things looking up...
It's been a few months since i last wrote... but since the biggest
positive change in my life had just happened the last time i wrote, i
[somewhat] feel little else is noteworthy. That's not entirely true...
but comparatively, the other things have been gradual changes for the
better... or have been a direct result of the new career.
Oh yeah, i can better explain what that is now: I work for Harvey Industries as a COBOL programmer. For those who don't know who they are, they make Harvey Windows. Fully custom built-to-order when-you-order window production for wholesalers. Nothing is stocked! It's the type of company with an infrastructure so strong and effecient that they'll survive a 10-year recession (they also accomplish this by being privately owned, and being so wealthy they can afford to buy everything outright in cash). Anyways... all this infrastructure and automation is controlled with COBOL code... which is where I come in. If people on the production floor notice their equipment is making mistakes, i fix the code to fix the machines' tooling. Or, if a manager wants a report done nightly for all completed windows from plant X going to warehouse N on the next truck... i write a program that grabs the data and translates it for the printer. Fun stuff.
The big thing about COBOL is that it is a rediculusly simple and easy language in terms of syntax... HOWEVER, this leaves open huge hole to fill with naming conventions and coding practices that are completely company-specific, and so learning how to appropriately name your variables and functions and files and programs is a real challenge. It takes a lifetime of working with one company to understand all their COBOL programs... and so they hire programmers for Long-term.
With this newfound good fortune (making a decent salary + living at my parent's = savings gets very big very fast): I've bought new glasses which look identical to the old ones but aren't broken because of Blufish2004's boney ass; I bought a new black hat identical to my old black hat which turned into a brown hat from many band camps; I've gotten up to 132 lbs from all this food I can afford now (climbing a half pound a week!); I bought a Sentra Spec-V to replace my Ford P.O.S.; MY PARENTS ARE OFF MY ASS!!!; MY SISTER IS HUMBLED!!!
Not due to the job, but still 'good fortune' i guess: I won an ipod shuffle and traded it in for cash to buy a PS2 and some games; Dad's teaching me how to ride a motorcycle; I'm actually enjoying being single.
ok, done for now... i have to go cook.
Oh yeah, i can better explain what that is now: I work for Harvey Industries as a COBOL programmer. For those who don't know who they are, they make Harvey Windows. Fully custom built-to-order when-you-order window production for wholesalers. Nothing is stocked! It's the type of company with an infrastructure so strong and effecient that they'll survive a 10-year recession (they also accomplish this by being privately owned, and being so wealthy they can afford to buy everything outright in cash). Anyways... all this infrastructure and automation is controlled with COBOL code... which is where I come in. If people on the production floor notice their equipment is making mistakes, i fix the code to fix the machines' tooling. Or, if a manager wants a report done nightly for all completed windows from plant X going to warehouse N on the next truck... i write a program that grabs the data and translates it for the printer. Fun stuff.
The big thing about COBOL is that it is a rediculusly simple and easy language in terms of syntax... HOWEVER, this leaves open huge hole to fill with naming conventions and coding practices that are completely company-specific, and so learning how to appropriately name your variables and functions and files and programs is a real challenge. It takes a lifetime of working with one company to understand all their COBOL programs... and so they hire programmers for Long-term.
With this newfound good fortune (making a decent salary + living at my parent's = savings gets very big very fast): I've bought new glasses which look identical to the old ones but aren't broken because of Blufish2004's boney ass; I bought a new black hat identical to my old black hat which turned into a brown hat from many band camps; I've gotten up to 132 lbs from all this food I can afford now (climbing a half pound a week!); I bought a Sentra Spec-V to replace my Ford P.O.S.; MY PARENTS ARE OFF MY ASS!!!; MY SISTER IS HUMBLED!!!
Not due to the job, but still 'good fortune' i guess: I won an ipod shuffle and traded it in for cash to buy a PS2 and some games; Dad's teaching me how to ride a motorcycle; I'm actually enjoying being single.
ok, done for now... i have to go cook.