4 ms·

This I feel like it's killing my career. A majority of the contracts I start are canned within a few weeks of me joining. Then they literally give me janitorial

This I feel like it's killing my career. A majority of the contracts I start are canned within a few weeks of me joining. Then they literally give me janitorial work. Can't leave, because you jump around to much. Can't say the job was canned, you should have chosen better. I haven't had a job where stuff was used for 6 years. The exception being a contracting gig. Where I wrote everything they canned me, outsourced it overseas. Then several months later asked me to come back, because the outsourcing firm only knew an older programming language. It's burn out just going to work every day. I'm either cleaning up others messes. Or interfacing with vendors. I'm totally aware that work will be tedium four out of the five days. I just want one freaking day, where I can stretch my mind, and actually do something useful. I have a world burning in my head I want to write. Several projects I want to program, and learn. Yet I'm so burnt out by work end. My work feels like a syndicate show at this point. I have been doing primarily the same thing for 5 years. I've constantly tried to buck this and get into some other area. But a personal mistake has ensured I constantly need money, and can't take the time to move properly.

aswanson 10y ago
Then they literally give me janitorial work. What?!?
- soulnothing 10y ago
  I managed the internal lab. Decomming/scrapping old servers.Breaking down card board boxes, bringing them to the loading dock/compactor etc. Finding screws that were laying about organizing them. Escort vendors onsite, help them rack. Then take care of any debris left behind. Sweep the lab etc.Air compress the servers to remove dust. That was physical. But I also extend this to. There's this project in production. Do unit tests, documentation, project planning clean up. Wiki docs, etc. Again this stuff needs to be done. This stuff is also part of any job. But if you're hired to design and lead a team to build out service X. The issue is when that project is cancelled, and your full time role now is the above. At least pivot me to be a software dev half of the week on another team. Oh wait another contracting firm owns that team, nevermind.
  - lincm 10y ago
    Literally not being used "literally literally" here. But cleaning up lab stuff is the figurative mop.
madengr 10y ago
"Then they literally give me janitorial work." That's not so bad. I'll sweep the floor in my lab, wipe down benches, equipment, etc after a project. I make it a habit of doing that so I have a fresh start for the next project. Manual labor is somewhat satisfying sometimes as you can think about other things while doing it.
- soulnothing 10y ago
  I agree with you. I actually enjoy data center work, cleaning etc. once or so a week. It's a good way to attack things from a new perspective. Just coming in to design a software solution, then pivoting over to that as your sole duty :P.

aswanson 10y ago

Then they literally give me janitorial work. What?!?

soulnothing 10y ago
I managed the internal lab. Decomming/scrapping old servers.Breaking down card board boxes, bringing them to the loading dock/compactor etc. Finding screws that were laying about organizing them. Escort vendors onsite, help them rack. Then take care of any debris left behind. Sweep the lab etc.Air compress the servers to remove dust. That was physical. But I also extend this to. There's this project in production. Do unit tests, documentation, project planning clean up. Wiki docs, etc. Again this stuff needs to be done. This stuff is also part of any job. But if you're hired to design and lead a team to build out service X. The issue is when that project is cancelled, and your full time role now is the above. At least pivot me to be a software dev half of the week on another team. Oh wait another contracting firm owns that team, nevermind.
- lincm 10y ago
  Literally not being used "literally literally" here. But cleaning up lab stuff is the figurative mop.

madengr 10y ago

"Then they literally give me janitorial work." That's not so bad. I'll sweep the floor in my lab, wipe down benches, equipment, etc after a project. I make it a habit of doing that so I have a fresh start for the next project. Manual labor is somewhat satisfying sometimes as you can think about other things while doing it.

soulnothing 10y ago
I agree with you. I actually enjoy data center work, cleaning etc. once or so a week. It's a good way to attack things from a new perspective. Just coming in to design a software solution, then pivoting over to that as your sole duty :P.