Well, it's been over a month since I last posted anything...
It's been almost that long since I've been on LJ at all. Things have been a bit busy, which is somewhat like saying "Hell is a little bit hot." A few other cliches also apply: "Be careful what you wish for" and "drinking from a fire-hose" being the most appropriate.
So, the good news is I got the position for which I interviewed. Today completed Week #4 and was celebrated with Paycheck #2. Huzzah.
The position is in Portsmouth, NH. It's a lovely city that's about a 2hour and 20min drive from my house if I'm out the door at 6am on Monday mornings and I take the wide route around Boston. Ironically, though Boston is a lot closer, I can actually get to the new job in less time because Boston traffic consists of a new level of hell that Dante didn't document. NH is also far better aligned to my personal feelings regarding government, politics, etc., so that's been great. One of my co-workers, who has similar leanings, welcomed me to "the United States of America" after congratulating me on my escape from "Rhode Islastan". He later informed me that if I'd relocated from MA that I would have had to have been quarantined for a short period until they could determine if deprogramming was appropriate. Got to love the sense of humor. :-)
My title is Technology Project Manager. At the time of my hiring, the Project Management Office (PMO) consisted of a senior PM (equivalent to director), another PM and a Business Analyst. A second BA hired on the same day I did, bringing the PMO up to a total of five bodies, which is severely below reasonable staffing levels. Last week, the more-junior PM left the company, having given her two week's notice, well, two weeks ago. It turns out that the original BA is also about to leave. That means that the PMO will very soon consist of one senior PM that's over-stressed to the point that I'm honestly worried for her health and two guys that have a month with the company. Oh, the senior PM is also trying to finish her master's degree while putting in 12-14 hour days.
By the way, by 2:00pm on Day #1 I owned three projects. I now own nine. Brenda, the senior PM, has informed the new BA and me that we're not only not allowed to resign, we have to provide a minimum of three weeks notice before being allowed to die. Ha-fucking-ha. I've done the "drinking from a fire-hose" trick before, but this is the first time I've had to juggle a half dozen fire-hoses at once, all aimed at my head and all wide open. This must be what water-boarding feels like.
Let's talk about the tempo: we just transitioned to a new phone system. This normally would be a 6 month project, which would have quite a bit of room for maneuvering when confronted with delays, etc. If things worked perfectly, with no inventory or scheduling issues from the vendors, you could get this done in three months, but it'd be very tight. We just finished it in 30 days. Why? Because that's how they operate. *smacks head* Yes, they take a great deal of pride in setting impossible goals and then beating themselves to death in order to meet the deadlines. Of course, this maybe, just maybe, might have something to do with the incredible employee turnover they have. Maybe. LOL
So, the new job is insane, but I'm loving it (so far.) I have a roommate who is very cool. I'm home on the weekends (four day weekend this week!) and things seem to be going pretty well. Maybe I'll even have time to update again in another month, unless they find Brenda's body next to her desk and I become the PMO lead via attrition. *shudders*
So, the good news is I got the position for which I interviewed. Today completed Week #4 and was celebrated with Paycheck #2. Huzzah.
The position is in Portsmouth, NH. It's a lovely city that's about a 2hour and 20min drive from my house if I'm out the door at 6am on Monday mornings and I take the wide route around Boston. Ironically, though Boston is a lot closer, I can actually get to the new job in less time because Boston traffic consists of a new level of hell that Dante didn't document. NH is also far better aligned to my personal feelings regarding government, politics, etc., so that's been great. One of my co-workers, who has similar leanings, welcomed me to "the United States of America" after congratulating me on my escape from "Rhode Islastan". He later informed me that if I'd relocated from MA that I would have had to have been quarantined for a short period until they could determine if deprogramming was appropriate. Got to love the sense of humor. :-)
My title is Technology Project Manager. At the time of my hiring, the Project Management Office (PMO) consisted of a senior PM (equivalent to director), another PM and a Business Analyst. A second BA hired on the same day I did, bringing the PMO up to a total of five bodies, which is severely below reasonable staffing levels. Last week, the more-junior PM left the company, having given her two week's notice, well, two weeks ago. It turns out that the original BA is also about to leave. That means that the PMO will very soon consist of one senior PM that's over-stressed to the point that I'm honestly worried for her health and two guys that have a month with the company. Oh, the senior PM is also trying to finish her master's degree while putting in 12-14 hour days.
By the way, by 2:00pm on Day #1 I owned three projects. I now own nine. Brenda, the senior PM, has informed the new BA and me that we're not only not allowed to resign, we have to provide a minimum of three weeks notice before being allowed to die. Ha-fucking-ha. I've done the "drinking from a fire-hose" trick before, but this is the first time I've had to juggle a half dozen fire-hoses at once, all aimed at my head and all wide open. This must be what water-boarding feels like.
Let's talk about the tempo: we just transitioned to a new phone system. This normally would be a 6 month project, which would have quite a bit of room for maneuvering when confronted with delays, etc. If things worked perfectly, with no inventory or scheduling issues from the vendors, you could get this done in three months, but it'd be very tight. We just finished it in 30 days. Why? Because that's how they operate. *smacks head* Yes, they take a great deal of pride in setting impossible goals and then beating themselves to death in order to meet the deadlines. Of course, this maybe, just maybe, might have something to do with the incredible employee turnover they have. Maybe. LOL
So, the new job is insane, but I'm loving it (so far.) I have a roommate who is very cool. I'm home on the weekends (four day weekend this week!) and things seem to be going pretty well. Maybe I'll even have time to update again in another month, unless they find Brenda's body next to her desk and I become the PMO lead via attrition. *shudders*