On work - the intro

I have hesitated for months about posting about work, because honestly - I ain't trying to go out like Michael Hanson & the Microsoft jawn. I'm thinking Microsoft is a misnomer.

And not that work defines me, but we spend SO much time there, and exert So much energy to collect them checks...how can I not occasionally post about it?

So, here's the intro - and here's hoping that my employer (who shall for the moment remain nameless - our stock prices are too high for me to divulge the name right now...lol) is, er - either blog-friendly, or blog ign'ant.

I'm a Programmer for a Fortune 100 in Atlanta. Right'ch now I'm working in Java. For the über-geeky, I'm working in J2EE, using the MVC, in an architecture that resembles Struts, but isn't strictly Struts. I used to develop content - HTML - not that you can tell from THIS layout, but I've been transitioning into straight application development for the last year. I used to want to be a Java-Warrior Princess, but then Struts smacked me in the face, and made me realize that those Hello World progamlettes I wrote in college don't have shyt to do with real applications. Oh well.

Note:: secretly, I still think I'm gonna be the Warrior-princess. One day very soon.

Ok, back to the reason for this post. I work for a Corporation that has a widely respected corporate culture - highly regarded, and with a rich history. Textbooks cases are written about the founder's management style, and the values inherent in my co's culture.

<sigh>

I hate my job.

Well, not always - but most of the time. And not so much the Corp, but the department I work in, management team, and the fact that (their) ultimate power (has) corrupt(ed them). And I hate it for those reasons typical to most warped power environments - the rampant nepotism, the ass-kissing, the politics, the constant insults to my intelligence ("no, we're not outsourcing - we'd never do that...", but what difference does it make, when none of our consultants are U.S. citizens?), the written in pencil policies (you know, they change according to whether you have favored employee status...) - just typical BS.

But I love what I do. And they pay me well.

Part of me is like - go, grasshoppper. Go and be happy. The other part is like, embrace the evil you know, as opposed to confronting the evil you have yet to meet...MUAH-HA-HA-HAAAA-HAAA-HA!!!

I have GOT to work on my evil laugh.

Anywayz, I keep the Monster resume up-to-date, and enabled - just in case a HOTTER, BETTER PAYING GIG comes along. Yeah, nice - I'm at a point where I'm thinking that job will come knocking on my door, and have the handsome prince, and castle lined up right behind it. Surreee...

Meanwhile - I'm working the MBA plan, thinking about teaching, consulting, changing careers completely.

The department hooch made a comment the last time the company pulled out the guillotine and cut the head off a long-time-but-not-yet-qualified-for-retirement-benefits employee: "it's probably best that they fired him, since it was obvious he wasn't happy here anyway". How friggin magnanimous of you - dude is 4 yrs from his benefits, but it's prolly best that he won't get them AND he & his family are losing their sole source of income - nice.

All this to say - the book that I will one day write about this place - would make Office Space seem like a comedy - oh, it WAS a comedy, my bad.

So, in an effort to post more regularly - I'm opening up (someone said I keep too much stuff close to the vest) and introducing you to my gig, and its cast of characters. And if you happen across a java development position... ;-)