But we already knew this.
So the post directly below this one is now null and void.
My future stint as an employee at the school has been cancelled by someone with a big head and a small cranial capacity. On Tuesday afternoon, my instructor got a call from a member of the administrative staff at the college to discuss the employment of myself and one of my fellow students next week. I was walking past his office and heard him snap his fingers at me, so I turned around and poked my head in. He waved me in, put his fingers over his lips to tell me not to talk, while he was on the phone and I caught the last 2/3 of a conversation that went as follows:
She was clearly stating that since my fellow student and I were not eligible for the standard WorkStudy program, that we should not be hired for work this Summer. He stated that he had cleared it with the Dean and everything was worked out to pay us out of the Welding department’s maintenance budget.
She mentioned that that was part of the problem and that the Dean was now on her 3 week vacation and that her decision was being overridden by the Administrative department, but that he could hire one of the people they had on “The List”. One in particular was pointed out because she knew/was related to the person.
He asked if this person or any of the persons on “The List” had welding or fabrication experience. She replied in the negative.
He said that he needed welders and fabricators for the work he needed done. She stated that he could train them to weld in a day or two and do the fabricating himself. He replied in the negative.
She replied that he could hire this person or no one. He asked her if she could hold while he answered another call. She said yes. He instead made a quick call to the Budget office to confirm that he wouldn’t lose the part of the department’s maintenance budget if he hired no one. They confirmed.
He brought her back on line to tell her he was just going to do without.
She said “Fine” and hung up.
This is also the reason I was in no mood to post about anything yesterday.
So instead of working on Monday, I have a job interview at a machining and fabrication shop between my home and the college. I’ll probably try and get in full-time during the four weeks I have off and then either switch to part-time or, depending on the work, maybe their second shift.
I’ll also be dropping off applications and resumes at a couple other local places today and tomorrow.
This what really chaps my hide: I don’t NEED the work. I just wanted to get some hours in and add some bulk to my savings accounts. This was an easy way to do both of these things that benefited everyone involved. Now, if I want to do that, I have to hire on somewhere that will be competing with my schooling and future certifications. My unemployment runs out this week and I don’t like not having incoming funds. Also, this “year off” going to school makes me feel lazy even though I’ve been actually learning and doing and coming home feeling mentally and physically tired.
But, I haven’t had a job interview in 14 (almost 15) years, so I could use the practice. I don’t want to waste this company’s time, and will accept the job if offered. But I’m not going into it with an atlas stone on my shoulders.
Why am I thinking “diversity” rears its ugly head here?
Man that sucks but it happens alot. Unfortunately, who you know trumps what you know more often than not.
I’ve been going through the interview thing too. Things to amplify: Energy and enthusiasm. Things to dial back: Intelligence and ambition.
Man that sucks.
On a side note, back in the eighties I was able to get unemployment for about two years while I retrained in what I do now. Well maybe not, but anyway I don’t know if that program still exists or not.
It was predicated on not being able to find work as my previous job and training me to be a better fit in another job with equal earning potential.
It was program Uncle Ronny did.
If you can prove any of this you may have legal recourse.
Merle
Suing the college you soon hope will bestow a credential upon you, whilst still a student at the college would seem foolhardy at a minimum and with the instructor allowing a student to overhear “confidential administrative matters” would likely not be career inhancing for them either.
Another name to add to your personal list, pehaps???
Take solace that you now have a marketable skill and the nasty shrew on the other end of that phone call has nothing. When the inevitable cuts in “educational” overhead come, she’s panhandling on the street with her pathetic relatives – and you my fine fellow, will be quite happy with your situation.
With your newly acquired skills I bet you could make one hell of an iron maiden out of AR500.
Screw college credentials.
If you have your welding certs, you are ready to go. I generally advise people getting two year associates degrees to take only job related classes, get their certification, and then blow off the associate degree as a waste of time.
Laramie County Community College, for example, has larded on history classes, and other c rap, to their welding program. But they have an outside agency do the welding cert. The obvious solution is to only take welding classes, and fend the advisors off with vague promises to take the degree requirements “later”.