bored out of my skull

Pablo

I am so bored here at work I'm brain dead. So brain dead I can't think of a good thread to start to pass the time. Any ideas out there? (when the hell are they going to fire me!).

michael_w

I'm curious about all the people that post during work... not ragging on anyone here so please don't take offense but don't you usually have work to do and if there is nothing to do you go home? I wouldn't mind a job where I could sit at a computer and chat online

Willow

I am at work, I type when I can, or when I need a break.

audiobliss

^ yeah, that (what michael_w said)

I wouldn't mind a job...where I get paid to do what I don't otherwise have time for...(online)...

LiquidSound

I completely understand. I'm starting to get a little Jack Nicholson..The Shining style ya know..
I'm thinking about going to a Pizza Hut and asking for an application, then go sit down to fill it out. Except when I go to hand it back, I'll give them a letter of resignation and tell em "I just don't think this is going to work out"..then leave.
Yeah, I need some sunlight..I've got that 'thousand yard stare' thing going on.

Pablo

I'm a consultant, and they pay me a bunch to sit around (85/hr). If I don't come in, I don't get paid (although I have stayed home before and they never noticed). It's just been to long with nothing to do and I need to do stuff or I go crazy. I could never be a security guard (if I ever am, come try to break in, I'll be the one taking a nap). I interviewed last week, and that should probably come through. I just figured I would screw around here as long as I can.

audiobliss

Man. 85/hr. I think I wanna be a consultant!! lol

Seriously though, what kind of consultant are you? What kind of things do you deal with?

Pablo

I'm programmer on an old software system they have here. I originally designed it, so when I was let go from the old place, this place called me up. They used to pay me $225/hr to come on-site, but that didn't last long. They've slowly but surely been cutting my pay (over the last 5 yrs). Now they go overseas and get programmers for $20/hr, so I can't compete. So now I think I'm going back to were I was let go from (it's a long story, but they were recently bought out, so the old management is gone). Enough sitting on my ****, time to re-start the career.

audiobliss

$250/hr :eek: :eek: :eek:

Wow. If I could get paid that...and only work 1 hour a week...I'd be making over 3 times what I'm currently making! :eek:

audiobliss

Programmer, though, eh? That's interesting. I'm currently considering something in computers. I don't if I'd rather go into the software side of things or software or networking, etc; I don't really know enough about the computer industry to know what I'd like to do! ...but it interests me...

Mjr7531

Heh, and to think I only make $7.50 during with **** all day at my part-time

(Food Service, I know, I know...)

bobman1235

audiobliss wrote:

Programmer, though, eh? That's interesting. I'm currently considering something in computers. I don't if I'd rather go into the software side of things or software or networking, etc; I don't really know enough about the computer industry to know what I'd like to do! ...but it interests me...

We dont' all make 250/hr (or even close to 85/hr). Trust me

Pablo

I don't know if computers is the thing these days. What you have to think about what can be done overseas cheaper. Hardware may be a better bet than software. So far they have shipped almost everything overseas for initial development, and hired an overseas consulting firm for in-house work (I got an e-mail from this guy today, and almost everyone in my current line of site has a siilar name [this is his last name] "Balasubramaniam"). These guys are pretty good, so it's tough to compete.

If you are going into computers, just try to think "what will they have to keep local?".

madmax

michael_w wrote:

I'm curious about all the people that post during work... not ragging on anyone here so please don't take offense but don't you usually have work to do and if there is nothing to do you go home? I wouldn't mind a job where I could sit at a computer and chat online

When you work on a computer all the time you need a break now and then. Might as well check the site. For me, I can sit here all day and chat. Sometimes I do. The thing is the work must still be done, so lots of times I do it durring off hours. Here it is like an extention of home. It is hard sometimes to remember I am at work. Besides, it is usually easier and nicer to actually do work later after all the interuptions leave.

Ron-P

If I didn't have a job I wouldn't be on the internet. I can't stand going near a computer on the weekends or days off.

LiquidSound

Daytrading puts me on the computer all day long some days. It's nice being able to surf and make money at the same time.

ND13

Ron-P wrote:

If I didn't have a job I wouln't be on the internet. I can't stand going near a computer on the weekends or days off.

Same here. I don't get paid by the hour, I wish I did sometimes, so eff 'em if they don't like me checking in here when there is absolutely nothing going on here at the lot. Since I've been at this dealership, my department has doubled the gross profit and tripled the net, so they really don't want to screw with me. They can't replace me with anyone that's competent and pay them what they pay me. The only reason I took this job was for the security. I could make quite a bit more at another dealership, but have to worry all the time if my supervisor is getting worried that I might get his job and then get thrown under the bus for **** I had no control over. I promise you, it has happened to me before, and more than once. The car business is like a good ole boys club in some cases. Getting a job in management has alot to do with who your buddies are and not on performance, because if it were the latter, i would have a $150k/yr position by now.

PhantomOG

Pablo wrote:

I don't know if computers is the thing these days. What you have to think about what can be done overseas cheaper. Hardware may be a better bet than software. So far they have shipped almost everything overseas for initial development, and hired an overseas consulting firm for in-house work (I got an e-mail from this guy today, and almost everyone in my current line of site has a siilar name [this is his last name] "Balasubramaniam"). These guys are pretty good, so it's tough to compete.

If you are going into computers, just try to think "what will they have to keep local?".

even hardware is quickly moving overseas...

michael_w

I didn't know it was that kind of work. I'm used to the stuff where you have some task to do and you work until it is done or until it's break time. So as a consultant what exactly do you do? You have me curious now.

shack

My job is bottom line geared. Doesn't matter if I work 10 minutes or 10 hours a day. Its all about how much revenues (and profit) I generate. How I do it is up to me.

Pablo

Michael, I'm probably not the average consultant. I never even looked for a consulting gig. This one just fell in my lap (I haven't been out of work for a day for the last 20 years). I do get projects to do, but they usually depend on other people in other departments as well. Right now (it's 2:12am) I am waiting for other people to get stuff loaded to the network (my stuff was done in 30 minutes).

So, I basically wait around until they need me to code something. When they do have something for me, I get done in almost no time (what I do, I do REALLY well), then I wait for everyone else to get there acts together. For the last week I've been trying to run a test (a 10 minute test), but everyone is busy or just doesn't want to help. So while I wait, I find other things to do.

But the work is really starting to slow down now. I really think they want to get rid of me (I'm to expensive).

michael_w

What kind of programs do you write and in what language? I ask because it's interesting to me and I'm currently slowly learning about coding and stuff like that. I don't know much yet but I can do some stuff with html, java, css, lua and basic.

Pablo

They are software packages that do the record keeping for Employee Stock Option and Employee Stock Purchase plans for large companies (HP, American Airlines, UPS, ect.). It's an old package so it's written in COBOL. It's really not the language to learn these days (although it may be again bacuase nobody does it anymore and there still are billions of lines of cobol code running out there).

I really don't do much else than the COBOL. I'm quite the expert in COBOL and really don't feel like spending all the time to learn something new (although I do know a little of most things). I'm only doing this now because it pays well and it's extremely easy for me (what others say will take them a month takes me less than a week [but I tell them 2 weeks]). Don't under estimate COBOL though. Depending on the type of system, it's extremely powerful. Most people are amazed with what I've done with it (they can't believe it's cobol). One of the best thing about it is that it is so easy to debug. Try to fix a bad programmers C++ code and you'll be there for ever. Try to fix some bad COBOL code and you'll figure it out right away.

But these days, most system will need to be web based in some manner. One of the hotter things out there now is .NET. It's powerful and portable. Java is good to know as well. You also need to learn a bit about how thing run on servers. What's the best solutions for accomplishing a project. (My current project is for real-time trading of stock. There are many different types of processes running on different servers all doing specific tasks).

My programming days are comming to an end. I'm moving back into management. I've had enough of typing away, and need to get back to the design side of things and work more on designing the solutions instead of the one typing the solutions in.

michael_w

Cool. Thanks for sharing your experiance and opinions.