Re: seating arrangements
Now instead of working from home four days a week and taking a short bus
ride to a downtown office, I must commute 1.5 hours by bus or buy a car. (I
hate cars.) I also must report to work at the site all days of the week, as
this division does not allow home workers.
First, some perspective:1.5 hours is not an unusual commute. Thousands - maybe millions - do it for years on end.You were very lucky in your previous arrangements, and I imagine that you and your family have grown accustomed to life built around them, but your new commute is far from a hardship case.
Second,some advice: learn to use your commute constructively. If you can't avoid the commute, try to look at it as an opportunity to do some reading. Buy a discman - it's much cheaper than a car. Or simply use the commute as a chance to unkink before you come home.
I spent two years commuting three hours a day to university, and did most of my course reading on the bus. At first, I had to learn to overcome the nausea I got from reading on the bus, but it couldn't have hurt me that much, since I had a nearly perfect grade point average.
But the main kicker is the seating arrangment. The new location sits its
lone techwriter at a long table among the programmers. No cubicle and small
desk space. Possibly a file drawer, but no bookcases. Just the same amount
of work area that the programmers have. I find these accommodations
unpalatable. I'm wondering if having a bit of privacy (in the way of a
cubicle) is generally a job requirement for most of you.
A preference? Yes. But a requirement? No.
Maybe I'm a bit of a stoic, or maybe I'm just accustomed to the rough and ready world of contracting, but I've always felt that part of being a professional was getting the job done under whatever circumstances I'm offered.When I've had to, I've worked in open office floor plans. I've even learned to endure office mates with a penchant for soft rock channels, gritting my teeth as I hear Elton John for the fortieth time in the day. It's hard sometimes, but usually I adjust.
The only exceptions are when conditions are completely unsuitable, such as being expected to run Windows ME on a 386 with four megabytes of RAM - and I'm afraid that the conditions you describe fall somewhat short of that extreme.They aren't ideal, but they aren't unusual, either.
Should I just thank my lucky stars for even having a job in Houston's
downsized energy market and just gwichurgriping? I do know that my resume
has now hit the streets.
This seems sensible. While your working conditions aren't especially harsh, you're obviously unhappy with them, so looking around seems the best alternative.
To your credit, you're not just quitting. But it does sound as if you'd be happier elsewhere.
--
Bruce Byfield bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com 604.421.7177
"Your working day is passing slowly
and you're thinking on the evening time
and we're running wild through your city
all your working days have passed us by."
- Mick Fitzgerald, "All Our Trades are Gone"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Your monthly sponsorship message here reaches more than
5000 technical writers, providing 2,500,000+ monthly impressions.
Contact Eric (ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com) for details and availability.
Save $600: Create great-looking Help files and software demos with
RoboHelp Deluxe. Get RoboHelp and RoboDemo - our new demo software - for one
low price. OR Save $100 on RoboHelp Office in June with our mail-in rebate.
Go to http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
References:
seating arrangements: From: Humphries, Ola
Previous by Author:
Re: Part-time or Contractor
Next by Author:
An ethical question
Previous by Thread:
RE: seating arrangements
Next by Thread:
RE: seating arrangements
Search our Technical Writing Archives & Magazine
Visit TechWhirl's Other Sites
Sponsored Ads