RockyRogue
Agent of Change
I'd have to say there is. I'll deliberately keep specific details out of my post in some areas but those I've corresponded with privately are welcome to message me for any details they'd like. Enjoy......
I left UPS in October 2007 after a second stint that lasted about 10 months. After putting up with management bullying, manipulation and falsehoods, I decided I'd had enough. What finally sent me out the door was, "Hey, watch your handling! I'm getting radio calls about your missorts from X and Y belts!" I said, "Excuse me???" The supervisor repeated, I laughed and got a puzzled glare in response. I said, "Listen, chief, I've put 3 packages on those belts all day. Go hassle somebody else, OK?" He knew he'd been caught and said, "Hey, brother.....I'm just passing along the word." I laughed again and he booked. I knew I'd had enough. I left UPS on the 11th. I'd been trying to figure out how I was going to beg for a couple days off after I got out of school for the term and my departure immediately erased that need. Classes wrapped and I skipped down, boarding a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 for the Pacific Northwest. I flew into Seattle, Washington and took an Amtrak down to Portland for an overnight visit. I couldn't have done that if I was still with UPS. No, Peak started the week following that trip and the volume was SKY-ROCKETING when I left. Since then, I've taken two trips: Chicago for Christmas and a long weekend for Spring Break in South Florida. The latter would NEVER have happened if I was still at UPS, particularly given the number of vacations around that time. Life is GOOD when you work for a government contractor!
I left UPS for a work-study job on my University's campus. No, I didn't have the vaunted union protection nor the health insurance but ya know what I had?? I had my sanity back! For those that have lost it (or felt like you were at UPS), you know how good it feels to have that back. The night I left UPS, I got my first good night's sleep in almost 8 weeks. My mood improved overnight. My schoolwork was showing signs of stress and fatigue in addition to the beginnings of distraction, which immediately reversed. I finished the academic term with the highest GPA I'd ever had. And I really should touch on the health insurance that keeps so many employed by UPS. I was walking into work the week before I turned in my notice when I started talking to a co-worker. I found out the insurance was an 80/20 split and the deductible was something like $2K. Not sure if the deductible amount is true and if it is, maybe its just true for my neck of the woods. I was appalled. It really prompted me to start thinking about jumping ship. You see....American higher education requires health insurance, no matter how old you are, no matter what kind of health you're in. The cost for health insurance from my University was close to the deductible for UPS's health insurance. I went looking for my own health insurance the next day. I found one for about $100 a month. Not great coverage (major medical) but enough since I'm in good health and don't do stupid stuff on the weekends, etc. Their went my last reason to stick around UPS. Career advancement? Solidly quashed in the Spring of 2007 because of a family member in management. School aid? Denied because I was in graduate school and it was only for undergraduate education. Experience? See above about career advancement. Convenience? Nope. It was a 45 minute--each way--bus ride. Money? Nope. For $10/hr, declining quality of management and aforementioned mistreatment, it wasn't worth it anymore. I haven't looked back.
I had a relative living with me in the second half of 2007. Five days after I left UPS, he said, "You look better than I've ever seen you, dude. You look....at peace. I don't know any other way to describe it. Have you lost a little weight in the last week?" Twelve days after I left UPS, I woke up late after having been on-campus til after midnight working on a research project. I checked my e-mail and did some other stuff on the web. I suddenly realized, "Wait a second. Where's my phone? I haven't checked it yet this morning." I found it beneath a grocery bag and flipped it open. There was a missed call AND a voicemail. I was still kinda sleep fogged but the prefix rang a bell. I shrugged and checked the voicemail. IT WAS A JOB OFFER IN MY PROFESSION!!!! I danced a little jig in my room and would have looked like a complete fool if someone had seen me. I started that job on November 19th. I spoke to my folks the week Peak started and my Dad asked, "So....regret leaving UPS?" I laughed and said, "Are you kidding me? I'm sitting in a quiet, heated office making twice what I did at UPS; the guy I work with is classy; my boss has already approved taking the week between Christmas and New Years off so I can come home and has specifically told me that if there's a school conflict, that school comes first. No, I don't miss UPS in the slightest." He laughed in response and said, "I didn't think you'd miss UPS. Had to ask."
Well....here it is 4 months after I started that job. I now know its not going to turn into a full-time job after graduation, which I'm 100% OK with. I miss the 'people' aspect of my life too much. Only seeing a handful of people everyday is doing a number on me mentally. I don't mind the office environment per se. I actually like it! I just need personal interaction. And I think I'll find it, too.
Without giving too much away, I've applied for two jobs in Channahon's and 705Red's area. One is an academic institution, the other a municipal department. The academic institution happens to be where I and a number of my relatives have been educated. I applied for that job on a Thursday night and at 9:03 a.m (Central Time) the next day, I received confirmation of receipt of the application and a request for additional information required for a complete application. Four e-mails were exchanged in less than 5 hours with the recruiter and the department chair. In addition, as I was leaving the office that day, I found a voicemail from the department chair in which the position works. Keep in mind this is long distance and a time-zone away. I was impressed. People with experience in HR and hiring practices/policies say I have a very good chance with this particular job because I attended the institution. Those of you that deliver to higher education institutions probably know how excited these institutions are to have an alum return as an employee, particularly one that works with students. At the above institution, I remember seeing the news plastered on the front page of the school newspaper. At my transfer institution, it was plastered all over the front page of the school newspaper for a week. In addition, the newspaper published an interview with the new employee the day before they started. For students, there's nothing quite like hearing the schpiel, "I attended XYZ for two years, transferred to ABC where I earned my Bachelors in Arts before being admitted to CBA for a Masters." Trust me....I've gotten that schpiel before. The instructor immediately had the class' undivided attention. A walking, talking success story is the best advertising there is! The municipal department is on the same side of town (general area, anyway) as the CACH hub.
Graduation is rapidly approaching. I came back from South Florida and sent my folks a two sentence e-mail: "Back in Denver. The 90 Day Countdown started Friday." It has been an exciting four months. I wouldn't trade it for the world!
I really like Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. The character fits him like a glove IMHO. So....once again, I'll sign off with his closing words from Pirates of the Carribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl as he's looking at his compass, "Now....Bring me that horizon!" I can see the squall line ahead but this ship has made it through the horrors life has thrown at it thus far! -Rocky
I left UPS in October 2007 after a second stint that lasted about 10 months. After putting up with management bullying, manipulation and falsehoods, I decided I'd had enough. What finally sent me out the door was, "Hey, watch your handling! I'm getting radio calls about your missorts from X and Y belts!" I said, "Excuse me???" The supervisor repeated, I laughed and got a puzzled glare in response. I said, "Listen, chief, I've put 3 packages on those belts all day. Go hassle somebody else, OK?" He knew he'd been caught and said, "Hey, brother.....I'm just passing along the word." I laughed again and he booked. I knew I'd had enough. I left UPS on the 11th. I'd been trying to figure out how I was going to beg for a couple days off after I got out of school for the term and my departure immediately erased that need. Classes wrapped and I skipped down, boarding a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 for the Pacific Northwest. I flew into Seattle, Washington and took an Amtrak down to Portland for an overnight visit. I couldn't have done that if I was still with UPS. No, Peak started the week following that trip and the volume was SKY-ROCKETING when I left. Since then, I've taken two trips: Chicago for Christmas and a long weekend for Spring Break in South Florida. The latter would NEVER have happened if I was still at UPS, particularly given the number of vacations around that time. Life is GOOD when you work for a government contractor!
I left UPS for a work-study job on my University's campus. No, I didn't have the vaunted union protection nor the health insurance but ya know what I had?? I had my sanity back! For those that have lost it (or felt like you were at UPS), you know how good it feels to have that back. The night I left UPS, I got my first good night's sleep in almost 8 weeks. My mood improved overnight. My schoolwork was showing signs of stress and fatigue in addition to the beginnings of distraction, which immediately reversed. I finished the academic term with the highest GPA I'd ever had. And I really should touch on the health insurance that keeps so many employed by UPS. I was walking into work the week before I turned in my notice when I started talking to a co-worker. I found out the insurance was an 80/20 split and the deductible was something like $2K. Not sure if the deductible amount is true and if it is, maybe its just true for my neck of the woods. I was appalled. It really prompted me to start thinking about jumping ship. You see....American higher education requires health insurance, no matter how old you are, no matter what kind of health you're in. The cost for health insurance from my University was close to the deductible for UPS's health insurance. I went looking for my own health insurance the next day. I found one for about $100 a month. Not great coverage (major medical) but enough since I'm in good health and don't do stupid stuff on the weekends, etc. Their went my last reason to stick around UPS. Career advancement? Solidly quashed in the Spring of 2007 because of a family member in management. School aid? Denied because I was in graduate school and it was only for undergraduate education. Experience? See above about career advancement. Convenience? Nope. It was a 45 minute--each way--bus ride. Money? Nope. For $10/hr, declining quality of management and aforementioned mistreatment, it wasn't worth it anymore. I haven't looked back
. I had a relative living with me in the second half of 2007. Five days after I left UPS, he said, "You look better than I've ever seen you, dude. You look....at peace. I don't know any other way to describe it. Have you lost a little weight in the last week?" Twelve days after I left UPS, I woke up late after having been on-campus til after midnight working on a research project. I checked my e-mail and did some other stuff on the web. I suddenly realized, "Wait a second. Where's my phone? I haven't checked it yet this morning." I found it beneath a grocery bag and flipped it open. There was a missed call AND a voicemail. I was still kinda sleep fogged but the prefix rang a bell. I shrugged and checked the voicemail. IT WAS A JOB OFFER IN MY PROFESSION!!!! I danced a little jig in my room and would have looked like a complete fool if someone had seen me. I started that job on November 19th. I spoke to my folks the week Peak started and my Dad asked, "So....regret leaving UPS?" I laughed and said, "Are you kidding me? I'm sitting in a quiet, heated office making twice what I did at UPS; the guy I work with is classy; my boss has already approved taking the week between Christmas and New Years off so I can come home and has specifically told me that if there's a school conflict, that school comes first. No, I don't miss UPS in the slightest." He laughed in response and said, "I didn't think you'd miss UPS. Had to ask."
Well....here it is 4 months after I started that job. I now know its not going to turn into a full-time job after graduation, which I'm 100% OK with. I miss the 'people' aspect of my life too much. Only seeing a handful of people everyday is doing a number on me mentally. I don't mind the office environment per se. I actually like it! I just need personal interaction. And I think I'll find it, too.
Without giving too much away, I've applied for two jobs in Channahon's and 705Red's area. One is an academic institution, the other a municipal department. The academic institution happens to be where I and a number of my relatives have been educated. I applied for that job on a Thursday night and at 9:03 a.m (Central Time) the next day, I received confirmation of receipt of the application and a request for additional information required for a complete application. Four e-mails were exchanged in less than 5 hours with the recruiter and the department chair. In addition, as I was leaving the office that day, I found a voicemail from the department chair in which the position works. Keep in mind this is long distance and a time-zone away. I was impressed. People with experience in HR and hiring practices/policies say I have a very good chance with this particular job because I attended the institution. Those of you that deliver to higher education institutions probably know how excited these institutions are to have an alum return as an employee, particularly one that works with students. At the above institution, I remember seeing the news plastered on the front page of the school newspaper. At my transfer institution, it was plastered all over the front page of the school newspaper for a week. In addition, the newspaper published an interview with the new employee the day before they started. For students, there's nothing quite like hearing the schpiel, "I attended XYZ for two years, transferred to ABC where I earned my Bachelors in Arts before being admitted to CBA for a Masters." Trust me....I've gotten that schpiel before. The instructor immediately had the class' undivided attention. A walking, talking success story is the best advertising there is! The municipal department is on the same side of town (general area, anyway) as the CACH hub.
Graduation is rapidly approaching. I came back from South Florida and sent my folks a two sentence e-mail: "Back in Denver. The 90 Day Countdown started Friday." It has been an exciting four months. I wouldn't trade it for the world!
I really like Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. The character fits him like a glove IMHO. So....once again, I'll sign off with his closing words from Pirates of the Carribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl as he's looking at his compass, "Now....Bring me that horizon!" I can see the squall line ahead but this ship has made it through the horrors life has thrown at it thus far! -Rocky
