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Glad things are looking up. Nothing like a group of ticked off writers
with nothing better to do than wax eloquent as only we can to comfort
the wounded soul (I think that counts as a run on sentence--T.S. Eliot
would have been proud).
Dave
On 2/16/06, Cathy MacDonald <camacdonald -at- core -dot- com> wrote:
> ...for the outpouring of advice, support, and even a few really good laughs
> in regard to my post about the Evil Boss!
>
> I am definitely going to incorporate a lot of your suggestions. There's
> nothing better to pick a person up (is that a split infinitive?) than 54,
> yes, 54 responses to her tale of woe. As Paul Harvey (remember him?) would
> say, "And now for the rest of the story."
>
> I probably mentioned that I was hired by my current employer to implement
> SGML/XML in response to requirements from aerospace companies we deal with.
> I've been polishing my technical skills for months, even though we're way
> ahead of the game already. The plan was to train users in one large
> department <Rival Female Boss's>, then roll it out, as needed, to others. I
> was nagged constantly by Evil Boss about finishing this project even though
> our deadline is more than a year away, and XML will only be required for one
> document.
>
> Just this morning, Evil Boss told me that <Rival Female Boss' name> has
> decided she doesn't want to get involved at all with XML, and will instead
> just hand off the XML stuff to outside SAP developers. So, in effect,
> they've paid me for 6 months for nothing, though I've learned a lot and I
> really enjoy the work. I'm amazed that the powers-that-be would allow this
> project to go on so long, only to be halted before the rollout. But again,
> this company is totally beyond the pale.
>
> Before I was hired, Evil Boss said he had done a lengthy recruiting search
> in our area and could not find one candidate who could "implement XML,"
> which to him means "tag a document." I don't know if it was his personality
> that caused people to turn down the job or what, but I'm sure that there are
> others who could do this-- and most likely better than I. So, I'm not sure
> what this new situation means.
>
> However, in case you're interested (and I've certainly taken up lots of your
> time already), I have four potential employers on the line, two of which
> I've worked for before. And I've been "looking" since my first day on the
> job. There are other contracts that may involve SGML or XML here, but I'm
> very carefully keeping a polite demeanor, and not taking his bait...just in
> case that next job is a month or two away. I've never left a job without
> already having another firm offer. He probably wonders how I've stayed so
> unflappable this long; my dentist says it's because I grind my teeth down to
> the roots every night. (Truly, I'm having two dental bridges put in next
> month.)
>
> Again, thanks for all the good thoughts and advice. I think you should all
> have new business cards printed that say: "Technical
> Writer/Psychotherapist/Career Counselor" on them.
>
>
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