Holy Smokes.

[angelak]

It's time to reflect more. January 2008...
Although I feel a little foggy-headed with this cold, I realize I'm just so contemplative of the potential of this year.

Nobody is high on my priority list for focusing on, along with other things.
I need to also figure out what is up with my relationship with certain people.
Some things happened yesterday... I just feel so disconnected from some people who I am used to being close to. I have to let go of the anger and be more reasonable somehow...

So, Jim's work position is seemingly getting more precarious than it has been in the last 6 months. There are 3 men in his company. Jim, Todd, and Shane. Shane is the one with the skill as far as interior repair. Shane has been training Jim for 6 months on how to do interior repair. Todd is for the most part, the project manager and accounts manager. “President,” if you will of the company.

Now, Shane and Todd entered a contract when the business began. They're partners; and Shane signed a contract that said that Todd would have 50% of all the profits of the work, of any work he does in Washington State. Todd gets the accounts at car lots, and Shane does the work. Todd does the administrative work, Shane gets the service done.

Jim plays into the equation by learning so that he could one day become independent and start working on his own lots therefore bringing in more money for the company as a whole. He is really nearly close to this point. Everything has gone along in a pretty positive light outside of the unrest between Todd and Shane occasionally. They argue. Friction has occurred between these two since I first started talking to Shane about his job, which was before Jim entered the equation.

Yesterday Todd did something that Shane off. It set Shane off so much that he was in his passionate angry state. While in this state, Shane typically feels like he needs to run. To leave. His first instinct was to get back at Todd by leaving the state. Yes, and moving to Alaska. That is because he could no longer make a living efficiently enough to pay his child support for his 2 kids if he didn't have his current method of income in Washington State. He has family and knows the fishing industry in Alaska.

Enter Kelsi. Kelsi has discouraged Shane leaving the state. Kelsi=my best friend, who has been VERY distant lately, and Shane's girlfriend. Shane told Jim that she was willing to leave the state with him. Precariously, Jim was feeling upset. His livelihood and efforts for the past 6 months would be yanked entirely if this gig fell through. He is in a place now that he doesn't really KNOW what he wants to do to make a living. We did a lot of talking about things last night after he told me about his “weird,” day as he put it.

Well, he can't go back to GameStop anymore. He makes more now and going backwards would do a number on him. He already feels like he is squeaking by, and he's making more than he used to. He still has no idea what to further his education with after he completes his 1 math class to get his 2 year degree. He has funding from the GI Bill for more school in the next 10 years, but he is lost on what. He feels like the things he WANTS to do are over-saturated with people or not high enough in demand. He contemplates doing tech support like me, and this is the most likely thing he could do. He didn't realize I had credentials before I got my internship. I knew he was thinking this. I didn't just walk in here as a high school kid and no IT experience what so ever, but somehow he viewed it that way. I told him I had a specific degree that helped get me where I am.

Sure, I learned a lot on the job, but they were comfortable with my background provided by the Computer System Networking Technology (AAS) degree...

He told me he had no idea what my degree was in. And no, you don't need a degree, but you do need some sort of prior technical skills to jump off of to get a job like this.
I guess in his mind his general AAS would be enough to get in the door to intern at an IT job.

*shrug*

Really don't know what to tell him. He seriously has no idea what to do with his life. So, I've been there, but the last time I felt that way was when I was 14 and 15 years old. That puts an odd perspective onto my life. I joked he could resign when his contract was up, but clearly that is further from his mind than anything else!

I prefer he not. ;)
Suggested working for Boeing, we'll get him to fill out an app just to see. It makes what he makes now entry level. I am sure he could do well with it. He has no real great benefits right now or sick leave or anything like this in his current job. I think if he did go to Boeing it would be an improvement for the same kind of menial physical work.

But I don't know. I just know where I am at. He does get concerned when I mention being a little easier on his financial contributions. I am glad for this, although I don't want him to feel like he can't ever get ahead.

It also scares me about my ambitions to move on from IT in the long term. If I am the one that is doing pretty.damned.well financially and I leave that... to gamble on another situation...

Well, I know we could make it if we had to, and I could always find another job one day if my venture failed, but...

Anyhow. So the other heresay last night was that Todd had put a tracking device in Shane's personal vehicle. Shane uses his personal truck to store paints and dyes and fabrics for the job. Apparently one of Todd's friends tipped Shane off about Todd perhaps putting a tracking device in Shane's truck.
Jim got a phone call last night that confirmed that YES, Todd indeed put a tracking device in the truck. He found it, and got Todd to confess. Currently, Shane and Todd had a long talk and Shane said that if anything else fishy happened, that the company was through. That basically means that yes, he'd move to Alaska, and yes, Jim would need to find another plan.

So, they agreed to let it go but of course Shane will not forget, and to carry on as best they can in a matter of business convenience more than anything. Shane doesn't want to leave. Shane also doesn't want to screw Jim over, and after he thought about the repercussions of the company folding.......

Who knows. Jim felt better after his phone call with Shane last night discussing their next plan.
I guess until Todd does something ELSE, everything is fine. Oddly in the last month I had begun to feel less comfortable with Jim's job and the Todd situation. I have never met Todd, and I am good friends with Shane. Each time Jim would discuss Todd, I got uncomfortable and felt like he was a BadGuy(tm).
I mentioned to varying people how I felt about the job position. I felt like Jim was in an incredible position that lacked control over where his career destiny was going. This is before any of this stuff came down. 3 weeks ago or so... I began feeling this way. And now this is all coming down.

Precog or general intuition? I'm not sure. But I have not been on the lots, near these people on the job, or done anything like this. I have been as far away from it and have only held a friendship with Shane on the side of their professional life. I just remember thinking lately that something was off regarding the company.

Well, first off. What a creep to put a tracking device in Shane's truck. WTF? Illegal first off, that's his personal vehicle. Second off... why are you not trusting the dude that is bringing in money when you really do very little to earn money off the guy?

Fucking weird.

Anyhow. It makes me realize how fortunate I am in my current position. It may have its drawbacks, but damn the drama Jim is facing right now just is really lousy. If anyone has any great career ideas for a guy willing to work hard and make at least $11 an hour, please let me know. So far things are okay again apparently, but who knows if this Todd guy will fuck up and ruin things?

And if this guy fucks up, it ultimately means Kelsi will move out of state. How lousy. Especially to Alaska, a place that is not easy for me to access!!!!! She is already distant. I'd at least like to take a shot at repairing our injured friendship. And the funny thing is I am not even sure why we're distant. Perhaps it's just one of those times in our friendship. It goes through cycles.

That being said, it would really bum me out if she had to leave. I understand that she has found a guy that is worthwhile for her, so I get why she'd leave... she can go to school anywhere after all.
But wow. What a switch if that were to happen. And a part of me would be envious that she'd get to try living somewhere else. I like Washington, don't get me wrong. Everything I have ever known is here. Including family – which is pretty big for me. But I HAVE been curious what it would be like to readjust.

:)


-Angela

Comments

[vamp11.livejournal.com]

jeeze. It never feels good to be in that place where the money inflow is nebulus.

Lots of good vibes towards that.

We can totally push energy towards it during our next working :)

:)

[ithisia.livejournal.com]

Might be worth a gander.

-Angela

[kdana.livejournal.com]

If he's pretty good with computers I remember the Starbucks tech support center was hiring people a while back for like $16/hr....

I'm not sure if they are anymore. My friend's now ex started at that job several years ago with very little knowledge about computers and now she's moved up in the company. Our friend is now on bad terms with her so we can't say "so and so recommends you interview him" but he can still look into it on his own (if he's interested in that sort of thing)...

Hey...

[ithisia.livejournal.com]

Good call...
Travis worked there for a while too. Crummy hours but fantastic pay and a foot in the door...

-Angela