Today has been off to a rough start for what could’ve been a nice, introspective vacation day I usually take: reflect on where I’ve been, think about where I may be going and whether or not it’s time to move on. Obviously with the economy in the crapper for anyone making less than a million bucks, the options are pretty limited. Cursed addiction to food and shelter.
My point…
April 12, 2011 has been behind the eight ball for matters outside of Apple which is why this post is pretty late. I’ve been fighting off a sore throat thanks to the pollen and temperature shifts around Central Texas. When you’re a phone agent, your voice is your livelihood. It’s like being a Heavy Metal singer without the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. I spent Sunday lying around to aid my recuperation. It was only partially successful. I got through Monday in a foggy state, grabbed the time-off hours for today on an impulse, hit Waterloo Records on the way home and then hunkered down to relax, figuring my anniversary would be a peaceful catching up/writing episode. Instead there was a personal emergency involving a trip downtown and back around 11 PM. (If I didn’t take Tuesday off, everyone involved would’ve been screwed.) Then Somara and I were going to take separate cars this morning: Somara with the Honda, me with my VW which decided to eat another battery. We’ve been managing via one functional car pretty well though, I think getting mine jumped or a new battery can wait a week. (How I can’t wait to buy a new car for myself and I promise you, it will never be another VW; mine required at least two major repairs before it turned five.)
The car thing wasn’t the end of the world. I originally planned on hoofing it to the local Starbucks all along until Somara got home, afterwards we’d go out for steak to discuss the Q4 budget of the Maggi Republic. Due to being up very late, I stayed in bed as long as the cats would allow. After getting cleaned up and a couple key chores, I make it to the shop’s front door…there’s a sign saying the place will be closed from noon to 3 PM due to the water being shut off. Of all days!
Therefore, I’m piecing this together outside. The battery life on my MacBook Pro has been very impressive. The weather? Even more spectacular. I got that element to go my way for a change. How’s my throat? The soreness is very minor. I’m keeping it pacified through sugar-free cough drops and water. Avoiding moderate or more physical activity helps too…how I miss running on my treadmill.
What about Apple? Today in 1999 I went through my orientation with six other people. Sadly, none of them remain. I think the next-to-last person quit and moved to Brazil about five years ago. Scott was pretty nice and I was bummed to see him leave. I figured he’d outlast me since my tenure got pretty rocky under some incompetent management my team had for a couple years. Matters definitely improved since then. Currently I’m closing in on my second year as a Senior Specialist while all the predecessors got plucked for other things within a year. Did they go to better gigs? Those are a matter of opinion to me. I know they went to places where their talents are put to better use. I also gained a greater appreciation for the work they did now that I’ve walked a mile in their shoes (quick nod to a fave quote Elvis often borrowed)…the job involves much my peers can’t see directly so it’s easy to labeled as extraneous by the rank ‘n file team members.
The most important thing to ask myself though is this…am I still enjoying it? My immediate answer is yes because I said I wouldn’t accept the promotion unless I felt I was making a difference for the team. The recent performance reviews I have received tend to agree which is also reassuring especially when one is battling an evil twin. I’m also in the lead by the numbers since I still consider myself a phone agent, especially when the queues get tight and/or I’m handling an important customer.
A while back I mentioned some news I was holding off until today. I figured by my anniversary it would either be great or the usual…it ended up being the usual. There was an opening in the Training department for a curriculum developer. It entailed mainly writing materials to assist my team on all the upcoming products. How did I do despite not landing it? I got an interview with the hiring manager which was a victory in itself. (Many people get weeded out sans interview and most are often looking for anything to get them off the phone regardless of their qualifications.) I thought my qualifications were solid, especially when my contributions toward Snow Leopard Server preparedness were taken into consideration. The biggest boost I received came from two wonderful ladies and a nice gentleman who is often my political-economic nemesis. The latter was Peter whose advice I took on researching the job to avoid coming off like an amateur in the interview. This led to me talking to Sheree (lady one). She was CD for 10 years before joining the more elite tech support group which I always enjoy interacting with. The biggest favor Sheree did was making sure I didn’t inflate my cover letter; I wanted to be accurate and avoid exaggeration on the assistance I provided her in 2009. Nobody likes a liar. Lady number two was my friend Christina, a recruiter up in Nashville. How I completely spaced on contacting her sooner is beyond me. Christina gave me numerous pointers which made me kick myself for not doing them before; I recently was on the other side of some interviews and witnessed the perspective of what the hiring person is looking for. Christina filled in the gaps I have been missing. I think it also explains why my career has been behind where I probably should be on paper given my age, experience and skill set. The greatest thing Christina told me I will always remember and employ. It was like a Jedi-mind trick in its effectiveness.
Alas, I didn’t go on to round two. A couple days later, I received a rather neutral e-mail from HR saying “thanks for playing.” As I said, the usual happened. Well, it won’t be the usual unless Apple follows the pattern I’ve witnessed since I hit the glass ceiling back in 2000 regardless of my hard work. Will I stick around? It depends on what the near future holds. This unfortunately is always uncertain while the only certain thing will be people asking for support by phone, e-mail or chat services. Computers have come a long way yet they continue to be complicated devices. Look at modern cars. Auto mechanics haven’t gone the way of the dinosaur.
Long ago on this date (2007 or 2008, I can’t remember exactly), I gave myself and Apple a year to improve for I was rather frustrated with my lot in the organization. It worked out eventually by the Spring of 2009 plus there was the great news around the end of 2008…I’m not evil. I probably need to do the same thing again. Really push myself since it’s me holding things back more often than I probably realize. Sometimes it can be hard when you generally enjoy what you’re doing on most days.