went into work for my last day today. i only had to stay half day and went home at lunchtime. as it was new years eve there weren't too many people in the office but i said goodbye to a couple of the guys that were there. they wished me luck for the future and that was it. it felt really good to have done my time there and to be out now.
its been 7 months since i left my last job but it feels like i left that place years ago. its been refreshing to be out that place and its going to be good to be somewhere new again in the new year. even taking a different train to a new part of town has been good. i would hate to think how i would feel if i hadn't left that last place. just stuck in a rut accepting what was happening and being unhappy most of the time.
its been a good year. difficult but good. 08 is going to be the same.....hopefully.
have a good one.
Monday 31 December 2007
Wednesday 26 December 2007
merry but slighly boring crimbo
have had a sniffly cold since last weekend and i am just getting over it now. its nice being off work for christmas and new year, but it can get really really boring. eating and watching tv can get boring after a couple of hours, and yet here i am on day two and i am still eating and watching tv. :-)
i am so thankful i am employed because if i led this type of lifestyle for even a few weeks i would just turn into a slob. yes it sucks getting up early in the morning and catching the train and sitting at my desk at work doing easy work but at least it gets me up and active. i am almost looking forwards to going to work tomorrow, even though i have to wake up at 5am because i am on earlies this week. i suppose its worse because everything is shut for the holidays as well. i can't even go to the gym which is usually a good fallback when you get really bored.
anyways, christmas has been ok. all the sales started to today in the shops and i thought about heading out for about 2 seconds before deciding against it. first off, i don't need anything and secondly, there will be a million people out there crammed into the shops hunting for bargains and elbowing each other out the way trying to find that shirt or jacket in the right size. i can't be bothered with any of that stuff.
this is pretty much it for me at work this week. my official last day is monday 31st december and then we are into the great unknown. its going to be wicked. not seen that many jobs advertised but thats because no one is really advertising new positions in the last week of december. come january once recruiters and HR people are back at work, i am expecting it to get busy. saying that i have seen one or two interesting looking roles already. will apply for them in the first week of january.
today i have mostly been listening to cold war kids - we used to vacation.
i am so thankful i am employed because if i led this type of lifestyle for even a few weeks i would just turn into a slob. yes it sucks getting up early in the morning and catching the train and sitting at my desk at work doing easy work but at least it gets me up and active. i am almost looking forwards to going to work tomorrow, even though i have to wake up at 5am because i am on earlies this week. i suppose its worse because everything is shut for the holidays as well. i can't even go to the gym which is usually a good fallback when you get really bored.
anyways, christmas has been ok. all the sales started to today in the shops and i thought about heading out for about 2 seconds before deciding against it. first off, i don't need anything and secondly, there will be a million people out there crammed into the shops hunting for bargains and elbowing each other out the way trying to find that shirt or jacket in the right size. i can't be bothered with any of that stuff.
this is pretty much it for me at work this week. my official last day is monday 31st december and then we are into the great unknown. its going to be wicked. not seen that many jobs advertised but thats because no one is really advertising new positions in the last week of december. come january once recruiters and HR people are back at work, i am expecting it to get busy. saying that i have seen one or two interesting looking roles already. will apply for them in the first week of january.
today i have mostly been listening to cold war kids - we used to vacation.
Friday 21 December 2007
its friday
there was a placement available at another investment bank that may have involved VMware. i decided to pass it up as my plan is to get out there in the new year and get something for myself. in hindsight i am glad i passed it up because one of the guys here has got it and by how he described it, it sounds like copying files from one storage system to another. it sounds like it could well be shit.....but it might turn out ok. it fits in with the plans the other guy has which was to look for a job in early summer. for me, it would have been no good as i want out ....and soon.
dickhead hasn't said a word to me today, which is good. me and the guy who has got the new placement were talking about the type of questions he got asked in his interview and dickhead tried to join in but we just both ignored him. the other guy hates dickhead to. he told me that on his first day he mistakenly pronounced dickeads real name and instead of being corrected or anything, dickhead just looked back at him with a dirty look and didn't say anything. not the thing to do when you first meet someone. he is going to give a wonderful first impression in any interviews he has in the new year.
he is soooo screwed if he has to find a new job. it will be a shock to his system when he has to do a full days work instead of going to the gym between 2-3pm most days. you can't pull that kind of shit in a new job. you can't also field calls on your mobile every 20 minutes from your friends and other people and he will definitely have to lose the attitude and stop making a face like he has just taken a sip of coffee only to find out thats its cold, stale and has a cigarette butt floating in it, every time he you ask a question.
oh dear....someone has just come over and asked him to do some work. i was on the phone at the time to a user and usually he would just pass them on to me, but he couldn't because i was already doing something. oh no...he is going to have to do some work on a friday afternoon!!!!. simply outrageous.
nothing to do at work today really, which is not a new phenomenon.
every passing day brings us closer to the end.
dickhead hasn't said a word to me today, which is good. me and the guy who has got the new placement were talking about the type of questions he got asked in his interview and dickhead tried to join in but we just both ignored him. the other guy hates dickhead to. he told me that on his first day he mistakenly pronounced dickeads real name and instead of being corrected or anything, dickhead just looked back at him with a dirty look and didn't say anything. not the thing to do when you first meet someone. he is going to give a wonderful first impression in any interviews he has in the new year.
he is soooo screwed if he has to find a new job. it will be a shock to his system when he has to do a full days work instead of going to the gym between 2-3pm most days. you can't pull that kind of shit in a new job. you can't also field calls on your mobile every 20 minutes from your friends and other people and he will definitely have to lose the attitude and stop making a face like he has just taken a sip of coffee only to find out thats its cold, stale and has a cigarette butt floating in it, every time he you ask a question.
oh dear....someone has just come over and asked him to do some work. i was on the phone at the time to a user and usually he would just pass them on to me, but he couldn't because i was already doing something. oh no...he is going to have to do some work on a friday afternoon!!!!. simply outrageous.
nothing to do at work today really, which is not a new phenomenon.
every passing day brings us closer to the end.
Thursday 20 December 2007
penultimate week
the department head came over to my desk yesterday and said he was off for the rest of the year and he shook my hand and said that he appreciated the work that i had done. maybe he thought that i was sad to be leaving because he sounded almost apologetic about it, but i said thanks back to him and wished him well. one of the guys said it was quite funny the way i was grinning when he said they had tried to extend my contract but couldn't. he said that i was supposed to look sad that i was leaving, not grinning like a cat that got the cream. :-). oh well.
so whenever the department manager is away, dickhead who sits next to me, takes it upon himself to take over the running of the department and sit there telling me what i should be doing and how i should do it.
today he has been on particularly annoying form and has been condescending and patronising in his usual way. i nearly said something but its not worth it this late in the day when i am a week away from leaving.
anyways, his contract has not been renewed through next year and he really wanted to stay here because its comfortable easy work and he can lord it over people like me. they have said its been extended for a month next year but that looks like all it will be. it means he will have to get a job somewhere new.
maybe thats why he is being such an ass with me, because he is worried about being out there having to deal with people he doesn't know, and they will think he is a prick, like i do. it don't matter for him here because he has been here years, but if you go somewhere new, you have to adapt yourself to the way they do things and you have to deal with all manner of cunts and its a question of just getting down to doing the work and getting through it. he simply doesn't have the capacity to do that because he thinks he is lord and master of everything but actually he doesn't have that many skills. he can unlock accounts and send shitty emails but he knows nothing about messaging, or networks, or databases, or webservers, or virtualisation, or anything else that he could possibly get asked to do in a diverse technical environment. he told me he hadn't done any exams for 7 years and that he thought they didn't prove anything about your ability. thats actually partly true but when you are looking for a job i would rather have have an MCSE and VCP, than not.
and i think he also doesn't like the fact that i went on my course a couple of weeks ago and knocked out my exam yesterday and the fact that i have made it known that i am looking around for a new challenge next year. i think he thinks that i think i am too good for this place and that my ambitions are beyond what i am doing, and he is correct if thats what he thinks.
so whenever the department manager is away, dickhead who sits next to me, takes it upon himself to take over the running of the department and sit there telling me what i should be doing and how i should do it.
today he has been on particularly annoying form and has been condescending and patronising in his usual way. i nearly said something but its not worth it this late in the day when i am a week away from leaving.
anyways, his contract has not been renewed through next year and he really wanted to stay here because its comfortable easy work and he can lord it over people like me. they have said its been extended for a month next year but that looks like all it will be. it means he will have to get a job somewhere new.
maybe thats why he is being such an ass with me, because he is worried about being out there having to deal with people he doesn't know, and they will think he is a prick, like i do. it don't matter for him here because he has been here years, but if you go somewhere new, you have to adapt yourself to the way they do things and you have to deal with all manner of cunts and its a question of just getting down to doing the work and getting through it. he simply doesn't have the capacity to do that because he thinks he is lord and master of everything but actually he doesn't have that many skills. he can unlock accounts and send shitty emails but he knows nothing about messaging, or networks, or databases, or webservers, or virtualisation, or anything else that he could possibly get asked to do in a diverse technical environment. he told me he hadn't done any exams for 7 years and that he thought they didn't prove anything about your ability. thats actually partly true but when you are looking for a job i would rather have have an MCSE and VCP, than not.
and i think he also doesn't like the fact that i went on my course a couple of weeks ago and knocked out my exam yesterday and the fact that i have made it known that i am looking around for a new challenge next year. i think he thinks that i think i am too good for this place and that my ambitions are beyond what i am doing, and he is correct if thats what he thinks.
me and one of the guys here are always talking about the next exam we are planning to take or any interesting products we have seen or read about and i know it really gets on dickheads nerves when we carry on about stuff like that because we never involve him in any of the discussions and also i can see that he has no idea of what we are talking about most of the time.
he likes offering his opinion even when you don't ask, about how to do stuff here, even if its the simplest shit and when we are talking about some technology he has no idea about, he gets annoyed that he can't show off or offer any insight to us about it. its all over his head. i hate it when techies get really geeky and start showing off, but i do it deliberately to dickhead because he is such an ass with me. i have to get my own back on him somehow and make him feel uncomfortable, but i have to be subtle about it. :-)
he couldn't understand it yesterday when i told him i would turn down lots of money if i got offered a boring job. he actively wants a boring job so that he will not be exposed as being limited in his ability. i think if you have passion and an interest in at least seeking out interesting roles and technolgy then actually people will pay you lots of money for the skills you have accumalated. i think lots of people just want to pick up pay cheques. maybe one day i will be like that. i hope i am in a good job doing interesting things when that happens not doing shitty admin tasks like what dickhead does and yet which he thinks is so important and skillful. i have news for you dickhead. in the 4 years you have spent here at the bank, technology has moved in leaps and bounds and you need to show you know more than just how to install windows server on a HP box, if you want to get a job out there.
sorry about the long post, but its been a trying day and i have to vent somewhere. have been biting my lip for a very long time and you just need to let it out otherwise you will burst. can't have that now, can we.
goodbye you asshole. there are probably loads more like you out there but we shall try and avoid them, and if we do come across more like you, we can rest assured that my prophecy does actually ring true.
- everyone gets found out in the end -
Wednesday 19 December 2007
99%
i passed my exam today. i went to the test centre at lunchtime to do it. when i went down to reception to sign in the guy there recognised me from 2 years ago when i did a cisco course there. how bizarre.
anyways i had studied hard for the exam and blitzed through it in about 25 minutes and i got 99% on my score. i was very pleased but i had studied really hard and so it would have been bad if i had failed. i really can't think of any more i could have possibly done to prepare. it means i am officially a VMware VCP and i don't know too many of them, in fact i don't know a single one.
I will wait a couple of days for my welcome pack and then update my CV and put the logo on it before i fire it out for jobs in the new year. will see if i can join a team that is doing interesting things with it. its a hot technology right now so i am hopeful.
i am also going to study for the windows 2008 MCSE upgrade exam and am looking to take it at the beginning of january. once that is out of the way i can relax a little and just do a normal level of reading and studying with out having the pressure of getting myself exam-ready. anyway tonight i think i won't do any study. a night off is due i think. will get back to it this weekend.
only 6 more days of work left at the bank after today and then its a brave new world come january 1st.
today i have mostly been listening to angels and airwaves - call to arms.
take care. don't work too hard. no one else is. :-)
anyways i had studied hard for the exam and blitzed through it in about 25 minutes and i got 99% on my score. i was very pleased but i had studied really hard and so it would have been bad if i had failed. i really can't think of any more i could have possibly done to prepare. it means i am officially a VMware VCP and i don't know too many of them, in fact i don't know a single one.
I will wait a couple of days for my welcome pack and then update my CV and put the logo on it before i fire it out for jobs in the new year. will see if i can join a team that is doing interesting things with it. its a hot technology right now so i am hopeful.
i am also going to study for the windows 2008 MCSE upgrade exam and am looking to take it at the beginning of january. once that is out of the way i can relax a little and just do a normal level of reading and studying with out having the pressure of getting myself exam-ready. anyway tonight i think i won't do any study. a night off is due i think. will get back to it this weekend.
only 6 more days of work left at the bank after today and then its a brave new world come january 1st.
today i have mostly been listening to angels and airwaves - call to arms.
take care. don't work too hard. no one else is. :-)
Friday 14 December 2007
we did it
it looks like its going to work out like i wanted. i have been given my end date and i won't be having my stay extended more than what we agreed at the beginning. i am out of there on december 31st.
i did what i had to do. i stayed and did my 6 months and got the name on my resume. i seriously considered leaving after the first few weeks but i told myself to stick it out and just persist with it and get through to the end of the year. in august, the end of the year looks like a long long way away but i did it, and i am feeling quite pleased with myself i got through it.
the last month in particular has been hard since i have been sitting next to the asshole who thinks he knows everything about everything but in fact knows shit and about nothing. listening to his 15 minute monotone monologues about how to do the simplest taks has been testing to put it mildly. have i ever come close to saying anything to him?. yes. did i?. no. i just wanted to get through the whole thing and not cause any disturbance.
i have learned not much technically but i think i have become more confident in myself. i have seen that these people who have been in banks for years are not better than me. i found out that they have a tiny fraction of the passion and curiousity that i have and its also been an exercise in self-discipline and restraint having to deal with the asshole everyday.
whats next???. well i did my vmware course last week and i will be taking the exam next week. there are not many properly trained and certified vmware people out there and the market is hot for virtualisation at the moment. if i pass that i will start looking for a job and i will see what i can get. i am sure something will turn up. onwards and upwards. 2008. bring it!.
PS: get to take my new bike out for the first time tomorrow when i cycle to the gym for the first time in 4 months. i can't wait to get back in the saddle. i'm back.
take care. keep smiling.
today i have mostly been listening to editors - the racing rats.
if a plane were to fall from the sky
how big a hole would it make....in the surface of the earth.
i did what i had to do. i stayed and did my 6 months and got the name on my resume. i seriously considered leaving after the first few weeks but i told myself to stick it out and just persist with it and get through to the end of the year. in august, the end of the year looks like a long long way away but i did it, and i am feeling quite pleased with myself i got through it.
the last month in particular has been hard since i have been sitting next to the asshole who thinks he knows everything about everything but in fact knows shit and about nothing. listening to his 15 minute monotone monologues about how to do the simplest taks has been testing to put it mildly. have i ever come close to saying anything to him?. yes. did i?. no. i just wanted to get through the whole thing and not cause any disturbance.
i have learned not much technically but i think i have become more confident in myself. i have seen that these people who have been in banks for years are not better than me. i found out that they have a tiny fraction of the passion and curiousity that i have and its also been an exercise in self-discipline and restraint having to deal with the asshole everyday.
whats next???. well i did my vmware course last week and i will be taking the exam next week. there are not many properly trained and certified vmware people out there and the market is hot for virtualisation at the moment. if i pass that i will start looking for a job and i will see what i can get. i am sure something will turn up. onwards and upwards. 2008. bring it!.
PS: get to take my new bike out for the first time tomorrow when i cycle to the gym for the first time in 4 months. i can't wait to get back in the saddle. i'm back.
take care. keep smiling.
today i have mostly been listening to editors - the racing rats.
if a plane were to fall from the sky
how big a hole would it make....in the surface of the earth.
Thursday 13 December 2007
job spec
I see lots of adverts for working in investment banks. they all ask for Windows 2000/2003, MCSE, Citrix, DNS, DHCP, WINS, Active Directory, VMware, NetBackup, EMC/NetApp SAN, etc etc......
The skill set they should be asking for is:
ability to use MS Outlook
able to maintain trivial conversations in an email thread to at least 10 replies.
must be able to CC at least 10 people in every email.
ability to talk about process and procedure for at least 30 minutes at a time.
able to reply to a Yes or No question with a 10 minute monolgue and avoid answering the question you originally asked.
ability to avoid taking responsibility for anything.
ability to palm responsibility onto others when given to you.
able to talk build up your achievements and experiences whilst putting down anyone who has not worked in an investment bank for any considerable time.
ability to jump on the most trivial helpdesk calls (account unlocking, change password, add groups) and avoid doing anything that might mean you have to get up from your desk.
must not have any interest or knowledge of any technology that is run outside the department or the bank ie: server virtualisation, desktop virtualisation, application virtualisation, webservers, networking, applications, databases, messaging, mobile devices.
if you can do all these things then you too can be a success in the cutting edge, high powerered world of an international investment bank.
....its been one of those days.... :-)
please please please don't renew my contract and say i have to stay.
today i have mostly been listening to placebo - days before you came.
The skill set they should be asking for is:
ability to use MS Outlook
able to maintain trivial conversations in an email thread to at least 10 replies.
must be able to CC at least 10 people in every email.
ability to talk about process and procedure for at least 30 minutes at a time.
able to reply to a Yes or No question with a 10 minute monolgue and avoid answering the question you originally asked.
ability to avoid taking responsibility for anything.
ability to palm responsibility onto others when given to you.
able to talk build up your achievements and experiences whilst putting down anyone who has not worked in an investment bank for any considerable time.
ability to jump on the most trivial helpdesk calls (account unlocking, change password, add groups) and avoid doing anything that might mean you have to get up from your desk.
must not have any interest or knowledge of any technology that is run outside the department or the bank ie: server virtualisation, desktop virtualisation, application virtualisation, webservers, networking, applications, databases, messaging, mobile devices.
if you can do all these things then you too can be a success in the cutting edge, high powerered world of an international investment bank.
....its been one of those days.... :-)
please please please don't renew my contract and say i have to stay.
today i have mostly been listening to placebo - days before you came.
Sunday 9 December 2007
back on the road again
bought a new bike today. i ordered it last week and today i went and picked it up and brought her home. had to put it in the back of the car as the weather is terrible what with it raining and dark all day. i didn't want to ride it for an hour in the rain when its brand new. hopefully it will be dry next weekend and i will be able to ride it to the gym at least one day.
my course finished last thursday and it was back to work for me on friday. the contrast was quite a shock. i went from learning really interesting things and feeding my brain with knowledge from monday to thursday, to switching my brain off on friday and doing the dullest most boring shit ever.
am really hoping my contract doesn't get renewed. either way i will be out as soon as i get something but it would just be more convenient for me if it didn't.
a couple of people i used to work with invited me to the christmas party at my old work. i told them i would not be going. i still have some really good friends there, but i will get to see them and i don't know most of the people there now, and besides all that is behind me.
thats about it really. nothing out of the ordinary planned this week. i am back to studying and i am hoping to take my exam in the next couple of weeks. if i pass i will be vmware certified and there looks like there is a lot of demand for people who can do that. we are incredibly hopeful for the new year......as i am every year.....but next year i think is going to be extra special.
today i have mostly been listening to radiohead - jigsaw falling into place. its from their new album and its the best song on the album that i have heard so far. its wicked. they are playing 2 nights in london in the summer. i might go but i might not because its in a big park in east london and i would prefer to see them in a proper venue as opposed to standing in a big field.
....right then, its a sunday evening and i have done my laundry and ironed my shirts for the week ahead at work. time to hit the books for an hour or two. one day there will be a day when i am not studying, and i look forward to that day, though i hope i will have something better to do with my time by then. :-)
take care and have a good week.
my course finished last thursday and it was back to work for me on friday. the contrast was quite a shock. i went from learning really interesting things and feeding my brain with knowledge from monday to thursday, to switching my brain off on friday and doing the dullest most boring shit ever.
am really hoping my contract doesn't get renewed. either way i will be out as soon as i get something but it would just be more convenient for me if it didn't.
a couple of people i used to work with invited me to the christmas party at my old work. i told them i would not be going. i still have some really good friends there, but i will get to see them and i don't know most of the people there now, and besides all that is behind me.
thats about it really. nothing out of the ordinary planned this week. i am back to studying and i am hoping to take my exam in the next couple of weeks. if i pass i will be vmware certified and there looks like there is a lot of demand for people who can do that. we are incredibly hopeful for the new year......as i am every year.....but next year i think is going to be extra special.
today i have mostly been listening to radiohead - jigsaw falling into place. its from their new album and its the best song on the album that i have heard so far. its wicked. they are playing 2 nights in london in the summer. i might go but i might not because its in a big park in east london and i would prefer to see them in a proper venue as opposed to standing in a big field.
....right then, its a sunday evening and i have done my laundry and ironed my shirts for the week ahead at work. time to hit the books for an hour or two. one day there will be a day when i am not studying, and i look forward to that day, though i hope i will have something better to do with my time by then. :-)
take care and have a good week.
Tuesday 4 December 2007
Day 2
it was the 2nd day of my course today and it was pretty good. the first day was quite dull but we are getting into the more interesting stuff now. i am planning to take the exam before the end of the year so that i can write it on my resume and apply for jobs in the new year. i am going under the assumption that my contract will not be renewed and that they won't need me at the bank i work at. if they do need me, then i will have to stay but will carry on applying and when it comes to leaving i will just have to do what i have to do. it could get messy but i don't care about any of that. i feel emboldened.
should be getting to see a bike this friday and i might buy it if its as all good. its going to be wicked not having to take the train to the gym on the weekends and getting some exercise. have missed not riding .
the guys i work with at the bank have organised a night out this thursday. its the last day of my course and even though i could go i really don't want to. i don't really know any of them and if i am honest, i have kept myself to myself these last 6 months at work. its just been a question of getting through it and getting upto the end of the year. i don't want to make any friends or get to familiar with anyone or anything there because it has always been in the back of my mind that i would go. this was never a long term job for me and its not what i want to do. i just did it for experience. thats all.
thats all folks. went to the gym this evening and had a really good work out. there was some idiot working out tonight and he was making so much noise during his work out. i looked across and he was lifting lightweights but was grunting like he was really doing some big weights. don't grunt when you are lifting 18kg dumbells. its not cool.
anyways, tomorrow we are going to learn more about VirtualCenter and VMotion. that should be interesting......if you are a nerd.
today i have mostly been listening to nine inch nails - every day is exactly the same.
take care.
should be getting to see a bike this friday and i might buy it if its as all good. its going to be wicked not having to take the train to the gym on the weekends and getting some exercise. have missed not riding .
the guys i work with at the bank have organised a night out this thursday. its the last day of my course and even though i could go i really don't want to. i don't really know any of them and if i am honest, i have kept myself to myself these last 6 months at work. its just been a question of getting through it and getting upto the end of the year. i don't want to make any friends or get to familiar with anyone or anything there because it has always been in the back of my mind that i would go. this was never a long term job for me and its not what i want to do. i just did it for experience. thats all.
thats all folks. went to the gym this evening and had a really good work out. there was some idiot working out tonight and he was making so much noise during his work out. i looked across and he was lifting lightweights but was grunting like he was really doing some big weights. don't grunt when you are lifting 18kg dumbells. its not cool.
anyways, tomorrow we are going to learn more about VirtualCenter and VMotion. that should be interesting......if you are a nerd.
today i have mostly been listening to nine inch nails - every day is exactly the same.
take care.
Saturday 1 December 2007
Interpol
Went to see interpol play tonight at Alexandra Palace and they were very good. They didn't play Leif Erikson or Obsacle 2 but it was still a very good show and i really liked the fact that they had made an effort to dress up for the show. They all worse black and the guitarist was wearing a very nice black suit with a shirt and tie. I think its good when a band makes an effort to get dressed up for a show. it looks a little sloppy when they are just wearing jeans and trainers. I thought they looked cool and thats how rock stars should look......and they played well and have got some really good songs.
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