Of course I got less on my paycheck than I expected. I'll have to look at my pay stub but I suspect that even though I was given a new contract for OT (to be paid at 1.5 x's) I stilll only got straight hourly pay on this last week. I was looking forward to having the extra $150 or so & I didn't get it. In fact, it looks like I barely got paid for the OT at all.
Regardless... one more month & I should have enough for the deposit to CASS. At that point, if they haven't posted their schedule yet, I'm going to shoot an e-mail to them & query when they expect to finalize & release the 2010 course schedule. I would really prefer to be attending down there during the Spring. Summer would be okay, but VERY HOT even in Orlando. (Unpleasant... but perhaps good conditioning for the sand box if that's where I end up initially.) I don't want to have to wait until Fall or Winter because this will mean having to take another full time position somewhere.
Getting another testing position means finsessing (basically lying) my way into a position with the intention of only staying for 3 to 6 months. I'd prefer not to deal with it at all. Also, I want ample time to prepare for the course... which may entail attending additional self-defense classes, catching up on reading of EP & related manuals... possibly shelling out the money for a basic driving course. If the 2009 schedule is any indicator, they have the Florida EP courses running April - March & June - July. I'd like to hit the April - March course if possible. If my current contract runs a full year, I'll be available at the end of January. My mandatory break-in-service wouldn't even be up by the time I completed the EP course. That would make for an interesting "vacation".
A stupid security position isn't going to pay much over $10 per hour... but if the trend at MS & other companies remains consistent, they'll only be paying around $15 per hour... & it's a 70-mile commute. If gas prices climb back over $3 per gallon it's almost not worth making the drive. My main concern is keeping money flowing in... & enough of it that I can continue saving to not only cover the course but pay down the debt & have a cushion. As I mentioned before, I "envision" having at least enough to take a flight back from Anywhereistan back to the "civilized" world if it comes to that.
It hasn't really hit me yet that I'm over 1/3 of the way to having the TOTAL AMOUNT for this course. It hasn't even really hit me that I'm over 70% of the way to having the deposit ready. I was expecting to be come more anxious but in some odd way I'm becomming more relaxed. I suppose the tell will be at the point when I actually apply & am accepted (or not). That's not long off though. I see my application going in this June or July. I have to wait until the 2010 schedule is made available.
I asked my credit union about bank drafts & they informed me that they can issue one with money drawn from my account with the name of the payee. That's exactly what I need. If I'm accepted I'll be shooting that sucker out the next day via Express Mail. If worst comes to worst, I'll have $6k to spend on something. If I cannot manage the entire course amount, then I'm prepared to settle for the two-week Tactical Operator Course & go from there. My intention will be to take the EP course at a later date.
I have to be honest; I care about this job(and this industry) a little less every day. It's not that I'm skating. I'm actually working harder & learning more about the job & essential tasks all the time. I just don't give a rip! I WANT OUT! There's plenty to do here righ tnow; server prep, bug tracking &there's still some test investigation & ratification for devce driver support. I just want out. I cannot see myself serving as a drone to the hive & corporate queen any longer. I also seem to be a lot more relaxed in the job nowadays. It must be that I have some hope of an exit strategy.
As I said, it hasn't hit me yet that I'm reaching my goal. It's a new sensation. I've never planned anything on this scale before. I have a feeling that EVERYTHING; Language training, physical training, academics... are all going to reach a frantic level once I'm committed to this. I predict that one of two things is going to happen: I'm going to hit a gear that my transmission has never used before... or I'm going to CRAP MYSELF!
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