Portrait of the Artist as a Young Geek

A friend helped me pick up a full time position at a circuit board manufacturer last Friday. It was officially temporary -- only for a few days -- but they're already keeping me through to the end of the week, which seems like a good sign that they might be keeping me even longer. Certainly it was enough to make Pam, who can't afford to match either the hours or the pay rate, panic that she'd lost me as an assistant for good. On the other hand, it's largely trained monkey work: right now I've been mostly just running one of the machines, feeding half-finished boards through, making sure nothing jams, and delivering the results to the next room for further processing. But it's a living...

Except now I got another offer from a college buddy down south who wants to bring me on as a QA guy. This is another temp position, but it'll last considerably longer (at least to the end of the year) and, like the circuit board job, looks like it could develop into something more permanent. Pays a little less, but is more the kind of work I've been interested in, and should they keep me around, I'll likely get a decent raise. And it'll look more impressive on a resume even if it doesn't work out. But it involves packing up and moving 350 miles south on relatively short notice (if only the bare essentials until I'm sure I'll still be there in January).

And either way, Pam is going to be cheezed. ^^;

I spent a good chunk of this week doing an odd job: a friend of my boss is going out of business and needed his stock photographed and inventoried. That took a couple days, but the pay was good. He sells wheelchairs and other accessories for the "mobility-impaired," including a few antiques that I doubt there's a market for (but he likes them, so who knows?)

Anyway, if you or anyone you know would like a used wheelchair (manual or motorized) or a motor scooter and lives within driving distance of San Jose, California, contact me and I'll pass the word along. All are operational. One of the chairs we've sold is going to be used as parts for a BattleBot, so don't be shy about your needs -- just drop me a line. ShireNomad at hotmail.

One of the things that annoyed me about this incident is that I had renewed my Elance account two days before the insults started flying. Granted, I'd only gotten one job out of the three-month subscription, but it had earned me $52, and I'd only paid $25 for the subscription. And now that I actually had a job under my belt, maybe I'd have better luck getting more clients.

Both arguments to continue my membership fell apart when Bozo the Client demanded his money back and gave me a D+ feedback in one motion. My one other experience with Elance hadn't been that great for the contractor either; it was the time my boss hired someone to do some advertising and then never was able to decide what he actually wanted from her. Between those two incidents, I suddenly had very little faith that this site was worth even $25.

Unfortunately, it was too late to retract my subscription fee, no matter how much I suddenly wanted to -- I was stuck for another three months.

...Or was I? See, the resubscription process is pretty automated. I just say okay and they charge my credit card again. The same credit card I used last time. Last time being three months ago. As in, before this.

Yup, Elance came to me and let me know my credit card wasn't any good anymore, and would I please give them a valid number? I said no, goodbye, and terminated my account on the spot.

In case I neglected to mention it earlier, I'm toying around with joining the JET program. (It's in Japan, it pays money. What other reasons do I need?) Went through the interview stage today... not sure how well I did, though. I generally don't interview well. And I can't just go in and say I want to be an JET ALT because Japan and money. Fortunately, I'd already thought that through to some degree when I cranked out my application essay a couple months ago, so I had a few more answers prepped on that subject. And I was able to come up with something off the cuff in response to "you enjoyed your time in Japan before, but what if it proves harder or more stressful this time?" On the other hand, I had a bit of trouble with "how are you qualified for teaching?" (why, WHY didn't I mention that I've done both amateur and professional proofreading?) and I don't think I impressed them with my uncertainty over which grade I wanted to teach ("wherever the class is taught in about 50% English, 50% Japanese" was my best stab).

But actually, the most stressful part was getting lost on the way there. One hour from San Jose to SF, 45 minutes driving the streets of the city with a bunch of maps and a confused expression. Whoever designed the city layout ("can't turn left here... or here... or here... you know what? screw the signs!" *completely illegal U-turn*) needs to be shot.

About a month ago Dad came to me and said he'd found me a job: with a friend of his who runs a concrete pouring business. I thought he was joking.

Due to my inability to find anything else, I started today. -_-

Timeline for August:

- Four weeks ago, recognizing my financial situation for what it was (and that my intended temporary income source was intent on welching out), I abandoned the pretense of searching for a long-term career and started applying to anything and everything with a Help Wanted sign out front. Never mind putting my degree to good use; all I needed to stay in the black was $8 an hour, 40 hours a week, and I'd take what they would give me.
- Somewhere around last Tuesday I realized that anyone I applied to as of this point wouldn't even respond before I was long gone. I notified my roommates that barring a miracle they were getting their living room back, then called home for moving preparations.
- By Sunday my parents had arranged for a UHaul and a hotel room and prepared to drive down (it's a day-long trip from their place to mine, so they'd be staying overnight). Had all gone according to plan, they would have been halfway here by now.
- Yesterday at 2pm I get a call from a local bookstore I had applied to. They want to meet me for an interview, Thursday at 3:30 (that is, about an hour ago). Yes, if they like what they see they can hire me on the spot. I tell them I'll be there for the interview, figuring I can always cancel later, and email home immediately for advice.
- About 6pm Mom calls and we start trading information. She and Dad agree this is worth pursuing. By 7pm we've cancelled their hotel reservations and the UHaul (the latter at a $50 penalty), since there's no way I can get a final answer, positive or negative, to them before they'd need to leave. By 8pm I've informed all my roommates that I will be around at least another week (the next time the folks can come down), hopefully much longer.
- An hour ago I show up at the bookstore, armed with resume, tie, and shaved face. I have by this point convinced myself that the miracle I had thought would never come was knocking on my door.
- Five minutes into the interview my manager-to-be brings up salary. She'd noted the high rates I had listed on my application for previous jobs (all of them $13 an hour and up; tech jobs may be in short supply but we can still charge well for them even at the intern stage) and figured she might as well mention up front that she couldn't match them. That was fine by me; I wasn't aiming to get rich, just stay alive and down here. Then she said what I could expect to receive.

$7 an hour. Tops.

I refer you back to the first bulleted point.

I was tempted to keep going with the interview anyway, but I had double-checked that number last night and I knew I couldn't go lower, not with a student loan and Irvine rent prices. I politely told her on the spot that I couldn't live on that, and when she revealed she couldn't budge on the figure either, I didn't have a choice. Sorry to waste your time, thanks for seeing me, good luck finding someone else.

I got as far as the car before my emotions went completely through the toilet. I don't think I realized how much hope I had put on this job before it was snatched away...

I got a call. Thought it was a telemarketer, from the way she asked for me. So I told her that no, Chris wasn't available (which was true, since I was about to head out to campus). She then asks me to pass on a message; I say sure. She says she's from the University Extension, and that she got Chris's job application and she'd like "him" to contact her. Now I'm paying attention. I spent the past month applying to every offer on or around campus, and this was the first one to so much as actually call back (well, one other was nice enough to call back and say they'd found someone else and I didn't have to sit around waiting). This is, in short, big.

Hindsight is 20/20. I should have admitted right then and there that I was Chris. But I was a little embarrassed now for beating around the bush with her, and I figured I was heading that direction anyway and I might as well see her in person. They'll need an interview and the like anyway. So I tell her "Chris" will likely be on campus today, handle a few last things, and start walking.

When I get there, a mere 30 minutes later, I discover someone else called in and accepted the position right over the phone.

Excuse me while I break stuff.

Anyone know what kind of places might be willing to hire me, in this economy, starting almost immediately, and ending in a month when I make final preparations for Japan? 'Cause I sure don't...

My mom was in town yesterday. She normally doesn't come by Orange County in the middle of a quarter, but she's best friends with the mother of another UCI student whose senior recital was last evening, so she decided to come on down, enjoy some cello music, and visit with me in the meantime. Also talked my grandmother into coming down.

While she was around, we discussed my upcoming trip to Japan (for those who haven't figured out as much from earlier LJ entries and the occasional board post, I leave in August for a four-month foreign exchange). Went over a few forms, but somewhere along the line the cost came up. Total estimated expense (including tuition, air fare, food, housing, utilities, transportation, and incidentals): about eight grand. Financial aid will only cover about $1500.

Now, I've been looking for work for a while with no luck. The economy's in a slump, my school schedule makes it hard to find something with decent hours, and most companies would rather hire people on a more permanent basis. That last part has been killing me in the interview process, when I have to admit that I'll be leaving the country in two and a half months. There was at least one job where I was rejected purely on that point. And once I get to Japan, getting hired is absolutely out of the question, since I won't have a permit to work there.

So I mention my job frustrations to Mom, and she suggests just giving up my career hunting at the moment and focusing on getting through the quarter. I ask how I'm supposed to afford the trip, then... and she says pay what you can; she and dad will handle the rest. All $6500, if necessary.

I honestly have no idea how to react to this.

A transformer shorted at about 5:30pm and took out the power for the entire apartment complex for about three to four hours. Made it hard to study. (And I missed Enterprise! NOOOOO! :p) So I napped, I ran a few errands, I finished off a few perishables in the fridge, I learned to shave in the dark (not as hard as you might think).

I've been working at random intervals for this guy named Chris Mays, who's started a business with some of his friends. God love him, he doesn't know jack about computers, so he's paying me $20 an hour to teach him how to use Excel (and Windows in general). Too bad he doesn't need my help more often; I could make it straight through to summer on four hours a week at that rate (although it won't help with that Japan exchange trip I've got planned...)

My Operating Systems final went pretty well this morning (I love open book exams). That leaves Metalogic, which I have until 10:30am Friday to study for. *long pause* I'm doomed...