So something very eventful happened a few weeks back and I am still very much coming to terms with its impact on my life. After 20 years of being a mercenary, of being a hessian in the graphic arts field I finally found a staff job.
This is an unusual occurrence to be sure.
When was the last time I worked staff, anywhere?
That would be 1997 and since then even though I had been offered staff more than a few times I had turned it down because it didn’t seem like a good fit.
Time changes your outlook though and now at the point I am at in life as well as the age I am at like any game of musical chairs I’ve been looking for an open seat to park my ass in.
I like freelancing and probably would continue it if it wasn’t for the whole up and down nature of the business. You’ve got to be available all the time or lose a client who goes elsewhere. It’s really that simple. If the phone rings and you aren’t available they find someone else.
Plus, as far as I’m concerned in the last few years businesses have gotten more frugal in the sense they don‘t have people in unless it is absolutely necessary and it’s a crisis.
There’s simply no fun in being bought in at the eleventh hour when there’s been week’s or months of poor planning and all of a sudden you’re expected to be the savior of some disaster or at the very least be the fall guy if it does go off the rails.
It’s simply no fun and not what I want from my professional life.
The job I got while not perfect is okay and okay is fine. I can still look for another, better job if I want but I can also just do my work.
Work now has morphed, I was never one to be lazy when it came to work and I am rather particular about my work. I want to do a good job, I take great pride in my work and want to do the best job I can. It’s that important to me.
Also, I’m not a prima donna, the days are hard enough to get through, there’s no point in being an asshole to the people you work with. Someone said something to me once and it had me a little worried. The guy in question said to me that I don’t put up with shit (his actual words) on the job. I asked him was I difficult to work with? That really bothered me, I don’t want to be a beast to be around. But, he said I wasn’t at all it was just that people could tell I wouldn’t suffer their stupidity.
I’ve only been at my job a month now (on staff) after trying out for a week. The weeks have been long too, believe me. It seems I keep getting stuff thrown at me that’s a ‘crisis’ and I can’t say I‘m all that happy about it because it feels as if the inevitable will happen and there will be a catastrophe where I’m in the middle of things.
Friday, I was called into the department head’s office well at the end of the day. The first line manager is new himself and I didn’t think much of anything until he opened with, “How long have you worked here?”
It was in that moment I figured the experience of being a staffer was a short one and could feel the blood pressure rising in my ears.
He then continued, “Nothing bad, everyone is very happy with you work. As a matter of fact people keep asking what you’re working on and if you’re available to work on their projects. I know we’ve been bouncing you around a bit but that’s just for now. I wanted to let you know though that next week is going to be very busy and there will be a lot on your plate. You’ll start off the week wtih client A and there will also be work on client B and towards the end of the week they are likely to need your help on client C.”
“Where do you live? What’s your commute like?”
It took a second or two to absorb that because I couldn’t hear too well with the blood pounding in my ears and thinking what I could line up for the rest of the year. I’ve been in too many shops where Friday is THE day. There was one place I worked at early on where people would look to leave early Fridays if only to escape the axe. It was gallows humor.
Anyway, so... today is the beginning of what promises to be a hellish week I imagine and it’s not as if the preceding weeks have been all that easy.
But I keep reminding myself, I have a staff job, show up, do your work, keep your mouth shut. There are far too many people I know who have found themselves unable to get work after a certain age. I like to thing I’m great at what I do but still, I know enough to count my blessings even when I’m grumbling and dragging my ass out of bed on a Monday morning to schlep in and start another week,
This is an unusual occurrence to be sure.
When was the last time I worked staff, anywhere?
That would be 1997 and since then even though I had been offered staff more than a few times I had turned it down because it didn’t seem like a good fit.
Time changes your outlook though and now at the point I am at in life as well as the age I am at like any game of musical chairs I’ve been looking for an open seat to park my ass in.
I like freelancing and probably would continue it if it wasn’t for the whole up and down nature of the business. You’ve got to be available all the time or lose a client who goes elsewhere. It’s really that simple. If the phone rings and you aren’t available they find someone else.
Plus, as far as I’m concerned in the last few years businesses have gotten more frugal in the sense they don‘t have people in unless it is absolutely necessary and it’s a crisis.
There’s simply no fun in being bought in at the eleventh hour when there’s been week’s or months of poor planning and all of a sudden you’re expected to be the savior of some disaster or at the very least be the fall guy if it does go off the rails.
It’s simply no fun and not what I want from my professional life.
The job I got while not perfect is okay and okay is fine. I can still look for another, better job if I want but I can also just do my work.
Work now has morphed, I was never one to be lazy when it came to work and I am rather particular about my work. I want to do a good job, I take great pride in my work and want to do the best job I can. It’s that important to me.
Also, I’m not a prima donna, the days are hard enough to get through, there’s no point in being an asshole to the people you work with. Someone said something to me once and it had me a little worried. The guy in question said to me that I don’t put up with shit (his actual words) on the job. I asked him was I difficult to work with? That really bothered me, I don’t want to be a beast to be around. But, he said I wasn’t at all it was just that people could tell I wouldn’t suffer their stupidity.
I’ve only been at my job a month now (on staff) after trying out for a week. The weeks have been long too, believe me. It seems I keep getting stuff thrown at me that’s a ‘crisis’ and I can’t say I‘m all that happy about it because it feels as if the inevitable will happen and there will be a catastrophe where I’m in the middle of things.
Friday, I was called into the department head’s office well at the end of the day. The first line manager is new himself and I didn’t think much of anything until he opened with, “How long have you worked here?”
It was in that moment I figured the experience of being a staffer was a short one and could feel the blood pressure rising in my ears.
He then continued, “Nothing bad, everyone is very happy with you work. As a matter of fact people keep asking what you’re working on and if you’re available to work on their projects. I know we’ve been bouncing you around a bit but that’s just for now. I wanted to let you know though that next week is going to be very busy and there will be a lot on your plate. You’ll start off the week wtih client A and there will also be work on client B and towards the end of the week they are likely to need your help on client C.”
“Where do you live? What’s your commute like?”
It took a second or two to absorb that because I couldn’t hear too well with the blood pounding in my ears and thinking what I could line up for the rest of the year. I’ve been in too many shops where Friday is THE day. There was one place I worked at early on where people would look to leave early Fridays if only to escape the axe. It was gallows humor.
Anyway, so... today is the beginning of what promises to be a hellish week I imagine and it’s not as if the preceding weeks have been all that easy.
But I keep reminding myself, I have a staff job, show up, do your work, keep your mouth shut. There are far too many people I know who have found themselves unable to get work after a certain age. I like to thing I’m great at what I do but still, I know enough to count my blessings even when I’m grumbling and dragging my ass out of bed on a Monday morning to schlep in and start another week,
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