For those of you who know me, you know that I am not one to put up with bullshit or red tape for very long. You would also know that I am the kind of person who is always testing out new things and that I have a constant thirst for knowledge.

For the past four years I have been working as Help Desk Analyst for various government departments. So you ask what I am getting at? Well the above are some of the main factors to why I need to leave my current job. It’s sort of a Catch 22, I guess. It’s a very stable position with a pension and great medical benefits but I just can’t take it anymore.

My parents can’t understand why [update Sept 4,2008 - Mom says that her and Dad have a good grasp on my reasoning for moving on from this position - thanks Mom ] I would want to leave such a job and go for something in the private sector that doesn’t offer the same amount of stability or benefits. I can tell you why, it’s because I’m getting burnt out. A person can only take so much of the same thing (some can handle this more that others). I’m getting tired of the repetitive questions and petty (I really do mean petty) “issues” that people seem to think are important. It would be safe to say that 99% of these petty requests have no bearing on the grand scheme of things and no effect on the end result. It’s tough for me to sit here and respect a place that places so much emphasis on issues that don’t mean anything and don’t advance towards the improvement of the organization.

I feel that I need a job where I can take pride in what I do. I don’t have to be saving baby bunny rabbits or anything crazy like that but it would be nice to have some sort of gratification out of it. In my current position there are no methods in place to reward productivity or encourage hard work. The only thing that can happen is you can be scolded if you do not perform to expectations but there’s nothing that can really be done so no one worries about being fired. What kind of place is that to work? I’ve heard people wonder why no one wants to work any overtime but they can’t figure out why. Sure, we get paid for it but there’s nothing to make us feel that it will be rewarded in any other way than monetary. Management doesn’t even tell us whether or not they appreciate the work we do over and above our daily duties.

There are other factors that come in to play here as well. One is that there is no accountability, FOR ANYTHING. It really doesn’t matter what you do there’s almost nothing that can be done about it. Human Resources has warnings and written warnings that can be used but in all my time here I have never known of anyone using them.

Another one of the reasons for me wanting to get it is the issue of stagnation. I feel that in the past few years (mostly the past two) that there’s really been no change in the technology that we use. This is where my thirst for learning is just about killing me. Since the technology is pretty much at a standstill, I have learned a few ways to help keep my mind at ease but it’s no longer enough. There were a few times when it looked like some new projects were going to come through but they have almost all been squashed at the last minute.

There are more issues why I feel the need to part ways with this position but I don’t think I will mention them as I’ve already been scolded for pointing them out. Once I leave I may consider talking about them in greater detail but for now I’m sure I’ve bored you enough already.

Cheers!
~TheNerd

That’s right, please fuck off and leave me alone!

Four years ago when you called and asked for a $20 donation I thought you sounded like a noble and respectable organization that would not sell my number or continue to harass me (at least that’s what you told me). Boy was I ever wrong.

The two years following the donation I was polite and asked you nicely to remove me from your calling list. But you never did, and kept calling me four or five times a year. Each time you called I continued to ask to be remove but in a more stern and aggravated manner. You would call and leave me voice mails with a return number that when I called, I got a recording saying that I needed to call another number to be removed from the call list. I called this second number and got another voice recording saying I needed to punch in my number to be removed. I promptly did so, numerous time,  but the calls still kept coming.

You ask me why I got mad this time? Well if you were smart enough to figure out that you are annoying me and wasting my time you would understand. Yes, I can be an asshole and I am not very tolerant of this sort of action so I swore at you. What are you going to do about it? If I have no legal recourse to stop you from harassing me then a few “recorded” swear words won’t go very far on your end either.

The thing that made me the most mad about this call is that you tried to tell me how I should not speak to you. What right do you have to tell me how to talk to you when are the one that called and bothered me? Why don’t you just hang up and never call again? Why do you need to stay on the phone and tell me it’s being recorded and then threaten to tell your boss? What is your boss going to do? Call my mom? Boo fucking hooo! My mom hates you just as much, I’m sure.

I have never understood these organizations that call and ask for donations. I was weary of donating the first time because they required a $20 minimum donation. Who in the right mind asks for a specific amount over the phone? That’s just disrespectful. I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt and donate anyway and the only thing it did was land me here. The end result is that I will never donate another cent over the phone to anyone. So not only did you ruin my view of the CPPA, you also ruined my view of anyone who asks for donations over the phone. I apologize to the other guys, so if you have any quandaries with this please feel free to call the CPPA and tell them they cost you a donation.

I really think there should be penalties for this type of harassment. Why is it that the government thinks it’s ok to have people call you and solicit anything over the phone. The first thing I see when I go to the mall are signs saying no solicitors, I see the same thing on apartment building doors and other public and private areas so why is this OK over the phone or in the mail? These idiot organizations don’t even give you proper channels to contact their call centers or corporate office to complain or get removed from the list. It’s obvious the government favors these organizations over the general public’s privacy.

Anyway I was long over due for a rant.

Cheers!
~TheNerd

1. Everyone knows what I am up to – Does “John the Janitor” at my old elementary school really need to know what I’m doing?
2. All the notifications are annoying – I know you can turn them off but that’s not the point.
3. People upload and tag photos of you – then you have to approve or deny them (takes too long)
4. It’s the only way to communicate with some people – What happened to email or the telephone?
5. It’s ugly as hell! – enough of the blue already!
6. Too many applications that are useless yet people still spam you with them
7. Beacon – the Facebook boogyman
8. People get angry when you don’t accept their friend request
9. Everyone assumes I log in to Facebook as much as they do and think it’s the only way to contact you. If you have notifications turned off you may never know you were invited to “Joe and Betty’s Super Cool and Totally Rad House Party”.
10. Last but not least… Zuckerberg. It bothers me when he speaks, he should stay behind the keyboard.

…but for some strange reason, I keep logging in. It’s beyond me. I guess that’s why it’s been nicknamed Crackbook.

~TheNerd