shitty jobs

[Gwynnie]

I work in a crappy cafe… the other day my manager found ONE slightly dirty cup the other day, when I was full of cold and shouldn’t have been in anyway, the other girl went home early and left me on my own and there was a queue out the door. I am now being forced to read a massive, patronising manual about health and safety, or risk a disciplinary. And I have a BSc*, damnit!!! Anyone else want to tell us about crappy jobs/evil managers to erm… make me feel better?
*Not Bronze Swimming Certificate. I can hardly swim.

Topic

[hummingbird]

I don’t have a crappy job, just one that I don’t find particularly inspiring … but I guess that’s me and about 90% of the population.
My job isn’t related to my qualifications (I have a maths degree) or my interests/hobbies (music, film, messing around with video and various other media), but it does pay the bills and put a roof over my head, and it allows me to enjoy the rest of the stuff with no pressure to make a living from it.

Of course I’d rather be doing something I love (and how lucky if you do), but, I mean, it’s all about compromises. Although I’ve made some bad decisions, there was good reason for them at the time, and those choices have opened different doors and given me things that I wouldn’t now be without.
So, y’know, swings and roundabouts.

[/lecture]

[Carlito]

I don’t even have a job. I’ve been looking for months, and I have pretty good background/experience.

Remember, things could be worse: you could be on the scrapheap.

If only I’d finished my English/Media degree, I could be… actually, what could I be? Blergh. My only income at the moment is from acting, and that’s once in a blue moon when the agency calls me, and usually only background stuff. Shucks.

[Tarka Dal]

I had a particularly rubbish day of pushing paper around a beige X-Factor Audience holding pen a couple of weeks ago. I then came home to find out my flatmate’s working day had involved a chav throwing a brick at him. As HB says it’s swings n’ roundabouts.

[Gwynnie]

What pissed me off most was that I’d been ill, and dragged myself in to help them, then been left alone and not had my break, and then they had a go at me for not, y’know, making sure the place was sparkly while I had to deal with a massive queue. But yeah, it pays the bills, it’s just when you’ve recently graduated and naively believed that having a degree would help, it does get you down sometimes.
Ah, well, I’m escaping to Japan in March to teach English!! Muahahha. So it’s all good.

[Tarka Dal]

> Ah, well, I?m escaping to Japan in March to teach English!! Muahahha.

You just had to get that in din’cha?

[Gwynnie]

Oh yeah, I need to send you info about TEFL stuff!

[redhead85]

“What do you do with a BA in English? What is my life going to be? Four years of college, and plenty of knowledge, have earned me this useless degree…”

I got my BA in English 3 years ago and am junior to people in my office who barely scraped together GCSEs but they’ve got so much knowledge, common sense and graft to them I can accept that.

(Apart from when they think that manga is a type of weed.)

But I worked my arse off to get this job in Advertising Land and I wouldn’t give it up right now for anything else.

I had a manager once who categorically told me that if I left to have a baby they couldn’t pay me maternity leave and that it would end the business. Unsurprisingly I quit that job.

[ori-STUDFARM]

When what you should have done is ask for that in writing and sued his ass!

Although, would his ass techically have been guilty of the crime?

[redhead85]

And we were working as Recruitment Consultants!! Ultimate fucking irony. I was livid.

Yes, his ass would have been entirely liable. ^__^

[si]

I work in a playground activity manufacturing factory*.

It’s all swings and roundabouts.

[si]

*=Of course I don’t.

[ChrisM]

I’m unemployed, although I did some leaflet delivery work a couple of weeks back. Really messed up my feet, I was hobbling along the road like an old man at the end of the day. I still have blister scars and sometimes feel the occasional twinge in the soles of my feet if I’ve been walking a bit. (Different from the usual I mean.)

It wasn’t too bad in some ways, essentially setting my own hours away from people but there’s always those moments when people are outside and you don’t know how they’ll react to offering them what will probably be a piece of litter. Some take it and say ‘thanks.’ Some politely refuse,one or two are snooty. ) To be fair most people are polite but after a middle-class matron looked down her nose at me I took to skipping over houses when people were outside in the end. Yes I’m a great big cowardly custard. (I’d take note of the house and deliver there if I came back that way though. If they were away. What silly games I play!)

On the plus side I met a couple of friendly cats and saw a couple of foxes (or maybe the same fox twice) in daylight!

I’m now on a boring 13 week ‘jobsearch’ course in Eltham. (Yawn.) I might have some P.O temping sorting work over the Christmas period though, but I’m in two minds about that.

[Kris ‘Drivaaar’ Carter]

Work in the elevator repair industry. It has it’s ups and downs.

Sorry Si – couldn’t resist!

My dream job is colouring comics, and I’ve been lucky enough to work on some good properties – Transformers, Doctor Who, Torchwood, uh… Turtles… hehe… but unfortunately the work is so sporadic, you can’t make a living off it.

My 9-5 is working in a loans call centre, having customers bitch and moan at me about rate hikes and mis-sold insurance. I’ve never been so close to to sliding a hosepipe from exhaust to car interior, and just topping myself in the parking lot.

[Gwynnie]

Awww, don’t do that over some stupid job. It’s only temporary, and it really doesn’t matter in the end. It’s what I tell myself anyway!

[Carlito]

In April my general insurance call centre went bust after two years of working there. I fucking hated it.

After six months of no work, I’ve romanticised it to the point if it re-opened I’d be chomping at the bit to go back.

[Gwynnie]

Oh dear. That’s what happens, I’m now convincing myself that my old jobs were better. At least they were temporary, part-time jobs while I was at college/uni, not the *only* thing going. Maybe we could all put our heads together and set up a business instead! I do hope to have my own holistic therapy practice one day though, oh yes.

[Trena]

What, like Dirk Gently?

Good lord.

[hummingbird]

I’ve a few friends who run their own small businesses, and I wouldn’t thank you for it.

Of course there are those who make it big, but most small businessess involve working 24/7, few holidays, no sick pay, and a shed load of stress.

[Gwynnie]

Well, not a holistic detective agency, although it sounds FUN! Nah, but if it’s a choice between trying to run your own or being unemployed… well, it’s up to you whether you prefer a secure, low income from Jobseeker’s or to take the gamble.

[Trena]

Use your degree to good use like everyone else this year and become a well-read shelf stacker.

[redhead85]

> I?ve a few friends who run their own small businesses, and I wouldn?t thank you for it.
Of course there are those who make it big, but most small businessess involve working 24/7, few holidays, no sick pay, and a shed load of stress.

I worked at a small company (just three of us) for 18 months running a section of the business and I was very miserable.

So I utilised connections I’d built up with clients (in the mafia) and moved into an ad agency in media planning and buying – an area where it’s more about who you know not what you know in order to get in.

> Use your degree to good use like everyone else this year and become a well-read shelf stacker.

Well it’s something I can always fall back on.

[Dave]

I’m temping at the moment. It’s not the worst job I’ve had, but it’s dull. Although I did meet a man called Mr Cunto today (absolutely true) which slightly made up for it.

[Carlito]

Oh, I encountered some amazing names when I was in the call centre.

Some of my favourites:

Professor Premiere
Mrs Knott-Goodenough
Peter Perfect (the Father Ted fan in me appreciated that one)
Mr Digarse
Mr Superman
Judith Priest

There were loads of great ones, much better than that, but considering I have the memory of a brain damaged goldfish they’re just the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

In the 15 hours since I last posted, I’ve actually (finally!) managed to procure myself a full time job with Virgin Media, so that was nice.

[Dave]

Congratulations.

[Carlito]

Cheers dude :)

[Trena]

I once studied alongside David Bowie.

[Carlito]

I’ve worked with Chris Rock, Paul Newman and Gary Newman (Numan, whatever) in my time.

[Dave]

>I?ve worked with Chris Rock, Paul Newman and Gary Newman (Numan, whatever) in my time.

And Rob Brydon.

[Trena]

Now that I think of it, I also studied with Chris Barrie, he was into cars as well.

[Carlito]

Yeah but that was the real Rob Brydon. The rest were just name-a-likes.

[Carlito]

I am actually cousins with the real Susan Sarandon. Never met her though.

[Dave]

I worked with a Peter Jackson.

[Pete Part Three]

I saw Tom Cruise in a film once.

[Dave]

Where did he cruise to?

[Trena]

I was going to swipe the bible in the hotel and get Craig Charles to sign it, but I forgot.

[Seb Patrick]

My dream job is colouring comics, and I?ve been lucky enough to work on some good properties – Transformers, Doctor Who, Torchwood, uh? Turtles? hehe? but unfortunately the work is so sporadic, you can?t make a living off it.

Do you do work for IDW, Kris, or is this for UK publications? Anything I might have read?

Also: do you draw, or just colour? (I don’t mean “just” in a pejorative sense, I’m well aware of the significance of colourists; I just mean do you draw as well?)

[mick]

I’m in a well paid job that I hate, and cant afford to take a poorly paid job that I would love, that sucks.

[Gwynnie]

Mick! Hello :) where were you??

Hmm, well, if we’re talking about celebrities, all I’ve got is the touching thing. But my uncle is friends with John Barrowman, Cameron Mackintosh and many awesome people like that ;)

[Kris ‘Drivaaar’ Carter]

Do you do work for IDW, Kris, or is this for UK publications? Anything I might have read?

Also: do you draw, or just colour? (I don?t mean ?just? in a pejorative sense, I?m well aware of the significance of colourists; I just mean do you draw as well?)

Just the colouring, my line art is “bit crap” (just been drawing some stuff for Ben’s Jump-Leads guest strip if y’don’t believe me!). But yeah, I crayola for Titan and IDW.

Titan, done a few issues and covers for Transformer magazine, and worked on two or three installments of Rift War for Torchwood magazine (and another story called Jetsam). Also did the last two issues of TMNT: Fast Forward

IDW-wise I worked on Transformers: Devastation, Spotlights Arcee, Hardhead, and Cyclonus, also worked on All Hail Megatron 8 & 15, and coloured most of the Revenge Of The Fallen movie comic (had to sig my first NDA for that one! Whooop!)

Also for IDW, I did over half of the Doctor Who: Forgotten series (did the 5th, 6th & 7th Doctor stories, plus loads of 10th Doctor, and the big last issue with all the Doctors up to 10), and also the one shots Autopia, Room With A Deja View, and Cold Blooded War.

So yeah, you may have seen some of it! Hope you liked it, come to think of it!

My Dev-art Gallery…

[redhead85]

Congrats on the new job Carl! What are you gonna be doing?

[hummingbird]

Nice one Carl. I hope it’s an improvemenr on the last job.

> My Dev-art Gallery?

Oh, so that was yours! I liked it, muchly.

I have clients called Rimmer and Lyster, and also a C Annetts.
Which is nice.

[Carlito]

cheers guys… I don’t actually know what the job is yet because it’s not the one I was actually interviewd for, apparently… I guess it’s like the Kinder Surprise of jobs.

[Seb Patrick]

Also for IDW, I did over half of the Doctor Who: Forgotten series (did the 5th, 6th & 7th Doctor stories, plus loads of 10th Doctor, and the big last issue with all the Doctors up to 10), and also the one shots Autopia, Room With A Deja View, and Cold Blooded War.

Awesome stuff. Yeah, I read The Forgotten (nice story, shame about the ending) – in fact, if you coloured the big double-page spread of all ten Doctors, then that’s been posted here somewhere before ;-) And RWADV, too – I know Rich, so I made sure to pick that one up even though getting the IDW stuff over here is a patchy process at best…

[Kris ‘Drivaaar’ Carter]

Awesome stuff. Yeah, I read The Forgotten (nice story, shame about the ending) – in fact, if you coloured the big double-page spread of all ten Doctors, then that?s been posted here somewhere before ;-) And RWADV, too – I know Rich, so I made sure to pick that one up even though getting the IDW stuff over here is a patchy process at best?

Yup, the spread was mine! I’ve got some comp copies of the IDW Who stuff kicking about if you’re missing any. Rich’s story made my brain hurt!

[Anonymous]

I have an excellent job. Unfortunately I’ve demonstrated recently a previously untapped potential to be complete arse.

Rather have a shitty job TBH.

[Anonymous]

Ain’t I glass half empty today!

First post for fucking ages and it’s a winge.

I’m off to watch some Gervais.

[Anonymous]

*testing, testing*

Cunt piss wank bollocks Alabama hot pocket

[si]

>First post for fucking ages and it?s a winge.

Never mind, nice to have you back.

>I?m off to watch some Gervais.

GET OUT!

*vomits*

[Dave]

>Cunt piss wank bollocks Alabama hot pocket

Adorable.

[Arlene Rimmer BSc SSc]

Hey. Hey! I’ll thank you to tone down the language. My computer screen is not a toilet, and I most certainly do not appreciate being subjected to filthy, nasty, rude and frankly disgusting words like “*l*b*m*” and “G*rv**s”. I mean, really.

[Author]

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