Employment Update
It's my last day here at Ye Olde Transit Centre. I started working for the city's bus system as an information clerk in July of '07, and since then I have learned much more about municipal infrastructure, union politics and city bus routes than I would have thought possible.
I think this job helped hone my navigation skills (which weren't exactly sharp to begin with) and allowed me to develop a deep and profound disgust for dealing with the public over the phone. I kept this Transit job long after I probably should have let it go. But I like security, dig? I definitely liked the extra paycheck, even though getting up to give people directions over the phone at 7:30am every Saturday wasn't exactly good times. My coworkers were nuts, which provided an endless source of amusement, and I did enjoy the whole "unfettered internet access for 8hrs a day, during which you answer 30-120 ~3min phone calls" job description. For $15/hr, it was worth it. After being employed for six years in the salt mines of minimum wage graveyard shifts? MUCH more preferable. So...the Transit Centre was a good place, for a while.
But with an insane workload looming in September and a huge number of students to educate (even though my online course seems to be non-existent at the moment, which means I'm out 80 students and $4000) I finally decided to quit the Transit Centre. My supervisor didn't asked me to return my employee transit pass, and I'm not sure I will. (Hi, meresy, this is where I shatter another one of your illusions - I am unethical and untrustworthy when it comes to free transportation!)
There were rumours of a potential support staff strike at Ye Olde Institution of Higher Learning, but apparently they reached a tentative agreement on Labour Day. This is a huge relief - the support staff is responsible for all administration duties, including student testing and placement. Since I'm teaching a remedial communications course for the first time, me and my fellow teachers sort of depend on the placement tests. Plus the support staff are the ones who distribute the paychecks. Had a strike occurred, we might not have seen a paycheck until November or even December. And since scarfe and I are both employed at the Institute of (Semi) Higher Learning...well, it was a bit tense around Casa de Nos as we waited for the news about the strike. But! Diaster has been averted.
This week is the Toronto Film Festival, including a premiere of Passchendaele, which I'm attending with meresy and scarfe and clionaeilis. Poor bohemian__storm had to work, a sad event for which I'm not quite ready to forgive her evil overlords.
After that it's the new semester (aaaaack I'm not ready!) and mid-month I start those LSAT prep classes and the law school application process. I think I may have to schedule some fannish downtime around September/October, actually. I've fallen out of my routine at the gym, and I probably should put in some time towards professional career-type stuff. I also have a Seekrit (Original) Writing Project that'll need some TLC. So! You may be free of me for a month or so, chickadees! I'm going to cram in the fangirl funtimes at TIFF, and the Match, and as much R&R as possible before the fall crunchtime.
I think this job helped hone my navigation skills (which weren't exactly sharp to begin with) and allowed me to develop a deep and profound disgust for dealing with the public over the phone. I kept this Transit job long after I probably should have let it go. But I like security, dig? I definitely liked the extra paycheck, even though getting up to give people directions over the phone at 7:30am every Saturday wasn't exactly good times. My coworkers were nuts, which provided an endless source of amusement, and I did enjoy the whole "unfettered internet access for 8hrs a day, during which you answer 30-120 ~3min phone calls" job description. For $15/hr, it was worth it. After being employed for six years in the salt mines of minimum wage graveyard shifts? MUCH more preferable. So...the Transit Centre was a good place, for a while.
But with an insane workload looming in September and a huge number of students to educate (even though my online course seems to be non-existent at the moment, which means I'm out 80 students and $4000) I finally decided to quit the Transit Centre. My supervisor didn't asked me to return my employee transit pass, and I'm not sure I will. (Hi, meresy, this is where I shatter another one of your illusions - I am unethical and untrustworthy when it comes to free transportation!)
There were rumours of a potential support staff strike at Ye Olde Institution of Higher Learning, but apparently they reached a tentative agreement on Labour Day. This is a huge relief - the support staff is responsible for all administration duties, including student testing and placement. Since I'm teaching a remedial communications course for the first time, me and my fellow teachers sort of depend on the placement tests. Plus the support staff are the ones who distribute the paychecks. Had a strike occurred, we might not have seen a paycheck until November or even December. And since scarfe and I are both employed at the Institute of (Semi) Higher Learning...well, it was a bit tense around Casa de Nos as we waited for the news about the strike. But! Diaster has been averted.
This week is the Toronto Film Festival, including a premiere of Passchendaele, which I'm attending with meresy and scarfe and clionaeilis. Poor bohemian__storm had to work, a sad event for which I'm not quite ready to forgive her evil overlords.
After that it's the new semester (aaaaack I'm not ready!) and mid-month I start those LSAT prep classes and the law school application process. I think I may have to schedule some fannish downtime around September/October, actually. I've fallen out of my routine at the gym, and I probably should put in some time towards professional career-type stuff. I also have a Seekrit (Original) Writing Project that'll need some TLC. So! You may be free of me for a month or so, chickadees! I'm going to cram in the fangirl funtimes at TIFF, and the Match, and as much R&R as possible before the fall crunchtime.