Random School/Work-Venting Post

[Rotku]

Go for a run, Saber. Physical activity will help get it out of your system. And as a side effect, will oxygenate your brain more, helping you think clearer

[Saber]

Too late for the advice men! The Paper is in, hopefully it passes for more-than-a-piece-of-sugar-induced-****.

Thanks for the advice though, next time (read: tomorrow) I have too much sugar, salt, baths, and exercise it is!

[Kitrax]

S***, damn, and crap!!! My work found a few more ways to screw me over!

They reinstated tuition reimbursement for employees who want in, and they "updated" the rules. For programs costing over $50,000 (that's me), we have to stay with the company for 2 additional years after we graduate. It used to only be 1 year. Also, if you leave the company before your 2 years is up, you have to pay 100% back to the company...and it's due on your last day of employment! That rule used to be that you only had to pay them back for that last year you went to school.

[Saber]

What the ****? Dude, that blows... can you not get 'grandfathered' into the old program? Or does that apply to everyone?

[Montresor]

I don't know the law in the States but here in Denmark that would be a "significant" change to your employment contract - your employer has de facto terminated your old contract (i.e., fired you) and demanded that you sign a new contract if you want to stay with the company. So if you *really* want out, you could refuse to accept the new rules and claim that the company has fired you! Unless they want to keep you with the old rules, that is.

(Only do this if you want to leave the company! And if you're sure of your legal footing.)

[Kitrax]

Damnit! I was about to go out on break and right as I reach the end of my bay, one of my machines went "boom" and now I have to stay and fix it before I can go to break.

I'm currently waiting for it to purge all the acids so I can open it up, which takes 15 minutes...all the while I'm starving and I'm doing the "Pee Pee Dance"...so yeah. Halloween isn't off to a great start for me.

---------- Added 2 hours, 12 minutes and 26 seconds later... ----------

Originally Posted by Saber

What the ****? Dude, that blows... can you not get 'grandfathered' into the old program? Or does that apply to everyone?

The new rule applies to everyone in the tuition assistance program...

Originally Posted by Montresor

I don't know the law in the States but here in Denmark that would be a "significant" change to your employment contract - your employer has de facto terminated your old contract (i.e., fired you) and demanded that you sign a new contract if you want to stay with the company. So if you *really* want out, you could refuse to accept the new rules and claim that the company has fired you! Unless they want to keep you with the old rules, that is.

(Only do this if you want to leave the company! And if you're sure of your legal footing.)

The program is not required as part of our jobs and I entered the tuition assistance program on my own free will, so they can screw with that program all they want.
It was supposed to be a "perk" of working here but now it's a trap!

[Triactus]

Originally Posted by Kitrax

It was supposed to be a "perk" of working here but now it's a trap!

Yes, like Han in Empire strikes back... Don't despair, Luke will be there to rescue you in the next installment...

[Montresor]

Kit's story reminded me of The Empire Strikes Back as well. "This deal keeps getting worse!"

[8people]

There are sixteen people roughly in a class - for this group project we are in groups of four and I have found the WORST GROUP POSSIBLE that I was put into.

Two people in the group don't know what we're doing despite it being the fourth week. One won't even talk to me, the other doesn't see why he should attend classes (wat?) the fourth person nobody has ever seen. The third? Well, he's done all the work and refuses to share it. Seriously.

He thinks he is going to get all the marks for the project because he did all the work - despite the fact we are marked on how we work as a group and how we divide work. The whole module is about learning to work with other people and keeping in contact as it was one of the main things companies said was underfocused in university computing degrees.

He is seriously refusing to send me the work and I just don't understand it. He's now just gone to simply ignoring me and everything that's written on the bloody MyCourse site which has information on each week as well as the unit handbook that EVERYONE is given in the first week anyway.

Looks like I'm going to fail from sheer idiocy once again at this rate! I failed this unit last year because people didn't credit me properly for work when I was off ill or told me to do the wrong things. I'm getting seriously sick of it.

[Saber]

Stupid people reserving the lab I need to finish my project in. Instead of having 6 hours to work, now I have to do it all in the 2 hours I have free right before class...

[Morgoth]

Originally Posted by 8people

There are sixteen people roughly in a class - for this group project we are in groups of four and I have found the WORST GROUP POSSIBLE that I was put into.

Two people in the group don't know what we're doing despite it being the fourth week. One won't even talk to me, the other doesn't see why he should attend classes (wat?) the fourth person nobody has ever seen. The third? Well, he's done all the work and refuses to share it. Seriously.

He thinks he is going to get all the marks for the project because he did all the work - despite the fact we are marked on how we work as a group and how we divide work. The whole module is about learning to work with other people and keeping in contact as it was one of the main things companies said was underfocused in university computing degrees.

He is seriously refusing to send me the work and I just don't understand it. He's now just gone to simply ignoring me and everything that's written on the bloody MyCourse site which has information on each week as well as the unit handbook that EVERYONE is given in the first week anyway.

Looks like I'm going to fail from sheer idiocy once again at this rate! I failed this unit last year because people didn't credit me properly for work when I was off ill or told me to do the wrong things. I'm getting seriously sick of it.

Having some experience with 'autistic' group members as well when I did group projects, I learned that the best thing you can do is get him to cooperate by directly addressing him face-to-face, not through email, phone or MSN, but grabbing him by his neck when you next see him. If that fails, then you should rally up the rest of the group and discuss this with your mentor. The worst thing you can do is to make yourself a victim of your group, you must not let people walk over you, they do not decide your score, you do! You need to get into the action and show leadership skills. Bonus points if you rally up the rest of the team and finish the project independently of him.

It could be so that you could not possibly finish this project on time by starting now, but that should not stop you from getting as much done as possible.

[8people]

Autistic?

We did the presentation today anyway, from pretty much my work alone we got decent pass for it and I got commended by pretty much the whole class in the peer review. Next time I will make sure I have a handle of the group rather than be thrown in last minute with no contact details.

I go to the university once a week. It's not like I can just go to his house or even grab him by the neck. I got into action and I got the work done when nobody else in the group could be bothered. I hardly just sat idly complaining - I actually did something.

[Morgoth]

Well it's good that you passed the exam and got a decent score. If you took offense at my 'autistic' comment, know that I meant the other guy to be 'autistic' because he ignores his team mates, and not you, or am I still being insensitive then?

I however assumed that when people work together for a project, they actually meet in person, daily. Was that not the case because you could not go (in which case I apologize,) or was it because the team just decided not to meet every day?

[8people]

I'm autistic. The guy was just cocky.

No we didn't meet every day because they would hardly ever return me texts, I am not on the same timetable as them and I can barely manage the walk to the university one day a week anyway.

When I have a group that gives a damn and I can actually arrange to meet I will make sure I can meet them, as it was there wasn't really a way.

[Saber]

Ugh, oral presentation on hispanic music due tomorrow... I should probably start researching for it...

[Triactus]

uhhhhh... I worked at home from 10 am to yesterday to... 9:30 am this morning. Of course, I took breaks to eat and I was gone for about two hours in the evening, but this morning was rough... Went to bed at 9:30 and slept until 1 pm, then got back up and continued working. I'm writing text profiles for a web page for work. 35 down, 4 to go...

[Kitrax]

Recession? What recession???

I scored a 2nd job with only submitting an application to two places, and on the first interview! I only wanted a 2nd job so can have more "play" money for my car, computer, and a much needed 7-night cruise I've been thinking surprising Jessica with sometime during late winter/early spring.

Go me!

[Triactus]

Talk for yourself, I'm out of a job...

[Kitrax]

Originally Posted by Triactus

Talk for yourself, I'm out of a job...

Do you know how to be interviewed? You need to dress the part; you need to have a confidence level of "I don't need this job, but I'm going to apply just to see how it goes!"; you need to be able to answer the dreaded "Why should we hire you?" question like a pro; and you need to practice good body language.

Employers love teamwork skills, so I mentioned that I’m an ERT/EMT, and our team has to work in super-high stress levels when we’re needed. Come prepared with as much team experience as you can...and no, playing Co-Op on the Xbox doesn’t count!

Remember, they're making snap judgments about your appearance, how you speak of yourself, and how you hold yourself throughout the interview...treat the interview like a first date - speak smoothly, brag about yourself (but not too much), put on your "I'm a happy worker bee" face, and swoon them with all you've got.

[Triactus]

Originally Posted by Kitrax

Do you know how to be interviewed? You need to dress the part; you need to have a confidence level of "I don't need this job, but I'm going to apply just to see how it goes!"; you need to be able to answer the dreaded "Why should we hire you?" question like a pro; and you need to practice good body language.

Employers love teamwork skills, so I mentioned that I’m an ERT/EMT, and our team has to work in super-high stress levels when we’re needed. Come prepared with as much team experience as you can...and no, playing Co-Op on the Xbox doesn’t count!

Remember, they're making snap judgments about your appearance, how you speak of yourself, and how you hold yourself throughout the interview...treat the interview like a first date - speak smoothly, brag about yourself (but not too much), put on your "I'm a happy worker bee" face, and swoon them with all you've got.

Oh, I meant that the recession affecting me because they were compressions at work and being the last one in two years ago, I'm the first one out. But thanks anyways for the interview tips! I'm actually going to go job hunting soon. Right now, I'm taking advantage of the situation and taking my two weeks vacation (I didn't have any this year and was working ridculously hard since july)...

Actually, two years ago, when I applied for the job, they wanted someone who lived in Ontario (I live in Québec) because of a certain tax refund for companies in Ontario if they have a certain quota of french speaking Ontario citizens, and they wanted someone from a specific college (I went to Ottawa U, another school). I went to the interview and nailed the job on the spot even though...

[Saber]

Damnit, could have gotten an A- on my Horror Stories paper if I hadn't made such stupid syntactical mistakes... I can't believe I did, especially after how much I re-read it. The A- would have definitely helped buffer a grade I know will fall after the final. (Especially since the only graded things are two papers and the final...)