EPTI suppose I'll start with some context and then delve right in to the main drama. Oh yes, that's right, drama at work.
In the building I work in there is about 12 of us distributed throughout the 5 sections, including the plant manager. Upon getting hired, I discussed moving around between the sections to learn as much as I can, as well as extending my co-op term from 4 months to 8 months. Just over a month ago my manager approached me confirming I can stay for the extra 4 months (huzzah!). So far so good, right?
The section I started in, and am currently in is LPS (name and functions of section are unimportant). Working in there is me and my boss. My boss is just the head of my section as well as one of the primary first aid attendants for the company. My manager is still his manager as well, so he's almost like an assistant manager.
Before I started in January, there was another new recruit that started one month before me. This guy was the only guy even close to my age in our branch of the company and we became pretty good friends. Unfortunately, he was "let go" before his preliminary trial thing was up, which sucked hard. Apparently he wasn't technically skilled enough or something since he has no post-secondary education. Sounds simple enough, but they fully knew that when they hired him. I think he was a great worker, so I don't think he got fired for not showing up or something silly like that.
This left me with me and my boss, which was somewhat awkward, mainly because he is like 50, has no sense of humour, and it's just me and him together 40 hours a week (for the most part). What makes it worse is that I fear he is a little off his rocker or something, because he has some pretty drastic mood swings. One day he is ^_^ and the next minute he is :< when something goes wrong, whether I'm even partially responsible or not. He can become extremely arrogant and ask stupid rhetorical questions if I even go near him. Me: Hey Rob, do you know if we have any CP416 lasers on order at the moment? I think we are out. Him: Well what do you think... Me: I dunno, I was just asking. I can check the inventory on the network if you don't. Him: Yeah well go do that then. Me: (wtf). He can be very immature, and is easily the worst teacher I've ever come across. I literally have to go find someone else to teach me exactly what he just tried to teach me because he doesn't explain anything even if I ask three times over. Sometimes he is fine and can take a joke, and next thing I know he acts like he hates me. I don't get that from anyone else in the plant.
About three or so weeks ago, we had caught up pretty nicely in our section, so I got sent over to another section to help out for a couple days. While over there, I was learning some new things when my boss comes over and the conversation goes like this:
Boss: What are you doing?
Me: Tim is just showing my how to do resistor calibration then I'm going to make new lasers and finish these NRAs.
Boss (to Tim): He's going to calibration?
Tim: Uhh... that's the plan.
Boss: He can't.
Me: Awww but that's all the fun stuff
Boss: You're not allowed to.
Tim: Why not?
Boss: Because he's a co-op student.
Tim: Yeah?
Boss: So he's not allowed. The union says he can't do technician-only jobs.
(leaves)
Tim: I'll talk to the manager and ask her what's happening Skylar.
Me: Thanks.
Tim talks to the manager and she says I'm allowed to do whatever and learn whatever since that is the point of being a co-op student.
I continue working and the next day my boss comes by me again. Conversation goes like this:
Boss: Hey, are you going to be done any time soon over there?
Me: I just finished making new lasers, so I'm only like halfway done. I'll be calibrating resistors soon, should I head back to LPS after that?
Boss: You're what? I thought I said you can't do technician-only work. The union won't allow it.
Me: Tim talked to Adrienne and she said I can do whatever and learn whatever since I'm a co-op student. She said I was hired as a technician.
Boss: Well I'll have to talk to her about it.
(leaves)
I go and talk to one of the guys that is a head technician that also interviewed me back in November and ask him if he knows what the deal is and how it works for co-op students. I tell him the two previous conversations and he seems pretty pissed off that my boss isn't letting me do some jobs. This guy and my boss have been working together for 20 years and he was siding with me, which made me pretty happy. He heads to the managers office, which is empty, so he heads over to my boss and the following conversation happens:
Jayson (head technician): What the fuck is your problem Rob?
Rob: What?
Jayson: Stop giving Skylar a hard time. He's a technician and he can do whatever the fuck he wants. Get your shit straight and leave him alone.
Rob: The union says he can't do technician-only jobs.
Jayson: Bull-fucking-shit. Go ask Adrienne. He was hired as a fucking technician so he can do them.
Rob: *Makes pants shitting sound* :O
(Jayson leaves)
Me: Uhh....
Rob: ... I'll talk to Adrienne about it.
awkward day at work ensues
After a couple hours the plant manager comes out and grabs my boss and pulls him in to her office, bitching at him for being an ass to me. She then comes out to me and says "Don't worry about what Rob said. You are going to learn EVERYTHING, and then we'll even transfer you over to another section to learn more". Sweet lol
Two weeks go by and my boss is still reluctant to let me learn some stuff. I don't know what his problem is with me. I ask about it and he said "Oh I thought Adrienne only said you could learn that.", which is obvious bullshit. I don't want to stir up anything so I just get someone else to teach me it.
Today my manager came up to me and said I'm moving to the computers department on Monday, which is totally kickass. I've learned pretty well everything there is in LPS anyway, regardless of whether or not my boss let me do it, so I'm happy. I would be transferring over to computers first thing tomorrow if the head guy in computers wasn't away on vacation until Monday, but that's okay. I'll be building and repairing servers for our business clients and managing backups, managing software on the servers, and connecting all the other network equipment that goes in to the machines for mills that we make, etc, which I'm really excited for.
So that's the summary of the past three months at work. Glad things are working themselves out finally.
Other things that I thought I'd include:
Smoking habit from last blog: Didn't smoke for three weeks after that blog then proceeded to leave my coat with my smokes in them in Kamloops and continued to not smoke for two more months. Got my coat back last week and totally forgot about them altogether. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have one, but it's not a daily habit, more of a reward/celebration thing since they are pretty well mini cigars.
Family: Spent lots of time visiting family the past couple months and I miss them every day.
Apparently my youngest brother had another horrible outbreak that I won't go in to detail on, but my mom took him to the psychiatric ward on Saturday. @_@
New computer: It's a beast and I got my new mobo RMA at the end of last week so it's all together and running beautifully now. If I wasn't so short on time recently I'd like to get around to streaming some more since I haven't been lately.
This September: This fall I go back to school to finish my last 8 courses to get my diploma. I will be renting out the trailer my dad owns with my older brother and another roommate. My dad knows I am going to be broke since I'll be back in school again so me and my brother just have to come up with $600 together a month for rent. He says we can charge any roommates we have whatever we want and he doesn't care. So I think me and my brother are going to do $150 each and charge our other roommate $300. The trailer is actually quite big, and we are in the second half of doing renovations on it, so it is looking spiffy. We also have a damn good internet plan there, so I'll have 2.5Mbps upload to use for streaming come then
.I think that's about it, give yourself a pat on the back if you actually read it all haha.
+ Show Spoiler [NHL playoffs] +
Fuck yeah Vancouver, I was biting my nails watching that OT. Did you know Shea Webber is actually Canadian and from a small town called Sicamous that is a 5-10 minute drive from me? + Show Spoiler +
The Predator who got the penalty near the end that gave the Canucks the powerplay to score that winning goal.
. Work golf tourny is this weekend and I've got a couple other things coming up, but I think there's a holiday this month so I'll have a long weekend off to come visit hopefully.
