I actually drafted this blog before I found my job but I still feel it holds true. So, I'll complete my thoughts post Hiring!
WRITTEN PRIOR TO JAN 12
Recession finally hits region my arse.
WRITTEN PRIOR TO JAN 12
Recession finally hits region my arse.
It's fascinating to me that one author can take a bunch of statistics, skew the perception of those numbers and say ...finally, the effects of the recessions are being felt in Buffalo. Buffalo never left the doldrums that quickly followed the boom town days of industry and manufacturing. A quick review of census statistics shows me that Erie country population numbers have decreased from in 1970 (pop. 1,113,491), to 1980 (pop. 1,015,472) to 1990 (pop. 965,532) to 2000 (pop. 950,265). I'm not one to lean on statistics because they can be manipulated in so many ways. But, one thing is clear. It's stands to reason that we should be losing jobs continuously. If we continue to lose people, we don't need as many people working to support our education, infrastructure, retail and manufacturing businesses.
As I'm faced with the prospect of looking for a job, I'm now facing a larger pool of competition. It's daunting enough to consider that I may be faced with lining up the department of economic security (yes I said it-the welfare line, it's a real possibility!) with 5.7% of the rest of the city. I continue to look for a job and will likely take something that I'm either overqualified for, or will be paid barely a living wage. I need to save money for school, since it's likely loans and grant will be come more scarce.
WRITTEN POST HIRING:
SO I've now got a job with an appellate publishing company. (that's just code for we make fancy copies with specific parameters...for attorneys - we do some other stuff too but not really glamorous-though it's familiarizing me with legal processes, so I consider it a useful job for me, and I actually really like the person I work for. We both know we're not curing cancer but providing competent service for people who need it.)
One of the daily exercises established for my job requires me to go to the County Clerk's office to look up complaints. Prior to being able to get copies, I needed set up an escrow account, so that I may copy paperwork when necessary with that account as our bank.
Upon discussing my needs with a manager in the records area, I was directed to the customer service department across the hallway. It was approximately 3:45 (late in the day by state employee standards) when I approached the customer service desk. I then waited...for seven minutes...while the woman at the window gabbed away on a personal call while I stood approximately 7 feet from here, where the clearly designated area existed. She made no effort to end her phone call in a timely manner, even though she was fully aware of my presence. I waited politely. Have you ever waited around for seven minutes? Go ahead, stand in the same spot, watching your watch for that amount of time. You tired or climbing out of your skin yet?
Oh, BUT I did learn what she was having for dinner, where to purchase it at the best price and who was joining her for the dinner, who the family was prepared to gossip about and criticize for their unskilled parenting skills and various other clucking one may hear from the busy body auntie of each family! You'd think homegirl would have given me an invitation to her colonoscopy after learning all that in seven minutes. Although from the looks of it, her colon hasn't seen much pass through it, given the three hundred pound ASS attached to the rest of her body. Did I mention they were having Pizza and wings for dinner? SHOCKER, right?
After seven minutes of waiting, my business with her lasted all of 15 seconds...if that! She redirected me for now a third time, to the Clerk's windows. By now, it was 3:54pm. I made the 10 yard trek from said Customer Service (that term is used loosely) Window, to the Clerk's Cashier's Window. I waited another three minutes. No one on line here either. Oh, and six people sitting at windows doing what? Not a damn thing. Well, two of the ladies (cause they certainly didn't look like girls, however the subject of the next part of this sentence would seem to indicate they should have been) were talking about where their seats were for the upcoming New Kids On the Block Show. (I admit it, I did go seen Danny, Donnie, Joe, John and Jordan once upon a time...in the eighth grade!) Ladies your on the downside of your thirties...if not on the questionably evident upside of your forties! Shouldn't you be going to a Clay Aiken show?
After my three minute wait, my business with this third window took all of 15 seconds...again! I was asked to wait yet again, for what would be my fourth encounter with a human to accomplish the original task.
FINALLY! I can feel the crescendo of relief, as I'm feeling I'm almost done. I meet Tom* He sets up my account! It probably took about 15 more minutes, but by now, I've resigned myself to throw out any time telling piece when entering a government office in the future (I'm considering checking my brain out the next time I come to this building as well, since I can feel the grey matter being sucked into its abyss). I pull out the check to set up the account balance. Oh NO, at ease in the harness there Jumper!! Wait, he does nothing other than set up the account! I need to go back to the cashier's window.
I'm now ready to go postal on some dumb ass NKOTB ticket-toting fat-ass union-protected bitch who refuses to use a computer because "it's not part of her job description and union re-negotiation would be required" to FORCE these minions to use modern day technology. And that just isn't cost efficient so the city decides to keep these knuckle draggin' excuses for homo sapiens on staff rather than fight a potential labor law case or the union. Bitch, how long have you had this job! And what century are you living in that you can't use a computer? So, I now have to wait for someone to HELP her process my transaction.
So there you have it. Six stops to accomplish one task. Union protected fucktards, unqualified by modern day standards in the REAL WORLD! I gave you the declining numbers on our city's population. I gave you anecdotal evidence as to the little need there is for all of the people who "assisted" me. And this is my welcome back to the employment world in Buffalo! Aww, it's so good to be home :D Oh...I think I got out of the building by about 4:45pm.
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