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...for the outpouring of advice, support, and even a few really good laughs
in regard to my post about the Evil Boss!
I am definitely going to incorporate a lot of your suggestions. There's
nothing better to pick a person up (is that a split infinitive?) than 54,
yes, 54 responses to her tale of woe. As Paul Harvey (remember him?) would
say, "And now for the rest of the story."
I probably mentioned that I was hired by my current employer to implement
SGML/XML in response to requirements from aerospace companies we deal with.
I've been polishing my technical skills for months, even though we're way
ahead of the game already. The plan was to train users in one large
department <Rival Female Boss's>, then roll it out, as needed, to others. I
was nagged constantly by Evil Boss about finishing this project even though
our deadline is more than a year away, and XML will only be required for one
document.
Just this morning, Evil Boss told me that <Rival Female Boss' name> has
decided she doesn't want to get involved at all with XML, and will instead
just hand off the XML stuff to outside SAP developers. So, in effect,
they've paid me for 6 months for nothing, though I've learned a lot and I
really enjoy the work. I'm amazed that the powers-that-be would allow this
project to go on so long, only to be halted before the rollout. But again,
this company is totally beyond the pale.
Before I was hired, Evil Boss said he had done a lengthy recruiting search
in our area and could not find one candidate who could "implement XML,"
which to him means "tag a document." I don't know if it was his personality
that caused people to turn down the job or what, but I'm sure that there are
others who could do this-- and most likely better than I. So, I'm not sure
what this new situation means.
However, in case you're interested (and I've certainly taken up lots of your
time already), I have four potential employers on the line, two of which
I've worked for before. And I've been "looking" since my first day on the
job. There are other contracts that may involve SGML or XML here, but I'm
very carefully keeping a polite demeanor, and not taking his bait...just in
case that next job is a month or two away. I've never left a job without
already having another firm offer. He probably wonders how I've stayed so
unflappable this long; my dentist says it's because I grind my teeth down to
the roots every night. (Truly, I'm having two dental bridges put in next
month.)
Again, thanks for all the good thoughts and advice. I think you should all
have new business cards printed that say: "Technical
Writer/Psychotherapist/Career Counselor" on them.
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