Job Seekers

Date 01-28-2004 20:25

Hey John, how's tricks today?
I have looked at the "Job seekers" many times, there always seems to be something there. Some of them repeatedly.
I tried sending my resume a couple of times to places, but never heard back from them. Don't know if they even got them, although, I guess I could have phoned to follow up...
Could be because I'm here in Canuckland? :)
I put my name in and get job postings directly to my e-mail at home whenever they meet certain criteria that I set up in the site.

You looking for work?

By kam

Date 01-29-2004 00:49

Hey Dag
I sometimes wonder about those dream jobs that we often see on the net. Sent my resume out a few times for jobs, which had very attractive salaries (40k more than i'm making; boner material) that I was over-qualified for and included company car and.......all I got was months of phone calls from head hunters who would try to talk the into moving 4 states away for half of what i'm making now. I detect chumming.

Regards

kam

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 01-29-2004 11:09

Hi Dagwood,
I am sorta looking, if something better came along, I would consider the possiblity of making a change. I've been here for twenty years and have rolled with the punches over the years. I really would like to get into more Inspection and learn more on the ASME side of life. I feel it would help me be a more rounded Inspector. I feel like all I do is Safety oriented work here, which is important and I'm not knocking it, I would like to get out into the shop more and Inspect. After all that is what I'm more so trained to do than the safety aspects. I haven't been in the shop for more than a week now and I feel I'm losing the handle I was gaining in the Quality of our product going out the door. It just was a long hard road to get our shop to the point where it is right now and I don't want us to slip back into old habits and ways of "getting it out the door" and not paying attention to the quality of it. Over the past week the guys have been coming to me telling me they are ready for me to check their work and I have to turn them away because I can't get to it. All of the Safety programs OSHA has in place are taking all of my Inspection time up. We are big enough to have a dedicated Safety person here at the company but they don't want to hire anyone to fill that very needed position, they just want me to continue swaying with the current and if the Safety needs attention then that what I'm to be doing. If the Quality needs attention then I have to stop the safety and do quality. We just had a recent OSHA Inspection and the Inspector asked me, "my God what don't you do around here?". In fact the day of our Quality audit by the AISC, the OSHA inspector showed up while I was taking the AISC auditor around. I think for what I make the company is getting their pennies worth out of me, but I'm not complaining about that, just would like to do more Inspecting, I enjoy welding/Inspection and want to learn all I can about that rather than spend all my time on other things.

Kam,
I have seen those big carrots out there on the web too and it makes you wonder how green that grass really is over there.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings guys,
John Wright

By Dagwood (*)

Date 01-30-2004 20:03

John, I hear what you are saying. Same but different here for me too. I really enjoy doing the inspection part of my job, but too bad it isn't all inspection. Shipping/receiving and safety are in my bag too.
Sometimes I wonder if I should just "bite the bullet" and go out and get a UT, RT, PT, and/or MT tickets and become a technician. Spend the whole day inspecting. I know a couple of guys that say they would never be able to work as a shop QC/QA. I had a chance a couple years ago to do just that, but chickened out.

Is the grass greener elsewhere???

ASME is a VERY interesting when it come to Code interpretation etc...A lot of challenge in it. Pressure vessel inspection has a lot of different parts to it. I don't have a lot of structural or shipbuilding experience because I have mostly focussed on vessel work because I find it very challenging. I'm hoping to eventually get my API 510 accreditation.

The shop that I'm at now does the corrosion resistant weld metal overlay, so there is metallurgy involved as well. Exciting stuff, too bad there wasn't more of it.

What do you specialize in?

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 01-30-2004 21:38

We'll never know how green the grass is if we never leave our pasture. So what do you do? I'm not big on changing jobs as you can tell by my staying twenty years here at this plant.

I guess if you had to specify a specialty, I'm not sure what you would call it. I'm a Level II MT, PT, UT, (ACCP)VT and a CWI. I have only been around Structural Steel fabricators. Piping and vessels sound similar (both weld steel together) but yet are worlds apart. D1.1 is the only code I feel somewhat comfortable with because it is the code we fabricate by. We use all prequalified procedures and processes. I'm trying to get involved with some other shops around town to figure out the qualifying and documentation of non-prequalifed procedures in D1.1. I'm a work in progress and realize I have lots to learn about this field.

I've just been frustrated, as everyone gets now and again. Typically when management has a hard time dealing with what is the "right thing" to do in certain circumstances. That is something for discussion other than on the forum, but you get the picture. Other pastures do look greener from my side of the fence, and I guess you really won't ever know until you take a leap of faith and just do what is best for you and your family. You know, those "tickets" can only help widen your choices if you ever decide to look at the other pasture. I'm not sure how plentiful jobs in our fields are up there above the border, but down here it almost always means picking up roots and moving. I'm not big on that idea either, I'm still living in the house I was born it 39 years ago. My Dad said he was selling it, and at the time I was getting hitched, so we worked a deal. I wasn't buying any surprises, I knew that house inside and out.

I hope you'll decide to go get those "tickets", it'll just add to your resume'.
John Wright

By ssbn727 (*****)

Date 01-31-2004 04:13

Hi JW!
It's time to wear your gratitude suit again!
If that does'nt help then, get your superiors to send you back to school or attend some more seminars. You could teach if you have'nt tried that before... My point is that you've got it pretty good compared to most by the grace of god! Your situation in comparison to others these days is all too rare! There is alot out there for all of us to learn and experience both good and bad. Go find that suit of gratitude and wear it LOUD and PROUD!!! You're a good man JW!!! Be aware of your good fortune to have just about everything you need and not just about everything you want because if you look at it from my perspective - you've got it pretty good! I say this to you not to belittle you or with any envy; I say this to get you out of your temporary funk... I only hope that you take no offense to my suggestions about how to revitalize your spirit again!
Go ahead and dust off that gratitude suit; It'll still fit!

Respectfully,

SSBN727 Run Silent... Run Deep!!!

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 02-02-2004 13:41

Hi SS,
Glad to hear from you, haven't seen you around for a while. Guess that's a good thing, it probably means you're busy. Hope the "funk" I've been feeling will be temporary, and I know things will get better soon. I'm not complaining, just want to use my training and keep learning. I'll get the experiences from somewhere, if not here.
John Wright

By CHGuilford (****)

Date 02-02-2004 15:01

John,
You might be suffering from seasonal affected disorder otherwise know as "cabin fever". Plus, this time of year is slow construction-wise, enough to do but not what we would like to be doing.
But cheer up. It's Groundhog Day and the sun is shining (here at least). I think that means we'll have only 6 more weeks of winter. I think if he doesn't see his shadow we get a month and a half until spring. I never remember how that goes but I think the distraction is what it's all about.
Just remember, although you'll never know how green the grass is until you go and find out, you kinda hafta wait until it actually turns green first.

Chet Guilford

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 02-02-2004 15:08

Chet,
One would think the grass would be plenty green right "here" with all the "fertilizer" they spread around here. :) Or is that the mushroom theory I'm thinking about?
John Wright

Edited to add...
I was speaking of my workplace and not "here" being the forum.

By jon20013 (*****)

Date 02-02-2004 16:10

JW; I spent most of my career as a jobshopper so have been around the states and the world a few times ;0 All I can tell you is jobshopping normally pays really good $$$ but the lack of stability is hard for some people. Now, after 30 years of traveling I've decided enough is enough! I'll travel for vacations but I like to know I'm going to be home at night (if I choose!) Monday through Friday and weekends too. If I had 20 years in with one company (which I think would kill me!) I'd think very serious before leaving. If you do decide to venture forth, be prepared to go wherever the work leads you and you will do well. Sound advice: as soon as you land one job, update and get your resume back out on the streets!

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 02-02-2004 17:32

To all,
I thought about how that might have sounded, and thought I might should explain my thoughts.
John Wright

By CHGuilford (****)

Date 02-02-2004 17:52

John,
I think the mushroom theory is more accurate, at least around here.
It sounds like you are suffering from QC stigma. A superintendent once told me "QC is a necessary evil we have to pay for." He also said "If I can cut corners on a job and not got caught, I save money and look good. If I can get away with it 9 times out of 10, I figure I have made more money than I lost and it's still worthwhile." Scout's honor, both were actual quotes.
When I first met this guy we had an issue with preblasting for a MassHighway job. Specs call for a SP-10, and I was finding maybe a SP-7. He said "Tell you what we're gonna do. We'll start off with a perfect blast (SP-5) and slowly back off the quality. You say 'Whoa' when we go too far." (another actual quote)

Actually, he really wasn't that bad to work with. He just fired from the hip and spoke the first thoughts on his mind. Later on, he started to realize that QC inspection done early in the job could make everything go smoother. At the very least, he didn't try to blame anyone else for his own mistakes.

One final thing. This is the 1st quarter where higher-ups look at last year's performance and get antsy about the coming year. It's still too early to tell if their changes have done any good yet and some may be still smarting over unfavorable reports. They are nervous and that means pressure gets put on everyone. Hang tight for a bit, it'll get better.

Chet

By testweldguy (**)

Date 02-01-2004 16:30

Hey, I hear that Hobart is looking for a Q.C technician for their 2nd shift in the stick electrode dept.
just thought i'd say..
I think yall should hurry though...