Sunday, January 29, 2017

It's been a long time. Some things change. Some things do not. Since the last time I posted I've worked a few temporary positions.I started (and promptly quit) a warehouse job and security gig. I managed to pick up part time work at Enumclaw Music. That was actually an enjoyable job. The owner just couldn't afford to keep me on for more than three months.

On April 20th I began working for Amazon Fulfillment at BFI4 in Kent. The position started out well. Within a little over a month I'd moved from Stow to Problem Solving (issue assistance to Stow) to ISS (product and customer support role). At that point I assumed I was doing well enough in Stow to warrant the moves because no one who lags in Stow gets moved into these other departments.In addition to being moved and essentially promoted, I was being singled out by leads and managers for additional projects as well as sought being sought out for recommendations for increasing productivity and communicating with the labor force.

I excelled in ISS. It was an excellent fit for me as I have a habit of digging down into issues for resolution. The other factor that helped was that I would come in at the beginning of the shift and immediately start taking on tickets or consolidating product so that we could investigate or migrate. Migrating product from one PO to another involved having to scan multiple UPC & other bar code's and using proprietary software to switch to virtual locations.

Approximately 3 months into my stint there I was moved back into Stow. No explanation was given. I have since surmised that it was an issue with my manager (whom I had NEVER met) and her performance issues. Within a few weeks I'd been written up twice for quality issues. I had at no time previously had any quality issues. I was given no details of these quality incidents so I was unable to argue whether or not I was even the individual responsible. Suddenly I had over a dozen. Less than a month later I had received my final written. This one was for productivity. (I'd slowed down because I was stressing over the quality issues.) The third write up is effectively an exit. I was terminated on September 18th 2016. Yaye.

Honestly, by the time they let me go I was more than ready. I'd had enough. During my 6 month tenure I'd lost 30 pounds and had developed severe issues with my feet, ankles and hands. I took me 3 months to recover from these issues after I left. And ultimately I look on the departure as a very positive thing. I was too intelligent to work there.

At this point, being unemployed for the 2nd time over 2 years I'm determined ot move forward. As difficult to find as jobs continue to be, I'm tentatively employed by Volt as a game tester. I say tentatively because they hired me a month ago and I have yet to get a shift.

Why game testing? Why indeed. This job (if I ever actually work) is on call, part time and minimum wage. However... I'm going to be able to list "test" again on my resume after nearly two years of being sidelined and out of the industry. I'm not looking at the game test position itself to turn into anything. I am however intent on leveraging it into a better test position, first through Volt and then on to other agencies.

I've just completed reading a book entitled "Love Your Work" by Robert Dickie III. I would highly recommend it to anyone who's in a vocational transition either by choice, necessity or misfortune (my particular category).

I've just begun working on Java coding skills at Code Academy. They have free interactive courses that are excellent for practical exercise.This include skill quizzes for the instructional content. In my opinion the hands on method is superior to simply viewing video tutorials. The lessons build upon each other. There are also for fee courses which will take you further along with additional quizzes.

Another resource I discovered is Khan Academy. All content on the Khan Academy site is free. Both of these resources are listed in the aforementioned book along with other training sites and other sites that will assist in continuing education. Some options are free. Others are for fee but the author gives economic alternatives and avenues to pursue your career pathways.

Rather than simply start working on "coding" I decided to investigate Java specifically for software testing. This opened up still more options including an inexpensive course at Udemy. I've taken curriculum from Udemy before and the courses are usually excellent. Again they typically immerse the student in hands on, practical exercises as opposed to video content. (By the way... Udemy is currently having a sale on their courses. Most if not ALL course content is $15! That includes programming courses that typically run up to $199 US! (No... I am NOT an official, paid endorser or instructor for Udemy. I just happen to know that their course content typically gets great reviews from students and I have some limited experience with them and have no complaints.)

Yet another recommendation... which I have given serious though to, is a career assessment. I've done a few of these in the past. They were free online versions and the results were typically disappointing. The recommended vocations that these tools provided "based on (your) interests" were essentially dead ends. Dickie recommends Career Direct. True, this is one of his personal endeavor but two things immediately struck me:

1) The cost is extremely reasonable.

2) The results ARE personalized.

One thing I Noted from reading the book was that Dickie has worked with individuals who have faced the necessity of redirecting (or "pivoting") their careers. This includes a lot of people like myself who've reached a point where they can go no further in a vocation or industry unless they ramp up their education and skill sets. He recognizes the hurdles that we're going to encounter.

I'll leave this post as now but (provided I have time and actually remember) I'll put these links and other on the page.