Friday, July 30, 2004
I am really not enjoying my employment at RIM, I'm glad that I only have three weeks left and that the long weekend starts today.
Yesterday, my boss held a meeting about the launch of a new software product. There were about 15 people there, it was a lunch time meeting, and pizza was provided - but came half-way through the meeting. Try to picture this if you can... the meeting room was square, had a large table and a projector with a screen. There was a counter next to the screen. The pizza boxes were on the table, but my boss asked someone to pass them to me and put them on the counter next to the screen. So I did. Due to limited space, in order for anyone to get a slice of pizza, they would have to walk infront of the screen and block everyone's view, nobody wanted to do that so the pizza boxes remained unopened. No problem, I doubt anyone wanted to disturb the meeting anyway. Then about 10 minutes later, my boss stopped talking and said, rather flippantly to me "why don't you open those pizza boxes or something." Now, this put me in a difficult position - I wasn't going to open the pizza boxes because the pizza would just get cold, nobody got up to come and get any... and what was I going to do, walk around the room delivering a slice to each person? I'm not some pizza bitch!
What happened here? My boss was probably feeling uncomfortable because he had promised pizza, and now nobody could have any. So, rather than stopping the meeting and giving people time to get a slice of pizza, he made some comment that I should just "do something" as if that was going to solve anything... instead it just made me look like an idiot. Clearly the only resolution to the problem was for him to take a break from what he was saying, but it's easier just to put the pressure on the "kid".
OK, maybe I'm over reacting about this... but it really didn't help that at the same time, two people in the room were talking to each other on their BlackBerries and giggling - I'm talking 30 year old men here.
And, that is the epitome of what I hate about this place. I have never worked in an office with such a rude, unprofessional attitude. People sit in meetings and BlackBerry away even when you are talking directly to them - rude! And, every other time I book a meeting with someone (and they accept the meeting request) I get a little email from them 10 minutes after the meeting was supposed to have started saying that they won't be attending - RUDE!
People don't respond to emails that you send asking a question. If they don't know the answer, that's it. How am I supposed to know if I have the right person? There are 2500 people here, and I've only been here for 3 months! Why don't they tell me they don't know or forward it to someone who does?
Here's a great example of utter disregard for anyone else. I was given a spreadsheet from AT&T wireless asking for some product configuration info. i.e. dimensions of our packaging, weight of the boxes, how many cartons on a pallate etc. I am in marketing, I have only ever been to the plant once. I asked someone at the plant for info about the products, and a co-op student replied and told me most of what I needed to know, he even went and weighed some of the packages to find out for me. But, he didn't know how many cartons went on a pallate. So, I asked someone higher up. Instead of find out for me, he told me the dimensions of the pallate and told me to figure it out by myself. WHAT???? excuse me? I don't know anything about shipping! It's not like I was just filling out the spreadsheet for fun... AT&T is a HUGE customer, so, I had to send them a guess. Well, I hope that's OK.
Well now, I know that things are always easy in an office etc. etc. but, I have the advantage of having been a co-op student at one point. I have worked for several different organizations and none have been anywhere near as bad as this. I can understand a couple of missed meetings, but litterally every meeting I have called for people have either been late or not shown up at all. Talking on BlackBerries in meetings is a step above passing notes, and the attitude towards the students here is disgusting.
I am sick and tired of being treated like "just another co-op student"!! a) I'm not a co-op student, b) you shouldn't treat anyone like that.
There's my two cents.
BTW BlackBerry is a great product for businesses, I won't deny that.
Yesterday, my boss held a meeting about the launch of a new software product. There were about 15 people there, it was a lunch time meeting, and pizza was provided - but came half-way through the meeting. Try to picture this if you can... the meeting room was square, had a large table and a projector with a screen. There was a counter next to the screen. The pizza boxes were on the table, but my boss asked someone to pass them to me and put them on the counter next to the screen. So I did. Due to limited space, in order for anyone to get a slice of pizza, they would have to walk infront of the screen and block everyone's view, nobody wanted to do that so the pizza boxes remained unopened. No problem, I doubt anyone wanted to disturb the meeting anyway. Then about 10 minutes later, my boss stopped talking and said, rather flippantly to me "why don't you open those pizza boxes or something." Now, this put me in a difficult position - I wasn't going to open the pizza boxes because the pizza would just get cold, nobody got up to come and get any... and what was I going to do, walk around the room delivering a slice to each person? I'm not some pizza bitch!
What happened here? My boss was probably feeling uncomfortable because he had promised pizza, and now nobody could have any. So, rather than stopping the meeting and giving people time to get a slice of pizza, he made some comment that I should just "do something" as if that was going to solve anything... instead it just made me look like an idiot. Clearly the only resolution to the problem was for him to take a break from what he was saying, but it's easier just to put the pressure on the "kid".
OK, maybe I'm over reacting about this... but it really didn't help that at the same time, two people in the room were talking to each other on their BlackBerries and giggling - I'm talking 30 year old men here.
And, that is the epitome of what I hate about this place. I have never worked in an office with such a rude, unprofessional attitude. People sit in meetings and BlackBerry away even when you are talking directly to them - rude! And, every other time I book a meeting with someone (and they accept the meeting request) I get a little email from them 10 minutes after the meeting was supposed to have started saying that they won't be attending - RUDE!
People don't respond to emails that you send asking a question. If they don't know the answer, that's it. How am I supposed to know if I have the right person? There are 2500 people here, and I've only been here for 3 months! Why don't they tell me they don't know or forward it to someone who does?
Here's a great example of utter disregard for anyone else. I was given a spreadsheet from AT&T wireless asking for some product configuration info. i.e. dimensions of our packaging, weight of the boxes, how many cartons on a pallate etc. I am in marketing, I have only ever been to the plant once. I asked someone at the plant for info about the products, and a co-op student replied and told me most of what I needed to know, he even went and weighed some of the packages to find out for me. But, he didn't know how many cartons went on a pallate. So, I asked someone higher up. Instead of find out for me, he told me the dimensions of the pallate and told me to figure it out by myself. WHAT???? excuse me? I don't know anything about shipping! It's not like I was just filling out the spreadsheet for fun... AT&T is a HUGE customer, so, I had to send them a guess. Well, I hope that's OK.
Well now, I know that things are always easy in an office etc. etc. but, I have the advantage of having been a co-op student at one point. I have worked for several different organizations and none have been anywhere near as bad as this. I can understand a couple of missed meetings, but litterally every meeting I have called for people have either been late or not shown up at all. Talking on BlackBerries in meetings is a step above passing notes, and the attitude towards the students here is disgusting.
I am sick and tired of being treated like "just another co-op student"!! a) I'm not a co-op student, b) you shouldn't treat anyone like that.
There's my two cents.
BTW BlackBerry is a great product for businesses, I won't deny that.
Monday, July 19, 2004
I'm having one of those emotional breakdown days today. A friend of mine from school, Amanda, just sent out another journal entry about her ongoing trip to the South Pacific and Australia - I am so jealous. Why am I stuck at RIM working 9-5?
I have to pay $22,000.00 tuition next year and probably about $10-12K in living expenses, car, rent, bills, food, etc. that's like $34,000.00 for one year! I mean $34,000?!?!?!? 5 years ago I couldn't imagine how much money that was, and now I'm spending it. And what's worse is I only have about $12,000 saved.
And what do I get for this $34,000? a degree, and $20,000 of debt. It had better be a damn good degree. Non of this "we're willing to offer you a salary of $31,000!!" well fuck you... $50k and not a penny less.
I feel like I should just take the money I have saved at RIM fuck the masters, travel for 3 months, move somewhere hot like San Diego, find a job use my savings and investments to start a mortgage on a house, and get on with my life.
Fuck the masters degree.
Fuck the software industry (I hate software with a passion... if it was an ant, I would squash it)
And fuck snow (unless I'm skiing on it) - hell I'm not going to have kids... I'll have money... if I want to ski I'll fly to BC for Chrissake.
I appologize for the coarse language.
I have to pay $22,000.00 tuition next year and probably about $10-12K in living expenses, car, rent, bills, food, etc. that's like $34,000.00 for one year! I mean $34,000?!?!?!? 5 years ago I couldn't imagine how much money that was, and now I'm spending it. And what's worse is I only have about $12,000 saved.
And what do I get for this $34,000? a degree, and $20,000 of debt. It had better be a damn good degree. Non of this "we're willing to offer you a salary of $31,000!!" well fuck you... $50k and not a penny less.
I feel like I should just take the money I have saved at RIM fuck the masters, travel for 3 months, move somewhere hot like San Diego, find a job use my savings and investments to start a mortgage on a house, and get on with my life.
Fuck the masters degree.
Fuck the software industry (I hate software with a passion... if it was an ant, I would squash it)
And fuck snow (unless I'm skiing on it) - hell I'm not going to have kids... I'll have money... if I want to ski I'll fly to BC for Chrissake.
I appologize for the coarse language.
