paid overtime, it’s a great way to build up the bank account. Working that kind of hours, you don’t have time to spend any of the money, anyway. Long term, I can’t see it.

#7

[See this.](file:///home/kenshi/pics/work/P062309152017.jpg)

I didn’t really have a problem with what I’d be doing, just the hours.

I couldn’t do 100 hours a week for 12 weeks. I worked a temp job where I did 84 hours a week for 4 weeks and barely made it through that. That was when I was younger too. My understanding was that this would be on and off at this job. Now I’d probably be willing to do 6 12s short term. That’s about it.

#8

The hours are just one thing to take into consideration, snailboy.

Some of the others: are you married with a family or are you in a relationship? That would take serious time away from either one. Also, how hard up might you be financially?

I wasn’t married in my shipping and receiving/customer service days, so that made a huge diff.

Also, you mentioned (jokingly, I hope) that you’d rather live in your car than to work that much?

Just my opinion, but even given the above situations (married, family, girlfriend, finances), I would have had to take the job. Even if it didn’t work out eventually, you would have had those bucks.

Quasi

#9

You linked to a file on your hard drive.

#10

No family or relationship right now, just dogs. I’m not really hard up for money right now. If things get that way, I won’t be moving.

Maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. Why even live if all you do is work, eat, and sleep?

Yeah, but who knows how long it would be before I could get another job in this market? I’ve been looking for quite some time now with little luck. That money won’t last long. I just feel like I’m better off waiting for something that I’m more likely to stay at.

#11

Whoops. I opened it in my browser to figure out which pic I wanted to upload, but forgot the uploading part. Try this.

#12

Much better.
One of my plans is to make a CNC plasma cutter someday.

#13

I hope it’s okay, but I looked at your profile, and at 29 with just dogs to take care of (which just moved you up to “star” status in my book, btw:)), you still have a lot of time and options, so go for whatever it is you want to do. Or not do. :slight_smile:

I also looked at the picture in the link you posted, and although I know nothing at all about your kind of work, it looks intricate and very experience-specific.

Also wanted to add that sharing your doubt with us Dopers is a great way to sort things out and I’ll bet that very soon you’ll be letting us know you’ve found just the job you want!

Again, best wishes, my young friend!

Quasi

#14

And I’d be the first to donate some of my plasma to you, beowulff!

Hell, there were times in my college days when I had to sell my blood to get money to buy my Ramen noodles and Old Milwaukee beer!

Thanks,

Quasi

:slight_smile:

#15

:cool:

#16

Superstar! Yeah, I don’t have a whole lot of responsibility luckily.

It’s very specific and that’s a problem. Right now on Career Builder, I can only find one such job in the entire state of Texas. I’ve applied to a lot of jobs that have similar machines but most employers are picky and expect experience in that exact position. But the fact that I had three people interested in me Wednesday gave me more motivation so I’ll just have to keep on trying and hope I don’t run out of money with these trips to Dallas.

#17

Well I believe someone asked me to provide an update to this thread. If not, here it is anyway.

Within a couple of weeks of turning down the job I mentioned, I had three different companies interested in me. I went with the one that seemed like it would be the best in the long run doing machine work. I’m working about 50 to 60 hours a week which is a lot more reasonable. They gave me the two weeks I asked for to find a place to live, but I failed to find anything fitting, so I’ve been staying in a nice hotel with a weekly rate in Arlington for the past three or four weeks working in Dallas. (The hotel is only $180/wk believe it or not…)

As of today, I have a lease on a house in the Preston Oaks area of Dallas, one of the nicest parts of Dallas and only about 20 minutes from work. I have a pretty good debt from moving expenses but I think I can pay that off in a few months. Tomorrow I’ll be moving most of my stuff into it and I’ll probably leave this hotel Sunday.

Every time I think about where I am now, it’s like I’m living out one of my lifelong dreams. No matter how much I end up loving or hating it (and so far it’s mostly love), at least I’ll know where I belong. Now I just need to meet more people around here.

#18

I’ve worked in the video game industry for 12 years now. At certain points, during a project, the hours you turned we are lucky to get :\ During one of my worst projects I went 2 months without seeing my son because I worked 100ish hour work weeks. I don’t think we had a day off for 4 months.

Don’t take this as me saying “You’re a wimp! I worked way more than you!”. Just say’n… we do what we gotta do.