so i’ve been complimented on how quickly i’ve picked up the details of my job position. apparently this department is a pretty busy one – i’ve been told the workload will probably stress me out a little until i get used to it – so when it became clear that i was pretty on point already, people were already saying “where were you months ago when we needed you?”
from what i understand, i’m going to start off doing two main things:
the first involves going through people’s applications for education discounts and reseller purchases and making sure that they’ve plugged in all the right information. this is pretty straightforward; the most important thing i have to do is make sure i don’t forget any steps, because if i do, these folks can’t make purchases. the second involves me using this special customer service e-mail program where i’ll mostly deal with customer questions involving lost passwords and accounts that don’t seem to be working.
once i’ve got myself a cubicle and all the proper login information, i’ll basically be left to my own devices, and will be able to zone out listening to music while i dot the i’s and cross the t’s. and if i’ve got any questions, everyone who can help me will be on ichat.
the benefits of being a full apple employee – as opposed to just a contracted temp like me – are pretty incredibly awesome. there’s a gym on-site for employees, they get great benefits, and there is of course the much-coveted employee discount; one time a year, you can make a big purchase like a computer, and you get *25% off the purchase*.
let’s say you went crazy and got a dual 1.8ghz g5 and a 20″ flatpanel, more memory, a 160 gig hard drive, etc., which comes out to $3522 before tax. you’d save _$880_ with an employee discount and would only pay $2641.
cool thing is, though, that you don’t even have to use your discount sometimes, because they have quarterly specials just for employees. that g5 we just looked at might be even cheaper!
now, from what i’ve been told, the average to become a “badged” employee is about seven months lately. they’ve told me a couple times, though, that since the department is growing, there’s the possibility they’ll badge the temps quicker than that.
now that i figured out the video editing issues, i don’t actually need to get a new computer any time soon. i can wait. seven months. or more, really. according to some of the forms i signed at volt, i can last as a temp up to a year, and then they’ll reassign me somewhere else. of course, it seems more likely that if i keep this job, i’d become badged well before the year is up.
this, by the way, is the first time i’ve gotten a job that seems like it’ll actually require my brainpower. it’s a nice feeling, although i do wonder what sort of stressful life i may have found for myself…
also: i started reading “Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1582344167/unsquaredance-20?dev-t=1Y3EPK63R73F26PRKG82%26camp=2025%26link_code=xm2 this week. i was lucky to find it on sunday at half price books. especially lucky because this past weekend was the grand opening of the new half price books that went in near my neighborhood, in what apparently used to be a grocery store. because it was their opening, they passed out coupons when i checked it out on friday, and one of the coupons gave you 50% off one item only on sunday. when i went to the big one that afternoon, however, it was jam-packed with people, and the line for the registers wrapped around the whole store. luckily, though, the coupon was good at any location, so i trekked over to the one on 183, walked in the door, went to the bestseller shelf, and found the exact thing i wanted. JS&MN is a pretty big bestseller lately, and only comes in one of those huge hardbacks that cost an arm and a leg. this copy was marked at $14. so i got it for $7. i was pretty proud of myself. so far the book sort of reads like a great lost Jane Austen fantasy novel, except it’s also hilarious on top of that. (if you hated Jane Austen in school, i hope you wouldn’t hold it against this book. it really is very drily funny.)
Dear Jeff,
Who da man? YOU da man!
I knew you’d find a job you liked. Mostly because I am God and I can see the future. Which actually kind of sucks, because there are never any surprises. Anywho, congrats on the new job and I know everything will go well. Because, again, I am God. And don’t take anything my son says seriously for a while, he keeps getting into the sacremental wine and drinking himself senseless. If you hear from him just slap him in the face, call him a bitch and send his ass home. Thanks.
–God.
So, after reading your blog, and checking the book on Amazon, I decided to check it out for myself. As a working stiff though, who actually has a normal flow of cash, I’ve decided its my responsibility to support the artists I choose to enjoy and bought it full price at Barnes and Noble. (I also buy music instead of downloading) But I’m not knocking you for Half-Price Books’ing it (that’s right I just made a store a verb) I remember what it was like to be temporally employed. Just remember,as a an aspiring artist yourself, when you’re banking, to spend the money that actually goes to the authors.
Long story short, great book, thanks for the recommendation! (I always enjoy a book that tells me more about the typeface than about the author) It should keep me busy for a few days at least!
timmy,
i definitely look forward to being able to support my favorite authors by purchasing their books directly, but, as my favorite author Neil Gaiman has pointed out, most authors just want to get their work out there and read, and don’t mind so much if you buy the book at a used book store.
as for my music habit… i make up for that by going to concerts, where the artist definitely gets the money you pay for the ticket and merch.
As they say in Canadia, Fuckin’ eh!
Sounds like a decent gig, but i kinda lost track of post when you started talking about books. anyway, good luck with your new alienation, sounds much better than the last bit of alienation.