Do you have that number for truck driving school?

[leeroysphitz]

I've made up my mind today. After sending out numerous resumes over that last few weeks I realized that I'm just going to have to be more proactive. I can't tolerate my current job anymore. If I can't manage a change soon I'm going to have to pick up stakes and go back down south.

I feel bad complaining knowing that many are flat out of work and looking harder than I am but honestly, picture being TRAPPED in that worst job you've ever had for years on end. You would need some sort of change too!

I've hated this job since almost the day I got it but I am stuck,I live in Detroit and you don't just "switch" jobs in Detroit.

I've stuck with this hateful water boarding of a job for 5 years despite the mortal frustrations, humiliation and belittlement from coworkers and especially management.

For starters the owner, Mark, in his arrogance and ignorance decided a year ago that I was only being obstinate and untrustworthy when I had to tell him, the spoiled brat king, that some of the things he wanted couldn't be done in the time frame he demanded.

The gloating childish smugness I felt when the people he brought in, who were supposed to do my job SO much better than me, FAILED to meet his impossible demands and were unable to work at even HALF my pace (and were subsequently LET GO (what an asshole)) was short lived.

So what? Any satisfaction I've ever gotten at this job was short lived.

I spent all of last December and January engineering, detailing and fabricating the ENTIRELY new line of Sprint Corporate store fixtures. I made the deadline for the Las Vegas trade show, I pleased the customer and I was able to produce, from the squirrelly images in my brain, attractive and durable store fixtures that looked like custom designs but which could be made in a production time frame. This was an enormously important success for the company. It guaranteed that sales this year would exceed last year's (already our highest ever.) That glow was promptly snuffed once everybody who could figure out that they weren't getting any credit for my work decided to try forcing design "improvements" on it. Almost all of these "improvements", of course, were frivolous and only a few proposed revisions turned out to be at at all valid (hey, I'm only human) but so what? Why should people who didn't have to sweat and toil and cringe and who don't even give a shit about the project get to horn in on the success? MY success? Scumbags! Fuck 'em.

When I came to this company I spent the first 2 1/2 years trying to convince my "superiors" to adopt my production methods and system of detailed shop drawings and materials "cut lists" to streamline production. I was fought tooth and nail, offered every possible objection, every step of the way, even by those that, to my face, claimed to support the idea. It wasn't a coincidence that this company's increased production just happened to begin when I was finally given a chance to implement my system (and that isn't bull shit. They were still producing using 19th century techniques before I introduced them to the joys of Excel, auto cad and Computer Assisted Machining.)

I've developed store fixture lines for Sprint, T-mobile, Verizon, Metro PCS, Marlboro, Bailey's Irish Cream, dish net and others. I've taken the very crudest of customer "ideas" and developed them into profitable production lines and yet it's never good enough. I have to re-prove myself again and again. Every little step forward has to be fought and clawed for. But for howl long? When do I finally prove myself?

Well I guess I can never prove myself and finding out that they are hiring a new Plant Manager to replace my supervisor when he moves up proves it. Instead of hiring and training in house (ME) they've decided to keep me where I am at ( you know, making them all this money). This move on their part effectively denies me any HOPE of advancement within this company EVER. (literally. There is now nowhere else for me to go except OUT.)

Well FUCK THEM. I put up with the hour and twenty minute commute, I tolerated baby sitting the boss's ADHD son and the "Mr. Scott " style deadlines and everything else because there was room for advancement. I have a family to think about and I'm not getting any younger. but now, if the chance for promotion is gone, I have to ask myself why in god's name am I putting up with this shit? So I can be doing this same gig when I'm 70? I don't fucking think so. I'm 37. I'm usually the smartest guy in whatever room I happen to be in (except the lounge). There has got to be something better for me than this.

I know I sound childish and petulant but the fact is that my stress level has reached a breaking point. I'm burned out and I've managed to hold on this long only because of Johnny, Trent and Teresa and I know what quitting without another job would mean for them.

Thanks for letting me vent. I needed that.