So far
I'm enjoying Auckland. The weather has been really pleasing, and it's been fun finding new places to eat out and buy food. Our upstairs neighbour is dreadfully loud and inconsiderate but we'll just move once we can afford to pay for removalists again. Until then, earplugs and shaking our fists at the ceiling. Now that I know the area better, I think I'd like to live in Devonport. There's some nice cafes there, lovely waterfront area and the supermarket is stocked high with good quality produce and the meats we prefer - freedom farm's pork, organic free-range chicken breasts.
I have no idea what to think about the new job. So far none of the work I've seen comes even close to what I actually do. They'd be able to hire someone for half my salary to do it, and they'd probably be less bored and frustrated. I've had a week of almost nothing to do - I have about two hours worth of simple systems operator work to do most days, and then nothing until I go home. I've spoken to people about it but no-one has any time right now to fix it, and in an environment under change control I'm unable to simply go and find things to do.
I am having trouble understanding why they went to so much effort to hire someone who's highly motivated, driven, and disciplined, and who can work with minimal supervision, just to leave them in a room for eight hours a day with nothing to do. They took a lot of trouble to ascertain my personality type, only to throw that information away and completely ignore what that said about the kind of environment I'd need. Hint: Anyone who's 'highly' a lot of things like driven, motivated, self-starter, is probably also highly strung.
Surely someone gave some thought as to what work they could get me to do before I'd started?
I'm hoping that I'll be happier there once I have more on my plate and can turn up in the morning knowing what I'm going to do in the day. The job is highly paid and with excellent benefits, and I am amused at myself, a little. I've gone from being underpaid and overworked and being unhappy about it, to being overpaid for the little work I'm doing and being unhappy about it.
They are quite different kinds of unhappy. The former is "I'm unhappy because life is quite hard" and the latter is "I'm unhappy because life isn't going as well as I'd like right now and I believe it's in someone's power to fix it". My sense of perspective is intact, and if they don't manage to create the job I really want I'll probably stay there anyway until a really perfect one comes along.
David probably has a short term contract at the same place. The team he'd be going into is a little better structured, and from the outside looks like it would be easy for them to properly utilise his skills so I think he'll be happier than I am at the moment. We're both looking forward to being able to commute together.
Things are falling into place. About all we're feeling the lack of at the moment is a social life - although it's not for any lack of people to spend time with. Between moving in and starting new work we've had trouble finding time. Now that life is more settled we're going to fix that and reach out to the people we know to get to know them even more.
I have no idea what to think about the new job. So far none of the work I've seen comes even close to what I actually do. They'd be able to hire someone for half my salary to do it, and they'd probably be less bored and frustrated. I've had a week of almost nothing to do - I have about two hours worth of simple systems operator work to do most days, and then nothing until I go home. I've spoken to people about it but no-one has any time right now to fix it, and in an environment under change control I'm unable to simply go and find things to do.
I am having trouble understanding why they went to so much effort to hire someone who's highly motivated, driven, and disciplined, and who can work with minimal supervision, just to leave them in a room for eight hours a day with nothing to do. They took a lot of trouble to ascertain my personality type, only to throw that information away and completely ignore what that said about the kind of environment I'd need. Hint: Anyone who's 'highly' a lot of things like driven, motivated, self-starter, is probably also highly strung.
Surely someone gave some thought as to what work they could get me to do before I'd started?
I'm hoping that I'll be happier there once I have more on my plate and can turn up in the morning knowing what I'm going to do in the day. The job is highly paid and with excellent benefits, and I am amused at myself, a little. I've gone from being underpaid and overworked and being unhappy about it, to being overpaid for the little work I'm doing and being unhappy about it.
They are quite different kinds of unhappy. The former is "I'm unhappy because life is quite hard" and the latter is "I'm unhappy because life isn't going as well as I'd like right now and I believe it's in someone's power to fix it". My sense of perspective is intact, and if they don't manage to create the job I really want I'll probably stay there anyway until a really perfect one comes along.
David probably has a short term contract at the same place. The team he'd be going into is a little better structured, and from the outside looks like it would be easy for them to properly utilise his skills so I think he'll be happier than I am at the moment. We're both looking forward to being able to commute together.
Things are falling into place. About all we're feeling the lack of at the moment is a social life - although it's not for any lack of people to spend time with. Between moving in and starting new work we've had trouble finding time. Now that life is more settled we're going to fix that and reach out to the people we know to get to know them even more.