Dream job

[GreyGhost]

Having worked with (not for) mega-corps on the telecommunications side and similar, I can tell you categorically that this is not true. Any organization over a certain size becomes bureaucratic by necessity, which then affords endless opportunities for people to hide. Delay, obfuscation and avoiding dealing with problems for fear of making what is perceived to be the wrong call are common. From speaking with others who've worked at or with huge outfits like Microsoft, my experience is not unique.

Working with governmental agencies, on the other hand, has been broadly straightforward, though some are better than others. There can be issues (we had one woman who went home because her desk had been moved about an inch and a half from where it used to be), but the managers have generally been well-intentioned and competent. It's not universal (I believe there was a report released recently about city arborists somewhere only working four hours a day), but no less than it is universal the other way.

I had the same pre-conceived notions going in that 'government = waste' and 'private = efficient'. Believe me, I've been disabused of that concept many times since...

The arborists report was interesting. Yes, the saws are only running for half the day, but without knowing the duty cycle of a private arborist that doesn't seem crazy. Much of the time was spent driving to site (maybe pushed outside of official billed hours for private), dumping (necessary), parked cars in the way (necessary but given that they are the city, potentially solvable with some planning in many cases) and 1.75 hours in breaks (again details matter, is refilling a saw counted as a break? Is lunch counted as a break?) @shanekingsley does horticulture not arborist IIRC but he may have better insight than the rest of us (or he may have far too much knowledge and may not be able to say anything).

 

[Priller]

Sounds like you, too, have filled out your share of TPS reports.

I work on the contracting side, so the bulk of my meaningless paperwork is frustratingly related to safety. It should be important, but the whole 'safety' industry has become a self-perpetuating monster that, ironically, has resulted in many taking workplace safety less seriously because of the tedious make-work nature of so many approaches.

The worst is submitting huge (50-100 page) site-specific pre-job hazard assessment and safe work procedure documents, and then getting responses back from teams in these companies where the only concerns are clerical ("your page numbering system is incorrect, please make the cover page 1", "your format for listing emergency contact numbers is incorrect, please use (xxx) xxx-xxxx, not xxx-xxx-xxxx", etc.) and then when arriving at site, it becomes clear that a) nobody outside their safety team has ever read what we submitted, and b) nobody on the client side has any intention of actually following what we spent weeks hashing out in the first place.

Ironically, one of the best employees on the telecommunications side was a guy who managed a relatively large server area where efficiency was measured in millions of dollars per hour. He was the most fastidious guy I've ever met, but that was because he really cared about keeping his systems up and running. He'd done his own (incredibly accurate) CAD drawing of the floors he managed, and made sure we were military precise when planning and executing work in his department. He made us better at what we do. Naturally, as he was also a bit prickly and socially not very smooth (actually sounded a lot like Eeyore and talked very slowly), he was unceremoniously retired against his will as soon as senior management had the opportunity. His replacement didn't have a clue...

 

[nobbie48]

Having worked with (not for) mega-corps on the telecommunications side and similar, I can tell you categorically that this is not true. Any organization over a certain size becomes bureaucratic by necessity, which then affords endless opportunities for people to hide. Delay, obfuscation and avoiding dealing with problems for fear of making what is perceived to be the wrong call are common. From speaking with others who've worked at or with huge outfits like Microsoft, my experience is not unique.

Working with governmental agencies, on the other hand, has been broadly straightforward, though some are better than others. There can be issues (we had one woman who went home because her desk had been moved about an inch and a half from where it used to be), but the managers have generally been well-intentioned and competent. It's not universal (I believe there was a report released recently about city arborists somewhere only working four hours a day), but no less than it is universal the other way.

I had the same pre-conceived notions going in that 'government = waste' and 'private = efficient'. Believe me, I've been disabused of that concept many times since...

My wife worked for an insurance company and would come home with comments about managers spending the day reading pocket books, paper pushers on line shopping and texting. The company was big on "Togetherness" so there was always someone collecting money for someone's birthday, wedding, pregnancy.

My wife worked there. The rest came for the free wifi.

My accountant figures they lose an hour a day per person through non work related internet and texting stuff. If they banned it they would lose some good employees. I guess it's considered a perk, like the boss going golfing during the week.

 

[Lightcycle]

I worked at MegaCorp as well for years and years.

After a very short time, you got to know who the "doers" were vs the "deadwood". If you were a "doer", you joined a small network of people who worked together and routed around the "deadwood" to actually get stuff done within the company. It was the typical 80/20 rule. 20% of the people did 80% of the work.

Unfortunately, advancement in the company had little bearing on whether you were a "doer" or "deadwood".

Seems politics is an entirely mutually exclusive skill-set.

 

[油井緋色]

Having worked with (not for) mega-corps on the telecommunications side and similar, I can tell you categorically that this is not true. Any organization over a certain size becomes bureaucratic by necessity, which then affords endless opportunities for people to hide. Delay, obfuscation and avoiding dealing with problems for fear of making what is perceived to be the wrong call are common. From speaking with others who've worked at or with huge outfits like Microsoft, my experience is not unique.

Working with governmental agencies, on the other hand, has been broadly straightforward, though some are better than others. There can be issues (we had one woman who went home because her desk had been moved about an inch and a half from where it used to be), but the managers have generally been well-intentioned and competent. It's not universal (I believe there was a report released recently about city arborists somewhere only working four hours a day), but no less than it is universal the other way.

I had the same pre-conceived notions going in that 'government = waste' and 'private = efficient'. Believe me, I've been disabused of that concept many times since...

It takes me 5 minutes to install whatever I want on a computer if I do it my way (aka. hack the system if I'm blocked.)

It takes a company 1-3 days to install it if I'm stupid enough to ask and the company isn't technically competent. Think many of you will run into this or have already lol

I know a dev friend who wanted monitors to WFH instead of buying his own. Work wouldn't approve it. He just took the monitors home lol

This is the problem with stupid rules: the ones who follow them are either buying time to slack off or actually don't have a clue of what they're doing. It's really sad. The result is people who break the rules get **** done and promoted/loved by colleagues.

.........who comes up with these asinine systems?

I worked at MegaCorp as well for years and years.

After a very short time, you got to know who the "doers" were vs the "deadwood". If you were a "doer", you joined a small network of people who worked together and routed around the "deadwood" to actually get stuff done within the company. It was the typical 80/20 rule. 20% of the people did 80% of the work.

Unfortunately, advancement in the company had little bearing on whether you were a "doer" or "deadwood".

Seems politics is an entirely mutually exclusive skill-set.

Price's Law. 50% of result in any given system is produced by the square root of total resources.

I've seen a common death spiral pattern in companies: somebody from the "doer" group gets fed up with the "deadwoods." This doer leaves. The doers, generally, have a very clear idea of the direction and success of the company. A single doer leaving due to deadwood + poor company performance will catalyze a mass exodus of doers.

The companies either death spiral or rehire a doer at 3x-4x their original wage after on a contract basis after lol

Very common phenomenon; I can't figure out why it happens because it's really painful for both sides. You'd see the same pattern in school (look at the guys who graduate with high honors and honors)....but at least in that sense, I had the privilege to laugh the guys poorly performing; never thought they'd be on my team lol

 

[Deleted member 50930]

^
So confident

 

[nobbie48]

The arborists report was interesting. Yes, the saws are only running for half the day, but without knowing the duty cycle of a private arborist that doesn't seem crazy. Much of the time was spent driving to site (maybe pushed outside of official billed hours for private), dumping (necessary), parked cars in the way (necessary but given that they are the city, potentially solvable with some planning in many cases) and 1.75 hours in breaks (again details matter, is refilling a saw counted as a break? Is lunch counted as a break?) @shanekingsley does horticulture not arborist IIRC but he may have better insight than the rest of us (or he may have far too much knowledge and may not be able to say anything).

Site work is a PITA is it's a short job. You can't justify a site trailer and toilets.

We were working on a co-op site in the east end and needed to use a washroom. Asking at the office we were told that the facilities were for staff only. "OK then we'll all go to the Timmies 10 minutes away.

BTW the job is time and material so the three of us will pack up our tools and put them in our vans, drive to Timmies, do our thing, have a coffee, drive back, unpack our tools and transport them to the workplace at a combined cost of $400 an hour three times a day." I didn't mention that we could piss in the elevators like the residents did.

We got to use their washrooms.

The next door neighbour just had a maple taken down in his backyard. It had a hole in it 22" deep. It had to be 80 feet tall in a fifty foot yard and fifteen feet from the house. It took six hours.

It was Covid entertainment to watch how the branches were selected in order of efficiency and safety.

They could have done it faster "Watch this, hold my beer"

 

[shanekingsley]

The arborists report was interesting. Yes, the saws are only running for half the day, but without knowing the duty cycle of a private arborist that doesn't seem crazy. Much of the time was spent driving to site (maybe pushed outside of official billed hours for private), dumping (necessary), parked cars in the way (necessary but given that they are the city, potentially solvable with some planning in many cases) and 1.75 hours in breaks (again details matter, is refilling a saw counted as a break? Is lunch counted as a break?) @shanekingsley does horticulture not arborist IIRC but he may have better insight than the rest of us (or he may have far too much knowledge and may not be able to say anything).

Yeah sorry, I am not allowed to say anything about the arborists report, because of my position.

I worked a great job in the corporate world before changing careers due to boredom. I resigned and went back to school for horticulture and started from the bottom again at just over minimum wage. I worked in the private landscape industry for 5 years and then decided to join the city and have been here 12 years.

When I first changed from corporate to a seasonal outdoor job and had my first winter off it was a totally new experience for me. I went on EI for the first time and then I realized that was the best job ever! Until a few weeks went by and I was bored out of my mind, so I volunteered at food banks for 3 winters while going back to school. Then taught at Humber College for 6 winters until moving into management at the city.

I will also echo that in my management position with the city I work very long hours and there is a lot of amazing management staff who work like I do. Due to Covid, we usually work 12 hrs a day without breaks, normally it would be 10 hrs a day with breaks. The same can be said for when I worked as a seasonal Gardener for the city - lot's of super passionate and hardworking employees, and unfortunately a few lazy ones can ruin it for the masses. My personal experience is that there are lazy people everywhere and amazing people everywhere - private or public doesn't matter. At work I make a conscious effort to gravitate to the amazing people.

Overall, we love our jobs and are very interested in improving the culture and perception of "gov't workers". Rather than sit on sidelines and complain like many people do, I'd rather be a part of the solution.

 

[Wingboy]

Dream job at my age? Would be cool to work with our daughter.
She is putting a team together to do research on an endangered butterfly species.

Mottled Duskywing Recovery - Wildlife Preservation Canada

Wildlife Preservation Canada’s mission is to save animal species at risk from extinction in Canada by providing direct, hands-on care.

wildlifepreservation.ca

Research takes place out in the Rice Lake plains area.

 

[GreyGhost]

Dream job at my age? Would be cool to work with our daughter.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10157686598652073&id=503097072

Can't see the link. Possibly need to be a facebook friend with your daughter to see it.

 

[Wingboy]

Can't see the link. Possibly need to be a facebook friend with your daughter to see it.

Yes. I changed the link.

 

[WaterlooJay]

My current employment is probably as good as I’m going to get, with a very good salary.
Here‘s a 1 day example of standard opps.

Early morning on the Africa Twin. Parked at higher ground cafe for coffee/bagel and international conference call 1hr.
Ride for a couple hrs for spot for 2nd call of the day. Lunch at Hockley Valley general store for light lunch and logon for 2nd online meeting. Look over my left shoulder and see MacDoc chopping on lunch and give him the rider nod. Met him earlier in the year at @827 fishnchips south of Sudbury. Another work related ride.
3rd and final call at Rosemont general store for a refreshing drink and butter tart.

About half of my 19000kms in 2020 was while working.

I’m grateful and lucky.
If you see the bike and me, and I’m not socializing. I’m working.
MacDoc. My treat if we ever run into each other @827 F&C. Again.

currently planning a pleasure/work BC ride in Late June on the Africa Twin.

My office is Canada and my HQ is in Switzerland.

Jay

 

[mimico_polak]

Sounds like a pretty sweet gig there @WaterlooJay I’m jealous! LoL

my day is meetings upon meetings from about 8:30am to 5pm all damn day. I hate it because there’s no time to do actual work, and when I do find time I just block my calendar. We’re gearing up to award a contract so it’s gonna be nuts before it gets better.

 

[Evoex]

Sounds like a pretty sweet gig there @WaterlooJay I’m jealous! LoL

my day is meetings upon meetings from about 8:30am to 5pm all damn day. I hate it because there’s no time to do actual work, and when I do find time I just block my calendar. We’re gearing up to award a contract so it’s gonna be nuts before it gets better.

don't go automotive mfg...

 

[mimico_polak]

don't go automotive mfg...

I will stick with construction lol

 

[Mad Mike]

My current employment is probably as good as I’m going to get, with a very good salary.
Here‘s a 1 day example of standard opps.

Early morning on the Africa Twin. Parked at higher ground cafe for coffee/bagel and international conference call 1hr. View attachment 46983
Ride for a couple hrs for spot for 2nd call of the day. Lunch at Hockley Valley general store for light lunch and logon for 2nd online meeting. Look over my left shoulder and see MacDoc chopping on lunch and give him the rider nod. Met him earlier in the year at @827 fishnchips south of Sudbury. Another work related ride. View attachment 46984
3rd and final call at Rosemont general store for a refreshing drink and butter tart.
View attachment 46985
About half of my 19000kms in 2020 was while working.

I’m grateful and lucky.
If you see the bike and me, and I’m not socializing. I’m working.
MacDoc. My treat if we ever run into each other @827 F&C. Again.

currently planning a pleasure/work BC ride in Late June on the Africa Twin.

My office is Canada and my HQ is in Switzerland.

Jay

Mid Jan I decided the work I am doing has lost it's challenge. Called it over on Feb 1st, tomorrow I hand over my office keys and laptop. Can't wait!

I think I'll be doing what Jay is doing from here on in. Haven't had a new bike for a while, do they have the same smell as a new car? .

 

[油井緋色]

^
So confident

No need for confidence when performance is quantified.

It's why I love software development: pride and ego don't mean ****. Our implementation's time and space complexity do, and there's no way to hide it! It reminds me a lot of riding, motorsports, and lifting: everyone can talk all the **** they want, but lap times, and total lifts are quantifiable!

 

[Deleted member 50930]

No need for confidence when performance is quantified.

It's why I love software development: pride and ego don't mean ****. Our implementation's time and space complexity do, and there's no way to hide it!

Some of these new software development grads are so cocky and egotistic

I want to beat them with a stick -_-"

 

[油井緋色]

Some of these new software development grads are so cocky and egotistic

I want to beat them with a stick -_-"

They are? lol

I really like new grads actually versus the guys with 20 years of experience. I've found guys with a lot of experience suffer the "can't teach an old dog new tricks" syndrome. The exception are the ones who keep learning (aka. the passionate ones.)

A lot of the new grads I've worked with are brilliant and gamers. I like that most will trash talk my ideas because I'll do the same back, then we come up with a decent plan lol

 

[Mad Mike]

No need for confidence when performance is quantified.

It's why I love software development: pride and ego don't mean ****. Our implementation's time and space complexity do, and there's no way to hide it! It reminds me a lot of riding, motorsports, and lifting: everyone can talk all the **** they want, but lap times, and total lifts are quantifiable!

Quantifiable metrics are part of many jobs. Sales people, customer service reps, repair techs (to name a few) all have scorecard metrics.

If you like your work they will be a lot easier to reach.